Course Content
INTRODUCTION
This chapter answers the following questions: What kinds of education services are offered in destination countries? What information does the student counsellor need to understand a destination country? What advice are students likely to want about a destination country? What are the main destination countries?
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Education Markets in Destination Countries
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Understanding a Country
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Test of Knowledge Progress
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DESTINATION COUNTRIES
The following countries are covered in this chapter: US Canada UK Ireland Germany Switzerland Netherland - Holland France Spain Italy Malta Australia New Zealand China Japan Malaysia Singapore
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The United States of America
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Canada
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Test of Knowledge Progress - Canada
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United Kingdom
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Test of Knowledge Progress - United Kingdom
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Ireland
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Test of Knowledge Progress - Ireland
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Germany
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Switzerland
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Netherlands
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France
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Spain
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Italy
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Malta
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Australia
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New Zealand
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China
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Japan
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Malaysia
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Singapore
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EDUCATION SYSTEMS
This chapter summarizes the following questions: How is the education system structured in destination countries? What types of educational institutions are there and how do they fit in the education system? What types of qualifications can a student gain from these educational institutions? What is the regulatory framework for qualifications, and how does it work? Where do international students enter and leave the education system?
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Overview of Educations System
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Structure
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Qualifications Framework
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Study Planning
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Test of Knowledge Progress - Education System
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REGULATORY SYSTEMS, VISAS AND LEGAL REQUIREMNTS
International education in a destination country is most likely controlled by legislation and associated regulations at national and state/regional levels. This lesson examines common laws and regulations relating to international education and outlines how they operate. Focus Questions How are the regulatory systems structured in destination countries? How do the regulatory systems affect the different types of educational institution? How do the regulatory systems affect the student counsellor?
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Regulatory Systems
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Government Laws and Regulations
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Industry Self-Regulation
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Types of Laws
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Legal Requirements
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Legal Requirements of Education Providers
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Agent Contracts and Accountability
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Consumer Protection
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Student Visas
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Migration Regulations
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Student Visas
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Enrolment and Visa Applications
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Prerequisites
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INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION STAKEHOLDERS
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Overview
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Education Institutions
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Communication with Education Institutions
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STUDENT CLIENTS MANAGEMENT
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Student Client Management
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Recruitment and Enrolment
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After Departure
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STUDENT CARE ISSUES
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Overview
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People
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Student Care Programmes
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Cultural Awareness
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STUDENT DOCUMENTS
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Overview
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Dealing with Student Documents
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Working Effectively
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Technology
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Customer Service
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Work Practices
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MARKETING INFORMATION AND ETHICS
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Marketing Information
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Sources of Information
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Using the Information
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Ethics
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Principles
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Issues
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CISA- Certified International Student Advisor
About Lesson

Study Planning

The student counsellor needs to be able to advise prospective students on international study options and pathways, and work with them to develop an effective study plan.

Planning International Study

Students can have three main types of reasons students choose to study internationally, which will affect their preferences and objectives.

  • Further study: The international study will lead to further study either internationally or at home.
  • Career and employment: The international study will enhance the student’s career or employment prospects.
  • Personal enrichment: The international study is the means by which the student can improve his/her quality of life, either through the course itself and/or through living in the destination country.

When planning international study with prospective students, the student counsellor should take into account their preferences and objectives, as well as the availability of courses , their entry requirements, costs, duration, content, and outcomes. He/she should make sure courses are suitable for the prospective student in terms of both entry requirements and exit outcomes. In addition, he/she must take into account the logistics of travel, study, and living arrangements.

Entry Requirements

As a first step, the student counsellor should obtain information from the prospective student about their existing qualifications, experience, and background. Then he/she should check course entry requirements and prerequisites. This information should be available in the course information provided by prospective educational institutions. The student counsellor must determine the equivalence of the student’s qualifications to the course prerequisites, to ensure that the student’s academic and language proficiency matches the level he/she wishes to enter.

If the student’s qualifications and experience meet the course entry requirements, the student counsellor should then advise the student of the documentation needed to verify them for enrolment and visa applications.

If they do not meet entry requirements, the student must decide either to lower their study aims or to undertake some kind of bridging course to close the gap. This may be by means of a dedicated bridging or foundation course, or a lower-level course which articulates into the desired course. The student counsellor should work with prospective students to develop a learning pathway consisting of such bridging courses and the desired course. Learning pathways are discussed below.

International students must usually meet minimum language requirements, which are generally expressed in terms of internationally recognised language tests (e.g., IELTS, TOEFL). The student counsellor may therefore need to arrange testing of the student’s language proficiency, and if necessary, find a suitable language course. This may be a stand-alone language course or a foundation course which includes a language component for this purpose.

Outcomes

In most cases, the outcomes are the reason the student wishes to take the course. The outcomes are the results of the course, i.e., the skills and qualifications that the student gains by doing the course, and/or any other intangible outcomes important to the student.

For most students, the qualifications will be important either for employment or career purposes. For many students, the intangible outcomes will be as important as, if not more important than, the actual qualifications gained. Intangible outcomes include such things as experience in the culture of the destination country, contacts with local people and other international students, cultural or sporting pursuits, travel and sightseeing, and so on.

The student counsellor must first establish the prospective student’s reasons for taking a course, what type of course(s) they are interested in, their cost base, and time frames. He/she can then recommend a course based on how well its outcomes fit the student’s aims and means.

Logistics

The student counsellor must ensure that prospective students have the time and the means to undertake the proposed study. He/she should check the study plan has a realistic timeframe, including enrolment and visa processing time, travel times, and course duration. The cost of travel, study, and living must be affordable and accommodation must be suitable for the prospective student. Travel and living options are examined in B2.1 Recruitment and Enrolment.

Extension Questions: For each relevant destination country:

  • What formal language tests are recognised for international students?
  • What foundation programmes are available to international students?
  • What is the range of courses available in each sector? How do they compare in terms of relative quality and cost?
  • What are their entry requirements?
  • What are their outcomes in terms of both qualifications and intangible benefits?

Pathways for International Students

When a student’s qualifications and experience do not meet the entry requirements for the course they wish to study, the student counsellor may have to construct a learning pathway leading to the desired level. This may involve a formally structured set of courses organised by institutions in the destination country, or an informal set of courses put together by the student counsellor.

The potential structures of learning pathways are as varied as the aims of prospective students and the gaps they need to bridge. In a learning pathway, exit outcomes of an earlier course should meet entry requirements of a later course. There are a number of common combinations:

High School + Post-secondary Course: Students complete high school in the destination country, then enter a vocational, technical, or university course.

Language Course + Desired Course: Students undertake a language course to improve their proficiency in the language of instruction in order to enrol in their desired course. Where students need to improve their language proficiency sufficiently to obtain a required standard language test score, the student counsellor should include the language test as part of the learning pathway. Some students who already meet the minimum language requirements for their desired course may still wish to undertake a language course before starting study. This enables them to improve their language proficiency as well as familiarise themselves with studying and living in the destination country.

Foundation Programme + Desired Course: Students undertake a foundation programme to prepare for the desired course. Usually, such programmes include both language and academic components and are designed specifically to prepare international students for study in the destination country. Some foundation programmes are linked to specific courses, while some provide generic preparation for the proposed level of study.

Certificate + Certificate/Diploma Course: Students undertake a vocational or technical certificate course which is a prerequisite for a higher-level certificate or diploma course. In many cases, institutions bundle a progression of courses together to form a seamless programme (e.g., prerequisite certificate course + diploma course = diploma programme).

Semi-professional Diploma + Undergraduate Degree: Students undertake a semi-professional diploma course which articulates into an undergraduate degree programme at the university. The student counsellor should check that the university offering the undergraduate degree accepts the diploma.

Undergraduate Degree + Post-graduate Degree: Students complete an undergraduate degree which articulates into a post-graduate degree.

Extension Questions: For each relevant destination country:

  • What language courses are available to international students?
  • What foundation programmes are available to international students?
  • What is the range of courses available in each sector? How do they articulate?
  • What courses can be combined into learning pathways?
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