Agent Training Manual

25^th of July 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Content

 

1. Enrolment Procedure at BHC
2. English Testing
3. Requesting Changes on Letters
4. Payments
5. Deferments
6. Commission
7. Induction
8. Refunds
9. Marketing Material
10. Sales Training
11. Benefits of Blake Hall College
12. Courses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction:

This Manual has been written to give clarity and insight to all new Agents regarding the policies and procedures of Blake Hall College.

 

Blake Hall College functions within a specific educational sector and has to adhere to government regulations within the UK as well UK Border Agency regulations in order to recruit International students successfully.

Blake Hall Recruitment Procedures:

All agents are subject to these policies, which aim to clarify and assist them in the recruitment, assessment and enrolment of students to Blake Hall College.

 

 

UKBA Updates:

 

The Terms and Conditions of the College are subject to the changes of UKBA. Frequent communication will be send to agents to inform them of the newest market changes.

 

Sub-Agents

 

Most agents prefer to grow their own business by partnering with other educational agents, travel agents or businesses. BHC encourages representatives to increase new market opportunities and exposure of Blake Hall College.

 

Policy for Sub-Agents:

 

• Sub-Agents do not have a formal agreement with Blake Hall College and therefore will not qualify for commission
• Sub-Agents are not allowed to communicate to Blake Hall College directly.
• All sub-agents have to adhere to the requirements of the College

 

• Please Note: The Agent Blake Hall College forms an Agreement with, will be responsible for all actions of the sub-agents.

Policy if Representatives do not meet the requirements of the College or UKBA:

The agent will be given three warnings.

 

• Verbal Warning
• Written Warning
• 1 Months notice for the Termination of the Contract.

A more thorough outline of all recruitment policies are written in our recruitment policy document. Agents need to familiarize themselves with the document.

Current Enrolment Procedure at Blake Hall College

 

Application Process:

• Course information should be presented to each student according to the prospectus provided by Blake Hall College. It is the responsibility of the agent to familiarize himself/herself with the intake dates, course requirements and fees of each course.

Enrolment Documents:

Phase 1:

• Each student should send through the following documents to BHC:

 

• All enrolment forms (the BHC forms as well as the Academic Institution forms)
• The Agent Application Form (with complete details)
• The terms and conditions of BHC ( please note: each page must be signed)
• IT policy (each page must be signed)
• A Copy of the student’s passport (back and front cover included with all photo pages)
• Certified Transcripts and certificates with mark sheets- the agent should provide the final certificates/provisional certificates. If final certificates are not provided Blake Hall College will use the most recent qualification to determine eligibility.
• SELT English Results

 

Guidelines for Enrolment Documents from BHC:

 

• All personal details must be provided – especially contact details
• Home Country must be completed
• Next of Kin (any relatives/friends in Home Country/UK)
• Qualifications and English Proficiency level (start with most recent)
• Need to write the information of Agent “How did you hear about BHC”
• The forms must be signed by the student and not the agent

 

 

Terms and Conditions/ IT policy

• All pages must be signed

 

Copy of Passport

• All informative pages of the passport must be scanned and send through as well as the outer cover (front side and back side) should be provided.

 

Conditional /Unconditional Letters:

BHC will issue conditional letters as proof that the student do qualify for a specific course.

 

 

Processing of Files (MARS):

Blake Hall College endeavours to provide Conditional letters and CAS letters within 2 days if all documents are provided. Some agents still count the time for the Conditional/ CAS letters from the day they provide documents (even if some documents are outstanding).  The Mars system will help to streamline all applications and complete the applications quicker.

The Application System on the MARS System:

When you login into the system, you will see five links:

• Student Records - In this tab, you can view the status of all applications uploaded by you and your users.
• Add Application - In this tab, you can add a new student application. Please note that some fields in the application form are mandatory. Please upload all documents and the form as ONE PDF file. Please refer to the manuals below if you have any doubts.
• View Information - In this tab, you will see information about the university courses, deposit, payment terms and application forms.
• Users - This tab will have list of Users under you. You can create as many users as you want. This will typically be the counsellors in your office or your branch offices.

For example, if you have an office in Karachi and another in Bangkok, you can create a login for Karachi and a different one for Bangkok. Each user will be able to see only the application added by him/ her, but you can see applications from all your offices.

Please note - any application or deposit added by offices under you will need to be approved by you on the system, before they will appear to the university/college officials.

• Print - You can print all offer letters of all students whose decisions have been taken by the university or college.

* If there are any queries regarding the application system, please go into the Help/Support section.

Reasons why the processing might take longer than 2 days:

• Incomplete files
• No contact details provided to phone/Skype students for an English interview
• Contact Details provided – but unable to reach the student.
• No passport provided
• No translated qualifications
• No valid qualifications (so we need to get permission from the Awarding body for acceptance)
• No letter provided to give a reason for students under Appeal
• The agents do not verify the CAS

 

Some representatives are asking the College to provide letters when they’ve only provided completed documents a day before. This is unacceptable. Also, if the process was delayed in the past, the documents will take longer to process as promised.

 

 

 

 

Secure English Test (NQF 4, 5, 6)

How did the rules and regulations change at UKBA?

 

On 12 August 2010 the UK Border Agency  implemened the  secure English language tests for students under Tier 4 (General) of the points-based system.

If a Tier 4 (General) student will be studying a course (except a Foundation Degree or a Full Time English language course), using a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) issued on or after 12 August 2010, their Tier 4 sponsor must ensure that they are competent in English language at a minimum of level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) by showing that they :

• are from a majority English-speaking country

have successfully completed a course as a Tier 4 (Child) student (or under the student rules that were in force before 31 March 2009,

• if they were granted permission to stay while they were under 18 years old) which lasted at least six months and ended no more than two years before the date when the CAS is assigned; or
• have passed an English language test with an approved test provider for Tier 4, and has achieved at least CEFR level B1 in all four components (reading, writing, speaking and listening) for NQF 4 and 5 courses
• have passed an English language test with an approved test provider for Tier 4, and has achieved at least CEFR level B2  in all four components (reading, writing, speaking and listening) for NQF 6 courses

 

SECURE ENGLISH TESTS THAT WILL BE ACCEPTED?

 

TOEFL IBT, IELTS, ILEC, CPE, CAE, BEC, University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations

What do you need to show as proof for Blake Hall College?

• Online print-out of score report included in your application

Blake Hall College English Test

If students come from the EU or are British Citizens they won’t need a SELT test. They will however, be assessed by a Blake Hall College English Test. The following rules should be adhered to:

 

1. 1. The Agent is not allowed to complete the English test or any part of the English test for the student

 

1. 2. The Agent is not allowed to submit English tests where the student has committed plagiarism

 

1. 3. The Agent should submit the English test in writing. No typed tests will be allowed.

 

1. 4. The Agent is not allowed to submit a test that was not completed by the student who is applying for the course

 

1. 5. The Agent should ensure that the student who is applying for the course is the student who is being interviewed by the Blake Hall College English Department

 

1. 6. The agent must ensure that the English test is taken under examination conditions; that is, in silence, without the aid of books, the internet or any form of electronic equipment and without conferring with or copying others

 

BHC will conduct another Entry Test when the students arrive in the country. If any of the students cheated on their BHC test based on the entry test the commission that the agent received for the student will be deducted from the next intake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Requesting changes from Blake Hall College:

If an agent wants to request a change, he/she has to write in the header “changes on CAS letter” or “changes of dates” or “extension letter” with the student number of the student. If we do not get emails in this format, the chances are very good that you won’t get a response as quickly as you expect.

 

Payment Method:

 

• Bank Transfer
• Cheque
• Bank Draft (original)
• Cash
• Card Payment

 

BHC only accepts full payment for international prospective students. We normally expect agents to come back with a turn around time for when the students will be able to pay the money. A TT transfer is most probably the least expensive.

Bank Details of Blake Hall College:

 

Payment Plans:

 

The students only have to pay 60% of the deposit (at their own risk). We still recommend they pay the full amount, but if they can’t we will mention the amount paid on their CAS letter as the money given to us. On the Conditional the amount payable will still be the full amount. We will with the CAS letters send through payment plans for the students that only paid 60% where the outstanding amount will be payable in no more than 4 months (the payment plans will be adjusted according to fees outstanding). Please ensure the student signs the payment plan and knows what will be expected of them when they arrive at the College.

 

Bankers Drafts:

 

Please make out all bankers drafts to Blake Hall College Limited.

Credit/Debit Card Payments:

If the card holder is not present at the College, the person paying the fees need to show proof that the card holder has given permission to use the credit card/debit card. Also, no cash payments will be allowed anymore – all money should stay in the bank.

 

 

No application forms will be registered at Universities and no CAS numbers will be issued without payment.

Issuing CAS letters:

• After completing all documents and the English test, the qualifications will be confirmed on Naric. When BHC is satisfied that the English Requirements are met, they will ask the student to pay full payment (overseas) or deposit (in UK). After receiving the full payment (as well as completing the application process), BHC can issue a CAS number. The CAS number will then be sent to the agent/student as a scanned copy / DHL. CAS numbers will be issued within 48 hours from completing the process. Agents must inform BHC whenever a student gets a visa.

 

Refusals of Visas:

• Blake Hall College only gets allocated a limited number of CAS numbers and each number is worth the value of the course. If a visa gets refused we normally ask for the agent to appeal if the student has that right. If not, the student has to pay an additional £250 to get a new CAS and the agent will only get 50% of the agreed commission. If, for any reason the student gets rejected for an unfamiliar or unknown reason BHC will use their own discretion in dealing with the problem.

Deferment letters and new CAS letters:

• Please make it clear when you are requesting a Deferment letter or a New CAS letter. If you request a new CAS letter, you need to attach the rejection letter with confirmation (or a plan) of how you will re-apply for the new CAS and rectify any reasons for rejection. A student will only be allowed to apply once after receiving a rejection.
• If you are requesting a Deferment letter you must write: “Deferment Request Student Number: 0610BHC0020” in the heading. Please specify the intake and add a Conditional letter to the request. The deferment must be made within the arrival time of the students (which should be 14 days after the intake date)

 

Induction:

• It is important for students to feel at ease when they arrive at Blake Hall College.

 

 

Induction:

 

Students are provided with a bag with all information about Blake Hall College. The following information is provided when the student arrives at the College:

-          Class Schedule

-          Map of College

-          Induction Handbook

-          Summary of Course Content

 

The Induction sessions are divided into three parts:

-          General Policies and Procedures (presented the Sales and Marketing Executive)

-          Academics (presented by the Academic Heads of each Department)

-          Student Welfare (presented by the Student Welfare Office)

Commission:

• All agents must send a spreadsheet of all the names they’ve enrolled, who are accepted on the course and who received a visa to the marketing consultant they are communicating with.
• The agent has to add a visa copy of the student when requesting commission
• Commissions get paid at the end of each month after the student has received his/her visa and has been accepted on the course. An invoice must be send to BHC with all the student’s details, the course enrolled, fees paid, student number, and a copy of the new visa received  you send it the last Monday of each month. My hope is that the commission will be paid effectively and quickly.
• Agents are not allowed to deduct commission from the full fees paid by students.

 

 

 

Commissions:

 

All invoices need to be send to me the last Monday of each month – with all the relevant information in order for us to make a transfer. You need to copy Jacques Steyn in on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . If you are waiting for commission payments or didn’t get the correct amount, the person to speak to is Jacques Steyn. Please direct all your enquiries to him. No cheques will be issued from now onwards. We will only make transfers to registered bank accounts. Please ensure you provide Jacques will all relevant details in order to make quick payments.

 

Refunds:

Please see attached documents. We will not process applications unless all the original documents specified on the form is submitted to us. All refund requests must be submitted to Jacques Steyn at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. specifying in the Header “refunds”. If a student gets rejected, we prefer the student to first appeal if she/he have grounds to appeal. If not, you need to request a new CAS number from me. Please put in the Header “New CAS number” with the student number. No refunds will be made for invalid qualifications or incorrect maintenance fees.

 

The refund process is as follows:

 

• Print out all relevant refund forms on the MARS system
• Send the forms with the original rejection letter to Blake Hall College addressed to Jacques Steyn or Finance
• Jacques reviews all refund requests every two weeks on a Friday and will send an email to the student confirming or rejecting the refund request.

Marketing Material:

 

Process to get access to Marketing Material on website:

 

1. Go to www.blakehallcollege.co.uk

2. Click on Agent Resources (one of the black tabs on the left hand side)

3. Scroll down to the end of the webpage and click on log-in

4. Enter the Wikiname: BlakeAgents (ensure the "B" is capital and the "A")

5. Enter the password: agents123 (the "a" should be a small letter)

6. Press Login – another box with Inelda’s details will pop up – just ignore the box and

click on the black tab” Agent Resources” again and you'll have access to all agent   information and marketing material.

 

If you did not receive any marketing material please contact the consultant allocated to you to send you Marketing material. We also work with many institutions and would like to ask agents to submit their own designs for approval before using it.

 

 

Training:

• If training is required the agent should let BHC know. The necessary arrangements will then be made to equip the agent properly.

If you require more information, please do not hesitate to contact Blake Hall College.

 

 

Blake Hall College 10-11 Dock Offices Surrey Quays Road London SE16 2XU Tel:          +44 (0) 207 2522 033 Fax:         +44 (0) 207 2522 118   Sales and Marketing: USP’s /Benefits of Blakehall College: Blake Hall College is a Partnering College with Glyndwr University (Wales). This means that we are the official London Representative of the University with a close relationship with them. This gives us access to their staff, academic courses and facilities. The staff has to be assessed and tested by the University to be at the same level as University lecturers. The tests get marked by Blake Hall College staff, but assessed by the University. All students should also maintain the academic standards of the University The students get the same courses as the University Courses for £3000 - £6000 less than the Universities – the course fees are therefore much more affordable. Blake Hall College is accredited by Greenwich University, Glyndwr University, NCC, Edexcel, ABE and BAC. These accreditations are very difficult to get and speaks of quality Blake Hall College was never closed down and withstood all the Inspections of BAC, UKBA and the Universities Blake Hall College is a A-rated College – this means students can trust us because we are validated by UKBA, also – visas are much easier to obtain because we have the right courses and are acknowledged as a good College by UKBA The College has never been closed down – and has been fully operated since 2001 The students can qualify for a 2 year Post Study Work visa if they complete a UK degree The student will be able to qualify for a 3 year visa based on the new courses and will be able to work 20 hours instead of 10 hours There is a wide variety of courses including a MBA in Business Management which helps students to qualify for a Highly Skilled visa The MBA from Glydnwr University (Wales) has an employability rate of 94.2% which is the same as Oxford and Cambridge. This means that most students will be able to get a job within 6 months after completing their studies (if they look in the right places). The MBA at Blake Hall College is deemed to be special – with 10 world class speakers coming throughout the year to speak to students on different topics Our academic staff is highly qualified – all either busy with Masters degrees up to Doctorate Degrees with some being specialists in their fields. Most of them also have corporate experience Blake Hall College is located in central London – one station from Canary Wharf (the Financial Capital of the World), 4 from Waterloo Station and 2 from London Bridge. The College is also 200 metres from a Underground Station (Canada Water) and Bus Station which makes it convenient to travel We are next to a gym, behind Tesco’s, opposite a beautiful park with a Council library (still in progess) for about 1200 students on our right hand side. The size of the College is 700 students, all from different Nationalities which makes the College a truly Cosmopolition experience. We currently recruit from 11 countries. Our staff and services are very professional – with a close knit family experience which helps students to adapt easier to their new surroundings. All questions get answered quickly, and advice is freely given to students We have an elected and fully paid Student Union ( no other private College in the UK has that according to the BAC) which represents students in meetings, organise social events and give a voice to students The College also pays for  social events like Boat Trips on the Thames, trips to museums and parties during festivals which give students the opportunity to  meet friends and learn from other cultures The College also has a qualified Full-Time Welfare Officer, which helps students to deal with circumstances outside their control and give them basic advice to deal with life.     Glyndwr University:   Glyndŵr University   With sites around North East Wales, Glyndŵr University champions the spirit of enterprise and an outward-facing philosophy. Inspired by Welsh hero Owain Glyndŵr, we aim to be bold, inspiring and enterprising in everything we do.   Our courses are tailored to be relevant to industry and professional applications. We work closely with partners in business including Airbus, Rolls Royce and the BBC to ensure our graduates get the skills they need to gain employment.   2010 saw the launch of the Advanced Composite Training and Development Centre, the result of a groundbreaking partnership between the University, Airbus, Deeside College and the Welsh Assembly Government. The centre is a prime example of how our partnership approach keeps us at the forefront of advances in technology and skills in key industry sectors.   The University also offers excellent conference facilities and works with businesses to provide staff training and development.   With roots going back to 1887, we have a long history of providing higher education in the region, but with new campuses opening in 2009/10 and prestigious new centres set for launch in 2011 we have our sights firmly set on the future.   Glyndŵr University’s courses are in international demand. From London to the Far East, the University is developing a diverse and rich community of learning.   Students joining us, wherever they may be based, can be confident that we are an institution small enough to care, with the international significance to matter.   For more information about Glyndwr University visit the website www.glyndwr.ac.uk       Courses for 2011: Yearly Calendar: Blake Hall College JANUARY'11 Intake Start Date 24 January 2011 Induction Date 24 January 2011 Course start date end date Last date of joining NQF level 4 & 5 courses 31 January 2011 01 April 2011 08 February 2011 Glyndwr courses (NQF 6 & above) 31 January 2011 01 April 2011 08 February 2011 APRIL'11 Intake Start Date 15 April 2011 Induction Date 02 May 2011 Course start date end date Last date of joining NQF level 4 & 5 courses 09 May 2011 08 July 2011 15 May 2011 Glyndwr courses (NQF 6 & above) 09 May 2011 08 July 2011 15 May 2011 JULY'11 Intake Start Date 08 August 2011     Induction Date 08 August 2011     Course start date end date Last date of joining NQF level 4 & 5 courses 08 August 2011 07 October 2011 15 August 2011 Glyndwr courses (NQF 6 & above) 15 August 2011 14 October 2011 15 August 2011 SEPTEMBER'11 Intake Start Date 10 October 2011     Induction Date 10 October 2011 Course start date end date Last date of joining NQF level 4 & 5 courses 17 October 2011 16 December 2011 17 October 2011 Glyndwr courses (NQF 6 & above) 31 October 2011 22 December 2011 17 October 2011 General Rules with Communication: Phone-inn’s: All phone-inn’s must be handled professionally. Please ensure that you take the Name, telephone number and email address of the prospective student. The information must be stored on a student database with relevant information next to it, in order to remember the prospective students and use it to follow-up effectively. Please see example of database attached. Email: An email is used as the primary medium to convey important information. If the email bounces back, please call the prospective student to confirm the email address. The main information that you should give is: Sponsoring College Registered by Home Office Course Name Duration Price Intake Dates Follow-Ups: After you’ve send the prospective student an email with all the information your next goal is to get the correct documents with all the accurate information from them as quickly as possible. The documents must be completed with a black pen. You follow-up by asking the prospective student whether he/she received the initial email and when you can expect his documents – always push for action. One to One appointments: Ensure you know what course a student want to enrol for – prepare all the necessary documents and put in black file with your business card. Present the:   General information of Blake Hall College Benefits of the course The structure of the course Price of the course Attached you will find a table with all the necessary course information and guidelines to help you with the recruitment process. Housing and Jobs: At Blake Hall College there is a student Welfare Officer to assist students with settling in the United Kingdom. The Student Welfare officer will assist students with all the information they need to search for jobs. We also have a recruitment company called Egoli Recruitment in London who helps our students to find a job when they arrive in London. The only criteria is that students must be able to speak good English.  The website is  http://www.egoli-uk.com/rec_main.asp. Students who are struggling to get a place to stay can contact London House Share situated on the Blake Hall College Campus on  http://www.londonhouseshare.net/ or a very popular site that most South Africans use is http://www.christianflatshare.org/. Students can go on the sites and contact consultants before coming to the UK. Questions and Answers: If you have any questions regarding courses or the College one consultant is allocated to deal with all your enquiries. Please ensure that you give all relevant information. In Closing: Blake Hall College is excited to work with you and help you achieve the business goals you have set for yourself.