Enrolling in professional training programs for any study abroad counselling is a must if you take your business seriously. These courses provide you with much-needed expertise, that would have otherwise taken you years to acquire. Besides, it is always better to keep your skills for study abroad counselling sharp.
Talking about the multiple advantages of joining a professional course for study abroad counselling, we can take numerous examples. It keeps you updated with the latest trends and developments so that you never lose touch with your industry niche. You also get to expand your social and professional network by meeting new people in your market. Being certified also makes it much easier for you to secure confidence with your partners and clients. A certified study abroad counselling agent sounds more appealing to your customers. But most of all, it helps you fill in the much-needed skill gap in your industry.
“Learning can emerge as spontaneous order at the edge of chaos”
-Sugata Mitra
It is eminent that attending such professional courses will soon become a necessity. It would be vital to keep up in the global market for study abroad counselling. With rising competition, your clients will expect better service and versatility. And as a trained education counsellor, you will be able to cater to their needs with higher efficiency. Successful people never stop learning and keep themselves engaged with new ideas.
Hence, joining such training courses keeps consultants in education at the top of their game.
If you are looking online, you will be able to find numerous professional courses dedicated to study abroad counselling. However, you might be confused choosing the best one. So, here are four most popular institutes that provide professional training programs for study abroad counselling in Australia and around the globe.
Education Agent Training Course (EATC)
EATC is a free online course made available for both the startup and practicing education counsellor. So any study abroad counselling agent new or old can freely access the courses. The course gives you the complete details of the Australian education system and its intricate workings. It helps you, the education counsellor stays updated on the latest industry changes and trends. For study abroad counselling, keeping up with trends can help you stay in the competition. The EATC course was developed in collaboration with Australian Education International (AEI) and Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP).
The course material includes topics like:
- Australian Qualification & Framework, and Career Trends
- Legislation and Regulations
- Working Effectively in International Education
- Professional Standards and Ethics
The course provides you with up-to-date information on any policy changes in Australian Immigration. Hence, it is an excellent resource and training platform for study abroad counselling. Upon completion of the course, you become a Qualified Education Counsellor and your name is entered in the QEAC database.
ICEF Agent Training Course
ICEF understands that study abroad counselling is vital to the global mobility of international students. In an ever-changing industry, agents need to stay focused and constantly updated. Hence, ICEF provides a course focusing on the changing dynamics of international student migration. The education counsellor has to be updated with this knowledge. They provide two types of professional training programs for study abroad counselling. They are:
ICEF Professional Course
ICEF Professional Course targets agency-based international student recruitment process. The course design tests an agent’s knowledge of the industry, key student destinations, and fundamental skills. ICEF provides education counsellor with a more practical approach to agency based education counseling. It equips you with skills and research parameters to analyze destination countries. This way, you can expand your network. Also, it helps study abroad counselling by generalizing principles and functionalities that are common to most destination countries. The course covers three major areas:
- The Context of International Education (destination countries, education system and visas)
- People in International Education (students, education personnel, and immigration authorities)
- Promoting International Education (working effectively, marketing and ethics)
ICEF Destination Course
ICEF destination course focuses on the most popular international student destinations. It specializes in professional training programs for education agents who are interested in Canadian and US services. Specifically, they provide the Canada Course for Education Agents (CCEA) and US Agent Training Course (USATC). So, if you as an education counsellor are looking to expand your partner base to these nations, this course will be excellent for you.
PIER Education Agent Training
PIER Education Agent Training Program provides you with a high-quality professional guidance. It guides you for your role in the global mobility of international students. This can be very helpful for study abroad counselling. This program is highly popular in Australia and mostly covers the Australian education system and its workings. Hence, it includes the Australian Student Visa Program training course. This makes it easier for you to understand the details of international student migration process in Australia. It also incorporates a Simplified Visa Framework for Australia. This program is available online and you can easily download course notes and syllabus. Joining the program can significantly impact the study abroad counselling.
PIER Education Agent Training module is user-friendly and the courses are relatively shorter. The course gives you the details about the upcoming visa changes in student immigration policies. The program also highlights the New Streamlined Visa Framework in Australia. This training program will be very helpful for start-up study abroad counselling and those who are actively practicing it. Keeping you updated with the latest industry news, it will enhance your skills to work with higher proficiency.
You can also register for other professional training programs meant for study abroad counselling. For instance, you can apply for ICEF Agent Training Course, US Agent Training Course and Canada Course for Education Agents through PIER if it is unavailable to you directly.
British Council Education Agent Training Program
It is not surprising to see British Council on this list. They also provide professional training programs for study abroad counselling. However, this course specializes in UK education only. The online training program is eight weeks long. It also includes self-assessment tests to keep your knowledge of the industry at a check.
British Council’s professional course focuses on UK education and training system. It deals with quality assurance and numerous benefits of studying and living in the UK. Furthermore, it highlights the lifestyle, travel accommodation, living costs and welfares available there. Finally, it also gives you details on course fees and scholarship criteria for international students. The course updates you with UK application procedures, entry requirements, visa and immigration policies. These details and information are what the student seek from their study abroad counselling.
They have divided the two-month course into two units. And, each unit covers the following details:
Unit 1
The first unit introduces you to the education counsellor agency business itself. This helps you develop the understanding and knowledge of the industry and its workings. It will also guide and support you to define your role as an education counsellor. Furthermore, it assists you to identify with the global market and international student migration so that you can plan your development.
Unit 2
In the second unit, you will be moving on to the technical aspects of the job. It provides you with guidance on how you can record your personal development. This will also broaden your knowledge about portfolio requirements. Moreover, it guides you through your professional development as an education counsellor. Dealing with various UK immigration policies and rules & regulations, it also advises you on the process of completion and submission of UK student visa.
In order for you to successfully complete this course, you must attend a minimum of 35 hours of CPD. These hours should have to include all the following areas:
- Education Sector Knowledge
- Life in the UK
- Visas and Immigration
- Marketing and Promotion
- Professionalism and Ethics
Immigration policies never stay the same and are ever changing. Considering this, the British Council Agent Training Program gives an education counsellor validity of two years, after completion of the course. However, you will be listed in the British Council Trained Agent list permanently.
No matter where you are, all of these professional training programs for an education counsellor are available online for easy international access. We have tried to cover institutes that focus on major student destinations like Australia, Canada, UK, and the US. Hopefully, you will be able to get started for now. Truth is, the more training programs you attend, the better it is for you. It will help you as an education agent CRM tool as well. As you will be updated with the latest market trends and changes. Such courses will help you be inspired so that you never lose touch with your industry niche. Thus, whether you are a beginner or a veteran education counsellor in this industry, you can now easily select which course will be the best for your professional development.
“The primary focus of counselor education is the training and preparation of professional counselors; this includes recruiting and training the future generations of academic professionals who will teach the curriculum of counseling theory and practice.”- Wikipedia
