Introducing Agents To University Stakeholders: 5 Common Reservations

Hopefully, by now we can all agree that study abroad agents can be a useful tool for universities. They can be very helpful during the complex and tiring process of international student recruitment.

As we know, international offices at universities worldwide deal with enormous amounts of work on a daily basis, and student recruitment is just part of it all. Delegating that part to qualified recruitment agents can significantly ease this workload.

After conducting thorough research and preparing a great strategy, you will realize that agent involvement is a matter of choice. It can be anywhere between an external consultant and an integral part of the recruitment team who not only brings value in the form of new enrolments, but also offers useful insights and recommendations.

No matter which agents you choose and what responsibilities you wish to delegate to them, you will need a formal approval to implement your plan. There will come the time when you will have to present your suggestions to the university stakeholders.

But what if stakeholders at the university have a different opinion?

Within every university, there is a range of stakeholders whose work involves international students. This could be decision making, or teaching, or even organizing non-formal education activities. Regardless of their role and extent of involvement, each stakeholder may present his or her own reservations about using recruitment agents.

So, here are the top 5 reservations stakeholders have against student recruitment agents:

1. The university doesn‘t actually need recruitment agents, because there is already the international office in place.
2. The university is not financially ready to hire an agent.
3. Current recruitment techniques seem to be working pretty well and the university already has its international students.
4. Agents have a questionable reputation and can provide poor service.
5. Agents are unnecessary because the university can research various emerging markets by sending abroad staff from the international office.

Do these sound familiar? Would you like to learn how to handle them and win the trust of stakeholders regarding use of student recruitment agents? If you answer is yes, then stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, when we will discuss how to overcome such reservations.