Jamia Millia Islamia University students at the annual convocation,in New Delhi (Photo:IANS/Amlan)
If overseas education is the guiding objective of your life; it is important that you capitalize on a suitable travel abroad program. To avail the benefit of such programs; it is necessary that you sensibly pick and choose your educational consultants that can help you reach the targeted goal. Apart from helping students out with informative guidance; the overseas educational guide is supposed to take care of your travelling needs, the issues related to fees transfer and helping you get students visa.
Check the background of your educational consultant
- It is important to find out the sheer status of the overseas educational agency before joining the same. It is important to be duly informed about its years of existence, whether it has really facilitated the needs of students making overseas abroad.
- Do ask for the relevant documents including photo copies of visas.
Reliable sources for choosing overseas educational consultant
- As an Indian student, if you want to make it abroad and if you are particularly keen on Australia and United Kingdom; there exist authentic sources to rely on.
- While British Council keeps a record of the potentially authentic overseas educational agents; an association by the name of “AAERI” keeps a due tab of the names of those catering to the prospects of Australian education.
- Representatives of Australian Education in India; can provide authentic details about higher education in Australia; including the names of useful consultants and agents.
Visiting websites of different educational consultants is mandatory
- It will help you assess its contribution to the cause of overseas education. Try to get an insight into its governing body and that of its counselors.
- A good overseas educational consultancy will be consisting of former students with due specialization in respect of overseas learning.
- Similarly, some of the best educational consultants will not refuse giving references of former students duly helped by the same.
- Make it a point to cross check the qualifying criteria of different college/university options by browsing their respective websites.
- Try to assess if your level of choice matches with the names offered by overseas educational consultancy.
See if the educational consultancy can generate alternative options
- You need to find out if its scope of options regarding country and choice of programs are comprehensive enough to help you generate alternatives.
- For instance, in case you're TOEFL or GRE score sheet is not good enough to ensure admission in some of the leading institutions; the educational agency you are attached to should be competent enough in helping you generate other options.
- Find out to what extent your chosen areas or courses can be facilitated by the concerned agent or agency.
- Find out the relevance of such courses from the point of view of global scenario.
- The assessment can be made if the concerned agency includes in its all embracing fold the options for variety. For instance in case, your GPA score is not able to ensure admission to MBA course; a good educational consultancy should be able to help you locate another course option
Check if the educational consultancy ensures students scholarship
- This is because a good overseas educational consultant not only guides you with admission; but also helps in respect of scholarship and placements as well.
- In case, it claims to have done the same; do ask for necessary documents which bear testimony to the same.
Cross check its role in respect of travel abroad learning program
- See to what extent, it will support your fees transfer and help you to attain students' visa.
- In case, you choose to go for an English speaking nation; see to what extent the concerned overseas educational agent will cater to your needs for test preparation classes and free online test preparation. Because helping you through a series of preparation also happens to be one of its responsibilities.
Make sure the consultancy fits into your budgetary needs. And last but not the least, it is important to assess if the educational consultant's fee structure falls within your means.
Role of governmental agency in respect of overseas education
While it is true that some of the India based overseas educational agents have links established with Government agencies of other countries including New Zealand; there exists no government agency seeking to channelize overseas learning. As an Indian neither can you avail of any channelized effort on Government's part as far as overseeing is concerned. But, government agencies of New Zealand as well as Singapore have a well laid out network to promote overseas education.
Since there is no governmental role in respect of overseas educational consultancy in India; it is important to be extra careful in respect of choosing the authentic ones.
