Credit: Fatal Flaw Literary Magazine I recently had a video chat with a US secondary colleague who expressed frustration over how hard it is to work with education agents in Vietnam, many of whom seem mostly concerned with the amount of the commission they will receive for each student. Since this particular high school's commission … Continue reading Guiding Students to the Highest Bidder
commission-based recruitment
Reflections on a Dirty Industry
No, not that industry, which is literally dirty and a major contributor to global climate change. I'm referring to international student recruitment, which is often a figuratively dirty industry. A US higher education colleague who has been around the block a few times recently asked me this question: "At the risk of sounding like a … Continue reading Reflections on a Dirty Industry
Student Recruitment Agents in International Higher Education (Spring 2023)
A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective on Challenges and Best Practices This is the very long and descriptive title of a forthcoming book edited by Pii-Tuulia Nikula, Principal Academic, Te Pukenga – New Zealand Institute of Technology and Skills, Vincenzo Raimo, an independent higher education consultant and Visiting Fellow at the University of Reading, where he previously served … Continue reading Student Recruitment Agents in International Higher Education (Spring 2023)
An ethical approach to commissions-based recruitment
Below is the unabridged version of an article with the above title that Eddie West and I wrote for University World News (UWN). Follow this link to read that version. Incentive-Based Compensation & International Student Recruitment: Is There a Better Way? By Mark A. Ashwill & Eddie West The agent issue in the US is reminiscent … Continue reading An ethical approach to commissions-based recruitment
“We’ll Become Your Partner, If…
You Send Us a Student" I recently had a chat with a US higher education colleague about whether or not it would be advisable for his institution to require prospective education agents to send them at least one student before signing an agent agreement. Think of it as a test that prospective agents need to … Continue reading “We’ll Become Your Partner, If…
Working with Education Agents: A View from Vietnam
Below are a couple of excerpts from a blog post I wrote at the invitation of NAFSA's International Enrollment Management (IEM) Knowledge Community. While there are some indications that growing numbers of students, who are better informed and more empowered than ever, are applying directly to foreign educational institutions - a trend that we should all encourage because … Continue reading Working with Education Agents: A View from Vietnam
Q: How to Choose an Education Agent? A: Use Your Best Judgement
And Don't Forget the Tried-and-True Carrot & Stick Approach Colleagues sometimes ask me to recommend education agents in Viet Nam. While I'd like to be able to help them in this regard, I can't. The simple reason is that this is such a problematic (read shady) and unregulated sector. There is no one (or one … Continue reading Q: How to Choose an Education Agent? A: Use Your Best Judgement
Direct Applications on the Rise
While Viet Nam is still primarily an agent-driven market, growing numbers of students are beginning to bypass education agents and apply directly to educational institutions, especially for certain types of institutions and programs with simpler application procedures. In some cases, more than 50% of all apps are directly from students. The reasons for this recent … Continue reading Direct Applications on the Rise
How Many Students Will You Send Us?
I occasionally receive inquiries from colleagues asking me how many students will I refer to their institutions by a certain term, i.e., semester or quarter. The assumption behind the question is that the company I work for, Capstone Vietnam, a full-service educational consulting company, follows the traditional agent model of student recruitment. In fact, we … Continue reading How Many Students Will You Send Us?
Of Dogs, Fleas, & the Occasionally Dirty Business of International Student Recruitment
A Deal with the Devil aka Partners in Unethical Behavior? Discussions about the use of commission-based recruitment and international student recruitment in general are often couched in black and white terms. The former refers to the unethical business practices of many education agents whose overriding goal is money, and lots of it as quickly as … Continue reading Of Dogs, Fleas, & the Occasionally Dirty Business of International Student Recruitment
An International Educator in Viet Nam 
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