Mediterranean Education Consultant

Introduction:

Now-a-days study in overseas has become a dream of most of the students of our country, specially those who have the ability to go abroad. Indeed, a degree that is globally acceptable is an expectation of every student. Obviously there are some reasons behind it like these higher degrees obtained from some foreign countries are world-wide recognized, earning source are available at the studying time through job facilities, above all an opportunity is created to stay abroad as a permanent citizenship after completing the study life. Generally this desire arises in them after passing Higher Secondary Certificate (  H.S.C.).The problem occurs then. Students don’t know properly-how they apply to the university of foreign countries, which university will be  the best for studying, what are the requirements  get admission their, what will be the academic cost, accommodation cost, living cost and so on. Education Consultancy Firm ( ECF) has been created to solve these problems of the students.

The firm helps them to go abroad for achieving higher degrees. In this case, the firms play a role as intermediary between the students of domestic country and the foreign universities. In fact, they make a bridge between these two parties and maintain a liaison relationship. However, all education consultancy firms are performing the following things:

• Counseling students in the field of foreign education and familiarizing them with the reputed College/University abroad.
• Holding seminars and road shows for the purpose of educating the intending students about University/College’s curriculum, facilities and expenses involved and also immigration policy of the respective governments and procedure involved.
• Informing through Signboard and distribution of leaflets in colleges and universities and wide publicity threw Newspapers.
• Maintaining constant contact with Universities/Colleges abroad with the latest in the field of education and pass on the information to the students.

 RATIONALE OF THE STUDY:

Every year many students are going abroad for higher study from our country with the help of these consultancy firms. I had a curiosity to know how the students go overseas and how the ECF helps them regarding this matter. Besides there exists a rumor- some consultancy firms are doing fraud with the students and snatching a big amount of money through unfair business. To know the real things about these firms, I wanted to involve myself into an education consultancy firm. As a result, I’ve joined a firm named “MEDITERRANEAN EDUCATION CONSULTANT (MEC)” as anOffice Executive from1st May 2010 after finishing all courses.

I believe that in order to fulfill the requirement of the Internship program, this report will meet that necessity.

I also believe that doing job at this MEC was very much helpful for me to get a real life experience about the present situation of the Education Consultancy Industry of Bangladesh.

 OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of this report is to fulfill the internship requirement. The reason behind an internship is to gather practical knowledge about the corporate world and apply the theoretical knowledge on practical field which one has gathered through out his educational life. The major objective of the report is to present an overview of MEDITERRANEAN EDUCATION CONSULTANT (MEC) and to know about its management system, functional and financial aspects. The objective of this report includes the following:

First Part: About ECF

● To know the history of ECF

● To know how the firm is doing their business

● Who are their target market

● How they capture the market

●  How they communicate with the foreign universities

●  How they become the legal Agent of those foreign universities

●  How they maintain a liaison relationship with the students and the foreign universities

Second Part: About University

● Cost of study at the foreign University/ College

●Availability of financial assistance

●Availability of interested field of specialization

●Current employment chances

●The prospects of further education

●What sort of accreditation does the university have

●Flexibility of transferring to other courses or programs within and outside the university

 ●Faculty and infrastructure

●The geography of the university

 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:

Every study has some significance. I think this research will help the students who want to study abroad as well as the guardians/ parents of them. They will get to know the overall idea about foreign universities, the procedure of how they can be admitted there…etc through this report. However before going to study abroad, some issues should be considered very carefully that can be known by this report and these are:

01. SELECTION OF UNIVERSITY:

One of the vital steps that involves a student’s future prospects is selection of a university. There are numerous universities across the globe, which offer admissions to students, but one needs to carefully inspect various aspects before finally deciding to apply. As the university is the place, where the student is going to invest his valuable time and energy to gain knowledge. Moreover, the more reputed the college is, the more would be the student facilities. Student’s knowledge and discretion play an essential role in choosing a university. In fact, if we look at the university websites almost all Universities have an attractive appearance. But in truth, they are a lot different. Some Universities have huge campuses spread across acres of land and some are too small to be actually called a University. But still, both Universities present an equal appeal on the web. And an unsuspecting student can easily be misled into joining a less reputed institute. Anyway, some important issues that carry significance should be clear for the students:

► Am I applying to the right program? – This is a question every student should ask himself, before he sends his application to colleges abroad. Am I applying to the right program? As universities abroad have several programs. There will be multiple specialties, concentrations and majors to choose from. For example, under the broad field of ‘Computer Science’, one could choose ‘Artificial Intelligence’ or ‘Robotics’ etc. So is the case with several engineering specialties. If one is looking for an MBA program, the choice is literally huge, with typical specializations like ‘Non-profit’, ‘Industrial’, ‘Pharmaceutical Management’ Hospitality, Hospital and several other non-traditional choices. Hence, choosing the right specialization with a program is the first step in right direction.

►Am I applying to the right university? – Looking for the right university abroad is more like searching for a needle in the haystack. There are many Universities, which offer a variety of courses. Each university in UK and other countries has its own program, course, and curriculum because of adaptability in the education system. Same program at different Universities can differ greatly with reference curriculum, course material, etc. Hence, it is crucial to choose the right college/ university before one decides to study abroad.

► Am I applying at the right time? –Universities abroad provide admission each semester – roughly once in every four and half months and mostly twice a year. Their deadlines vary from one to another, and from one program to another, within the same university. Because of international applicants, deadlines are carefully determined. The ‘paper work’ involved with admission, several other aspects take much longer than for a domestic applicant. While local students may apply as late as 60 days to one week before the start of a semester, all international students have to apply one year to 90 days before the start of semester. And if one is looking for financial aid, applications have to be filed much earlier.

►Am I applying in the right way? – ‘Online’or ‘Paper-based’ applications? This could be quite tricky if one is not comfortable and sure about the requirements of universities applying for. Some universities insist on only online applications, while some offer only paper-based ones. Some tempt the students without any application fee if applying online and some give a discount for the same reason. Either way students apply, there will be several documents that have to be sent separately by post or courier – transcripts, recommendations, bank statements etc. Depending upon the time available to you, choose the right option to apply for. Online is cheaper and faster, but tedious. International Credit card is required for application fee payment. Whereas paper based applications are time-consuming, laborious and prone to mistakes and corrections – which makes them ugly!

►Am I using the suitable parameters for selecting correct universities?   – Some universities are quite large and some are quite small – just a two bed-room apartment set ups. Some have a lot of professors and others have very less number of students! Some have research as their paramount method of teaching. Whereas others focus on class-room based learning only. Similarly, there will be several other factors that have to be considered carefully for application. Depending upon your interests, aptitude, preferences and requirements, should anyone decides on a set of universities to finally apply for.

► Do I have the required time and money? – Application process normally takes anywhere between six months to one year for Bachelors and Masters level and more than one year for Doctoral level. During this period, a lot of ground work has to be done in order to meet requirements, deadlines and processes. Casual approach without regard to time frame will affect the whole process negatively. Likewise, applying to universities cost a bundle. If you plan to apply for 3-4 universities alone, the costs may be approximately BDT 25,000 – 30,000 including application fee, courier and documentation costs. Even this financial aspect need to be considered carefully before initiating the process.

►Finally, Is this the right direction? – Why do you want to study abroad in the first place?  What would you like to do later? What are your career goals? How would you like to reach those goals? These and several other factors like budget, correct choice of country etc., play a crucial role in determining your reasons for taking this first step. Unless you are sure about your first step, you cannot be certain of the unfaltering approach till the last step. Think carefully and objectively. Consult your parents, mentors and people who are in the know of things and then make a firm decision. Now that you have considered and determined your priorities, what is the next step?

02. SELECTION OF CONSULTANCY FIRM:

There are lot of Student Consultancy Firms in Bangladesh. Already a list has been added in the report. But there exists many more firms out of this list. All firms are not of equal quality and don’t provide same services to students though their purpose is same. The procedure differs from one firm to another. Besides some are involving with unfair business. So right selection of firm is very much important and it includes the following:

►How much cost the firm will take for studying in that particular university

►How much time it will take to finish the procedure

►Whether the firm is really an Agent of that university or not

►Whether the firm provides the proper information or not

►Whether the firm is registered with Government or not

►How many years it is doing business in this segment

►What was the success rate of previous students’ files

METHODOLOGY OF THE REPORT

Both primary and secondary data are used to prepare this report. The details of these sources are highlighted in the following:

Primary Data collection:

     One of the major sources of primary data collection is to conduct a survey on the students  who come to the MEDITERRANEAN EDUCATION CONSULTANT (MEC).

     Discussion with the Employees and also the Employer of MEC have helped me to gather primary information. 

     Informal conversation with the students.

     Practical working experience from the different desks of this firm.

     Besides necessary information have been collected from some persons after going directly to some consultancy firms like:

                              ■ KMC Migration Consultancy

                              ■ KARIM & KARIM  Immigration Law Consultants

                              ■  Visa World Wide Admission

Secondary Data collection:

     From Prospectus of different foreign universities.

     Students’ documents those who have gone abroad through this firm.

     Website information and other official papers of MEC.

 LIMITATION OF THE REPORT

This report may have some incompleteness due to some of the limitations. These are mentioned below:

■ One of the main limitations of the study was the inability to know the Bank Account Number from where this firm(MEC) collects money as “Representative’s Commission Cost” sent by the particular university of foreign country after sending students through the firm. In fact, it was very confidential matter to the firm.

■ It was very difficult to know the “Representative’s Commission Cost” of some foreign universities with whom the firm was connected.

■ Time period was the another problem to present all information and also the whole procedures about some universities for overseas education.

■ The study was limited by the size of the sample.

■ Scope of my study is so wide, due to lack of my knowledge, experience and as a novice the analytical, comprehensive and crucial study is not possible by me.

■ Some essential data could not be gathered because of confidentiality. These are available in the office.

■ There was unwillingness to attach the copy of “The Authorization Letter of Agent of Foreign University/ College” of different countries.

■ A copy of Bond Paper was absent in the survey that contains an “Agreement of Payment” between the student and the firm. The payment is made by the student to the firm where partial is paid in advance before the file processing and the rest is paid after getting visa.

Chapter – 02

Organizational profile

OF

“MEDITERRANEAN

EDUCATION

CONSULTANT

(MEC)” 

 HISTORY OF MEC

MEC Overseas Education and Migration Consultants is a registered Student Consulting Firm in Bangladesh, “Trade License no: 0521357 from Bangladesh Government”, established in 2001 where MEC stands for “MEDITERRANEAN EDUCATION CONSULTANT”. MEC is facilitating the students who are willing to go abroad for higher education and want to reach the institution of their choice. Since 2001, we at MEC are moving ahead focusing on our aspiration, values and vision. We believe that focus helps us to serve our customer best. MEC has established itself as one of the market leader in respective fields by sending lots of  students successfully every year to the eminent Universities, Colleges, Institutions in Asia, Europe, Australia, Luxembourg, Germany and so on.

MEC has always represented trustworthy and ethical leadership. Since the inception of MEC Global Network, it has created a history of unparalleled success and growth. Our firm commitment, foresight, unflinching struggle and dedication for the best made it possible for us to come to this stage of achievement, wide exposure and goodwill we have earned so far and they will continue to drive us into the future.

VISION OF MEC

After crossing the 9 years mile stone, we are embarking on a growth plan that is expected to truly transform our organization. Our vision is to be the leading student consultancy and recruiting agency around the globe by satisfying our clients from all aspects within 10 years.

MISSION OF MEC

We would like to achieve business excellence through providing quality services, exploring new scope for world class education and bridge the interest of our clients within their aptitude.

ASPIRATION OF MEC

To be the most trusted and admired consultancy firm through excelling in everything we do, following ethical business practices.

 MOTTO OF MEC

Students’ Satisfactions are our motto

Honesty and Efficiency are our policy

Quality and Commitment are our specialty

 OUR ACTIVITIES

MEC Education Consultant provides some unique facilities to the prospective students and their guardians:

■ Student counseling for higher studies abroad

■  Free distribution of prospectus and admission form

■ Helping to find cost effective educational solution ■ Facilitate admission in the foreign institutions of high standing

■ Keeping tracks of the successfully admitted students and attending their needs abroad

■ Facilitate accommodation for students abroad

■ Helping guardians while students are abroad for emergency needs

■ Student loan for higher studies abroad

■ Visa counseling

■ Assistance for embassy rules and requirements

■ Assistance for embassy forms and fees

 MEC DEALS WITH THE FOLLOWING FOREIGN   UNIVERSITIES/    COLLEGES OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES:

MEC has a link with some foreign colleges/ universities of various countries. These are:

 SERVICES OFFERED BY MEC

►Services to the Students:

MEC makes direct contact with the educational institutes and submit the application on behalf of the students. It helps to get an admission to various educational institutes according to the request of student. It provides all kind of information (available at the time of apply) to the students. It helps, guides, advises and provides necessary information to the students. It also distributes Prospectus, International Guide Book, Accommodation Booklet, Information Package and Application form.

We advise pre-Departure briefing, briefing on living study expectations and other relevant matters to the new students prior to their departure.

We also provide:

• Visa counseling and world wide study related services

• Providing step by step solution to aspiring students
• Process and submit student visa applications
• Helping to find cost effective educational solution for the students
• Facilitate accommodation for students abroad
• Keeping track of the successfully admitted students & attending their needs abroad
• Helping guardians while students are in abroad for emergency needs

MEC also helps students with advice about all the paperwork, declarations and evidence required to obtain a visa and about questions that are likely to be asked. Though we currently have a high success rate we can not guarantee a visa and we make no charges or claim for this whatsoever. So it does not take any liabilities or responsibility for refusal of the visa. However, we do submit review & appeal applications wherever it necessary.

►Services to Universities/Colleges/Institutes:

■  Spot admission on behalf of our foreign partner institutions.

■  Maintaining liaison with foreign institutes& students.

■  Attend all national & International fairs to motivate ourselves and for our co-workers.

■  Distribute upgrade information among the students.

■  Free counseling.

■  Advertisement with logo to make familiar with Bangladeshi market.

■  Campaign for best promotion at local market.

■  Assistance for advertising & marketing.

■  Market research on behalf of international Universities/Colleges/Institutes.

Chapter – 03

Procedures for Sending Students Abroad

THE PROCEDURE ADOPTED BY MEC TO GET ADMISSION INTO AMERICANOS COLLEGE IN CYPRUS:

When a student comes to us and becomes determined to go to  AmericanosCollege in Cyprus for studying with the help of our consultancy firm, we are providing the following services :

 ► Generally the procedure begins from two to three months ago to start a new semester of an academic year.

► At first, we take/accept 150 Euro from a student as Application Fee as per as the requirement of the College. This fee is non- refundable to the student.

►Then we provide an application form of that college to the student to fulfill it. This Form is available in our office since we are the Representative of the college.

► After that students are asked to deposit the following things to us:

● Attested photocopies of all their Government and Non-Public Documents

● FourPassPort size Photographs with the Applicant’s Name Written Back

►The Government Documents Include the following things:

● Certificates and Mark Sheets of All Examinations

● Non Criminal Record Certificate

● Passport

● Evidence of IELTS/TOEFL Paper( not mandatory if previous study program in English

   Medium)

► The Non Public Documents are like these:

● Medical Examination Report on HIV, Hepatitis B&C, Syphilis and Tuberculosis

            ● Bank Solvency Letter

            ● Money Receipt for Payment Tuition Fees

► When we keep deposit these papers/documents from the students, some problems are arisen   then like how a student can attest his/her documents, from where he can test his physical fitness….etc. We help them to get know about all these information.

● For Attesting their Certificates, Mark Sheets and Passport we advise them to go the

   Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then to the Cyprus Consulate of our country.

            ● If the Certificate and mark Sheet are issued in a language other than English of our

               local students, they are said to turn it into English version. If they are failed, in that case

               we translate these into English and finally attest by Notary through our Advocate.

            ● For getting the Non Criminal Record Certificate, we tell them to go for a Police Station

               where they live and then to the Ministry of Home Affairs for  attesting this Police

               Verification Certificate.

          ● Medical Examination Report and Bank Statement letter also have to be attested by

             Notary and finally have to go to the Cyprus Consulate for verifying those.

● We also help the students by showing the Bank Solvency Letter on behalf of them to

    the College when they are not be able to manage it. The range of Bank Sponsor is

    about 10,000 EURO, that is in about BDT 11,00,000. This amount should be kept into

    Student’s Own Account either his parent’s Account. It means that he/she is capable to

    study here.

►In this step, we send all the above mentioned documents to the address of the Admission Office of Americanos College, Cyprus.

►As soon as the Office Of Admission receives all the above and provided that the applicant satisfies the Admission Entry Requirement, the Office of Admission will send a Certificate of Admission along with an Acceptance of Admission Offer Form to the Applicant.

►This Offer Letter is issued by the college through our firm. Students have to collect this letter from us after paying the Service Charge. It’s mentioned that without payment of Service Charge, Offer Letter is not provided to the students under no circumstances as because they don’t need to come to the firm after this.

►After getting the Offer Letter a student is asked to face Cyprus Consulate/ High Commission with the following documents (the second (2^nd) requirement applies only for MBA applicants and the fifth (5th) only for minors (i.e. students under 18 years old)):

1.  Original and Attested Senior High School Graduation Certificate(s) and Mark Sheet(s).

2.  Original and Attested Bachelor Degree Certificate(s) and Mark Sheet(s).

3.  Attested Original Non-Criminal Record Certificate issued by the local police or Ministry of Home Affairs (for Indian nationals this must be issued by the Passport Office), stating that the applicant has no criminal record. This must have a validity of at least six (6) months from the date of the interview.

4.  Attested Original Bank Letter stating that the student’s sponsor has sufficient funds to finance the student’s stay and studies in Cyprus. The student’s name, sponsor’s name and their relationship should appear clearly on the letter. The sponsor can only be the father or mother of the applicant. This must have been issued no more than six (6) months before the date classes commence for the semester/session applying for. If neither the Passport nor the Police Character Letter state the relationship between the student and the sponsor then a Certificate of Relationship issued by the Police or other official authorities stating the relationship between the student and the sponsor must accompany the bank letter.

5.  Attested parental consent for the accommodation of their son/daughter in Cyprus.

6.  Original Medical Examinations which prove that the student is free from HIV, Hepatitis B, Syphilis and Tuberculosis.

7.  Copy of the Certificate of Admission issued by the college

8.  Passport and attested photocopy of it valid for at least two years from the commencement of classes.

9.  Original Swift Transfer Receipt issued by the Bank / Western Union / Money Gram.

10. Copy of the receipt for the payment of the Application Fee sent by the College.

11. Copy of the receipt for the payment of tuition fees and visa deposit sent by the college of at least € 3.200.

12. Two photographs.

► In this step, if the student gets permission ( Visa) by the Cyprus Consulate, only then he can go there.

►Thus the formally end of the total procedure for studying Cyprus.

THE PROCEDURE OF MEC FOR INTERCOLLEGE  IN  CYPRUS

The procedure of MEC for AmericanosCollege and Intercollege is almost same except  application fee. The application fee we take for Intercollege is 52 EURO from a student, otherwise there is no change in case of Intercollege.

 THE PROCEDURE OF MEC FOR INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY    ( IU ) IN GERMANY:

The following services are offered to the students by the MEC for the InternationalUniversity in Germany:

►Generally the procedure begins from three to four months ago to start a new semester of a calendar year.

►At first, we take TK. 8,500 from the students as File Opening Charge. This fee is non- refundable to the student whether he gets visa or not. In fact, there is no relation with this money in case of getting visa.

►Then we provide an application form of that university to the student to fulfill it. This Form is available in our office since the MEC is  the Representative of the college.

►After that students are asked to deposit the following things to us:

● Attested photocopies of all their Educational Documents

● Attested photocopy of PassPort by Notary Public

● Original Evidence of IELTS(6.0) or TOEFL(550) Paper ( Not Mandatory if the

    previous study program in English Medium)

● SixPassPort size Photographs with the Applicant’s Name Written Back

            ● A complete Curriculum Vitae of the student

            ● Two Recommendation Letter

            ● A Personal Statement of Purpose & Goal

►When we keep deposit these papers/documents from the students, some problems are arisen then like how they can attest their documents, how he can get a passport….so on. We help them to get know about all these information in the following way:

● We advise them to go the university/ college for attesting their Certificates and

   Mark Sheets where they studied last.

● If the Certificates and Mark Sheets are issued in a language other than English of our

               local students, they are said to turn it into English version. If they are failed, in that case

               we translate these into English through our responsibility and finally attest by Notary

               through our Advocate.

● For availing passport we inform them the Address of Passport Office and also make

  arrange notary of that passport through our Advocate. These address have been

  mentioned at the end of the report under Quick Information.

●Sometimes students are not become capable to understand about Personal Statement

  and Recommendation Letter. Actually, Personal Statement is called the Statement of

  Purpose and Goals. It also called Motivation Letter. It should explain the student’s

  interest in his chosen field of study, his academic and professional goals and the reason

  for applying to IU. The statement should also mention his extra-curricular activities and

  explain how these may contribute to the life of a campus community.

●A Recommendation Letter should state how, to what extent and in what capacity the

  recommender has known the student and describe his personality and academic

  potential. Only original letters with an official letter head or seal can be accepted. It’s

  mentioned that letters written by relatives or dependents can’t be accepted.

►In this step, we send all the above mentioned documents to the address of the Admission Office of International University in Germany.

►As soon as the Office Of Admission receives all the above and provided that the applicant satisfies the Admission Entry Requirement, the Office of Admission will send a Certificate of Admission along with an Acceptance of Admission Offer Form to the Applicant.

►This Offer Letter is issued through our firm. Students have to collect this letter from us after paying the Service Charge. It’s mentioned that without payment of Service Charge, Offer Letter is not provided to the students under no circumstances as because without the help of the firm they can perform the next steps they have to do.

►However, after getting the Offer Letter a student needs to go to the bank for depositing money

into his Own account either Parents Account and it’s 6240 Euro ( BDT 6,24,000 @ current exchange rate from Euro to BDT). It’s considered as Bank Sponsorship which means the student is capable to study there.

►He/she has to also keep money as Bank Draft 695 Euro to the address of university’s account for Tuition Fees of one month. After getting visa this fee has to be transferred to the university but if failed, it can be withdrawn from the bank. In that case, a part of amount is deducted from the total tuition fees by the bank as service charge.

►Generally, we are doing this jobs with the BRAC Bank. Students submit money to us and we make arrange all these things though a student can manage it himself.

►After that, he has to make a Health Insurance of BDT 8,500 from American Life Insurance Company Bangladesh(ALICO). This Insurance helps him if he becomes ill in future while studying Germany.

►After completing all of these things, students are asked to face the German Embassy with the following:

■Original and Attested Senior High School Graduation Certificate(s) and Mark Sheet(s).

■Original and Attested Bachelor Degree Certificate and Mark Sheet  ( For Master

                Program)

■ Attested Original Bank Letter: It’s stating that the student’s sponsor has sufficient

   funds to finance the student’s stay and studies in Germany. The student’s name,

   sponsor’s name and their relationship should appear clearly on the letter. The sponsor

   can only be the father or mother of the applicant.

■Copy of the Certificate of Admission( Offer Letter)issued by the college

■Passport and attested photocopy of it valid for at least two years from the

■Copy of the receipt for the payment of the Application Fee sent by the University.

■ Original Copy of the receipt for the payment of tuition fees of 695 Euro

■Two photographs.

►In this step, if the student gets permission (Visa) by the German Embassy, since then no barriers exist in front of the student to go Germany.

►Thus the formally end of the total procedure for studying Germany.

THE PROCEDURE OF MEC FOR NORTH LONDON COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDIES ( NLCBS )IN ENGLAND:

The following services are offered to the students by the MEC for studying in NLCBS:

►Generally the procedure begins from two to three ago to start a new semester of a calendar year.

►At first, we take 100 pound i.e. about BDT 11,600 (Current Exchange Rate is 1 pound= BDT 116) from a student as File Opening Charge. This fee is non- refundable to the student whether he gets visa or not. In fact, there is no relation with this money in case of getting visa. Thereafter the student puts sign into the Agreement Paper offered by the firm. This paper carries an obligation of student for the payment of service charge which is BDT 50,000. Of course, it’s paid after getting Offer Letter.

►Then we provide an application form of that university to the student to fulfill it. This Form is available in our office since the MEC is  the Representative of the college.

►After that students are asked to submit the following things to us:

● Attested photocopies of all their Educational Documents

● Attested photocopy of PassPort by Notary Public

● Original Evidence of IELTS (at least 5.0) Paper ( Not Mandatory if the

previous study program in English Medium or at least B grade in English Subject in Public Examination ).

● FourPassPort size Photographs with the Applicant’s Name Written Back

            ● A complete Curriculum Vitae of the student

►In this step, we send all the above mentioned documents to the address of the Admission Office of North London School of Business Studies in England.

►As soon as the Office Of Admission receives all the above and provided that the applicant satisfies the Admission Entry Requirement, the Office of Admission will send a Certificate of Admission along with an Acceptance of Admission Offer Form to the Applicant. This is called Offer letter and it takes time to come within three to four days after receiving all documents to the Admission Office.

►This Offer Letter is issued through our firm. Students have to collect this letter from us after paying the Service Charge. It’s mentioned that without payment of Service Charge, Offer Letter is not provided to the students under no circumstances as because without the help of the firm they can perform the next steps they have to do.

►However, after getting the Offer Letter a student is asked to execute the following things:

●Should go for Medinova Medical Services Ltd. for checking his physical condition on          Tuberculosis and also for collecting the Medical Test Report. An amount of money is charged by the Medinova for this which is BDT 3,815.

●Should go for a bank especially BRAC Bank for depositing money as Tuition Fee of the course of that college which is 3,000 pound for Bachelor Program and 4,500 pound for Master Program.

Obviously this money is kept by Bank Draft to the address of the college, don’t need to send it to England. The bank charges BDT 3,000 to a student as service charge. If the student is failed to go there, this amount can be withdrawal by the student within very short time. In that case, a little amount is deducted from the total tuition fees as service charge. However, this firm makes arrange the total procedure if he/she is unable to take the responsibility.

●At the same time, he needs to despite BDT 10,00,000 – 12,00,000 into his Self Account or Joint Account  which bears he is capable to maintain one year living cost in England. It’s considered as Bank Sponsorship on behalf of the student. It’s stating that the student’s sponsor has sufficient funds to finance the student’s stay and studies in England. The student’s name, sponsor’s name and their relationship should appear clearly on the letter. The sponsor can only be the father or mother of the applicant.

►After completing all of these things, students are asked to face the British High Commission in Dhaka, Bangladesh with the fee of 145 pound. It’s mentioned the following things should be submitted then:

■ Original and Attested of all Educational Documents-Certificate(s) and Mark Sheet(s).

■  Original Bank Sponsorship Letter.

■ Copy of the Certificate of Admission(  Unconditional Offer Letter) issued by the

    college.

■ Passport and attested photocopy by notary of it valid for at least two years from the

   commencement of classes.

■ Original Copy (Bank Draft Copy)of the receipt for the payment of Tuition Fee Deposit  to the college.

■ Two photographs.

■ Original Medical Test Report

■ Original IELTS Evidence ( If available)

► In this step, if the student gets permission ( Visa), the Visa Letter is sent to VFS (Visa Forwarding Services) in Gulshan-1 by the British High Commission and students are asked to collect it from there. In deed, since then no barriers exist in front of the student to go to England.

►Generally it takes fifteen to twenty five days to get Visa Letter after receiving the  date of Unconditional Offer Letter.

► Thus the end of total procedure in case of going  NLCBS in England.

Chapter – 04

SOURCE OF

INCOME OF

MEC

INCOME SOURCE OF THE FIRM FROM AMERICANOS COLLEGE:

The student consultancy firm basically earns money from two sources while students are successfully get admitted into the college/university through them. These sources are:

( A ) From that Particular College/University

( B )  From that Particular Student

Briefly these are noted below:

( A )Commission Payment From Americanos College

The College will pay a commission of 25% on the tuition fees paid by the student for every student introduced by the agent.  The commission will be paid provided that the student has paid his/her tuition fees in full and has arrived in Cyprus. The commission is calculated on the tuition fees paid in advance (i.e. on the initial sum received by the College and not on any subsequent semesters/sessions the student might pay for).A student may pay in advance the fees of his/her first semester/session or his/her first and second semester/session.  Where the student is awarded a scholarship, the commission payable to the agent shall be 25% of the net amount received by the College.

►Bonus Payment

The agent will also receive an additional bonus based on the number of students recruited according to the table below:

 ►Commission Payment Procedure:

Payment of commission and bonus will be made upon receipt of an official invoice from the agent. The amount shown on the invoice should be stated in Euros and the agent should clearly state on the invoice the names and application numbers of the students recruited for the College.  The agent should also explain whether it would like to receive the payment via a bank draft or a swift transfer.  In either way the agent should forward to the College sufficient information (e.g. postal address, bank account details, etc.) to enable the College to arrange the payment.  Payment of commission for students registered in a semester or session takes place according to the following schedule:

 It is very important to note that the college will only pay commission to the agents for invoices that are received within one year from the start of the semester in which the students were recruited for.

►Cases where students are allowed a refund (fully or partly): 

         ►Cases where the agent is not entitled for a commission:

 ( B ) From The Particular Student:

►If any student gets visa letter from the Cyprus Embassy for studying AmericanosCollege, he/she has to pay BDT 30,000 to the MEC Consultancy Firm as Service Charge.

► This firm takes BDT 80,000 for showing Bank Sponsor on behalf of the student if anyone is unable to manage the Bank Fund as BDT 10,00,000

 INCOME SOURCE OF THE FIRM FROM INTERCOLLEGE:

The student consultancy firm basically earns money from two sources while students are successfully get admitted into the college/university through them. These sources are:

01. From that Particular College/University

            02. From that Particular Student

Briefly these are noted below:

01. Commission Payment From Americanos College

►The Representative’s Commission:

Intercollege’ representatives are entitled to a commission of EUR 500 for each new student registered and it will be remitted after registration:

 ►Important Notes:

02. From The Particular Student:

►If any student gets visa letter from the Cyprus Embassy for studying InterCollege,

    he/she has to pay BDT 30,000 to the MEC Consultancy Firm as Service Charge.

► This firm takes BDT 80,000 for showing Bank Sponsor on behalf of the student if

     anyone is unable to manage the Bank Fund as BDT 10,00,000.

INCOME SOURCE OF THE FIRM FROM IU:

01. from the Source of IU:

The firm ( MEC) gets the commission from the International university in following way:

 02. from the Student:

►After completing the total procedure and getting visa, the firm takes BDT 80,000 from the student as Service Charge.

►Another source of income is for showing the Bank Sponsorship on behalf of the student and that is BDT 70,000.

INCOME SOURCE OF THE FIRM FROM NLCBS:

01. from the Source of NLCBS:

It was not possible to know the commission rate of that college.

02. from the Student:

►After completing the total procedure and getting visa, the firm takes BDT 4,00,000 from the student as Service Charge.

►Another source of income is for showing the Bank Sponsorship on behalf of the student and that is BDT 30,000.

Chapter – 05

SWOT Analysis

of MEC

SWOT Analysis is a way to know the present condition of any firm where ‘S’ stands for Strength, ‘W’ stands for Weakness, ‘O’ stands for Opportunity and ‘T’ stands for Threats.

Here SWOT analysis of MEC is described below:

Chapter – 06

Findings

 Detailed Information About Costs

In this section I have tried my best to draw a total picture of expenditure at the time of preparing this report while students are going abroad. The total cost of a student is not fixed in this case. It depends on the selection of the country. Anyway a complete idea about this cost is noted below:

First Part: Idea About Tentative Costs of Various Institutions

01. For  Americanos College in Cyprus:

 * It’s mentioned the amount of Bank Balance (Tk.10,00,000) will be reduced from the

   total expenditure because it does not need to spend actually, it is kept only into the

   Bank for a certain period of time and at last this amount of money is withdrawn by the

   owner. So the actual cost for studying there is (14,98,815 – 10,00,000) = TK. 4,98,815

* This figure is reduced if the student is capable to show the bank Sponsorship on behalf

  of him. Then a student needs (4,98,815 – 80,000) =  Tk. 4,18,815

* The exchange rate considered in the report is: 1 Euro = BDT 100

   This exchange rate varies from day to day.

* Application Fee, Tuition Fee, Air Ticket, Service Charge of the Firm (MEC) are

   changeable in every year.

02. For Intercollege in Cyprus:

 * After Reducing Bank Balance (14,95,815 – 10,00,000) = TK. 4, 95, 815

* After Reducing the amount taken by the firm for showing Bank Balance ( 4,95,815 –

   80,000 ) = Tk. 4,15, 815

03. For International University in Germany(IU) :

 * After Reducing Bank Balance ( 9,18,500 – 6,24,000 ) = TK. 2,94,500

* After Reducing the amount taken by the firm for showing Bank Balance ( 2,94,500 –

   70,000 ) = Tk. 2,24,500

04. For Northlondon College Of Bussiness Studies (NLCBS) in England:

 * After Reducing Bank Balance ( 19,07,655 – 10,00,00 ) = TK. 9,07,655

* After Reducing the amount taken by the firm for showing Bank Balance ( 9,07,655 – 30,000) =

    Tk. 8,77,655

* The Exchange rate considered in the report is: 1 Pound = BDT 116

   This exchange rate varies from day to day.

Second Part: The Reason for Which Students Refusing to Get Visa

There is no doubt-every year lots of students are going abroad (different countries) for studying with the help of these consultancy firms. But sometimes they are failed to get this opportunity. I have tried to find out the reasons why students become failed here. This issue is related with the particular university of foreign country and the particular Embassy of that country. Indeed, firstly a student can be refused by the university and secondly by the Embassy. These reasons are described below:

►By the Particular Foreign University:

■ If the Requirements needed to get admission of the university are not fulfilled by the

   student properly, say-

■ If the Application Form is not fulfilled properly

■ If there is any lacking to submit the essential documents

■ If the Application Form is submitted in late, ie. Exceeding Admission Deadline

►By the Particular Embassy of that Country:

A student needs to submit all necessary documents while facing Embassy. During the time he can be refused due the following causes:

 ■ If his Educational Documents are proved false

■ If the validity of his PassPort is expired

■ If it’s proved that he is evolving with Anti Social Activates

■ If the Bank Sponsorship Statement is false that shown by the Bank on behalf of the

   student.

FINDINGS:

After completing my long survey and informal interview with the students those who have come to this Mediterranean Education Consultant, I have recognized some problems that have been facing by the students. These problems are given below:

►ABOUT HIGH SERVICE CHARGE:

This firm is taking a Very High Service Charge, ie. BDT 4,00,000 for studying England and Scotland from the students. This amount is taken only for issuing the visa guarantee of the student. It’s mentioned that they have a liaison with some guys of British High Commission (VFS) and with the help of these persons the firm provides guarantee in case of getting visa of students. Under this process, a student has to spend about BDT 7,00,000 including Air Ticket, Tuition Fee, Accommodation Cost, Medical Test, Embassy Fee…. where as many consultancy firms take about BDT 4,00,000 (including those) to study their.

 ►PROVIDING WRONG INFORMMATION ABOUT PROGRAM:

Sometimes this firm didn’t provide proper information to the students about the program and tuition fee of the university. Say, a student wants to study on “Hotel Management & Tourism” into International University (IU) in Germany under Bachelor Program. In spite of knowing this course is not available there, they accept the students’ files and are asked to come later to the office. After one/two months when they come here to know the present condition, this firm says that the university didn’t allow you for studying this program for not matching your Educational Background. We can do nothing here as because it’s a matter of them. Now you can go for another program according to your qualification. It’s better to mention here- file opening charge for the second time processing is also taken from the students. Very initially, when students come to the office to know information about the university, if then true information are supplied to them, the firm would not get any option to earn money. It’s really very unfair. Actually they behave like this to capture the student so that he/she is compelled to stay in touch with the firm.

 ►ABOUT EXCEEDING DEADLINE FOR ENROLLMENT:

Sometimes the firm accepts the students’ files after exceeding the date of Application Form. Let’s explain the matter by setting an example regarding this issue. There is only one intake into LuxembourgUniversity in Luxembourg for International Students and that is for Summer Semester. Generally, the procedure for getting admission into that session starts from November- December of the prior year and it’s supposed to accept files then. But the case is that this firm

takes some files in spite of expiring the sending date of Application Form. As a result, those students are failed to get admission for that session of that year. When they want to know the reason, they are said that the Quotas for International Students were fulfilled for this session and you have to wait for the next year. Thus the firm keeps them in wait for long time. This is absolutely unfair.

 ►ABOUT  IELTS/ TOEFL:

Another fault of this firm is- they are doing fraud in some cases with some students who have no IELTS or TOEFL score. Many more students want to know-whether it’s possible or not to go for studying into ClydebankCollege in Scotland without IELTS. Sometimes they tell lie and resort of deception regarding this matter. They clearly know that the Admission Office of this university doesn’t allow anyone without IELTS for Bachelor/ Master Program. Despite of knowing this, students are encouraged very much and are motivated for getting admission there. After become allured by this temptation they come to an agreement with the firm. But finally when the Rejection Letters start coming to them then they are told the requirements for admission has been changed recently by the university and IELTS score (5.5) is mandatory now, so what we can do now here. This is the another trick of the firm to snatch money from the students.

 ► ABOUT APPLICATION FEE:

There are some universities where no application fee is required initially for apply. But in reality, an amount is being taken from students at the time of starting his file processing. The range of this amount is from BDT 6,000 to 15,000 depending of the universities. It’s  true that they have to spend some money to send these documents to the university like it costs Tk 2,000- 3,000 up to 1 kg through courier services. Sometimes it doesn’t need to spend this amount as because they send the students’ document through scanning to the representative of that particular university that saves cost of the firm.

 ►ABOUT CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORIZATION:

In few cases, this firm tells the students that they are the Official Representative of this university which is absolutely wrong information. They say like this because as if the students are motivated and come to an agreement with it. Students know very well that it’s very easy to go abroad for studying if that university has any agent or representative in our country. They believe the firm and want to go there through them. Sometimes this firm becomes successful in case of getting admission of them but if failed, they show various excuses to the students that are discussed above so far. To speak the truth, all the time the firm has a tendency of how a student can be touched and to fulfill this purpose they adapt all things what are necessary.

Chapter – 07

 Recommendation & Conclusion

 RECOMMENDATION

After observing these consequences I have recommended some solutions based on my physical investigation to some student consultancy firms which are given below:

►Service charge for issuing visa should be reduced especially for England and Scotland. This year they haven’t become able to send many students to those countries due to this reason. There are lot of student consultancy firms in Dhaka city who take less than this firm. If they don’t reduce it, it will be very difficult for them to capture the market as well as to sustain in the market.

► Service charge for showing Bank Sponsorship on behalf of the student should also be reduced as soon as possible as because I saw many students didn’t agree to come into an agreement with the firm at the last moment when they were informed that it costs BDT 70,000 for all universities whereas other firms are taking BDT 20,000 – 30,000. The firm should keep in mind that students will go for those consultancies who provide the best services here.

►Of course, the firm should deliver the right information about the university to the students like it’s tuition fees, programs, application deadline, admission requirements, and many more regarding this issue. I strongly believe- no institution can survive in the business if they are dishonest in their services.

 CONCLUSION

Student life is the key stage of one’s life. Only one decision at this stage can change the life. If we take the right decision at this stage, our future lives will be perfect in every respect but only one wrong decision can destroy our future life. As education is the back bone of success, we should take very right decision on taking education at this stage. No doubt to say that foreign degree adds an extra value in every student’s life especially in his career. Everybody wants to avail such degree that can be recognized everywhere in the world. Study in abroad can only fulfills this demand of the student. But generally they don’t know how it can be done in reality. That’s why, they come to “Student Counseling Firm” for knowing information and finally  go to abroad for studying through the firm.

In the report I have wanted to provide a clear idea about student counseling firm, its functions, services to the students, the way to capture the market, the requirements of foreign universities and the procedure they play to the students. At the same time the limitations of MEC and the way of how to recover it have been also described. In fact, I have tried my best to portray the real things about what’s happenings in the student counseling firm through Mediterranean Education Consultant (MEC) in Bangladesh.

Although MEC has some weakness in its marketing strategy, it has created a good position in this segment and it’s growing up day by day. MEC is the legal Authorized Representative of some foreign universities. Every year they are able to send students into those universities successfully. Recently Halmsted University of Sweden has accepted MEC as their Agent in Bangladesh for recruiting students. The firm is also trying to become an Agent of some other countries like Greece, Denmark…so on.

MEC has a relation with some guys of British High Commission. It has also a strong lobbing with Medinova Medical Centre where students test their physical fitness. As a result, this firm plays a very effective role for getting the serial of Medical Centre and also for getting visa of students for UK.

Chapter – 08

Appendix & Bibliography

A sample copy of Agency Agreement between Americanos College and Mediterranean Education Consultant (MEC) is added here.

AGENCY AGREEMENT:

1. Parties of Agreement

AMERICANOS COLLEGE (hereafter referred to as the College) whose principal place of business is 2 & 3 Omirou Avenue, Eleftheria Square, P.O. Box 22425, 1521 Nicosia, Cyprus.

And

MEC (Mediterranean Education Consultant) (hereafter referred to as the Agent), whose principal place of business is 115 Dewan Complex, New Elephant Road, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

2. Scope of Agreement

This agreement is for the agent to act as a non-exclusive recruitment representative on behalf of the College, in Bangladesh to help with the recruitment of students onto the College’s programs of study.

3. Agent’s Obligations

•  To represent fairly and accurately the College in general, the College’s fees, content of its programs of study and facilities.  The fees chargeable are those described in the Admission, Visa and Financial Procedures leaflet.
•  To refrain from any activities that may, by association, be detrimental to the reputation or integrity of the College.
•  To advise prospective students of the documents required for their admission and issue of visa procedure.
•  To introduce and recommend prospective students who fulfill the College’s admission requirements and who are financially able to pay for their fees and other living expenses.
• 3.5 To assist students in preparing their application form and all other necessary documents according to the College’s admission procedure as described in the Admission, Visa and
• Financial Procedures leaflet.  To forward to the Office of Admissions of the College by courier service the application form along with all other necessary documents.
•  To collect from the students on behalf of the College the necessary fees and forward them to the Office of Admissions of the College.
•  To advice the College of any Government initiatives or laws having a direct bearing upon this agreement and the recruitment of students generally. To inform the College of potential opportunities, problems and competitor activity.
•  During the duration of this Agreement, not to in any way represent or promote the interests of other educational institutions based in Cyprus.

4. College’s Obligation

•  The College shall provide the agent with copies of its promotional and informational material (e.g. bulletins, pamphlets, application forms, leaflets, etc.).
•  The College shall pay a commission to the agent in accordance with Appendix 1.

5. Publicity

The text of any press release, advertisement or other communication to be published by, or communicated through the media concerning the subject of this agreement, or making reference of the College in any manner, shall require the prior written approval of the College. The agent will bear the expenses of any promotional activities.

6. Termination of Agreement

Violation of any one of the terms and conditions listed above will constitute sufficient reason for termination of this agreement by the College. Further the College may terminate this agreement without any reason, with one month written notice.

7. Arbitration

This agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Cyprus and both parties irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of the Republic of Cyprus.

8. Validity

This Agreement shall take effect when signed by both parties and shall expire on the expiry date shown below unless both parties agree in writing to renew it.