Many English language schools - particularly those based in English-speaking countries - receive their students through a network of overseas agents. Some of these agents are agents by profession, working out of an office in Bogota, Zurich, Tokyo, etc; others are former students or teachers from the school who want to earn a bit of extra income by representing the school from overseas.

What does being an agent entail?

Any/all of the following:

- Providing prospective students with information on the institution you represent.
- Liaising with the students from the initial inquiry stage to the post-studies feedback stage.
- Accepting payment from the student and forwarding payment (less your commission) to the school.
- Arranging a visa application (where necessary) for the student.
- Arranging airport transfer/pickup for the student.
- Assisting with finding accommodation for the student.
- Dealing with any problems the student encounters.
- Liaising with the school over any complaints from the student.

So how do you go about becoming an agent?

- By personal recommendation
- By approaching the schools in person.

NB!

Acting as an agent for a school may seem like a simple case of 'I bring you the students, you pay me a percentage of their tuition fee'. But it is rarely as easy as that. If you are contemplating becoming an agent for an educational institution, you will need a written contract outlining at least the following:

- Method of payment of your commission
- Deadlines for payment of your commission
- Student fees
- Commission rates (and sliding scales, if they apply)
- Procedures for delivery of promotional materials
- Enrolment procedures - Visa application processes
- Cancellation & Refund policy
- Liability (insurance, indemnity forms, etc)
- Period of notice of termination of agreement

Both parties should retain a mutually signed copy of the agreement.

Agents earn between 10-30% commission on each student's tuition fees. They often make more per student enrolment than the schools themselves.

A Typical Scenario

Jim taught EFL for a year at the Aukland Language Academy, before taking up a post in Buenos Aires with the British Council. Before he left New Zealand he offered his former employer his services as an agent based in Argentina. The school drew up a contract and agreed to pay Jim 20% commission on any enrolments which came directly through him. Jim took 250 promotional brochures and an 'agent pack' with him before he left New Zealand. Soon after his arrival in Buenos Aires, Jim approached three universities which had active English language departments. Within three months, he sent his first student (a 24-week booking which netted him US$720 in commission) to study at the ALA. Within six months, he had arranged for a small group of 8 Argentinean university students to go and study in New Zealand for 4 weeks during their January school vacation. The following year, a second group of 14 students from the same university traveled to New Zealand to study English at ALA. Four years after arriving in Buenos Aires, Jim was sending an average of 28 students a year to New Zealand, netting him an average agent income of US$5,040 per year.