The waters required to navigate while applying to an independent school, especially for an international student can be tricky. You can hear horror stories about bad agents and then really great stories about agents who really help their clients find, apply, enrol and even travel to see schools.
This past Fall I travelled to Ukraine and Russia with an agency called IQ Consultancy. We have worked with other agents in Russia and Ukraine to be clear, so this is not a unique endorsement of IQ Consultancy. On this trip, we travelled to Kiev, Novosibirsk, St. Petersburg, Ufa, and Moscow and met with many families.
In Russia, for the most part since the collapse of the Soviet Union, we are dealing with the first generation of students studying abroad and families traveling more widely than the borders of their former state. Many of the students I met spoke English quite well, however, their parents did not. This is where agencies in this part of the world really help their ‘parent’ clients navigate the tricky waters. They translate for them and most importantly, advise on individual schools in different countries based on their clients’ needs. As more and more Russian students are studying abroad, we are hearing from Russian families that there are too many Russian students in some UK and Swiss schools. A good agent can help a family avoid disappointment upon arrival at a school and help them find the right ‘fit’ for their clients.
If you are looking for an agent, in any country, make sure that you ask the agency how many students they have placed in university preparatory boarding schools, making the distinction between schools that have local students as well and not just students coming from abroad. Ask what services the agency is going to provide to you, will they assess your needs, recommend options, help you apply, help with study permits and study permit renewals? What services are free and what services carry an additional fee? Finally, ask if someone from the company has visited the school. Oftentimes, frontline staff may not have visited a school personally, but they rely on another member of the company who has. Some agencies have policies that they will not place a student in a school unless someone from the agency has visited the school. This is a good thing.
IQ Consultancy staff members have visited LCS on three separate occasions. They understand our school, our education system and the small number of Russian speakers within our community. They get the LCS difference and will help you understand what makes us unique and a special option for the right student and family.