AREA, founded in 2007, sets standards for the Russian agent industry and supports operators in their work. We talk to board member Anna Ryzhova about common mistakes providers make when trying to break into the Russian market and the perils of direct bookings.
The PIE: Why is it important for foreign providers to use agents in Russia? Why shouldn’t they go direct?
AR: The issue when a foreign university or language school enters the Russian market is first of all that geographically Russia is huge, and that can make it hard to meet the target audience. There are also many different student fairs in Russia and it’s difficult for schools to know which are actually worth going to as they are not based in the market.
Another issue is that most students search online for courses in their native language. Most of the websites are in English and even if the institution decides to have the web page in the Russian language, in most cases it doesn’t have the right impact. Marketing in another language is a completely different story.
“Russia geographically is huge and that can make it hard to meet the target audience”
The PIE: But won’t institutions save money if they go direct?
AR: Just because a student is recruited directly doesn’t actually mean they will reach their institution overseas. This is particularly noticeable with regards to the visa process, which can be very complicated in some countries. Agencies can make the process much smoother, making sure that all the documents will be filled in appropriately. So I feel that paying the commission will ultimately be a better outcome. They can be assured they will receive the students’ papers on time and don’t have to worry about visas.
The PIE: How does AREA ensure agents get the credit they are due?
AR: Well, we work in three main ways. Firstly we help foreign providers, for whom knowing that our agencies reliable and adhere to standards is important. Another target audience are the Russian public, because they know AREA agencies have a form of accreditation, because in Russia there is no official accreditation or licensing of this industry.
And of course we support the agencies, because we do a lot of work with the international associations and we try to lobby representatives of foreign embassies who can help improve visa processing for Russians, or keep us abreast in changes in visa rules.
The PIE: What are the biggest mistakes providers make when trying to break into the Russian market?
AR: I believe the main mistake applies to all markets, not just Russia, in that schools do not think enough about the peculiarities of the market. Russians care a lot about the quality of accommodation, homestays for example. Another issue can be that institutions don’t have appropriate marketing materials for the market. It can contain mistakes or omit information that would be important for students.
“Another issue can be that institutions don’t have appropriate marketing materials for the market”
That’s why it’s better to take advice from the agents who work directly with students and who know them very well. They can help with creating brochures and obtaining testimonials from students, for example, and ensure that the money spent on marketing isn’t wasted.
The PIE: Do foreign schools usually work well with agents?
AR: Yes, but a major issue is direct bookings. Agents can have an agreement with a provider and do a lot for marketing for them – promoting their country as a study destination, marketing the institution and its programmes. But sometimes clients come to us and then go directly to the institution. It’s obviously a lot of lost time and money for us as we don’t get the commission. We would like institutions to recognise this.
The PIE: You mentioned Russian education fairs could be hit-and-miss. [More>>]
AR: Yes. Especially in the big cities like Moscow and St Petersburg, there are hundreds of them. It could be that if you participate in a fair then there are ten similar fairs on the same day and your clients could be going elsewhere! If you do not know where to go it’s better to ask for advice.
The education provider can always ask AREA for advice as we have agents in a lot of cities and they know which events are good.
The PIE: How can providers get the most out of them?
AR: In general it’s important to have some representation in country when you are going to a fair. If you do not have anyone who will follow up the contacts you make, it will be difficult for you to do it from your home country. I’d also say that the biggest benefit of going to such events is branding. So if you want to make an impact, it makes sense to deliver targeted seminars at fairs and these should be well prepared and advertised.
“It could be that if you participate in a fair there are ten similar fairs on the same day”
The PIE: You say providers should be preparing for such seminars six months in advance. That’s quite a long time isn’t it?
AR: Not really. Nowadays, students prefer to search for information online and they have so many events to choose from. So they should be 100% sure that if they go somewhere it’s worth visiting, and sometimes it’s difficult to get the right audience to see your seminar. Preparing in advance allows the agency representing you to put out enough targeted advertising or to promote it to students who come into their office.
In my experience, when you know an event is coming up in two to three months you can promote it to clients who may be undecided about where and what they are going to study. The students, if interested, also have time to do some research and will ask better questions when they attend the seminar. Admissions interviews may even be scheduled around the time of the seminar for added impact.
The PIE: What’s happening in the Russian market at the moment? Which products are popular?
AR: The Russian market is growing rapidly and has really climbed over the last year. Right now about 50,000 study overseas. There could be more because the potential is huge. All sectors are growing, especially higher education. At the moment the main destination is the UK, because it’s close and because of the quality of education and variety of the programmes. Most people have the perception that the British education system is the best one. Other favourites are Switzerland, Germany and France.
At the moment the main destination is the UK, because it’s close and because of the quality of education
But North America is also very popular; the US especially for work and travel programmes, although unfortunately these aren’t so easy to access any more. Canada meanwhile has become number one in secondary education, because more and more Russian parents realise that it isn’t so far and the quality of programmes is great. In fact, many clients have moved from secondary study in Europe to Canada and the US. North America is also growing for HE because the post study employment opportunities are so much better than in Europe.
The PIE: Are you seeing a greater number of juniors studying abroad?
AR: Yes. Junior programmes are one of the most popular products and agents are focussing on them. Short term programmes like English summer camps also have a knock-on effect, allowing families to investigate the education system and culture of a country. Many may then choose to send their kids to high school there if they like what they see.
The PIE: And work and travel?
AR: These are also in high demand. Work and travel programmes in the US were really popular, but they now have a limited quota of foreign students they accept. They have also been popular in Canada, although unfortunately we do not know the government is going to scrap them. But I think work and travel will grow in popularity because these days it’s not enough to have good qualifications. Most employers want to see graduates who have work experience, and if it’s global even better.
