A lot of changes have taken place in the past years. Along with them, some popular trends in education have taken over the industry too. Abroad education consultants especially should be wary of these trends. As 2018 is just around the corner, companies are now focusing on making goals and strategies to perform even better. Just like them, you, abroad education consultants, need to make your strategies different and more effective too. So how do you start about? First things first, find out the popular trends in education that are shaping the services that you should be offering to prospective clients in 2018.
Their destination country is changing
Unlike what a lot of people must be expecting, the US is not in the student’s top destination country for higher studies. The same is for European countries. The popular trends in the education industry have shifted the route students take elsewhere. Thanks to their strict migration policies and VISA restrictions, other countries have been able to host a fair share of international students this year.
After the policy implemented by the Prime Minister of UK, Theresa May, the government has been cutting down the number of international students entering the country. This was done in accordance with the limited number of migrants that would be allowed to stay in the UK.
Apart from this, students fear their security in these countries. Accordingly, they have been opting for universities outside of UK and the EU because of fear of terrorist attacks. One of the popular education trends is that students seek security more than anything during their higher studies. Thus, they seek countries that they think is welcoming to international students. This is a reasonable concern that abroad education consultants should respect and cater to.
Although the US still stays at the top for the most searched country for higher studies, students are gradually changing their preferences.
“According to Open Doors, the number of international students in the US has declined by 7% from last year”
Just as in the UK, the US had not been able to welcome a lot of international students like it used to. While a lot of factors come to play, the major one is the policy of President Trump on immigration ban. Students have been discouraged to travel to the US for fear of discrimination and stringent VISA processes. For this reason, popular trends in education seem to be about shifting to other countries. You, as abroad education consultants, need to be prepared for these changing trends.
Popular trends in Education are related to Employment
It is general knowledge for abroad education consultants, that students migrate to another country in hopes that they’ll get employed, once they graduate. They’re also keen on finding a job to pay for their tuition.
It has become harder for the international graduates to find a decent job with the policies targeted against them in the UK and the US. Moreover, getting an extended VISA to work has become stricter in these countries. Abroad education consultants should be aware that, it has become one of the most popular trends in the education industry for students to look for countries that allow them to work after graduation.
“A new policy in the UK now requires graduates to earn a yearly salary of at least £20,800 in order to get a VISA to stay there.”
So where are the students going to?
With all the chaos happening in Europe and the US, students are now moving towards Canada and Australia for their higher studies. As countries that welcome thousands of international students every year, they’re now becoming the number one destination for abroad education of higher studies. Likewise, one of the popular trends in the education sector, abroad education consultants should be aware of is that more students are moving to Canada and Australia.
“According to a survey conducted by International Students Admissions Service (ISAS), it was found that 62% students listed Canada as their top country for higher studies.”
The reasons that the 1700 respondents had given for this were high-quality education, job opportunities and security among others. Unlike the above-mentioned countries, these countries have been introducing policies that would make the lives of international students easier.
With easy VISA processes, safety and employment opportunities after graduation, they have made their courses attractive to the international students. Furthermore, students get a work permit easily after their graduation for 3 years.
While Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are still the top choice for international students’ destination, it is no surprise that China is also coming into the spotlight. The reasons for this are its lower living costs, quality education, welcoming environment, job opportunities, and scholarships. In the next few years, China could become one of the most sought-after destinations to travel to for international students. Abroad education consultants should make necessary preparations to catch up to this trend.
“Last year, China hosted more than 400,000 international students for the first time since 2011. The number could also increase with the One Belt One Road Education Initiative it has taken”
Change in type of courses
Their choice of courses has also been changing. There isn’t a specific subject they are migrating to other countries for. The subjects they are choosing have been diverse from medical to arts to management. Students seek countries or universities that have varied courses to choose from along with the flexibility to change them. One of the new and popular trends in education is that students are now opting for online courses.
With the expenses incurred in study abroad programs, most of the students have been opting for online or distance learning. According to a The Distance Education Enrollment Report 2017, around 29.7 percent of students now take at least one distance education course. The abroad education consultants should be aware of this.
“While the number of students in online programs increased by 3.9% in 2015, the number of on-campus students decreased by 5%”
What is in it for an education agency?
As dynamic as the world is, the consultants in education needs to adapt to these changes too. If the popular trends in the education industry mentioned above stay long, you have to move along.
Abroad education consultants can focus on partnering with universities in China if you haven’t yet. With a large amount of scholarship provided by OBOR education initiative, it could move up the list.
Abroad education consultants can strive to partner with more universities in Australia and Canada to offer more choice than its competitors.
A lot of agencies have also been moving into digitization and offering convenient services to students and on time. Most of these abroad education consultants have adopted a CRM that has made their service even easier.
“A 2017 data also suggests that the 91% of companies with more than 11 employees use CRM software”
In order to reap the benefits and stay in the business, your agency needs the best CRM software. Not only education agencies, but even abroad education consultants can use an CRM tools. Besides that, an agency needs to consider the changes happening in the education scenario about online courses too.
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” -Leon C. Megginson, Goodreads
There had been a drop of almost one million students studying on-campus from 2012 to 2015 according to a survey. The abroad education consultants can focus on marketing about university experience that can’t be found elsewhere.
Moreover, you can also look for information about partnering with online courses provider. This way you can offer classes to interested students and gain profits at the same time. The abroad education consultants have bridged the gap between students and universities. They can now make online courses easily available too.
These are just a few of the popular trends in education shaping the industry in the past year or so. They could become a culture to follow for 2018. So, set your study consultant goals for the next year keeping these things in mind. This will help you stay in abroad education consultants business or even be on the top.
