Background

In China, education agents and school counsellors play an important role in guiding students through their overseas education decision-making process, including long-term and short-term courses. These counsellors are the front-line representatives for UK education, supporting the recruitment of quality Chinese students and they are closely in touch with market sentiments.

The British Council provides regular professional development training opportunities for education agents and school counsellors in China. The training sessions offer accurate and up to date information and resources to support in-country counsellors in developing their knowledge of UK education and building their capacity to support their students who are interested in studying in the UK.

British Council Study UK agents and counsellors’ workshop

The British Council would like to invite 8 speakers from 8 UK higher education institutions to participate in panel discussions at the agents and counsellors’ workshop.

The workshop will take place in the following locations:

• Shanghai - Tuesday 20 July 2021
• Beijing - Tuesday, 3 August 2021

The workshops are designed to provide professional development training to Chinese education agents and school counsellors and build trust between them and the UK through face-to-face communication.

The British Council anticipates 300 Chinese agents (80%) and counsellors (20%) across the two sessions.

The workshops will be recorded to share with agents and counsellors who are not able to attend in person via the Study UK agents and counsellors e-community, which covers around 5,000 agents and counsellors in China.

Programme

Presentation

• Objective: Help agents and counsellors’ understanding of arts courses in the UK and how they can advise on the right course for students in China.  
• Please note that participating UK universities’ representatives should offer advice from a general perspective, representing the whole of UK higher education, not only the individual universities’ courses.
• Presentations could cover the below points:
  • Categories of arts courses in UK higher education institutions
  • Top tips to on choosing the right arts course for students in China

Presentation:

Employability

• Objective: Help agents and counsellors’ understanding of benefits of Graduate Route and chance for Chinese graduates to find a job in the UK
• Please note that participating UK university representatives should offer advice from a general perspective, representing the whole of UK higher education and employability area, not only the individual universities.
• Presentation by guest speaker could cover the below points:

• Key statistics and findings of UK job market
• How to help your students to boost their career prospects?

• Student internships and placement opportunities and where to find them
• How students can make the most of links to industry through their university
• How students can best prepare for finding a job before returning to China
• How students can improve their soft skills for the workplace

  Presentation/Panel discussion:

  Undergraduate applications:

  How can students use AP/SAT/ACT to apply to UK universities?

• Objective: Help agents and counsellors’ understanding of entry requirements for all international qualifications
• Please note that participating UK university representatives should offer advice from a general perspective, representing the whole of UK higher education, not only the individual universities’ courses.
• Presentations could cover the below points:
  • Do UK higher education institutions accept qualifications other than A-Level and IB? Are students who have done AP/SAT/ACT at a disadvantage?
  • How many AP subjects are required when applying to UK universities
  • AP/SAT/ACT entry requirements for popular courses (using the entry requirements of your institutions as an example)

Panel discussion:  Student support during the Covid-19 pandemic

• Student accommodation and support during quarantine
• Teaching arrangements and quality assurance
• Careers support
• Health and safety arrangements
• Campus life and social activities

 Benefits to the speaker and institution:

• an opportunity to meet and network with agents and counsellors in China
• an opportunity to raise your institution’s profile amongst agents and counsellors in China

Criteria for speaker selection

As the aim of this workshop is to build agents and counsellors’ understanding and facilitate connections through face-to-face communications, speakers from UK institutions who are based in China are preferred.

The final speakers will be voted on by school counsellors in China. There will be one candidate on each topic on a waiting list.

Please note that participating UK universities’ presentations should be from a general perspective, representing the whole of UK higher education, not only the individual universities’ courses.