Page 18 - StudyTravel Magazine July 2014 Issue

inSide tHe induStry

AGENCy ASSoCIATIoN
INDuSTRy ISSuES AGEnTs sPEAK OUT
Do you WoRK WITH A START-uP SCHooL? WouLD you Q&A
EvER CoNSIDER DoING So?

KATE CLARKE, AL AHLAM HIGHER EDu- SAuANNE BISPo, Go ABRoAD INTER-
CATIoN & TRAINING SERvICES, oMAN CâMBIo, BRAZIL This month we interview
“oman is a very cautious market and “yes, i would consider working with
we find that parents and students a start-up school if it was responsi- Carlos Robles, President of
need a lot of reassurance about quality and safety ble and showed me experience and passion for the Belta in Brazil.
to ensure a positive study experience. We therefore business. We all needed to start somewhere to run
prefer to work with well-established schools with our business, and we also need people to trust us WHAT HAS BELTA BEEN uP To
British Council, english uK or other accreditation. and give us opportunities to show our competence. RECENTLy?
We usually take up references from some of our of course there will be some mistakes, but nothing We launched an inbound de-
most trusted partners before taking on a new repre- that we cannot repair and take as lessons for the partment to promote Brazil as a destination
sentation. Having said this, many new schools are next students. i say that because i own a start-up for international students. We welcomed new
set up by very experienced and conscientious pro- agency and i know the passion and excellence that members and attended the main events. at
fessionals and they do deserve to be given a chance fuels me to run the business every single day keep- the Belta agM new members of the Board of
to get up and running.” ing in mind what i believe: delivering dreams!” directors were elected: Marcelo albuquerque,
Financial director; neila Chammas, institutional
REGINE BAyER, EASy SPRACHREISEN, NATALIA BARATA, SEE LEARNING relations director; and Felipe trigo, operation-
SPAIN CENTER, PoRTuGAL al director. Belta is not organising expoBelta
“easy Sprachreisen has now been “it is always exciting to discover new anymore – we have started a partnership with
working with Cork english academy in schools within the area of foreign FPP Media’s eduexpos Fairs with special condi-
ireland, founded in 2011, for three years, after my ini- language training and interesting to form new rela- tions for Belta members. the event happened
tial visit to Cork to meet the team and see the school tionships. a start-up school has something special in March and was a great success. in the same
facilities. although it is a start-up school, the team because i feel that is has recognised a current gap month, Belta presented research with the sup-
has a long experience in the industry, a professional in the market and aims to fill it. as an established port of the Canadian embassy based on Can-
working attitude and the willingness to adjust ser- agency, however, i have a huge reliance on the con- ada as a destination for international students.
vices to fulfil customer requirements expeditiously. sistency and quality of courses and opportunities there was also a fam trip to South africa.
With our experience in this sector, we have designed that we offer. Bearing that in mind, while aiming to
together a parent and child programme that matches always forge new long-lasting relationships, i think HoW HAS BuSINESS BEEN FoR BRAZILIAN
the demand of the market and enjoys high popular- it is very important for start-up schools to have a AGENTS SINCE you PuBLISHED MEMBER
ity with students. We are delighted to have found a clear ethos, qualified teachers and professional- SuRvEy RESuLTS LAST yEAR?
trusted partner school which had the entrepreneurial ism. i would consider working with a start-up to growth is solid. Future growth, however, will
spirit and skills to tackle this challenge. that made help establish them as a centre of excellence, pro- depend on the number of new agencies in
it easy to succeed and increase student enrolment viding the aims of the school are positive. after all, the market; foreign exchange policy and the
numbers constantly over the past three years.” we have all been there!” stability of the Brazilian currency compared to
foreign currencies; rulings about visas; and the
possibility of temporary employment with an
exchange programme. Member agencies will
face competition, and there is also a fear of di-
rect internet bookings by some agents. We are
planning another survey in partnership with the
British Council this year.
Agency of the month
WHAT DoES BELTA HAvE PLANNED FoR THE
in a series appearing each month in Study Travel Magazine, we ask a different teaching institution to FuTuRE?
nominate one of their preferred agency partners, and to explain why this person/company is worthy of in partnership with the association of Colleg-
their nomination. es, uK, Belta is planning a trade mission to the
uK at the end of the year for Belta members.
this month St Giles “St giles international has been pleased to enjoy a long and
international www. very productive partnership with Ci for many years. not only in addition, Belta is operationally supporting
Quality english with a road show. We also plan
stgiles-international is Ci a formidable agency and one of the industry leaders with
nominates Centro countless offices in Brazil, but it also provides an excellent to invest in the promotion of companies in our
inbound department and we are always willing
de intercambio (Ci) service to many clients. i particularly respect their forward- to attend the main international education fairs
www.ci.com.br in thinking approach and inventive attitude when dealing with a competitive
Brazil. Hannah lindsay market. our personal friendship with the directors and management has and events.
at the school explains made the partnership a close one, making it fun and productive to work with
this decision. them. We look forward to continuing our partnership long into the future!” Full name: Brazilian educational & language
travel association (Belta)
year established:1992
“Ci is proud to have been cooperating with St giles international for more than 20 years. our number of members: 50 agencies and 21
successful partnership is based on common values such as excellent programmes combined collaborators
with impeccable client service. our operational teams closely support each other. St giles Association’s main role: Promotion
also understands the needs of the Brazilian market, which helps support a lot of our marketing Contact details:
campaigns. We wish to continue this cooperation for as long as possible.” E: belta@belta.org.br
TEREZA FuLFARo, CENTRo DE INTERCAMBIo (CI), BRAZIL W: www.belta.org.br

16 | Study travel Magazine | july 2014