UK universities have a long tradition and excellent reputation and the system for recruitment in the UK is very different from that in Spain. This means that students need to start preparing in advance – at least one year, better two years, before they plan to start at university in the UK.
While it is possible to apply directly as the system of applications is very straightforward, agents and counsellors can help students in their decision making. They can help them search for universities and find the best university and course to suit them and help them fulfil their potential. They can also guide them through the application process.
In general, there are three types of agency in Spain:
- Small dedicated higher education agencies. There are very few in Spain. These have a reputation for offering a highly professional, personalised service
- Agencies that offer all types of services, including higher education application support, and ‘aggregators’ (large international, often online support). These provide less personalised support and often contract third parties with varied experience
- Independent agents.
The quality of service and experience of the agency or agent vary a lot. So how can you tell if you are talking to a reputable agent, who has your best interests at heart?
There are a few things you can ask:
- What is their experience?
- Do they have agreements with UK universities? If so, what is their cost (universities often pay agencies a fee)? Will they also advise you on universities that they do not have an agreement with, and if so, is there an extra cost involved to you?
- Have their agents done a training course with the British Council?
The UK is becoming increasingly strict about the way that UK universities are promoted to international students. The British Council and other UK higher education organisations have developed an Agent Quality Framework, which many universities have signed up to. This says they will only work with agents that have the student’s best interests at heart.
The Agent Quality Framework also includes training for agents, run by the British Council. All agents who complete this training receive a certificate. This means you can tell if their knowledge of UK education is up to date, and that they have learned the principles of properly advising students.
You can see the list of certified agents here.