Education agents play a significant role in counselling and referring students to international education providers. The primary representatives in this role are student counsellors. ICEF has designed the IATC as a means of raising the standard of quality and the professionalism of student counsellors.
We developed the IATC based on the input of 769 education agents from 113 countries and 437 education institutions from 78 countries. We then analysed this input to identify the key features of the student counsellor’s role, irrespective of the destination country, and designed the IATC to train student counsellors in these features.
The IATC instructs the student counsellor in fundamental knowledge and functional skills. The student counsellor gains a “big picture” perspective of researching and marketing destination countries, and recruiting students for their education institutions and courses. This provides a conceptual framework with which to build detailed knowledge of a destination country, its education system and institutions, and its immigration processes.
The IATC is based on the following definition of the role of a student counsellor:
The student counsellor connects the people involved in international education, linking students, parents, education providers, and travel and accommodation providers to each other in order to facilitate study in another country.
Core services to students are:
- Provide information on destination countries, e.g., lifestyle, costs
- Provide information on education options, courses, and pathways
- Provide counselling to students to ensure the most appropriate course selection
- Process enrolment applications
- Process visa applications.
Core services to education providers are:
- Recruit suitable students
- Process student applications
- Provide market information
- Market and promote education providers.
In the IATC, key concepts are reinforced and expanded across lessons. In each lesson they are linked to related concepts, which both aids memory retention and promotes acquisition of wider cognitive connections. By the end of the course, the student counsellor should possess a broad conceptual framework within which to understand their role in international education.
The IATC has three Course Units (A). Each unit is divided into Lessons (A.1), each lesson is divided into Pages (A.1.1), and each page may have a number of segments. Information is cross-referenced with hyperlinks.
The course units contain three types of questions/exercises:
Focus Questions:
These are at the beginning of each lesson and prepare the student for the information contained in it.
Extension Questions:
These occur throughout the content and assist in applying the knowledge gained from the course. They are a practical checklist to ensure that student counsellors are always able to give accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date information to prospective students, especially with regard to specific destination countries.
Activities:
These are learning tools at the end of each page, allowing student counsellors to test and reinforce essential information before continuing to the next one.
Santiago Alias
Director of International Relations and Business Development
ELISAVA Barcelona School of Design and Engineering
Spain
www.elisava.net
Muhammad Anis Ur Rehman
Manager International Development
Asia Pacific University College of Technology and Innovation (UCTI)
Malaysia
www.ucti.edu.my
Patrick Baker
General Manager
Institute of Applied Learning
New Zealand
www.ial.ac.nz
José Carlos Hauer Santos
Owner
Student Travel Bureau
Brazil
www.stb.com.br
Mauro Bondi
Managing Director
Emerald Cultural Institute
Ireland
www.eci.ie
Christopher Bunn
International Development Officer
Groupe Sup de Co La Rochelle
France
www.esc-larochelle.fr
Ronald Cushing
Director – UC International Services
University of Cincinnati
USA
www.uc.edu
Rob McKay
Managing Director
CCEL – Christchurch College of English
New Zealand
www.ccel.co.nz
Marion Moore
Director Marketing and External Relations
The Centre for Macquarie English (CME)
Australia
www.mq.edu.au
Andrea Romer
Director, Senior Manager of International Development
Swiss Education Group
Switzerland
www.swisseducation.com
William Trevillien
Director
Beijing WZT Overseas Education & Consulting Service
China
www.uptong.com
Kasia Tyrybon
Coordinator European Affairs
Education Promotion Department
NUFFIC
The Netherlands
www.nuffic.nl
Jonathan Weller
Director of International Admissions
University of Cincinnati
USA
www.uc.edu
Course participants who pass this formal test will earn the designation of ICEF Trained Agent Counsellor (ITAC) and will have their name, photo and company details including website listed on icef.com.
In a further recognition of this professional standing, all graduates will also be included in the Qualified Education Agents App (QEA) for smartphones produced by ICEF and PIER containing the names of over 7 900 qualified agents worldwide – a valuable resource for educators looking for expert agencies!
The formal test is online and comprises 50 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 80 minutes. During the test, candidates will have access to online and offline resources. They will not be tested on individual country information/regulations; only on all the other sections of the IATC course. Candidates may use personal notes or information presented online from the course content during the test, but they will not be allowed to phone anyone or ask other people for assistance.
There are two ways to take the test:
- At an ICEF Workshop. If you are planning to attend a Workshop, please send us an email to reserve your place as soon as possible. You do not necessarily need to be registered for an ICEF Workshop to take the test; you may come just for the test and all you need is photo identification (e.g., passport) and a wireless-enabled laptop.
- Online from the comfort of your home or office at a time convenient for you (all you need is an Internet-enabled computer with a webcam and an Adobe Flash player; please download here).
For both testing options, please email training@icef.com to reserve your testing slot.
In both cases, the charge for the test is €250, which allows you to have 3 attempts. Meaning if you do not pass on your first attempt, you still have 2 more chances to become qualified.
The following pricing structure applies when multiple counsellors from the same agency sit the IATC test:
1st counsellor tested – regular fee
2nd counsellor tested – 10% discount
3rd counsellor tested – 15% discount
4th counsellor tested – 20% discount
5th and subsequent counsellors tested – 25% discount
To prepare for the formal test, you can take the IATC self-assessment test, which can be found on the right-hand side of the IATC homepage once you have logged in. This self-assessment test is identical in structure to the formal IATC test. Each question has only one correct answer, and all questions are based on the IATC course content. At the end of the self-assessment, you will receive your result. We encourage only those who pass the self-assessment to attempt the formal test. The pass mark is 80%. Until you have reached a good result on the self-assessment, please keep practising.
If you are doing the test either online or at an ICEF Workshop, you will be automatically notified of your (pass/fail) result as soon as you have finished your test; if you have passed, your ITAC Certificate and personal ITAC Nr will be emailed to you instantly.
Testing is not mandatory. You can also study the course for your personal enrichment and professional knowledge. There is also no time frame in which you must take the test after completing the online material. If you wish to take the formal test and receive the ITAC Designation, please try (and pass) the self-assessment test first.
This is the schedule of IATC testing opportunities at upcoming ICEF Workshops around the world. Test candidates who are planning to attend any one of these events should please send an email to training@icef.com to reserve their testing slot as soon as possible since capacities are limited.
It is not necessary to be registered for an ICEF Workshop; candidates may also just come for the test - all that is needed is photo identification (e.g., passport) and a wireless-enabled laptop.
The test may also be taken online from the candidate's home or office on any day at a time convenient to them (all that is needed is an Internet-enabled computer with a webcam and an Adobe Flash player (download here). For further information about this second type of testing, please mail training@icef.com.
In both cases, it is advisable to take the IATC self-assessment test (on the IATC home page after log in) before requesting a formal testing opportunity. We encourage only those who pass the self-assessment to attempt the formal test.
The ICEF North America Workshop - Miami
Monday, December 05, 2016
Testing times:
13:00 - 14:30
17:30 - 19:00
Test Location: Loews Miami Beach Hotel, room to be announced
Participants must bring their own wireless-enabled laptop. Wireless connection provided.