Danger zone of travel: the misperception among your colleagues that your global trip is just another boondoggle.
It’s a common experience for international student recruitment teams. Jet-setting itineraries make it hard for some travel-hungry colleagues to see your grueling business trip as anything other than a junket. But a junket it is not. Below we share an 8-point guide to the "why of international travel".
We know images of far-off places seem “luxurious” to those not on your team, which is why so many of you no longer post those photos from your trips on social media. Never mind the 3am (local time) touchdown in Dehli that led to your 7am scramble to the student fair starting in 2 hours where you spent the next 8 hours repeating the same conversation with 122 different students until it was time to cap off the day with a working dinner with your in-country agent. A day lounging at the beach, right?
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Here’s the truth. We talk a lot about armchair recruiting and the undeniable advantages of digital marketing around the world. And we stand by that. But for institutions that can afford to, purposeful travel absolutely builds your recruitment strategy in robust ways. We know you agree. But does your provost?
This week, from-the-field insights on recruitment travel from recent conversations with our SIO colleagues David Di Maria, Ed.D., senior international officer and associate vice provost for international education at UMBC, and Jill Blondin, Ph.D., associate vice provost for global initiatives at Virginia Commonwealth University. Plus, the key conversations that will help you make the most of the travel you do have budgeted. Because you never want to waste a good trip. Read on…
Ever noticed how the international recruitment team is simultaneously underfunded and seen as overspending -- usually because of the international travel? Leaves many of us scratching our heads. All the more reason why it’s critical you make a strong case for the travel you do want. Let’s see what the experts have to say.
The ROI of International Recruitment Travel
“Recruitment travel needs extensive research into understanding why we are sending someone abroad. It’s not just about the cost, but also about the optics – especially if you’re at a public institution,” said David Di Maria.
David advises teams get to know what the net tuition revenue is for international students. Understanding what the return would be is important for making the case for investment. Newer professionals can work with the CFO or other senior leaders to calculate that ROI.
“It’s important to base your case on credible and objective information. Consider looking at current trends from in-coming applications or economic factors in market or resources from the US Commercial Service or EducationUSA. Then triangulate these details so you’re not just going with what one vendor or office is saying. Look at as many sources as you can, and just like a GPS, you can find the most accurate path forward,” he said.
Jill Blondin is of the same mindset. “You need to show what the outcomes are going to be of the proposed travel. Is there evidence that you’re thinking broadly and in alignment with your institution’s goals?” She asks.
Jill also notes it is equally important to know when not to travel. Because sometimes it isn’t worth it. “Demonstrating your unit as an excellent caretaker of the institution’s resources and being strategic in your decisions will go far in making the case for travel,” she said.
The Conversations Worth Having While Abroad
It’s been Jill’s experience that “face-to-face meetings are critical for partnerships, from recruitment partners to academic partners to research partners. If the travel is purely about recruitment, then you still want to meet with a mix of international contacts important to your institution,” she said. Think agents, high schools, EducationUSA, and the like. She likes to see a robust schedule that takes advantage of everything that can be offered in the short time allotted. “I’m always trying to look for the wins across the board – research, academic, mobility.”
In other words, when you do get the budget, stretch the dollars by building a variety of strategic meetings and events into your itinerary. Here are key conversations always worth having while recruiting abroad. As you develop your itinerary, consider the report you will write at the end that justifies the trip that was and the next trip you want funding for.
The list below identifies 8 valuable points of contact. Can you incorporate all 8 in each city you plan to visit? If yes, you’ll impress your CFO, provost, and the other allies you need across campus.
1. Get to know the US embassy and consulate.
Are they aware of your institution and your strengths? How are they feeling about the volume of students coming through? Are they excited about these students? Are they excited about your institution? This is a relationship you want to build. Understand, too, that this person changes jobs every 6 months to 2 years. It is important to revisit this relationship consistently as new leaders come and go. Stay in touch between visits.
2. Build relationships with your agents.
How well do you know the agents working for you in different cities? Are they up to speed on your institution’s priorities, accolades and new, impressive deans? What are the priorities they hear about from their students and families? Can your agents easily recall your institution’s top programs and selling points? Visiting them each year (staff turnover is common) will go a long way in helping them effectively represent your institution. Be sure to take a quick selfie with them that becomes a picture on their wall with your logo for prolonged reinforcement of your brand.
3. Maintain strong relationships with your academic partners.
You have relationships with different academic institutions, most built and maintained through personal contacts and faculty connections. Keep the conduit flowing by meeting when in town. These relationships often whither after the initial fanfare announcement if you don’t nurture them. In-person visits count. Breaking bread together has long-lasting value.
4. Visit high schools in the region.
Take time to foster relationships with counselors, principals, and teachers at key high schools with a significant percentage of students seeking a degree from the US. Knowing where to go takes advance research. One useful resource on this front: the US Commercial Service (also Google). You’ll have competition in all of the most valuable communities in any country. It’s easier for your contacts to recall and recommend your institution if they have had quality in-person conversations. Cool swag goes a long way as well.
5. Visit campuses abroad.
With a focus on graduate students, take time to visit universities in your key markets and speak with their students in specific academic programs where your institution excels. Bring one of your faculty colleagues who has a larger-than-life reputation in their field (and is an engaging conversationalist). Tour their labs and other facilities (good for your faculty to understand that others have strong programs as well). Talk about the hands-on research with academic luminaries your grad students experience on your campus. Develop a set of prospective students dreaming about the opportunities.
6. Work the student fairs.
Confirm the student fair's lead capture process in place prior to going on these trips. If that is not in place, you have to question the value of this time investment. When at the fair, catalog the types of questions you are asked by the students. Try to confirm the value of each fair by evaluating/rating the seriousness of the students passing by your table. Word to the wise, some fairs bus in students who are paid a small fee just to walk through and make you think the fair is popular. Track the outcomes: how many of the captured leads respond to your follow up? How many of each fair’s specific leads apply? How many actually convert? Now you know whether you want to go back to that fair next year and can justify the cost if the answer is yes.
7. Connect with busy ESL centers.
Advance research will tell you which ESL centers have the most students and test takers. Will these centers offer you valuable contacts and prospect lists? Visit the most popular centers in your target markets and provide information on your programs and admissions process, including any English language requirements and a direct contact for an international admissions counselor. If you have an ESL program on campus that can supplement what these centers offer, that’s a great conversation to have with center leaders. Build this pipeline.
8. Meet up with alumni.
A good alumni network is a powerful tool when tapped. Many (like a whole lot) of US institutions struggle with building useful, reliable international student alumni networks. it is a legit struggle to maintain the international alumni database. If your alumni relations team is not helpful, even after you have offered to help them be more effective (see our alumni assessment tool for more on that], turn to Linked In to find your in-country peeps. Once you find them and connect, invite your overseas alums to coffee. Or be their personal doordash and bring them their favorite lunch to share. Build strong ties to these important advocates. Take the opportunity to ask them for their ideas on what more you can be doing to enhance your institution’s image and recruitment options in the region.
The Conversations Worth Having Post Trip
You got the budget. You took the trip. You had the key conversations. Time to communicate back to your leadership and team. Put together a detailed report on what your trip achieved and circulate it to share the outcomes. Talk business to them and build institutional allies. Dispel their preconceived notions of your global travels as boondoggles. Don’t discount this part of your role.
Take more pictures of your work (the fairs, the consulate, business meetings, etc.) than you do of the great meals, hotel lobbies, and tourist sites you may have time to visit. If all you show off on your social channels is travel fun, it’s no wonder your colleagues are chatting negatively (“Why does she get to do all the international travel?”) Counteract that by talking about the long days that start at 6 a.m. (with jetlag) and end at 10 p.m. when you say goodnight after the long partner dinner meeting. No need to whine about it. Just let your team know the level of effort required to achieve valuable results.
One Last Pro Tip
When you do get that travel approved, “expect the unexpected. Even the best laid plans typically change. So, bring your cultural agility, humility, and curiosity,” according to Jill. We totally agree.
Need help building a strong international recruitment strategy with a team you can trust to offer data-informed insights and a concrete tactical plan? Be in touch: info@intead.com.
