Promoting the UK as an English language study destination Amy - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

British Council Promoting the UK as an English language study destination Amy Rogers UK ELT Marketing Manager, British Council BETA Youth Industry Seminar, October 2012

Our Cultural Relations Outcomes  Strengthen the UK’s position in the global knowledge economy  Enhance the UK’s reputation  Reap economic and societal benefits for the UK  Build trust and engagement for the UK overseas  Build personal bonds to the UK  Build long-standing relationships with future leaders  Promote UK as the education destination

UK ELT promotion – current activity range  Market intelligence reports  Agent / student resources  Education travel fairs  Agent training  Accreditation UK brand promotion  Local British Council office support  Education UK website  Download site

Participate in agent fairs & workshops StudyWorld ALPHE UK ICEF Berlin English UK boutique fairs: Jordan, Macau, Prague, Lima, Beirut ALPHE overseas ICEF overseas National Fairs

Promoting English in the UK  The home of the English language  600,000 students to the UK each year  Quality assurance since 1982  Over 550 quality centres to choose from

Exciting locations Beautiful and varied environment  Urban cities  Country retreats  Seaside resorts 4 countries in one  England  Scotland  Wales  Northern Ireland

British Council market intelligence  Market intelligence reports  Local ELT country profiles  List of local agents  List of agent associations  List of school/teacher associations  List of major language schools

British Council Market Intelligence Series www.englishagenda.britishcouncil.org

Current market for English language courses in China  Market segments – age groups  Target countries  USA – 42%  UK – 17%  Japan – 15%  Funding studies overseas  Family  Self  Corporate

Developing a marketing strategy – 5 segments  3-12 year olds  13-18 year olds  18-24 year olds  25+ year olds  Professionals and corporate market

Potential partners in China  Authorities and associations  English training schools  Agents

Gaps in the market  Web- and mobile-based learning  English teacher recruitment market  Build up brand awareness

Conclusions  UK summer and winter programmes  unique selling points  diversification  English Plus  Co-operate with local ELT schools  Build long-term partnerships  Market services to the right audience

Current market for English language courses in Italy  Perceptions of the UK  Information gathering  Price  Competition

Funding available for language travel  EU funding – PONs, internships  Regional funding  Private funding

Demand trends and market segments  Young learners – under 19 years old  2-week study visits – during term time  2-week study holiday – during summer  4-week funded trips – during summer  Adults  General English  Examination preparation  English for Specific Purposes (ESP)

Key recommendations  Booking channels / information gathering  Young learners  Young adults  Adults  ESP courses

Key recommendations  Gift boxes – outside the box or inside?

English language market structure – Turkey  Two segments  High-income families  Low-income families  Two markets  High sales of inexpensive courses  Lower sales of high-end, expensive courses  An estimate of the value of the Turkish market  contributes £86 million to the UK economy  15,000 students study in the UK each year

English language travel from Turkey to the UK Trends  Destinations  UK – 48%  USA – 21%  Canada – 7%  Length of study  4-8 weeks – 25%  12-24 weeks – 23%  8-12 weeks – 21%  more than 24 weeks – 21%  less than 4 weeks – 10%

Conclusions and recommendations  40,000 Turkish students travel abroad each year – beware of exaggerated estimations  Managing agent relationships is key to success – account managers  Develop good business practice and credit control  Plan marketing activity carefully

British Council Accreditation Inspectors are ELT specialists Rigorous inspections:  specific criteria for juniors  accommodation checks  publicity checks  independent complaints procedure  student emergency support fund

British Council accreditation update  Business as usual  Steady growth – 550 accredited centres  British Council accreditation is valid for:  Student Visitor Visa (up to 6 months)  Extended Student Visitor Visa (up to 11 months)  Accommodation agency registration  Education marketing Working Group

British Council promotional materials – English Opens Doors  Print Agent’s Guide Directory of accredited centres Poster, bookmarks, CD pack Student’s Guide – ‘English in the UK’  Media Light Up Your Potential video Study in Northern Ireland  Website Education UK – student-facing English Agenda – English in the UK

British Council Agent Training  BC agent training specifically for education agents  Workshops & online modules & written exam  BC designed & certified

Baseline Service Menu for UK ELT BC local office support BC UK support STUDYWORLD UK Information service for students / Websites – Education UK and English ALPHE fairs sponsors / agents Agenda ICEF Berlin & regional fairs LONDON LANGUAGE SHOW Briefing meeting for visiting schools Agent & student resources BELTA Local agent information Agent training Local partner private language school Accreditation UK brand promotion information Networking with education agents Market intelligence

Contact us! We welcome your comments, questions & suggestions Contact me: amy.rogers@britishcouncil.org