How to Choose the Trusted Study Abroad Consultants in Mumbai
When a student decides to study abroad, the biggest challenge is finding someone who can guide them to their career path. They see so many ads, so many websites, and still, they are unable to make a decision on how to choose the best & trusted study abroad consultant in Mumbai.
Studying abroad is a dream of many students as it offers the opportunity to gain global exposure, learn in a multi-cultural environment, and good work opportunities in their specialised field.
However, it is accompanied by a number of challenges, such as preparation of various entrance tests, language proficiency, accommodation, student loan, funds arrangements, application and visa complexities, documentation, and process, and primarily, selection of the proper course, country, and university where your investment will give you the best returns.
This is where the study abroad consultants play an important role. They guide you in navigating all these challenges with proper steps and help you get into your dream universities. In this content, you will come to know about how to select the proper consultancy, that will guide you to solve all your issues and make your study abroad process smooth.
Why Is a Study Abroad Consultant Actually Important?
It is important to take advice from a study abroad consultant while applying to the universities for the following reasons-
- Selection of a proper course that matches the interests of the applicant and their eligibility
- Proper documentation
- Smooth Application process
- Preparation of tests like GMAT/GRE or IELTS
- Funds counselling – how to arrange the funds, and what are the proper sources of funds
- Visa documentation
- Visa application
- Accommodation assistance
- Scholarship applications, preparation of scholarship essay, SOP, etc.
What Should You Really Check Before Choosing a Study Abroad Consultant?
Mumbai is called the city of dreams, and every year number of students from Mumbai opt for studying abroad for their higher studies. There are so many consultants or agents available out there in Mumbai to support and guide them in their journey.
Below are the factors that a student must consider while appointing a consultant –
1- Experience & Proven Track Record
Applicant should check the previous track record of the consultancy, number of students counselled and enrolled, visa success ratio, number of years’ experience, etc. Applicants can verify this information through their websites, ratings, success stories, social media, & Google Business Pro, file, etc.
2- Success Rates & Student Outcomes
Applicants can check the student outcome for destination, how many students the consultancy has sent to a particular region, what the application success and visa success ratio etc.
3- Transparency in Fees & Services
Consultancy must provide fair information about what type of services they are going to offer in the mentioned consultancy fee, that to in a proper written format. There should not be any hidden charges.
4- End-to-End Service
Applicant has to check that the agent or consultant is providing end-to-end service, right from the selection of universities till the Visa application. They are able to answer all your doubts at the time of applications, visa, accommodation, etc, and provide pre-departure support as well.
5- Office Set-up & Physical Presence
This is also an important factor to be considered while selecting the study abroad consultant for your study abroad journey. The consultant must have a proper office set-up; physical presence is very important as the counsellor can be available to meet and solve the issues or to check the documentation.
6- Accessibility & Customer Support
Applicants must check if the counsellor/agent is easily approachable when needed. He is available on call/mail or message and will respond quickly, on time.
7- Test Preparation
We must check if the consultancy is offering only application support or if they provide coaching for IELTS or other tests like GMAT / GRE, etc. If yes, what is the success ratio, coaching style, application timeline, is there any additional fee, etc.
8- Secure Handling of All the Information
We must check if the consultancy handles all the data and information carefully. There is no misuse of confidential information provided, such as ITR, Bank statements, net-worth details, passports, etc. They are not shared with any irrelevant people or authorities.
9- Realistic Promise & Honest Counselling
The consultant should not make any fake promises like he will guarantee a 100% scholarship or offer, etc. As these decisions are made totally by the academic committee, a counsellor or agent cannot give 100% assurance of scholarships or offers or visas. So the counselling should be clean and realistic, based on the profile and documentation.
Study Abroad Consultant vs Agent – What’s the Real Difference?
Consultancy
- They focus on providing student-centric guidance, the right course, the right university, career goals & opportunities, etc.
- They keep transparency while explaining the chances of admission, Visa, Job prospects and PR
- They suggest unbiased options across multiple countries and university options
- They provide a proper service and ask for consultancy charges for the same
- They provide long-term support, even for payment of semester fees, accommodation and pre-departure
Agent
- Agents mainly focus on university placements and meeting their enrollment targets of the partner institutions
- They may not discuss the facts like job prospects, PR, etc., and may not maintain transparency in all these things
- They offer only those universities which are in a tie-up
- They may not charge consultancy fees as they get commissions from the universities itself.
- Their services are limited to visa filing
Red Flags And Warning Signs: Identifying Fraudulent Consultants
The following are the signs of a Fraudulent Consultant –
- They give a 100% guarantee of admission or a visa before checking any documents
- They always force you to accept and pay the deposit once you receive the first offer, without waiting for other offers.
- No written agreement of services provided and fees
- Unrealistic promises like 100% job guarantee, PR, etc.
- Force you to apply specific set of universities without explaining the proper reason
- Poor Google reviews written by students or parents
- Asking to submit false documents like internships, etc., just to boost the application or chances of a scholarship
- Poor Communication, providing inconsistent information
Questions To Be Asked With Study Abroad Consultant Before Finalising
One must ask the following questions to check if the agent or consultant is genuine or not
- About their work experience, & no. of students counselled and visa success
- About the services offered by them
- About their university selection and course selection method
- Are they helping with applying for scholarships?
- Are they providing the coaching service along with counselling?
- Visa will be applied for by them, or will the student be doing it?
- About pre-departure services
Why Choosing a Mumbai-Based Study Abroad Consultant Matters?
- Benefits of Face-to-Face Counselling – If an applicant from Mumbai takes up a consultation from a Mumbai-based consultancy, he will get the benefit of face-to-face counselling, which is more impactful than a virtual one. It helps in building confidence and bonding between the counsellor and the applicant.
- Easier Document Verification and Follow-up – It is easy to do the follow-up with the applicant for documentation and the application process. Documents can be physically checked and verified.
- Local Support for Parents and Students – It would be convenient for parents and students to approach the counsellor at any point of time during the application process, fee payment or Visa documentation. They can meet personally and solve the issues, if any.
Why Do Students and Parents in Mumbai Trust Education Street?
Education Street is a study abroad consultancy in Mumbai, having 15+ years of experience in the Industry. Education Street counselled 15000+ students with personalised counselling and profile building.
Education Street have a Strong student network across different countries, & a strong university network as well.
We works for Students and not for universities! We aim to provide clean counselling with proper course selection based on student interest and profile, proper documentation and applications. The Visa success rate of Education Street is 99%.
Education Street will help you in the following ways –
- How to prepare your strong study abroad profile
- How to select the proper destination, universities and courses based on your interest as well as eligibility
- GMAT/GRE/IELTS Coaching
- Editing the SOP, CV, and Guidance on Letter of Recommendation
- Smooth application with proper documentation
- How to plan your funds, how to accept the offer
- How to plan and book the accommodation
- Tips for a Successful Visa Application
If you are planning to apply for upcoming intakes, contact our team now, speak with our destination expert counsellors and start your journey!