1. The Use of Education Agents in
International Recruitment:
The Case of Manitoba
Robert Coffey
Doctoral Student
Higher Adult Lifelong Education [HALE]
College of Education

2. Outline for presentation
 Introduction, purpose of internship
 Introduction to IEB (Internship site)
 Manitoba as context for policy problem
 Education agent use as a policy problem
 Stakeholders
 Potential policy approaches
”

3. HALE Center for Higher & Adult Education
 Intern Program provides support for HALE graduate
students seeking policy experience in higher
education

4. Manitoba
 Larger than Japan and twice the
size of the UK; fifth largest
province in size and population
 Population (2010): 1,222,000
 Winnipeg is home to 60% of the
population and most post-secondary
institutions
 Manitoba Provincial Nominee
Program (PNP) fast-tracks migration
of skilled workers and international
students

5. International Education
 Formed in 2001 as a branch of Advanced
Education and Literacy
 Mandate to:
 Increase international and intercultural knowledge and
skills of Manitobans
 Maximize the benefits of IE to the economy;
 Engaging more schools/institutions, levels
of education, fields of study/training,
and regions of Manitoba in IE
 Enhancing international recognition of Manitoba as an
excellent source of
high quality, affordable education and
training programs, services, and products

6. International Education
 Serve as a first point of contact for
IE matters
 Develop IE policy
 Work with Manitoba institutions
and organizations to:
• coordinate IS recruitment,
• offer marketing assistance, and
• build capacity for greater involvement in IE

7. Policy Problem: The Use of Education
Agents in International Recruitment
 An education agent provides assistance to a student
seeking to matriculate at an education institution abroad.
 Agents may work independently or for an agency.
 Agents may provide these services as a sole line of
business, but they may also be:
 An immigration consultant
 A tour operator
 An alumnae/alumnus
 A family member or friend

8. Policy Problem: The Use of Education
Agents in International Recruitment
 Commission-paid agents generally
 Contract with education institutions to represent them and
recruit for them in a particular market
 Also charge students for their services
 Represent more than one institution

9. Policy Problem: The Use of Education
Agents in International Recruitment
 Develop a discussion document to inform the work of a
federal-provincial committee tasked with considering this
issue
 Develop a policy proposal to help shape discussions
about education agent use by
Manitoba education institutions

10. Who Are The Stakeholders?
 School Divisions (Districts)
 Colleges (Admissions, Enrollment Management)
 Universities (Admissions, Enrollment Management)
 Government (Federal, Provincial)
 Employers
 Students

11. Agents As Essential Recruiting Partners
 A cost-effective way to recruit internationally
 Cultural intermediaries who can help students and
families navigate the admissions process
 Trustworthy ‘experts’ who are more trusted than the
institution
 Essential in raising awareness of EIs that are
less well-known

12. Agent Horror Stories
 Not disclosing that they’re working on commission
 Steering clients to EIs that pay the most commission
 Misrepresenting an EI’s programs of study, the credential
conferred, and the portability of the credential.
 Collecting fees for El services prior to student
arrival that were never forwarded to the EI.
 Authoring student essays intended to assess
the applicant’s written English proficiency.
 Colluding with students in misusing the visa
process

13. What are the issues?
 What role (if any) should government play?
 Institutional autonomy
 The conflict of interest created by paying agents
on commission
 What should the relationship between
institutions and agents look like?
 What / how much responsibility should
institutions have for how agents conduct their
business?

14. Possible policy approaches
 Status quo
 Further research
 Ban on using agents to recruit
 Ban on using for-commission agents to recruit
 Establish voluntary code of best practices

15. Thank you!
Robert Coffey
coffeyr1@msu.edu