Compare Education Consultants in Brisbane: which agents offer amazing extra services?
I have taught thousands of students in my English language teaching career and I have heard many students discuss their education agents and the services they did or didn’t provide them. Some students have had very positive experiences whilst others were simply given the basic help and were then wished ‘good luck’ by their agent with no further assistance. However, the only way to know if your agent is providing you with a quality service is to compare education consultants in Brisbane.
More than the minimum
Personally, I believe good education agents do more than just the minimum. They help students before they arrive in Australia and after they arrive in Australia with extra services like: helping open a bank account; obtaining a TFN; getting a SIM card; writing a resume; assistance finding accommodation; arranging airport pickup services and providing opportunities to meet other international students through organise social events.
So to help International Students select an excellent education agent in Brisbane, I have taken the following steps:
- 1. Authored this article comparing education consultants in Brisbane and the extra services they offer
- 2. Created a list of education agents in Brisbane, comparing their Google and Facebook reviews.
- 3. Developed a chart that outlines the services offered by each education agent in Brisbane.
- 4. Wrote an informative article on ‘7 suggestions on how to find the best Education Agent in Australia‘
My recommended Education Agents in Brisbane
Determining what is a good or bad education agent is subjective, so I have designed a list of criteria that I believe every good education agent should provide. I personally believe that students should choose an education agent that has an office in the city where they are going to study and not only in their home county.
Therefore, to make it onto my list of the best education agents in Brisbane, the agent must fulfill the following criteria:
- Local office: The education agent must have a physical office in the city, ensuring easy access for students.
- Experience: Consultants must have operated in the city for several years, demonstrating a substantial level of experience.
- High Google and Facebook rating: Agency must maintain a Google rating of over 4.8. This indicates a strong reputation and positive student feedback. Check out the Google and Facebook rating of your Education Agent.
- Extra services: They must offer additional services and not just the minimum services. Check out the extra services offered by your Brisbane based Education Agent.
- Study Options: The agent must provide study options across various educational institutions, including Language schools, Universities, TAFE, and Vocational Educational Training (VET) courses.
So here is my list comparing education consultants in Brisbane, Australia that offer additional services:
Go Study Australia
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Go Study has been around for more than 16 years and has provided education and visa services to over 40,000 people. Currently they have 12 offices in Australia, Europe and South America and lay claim to being the largest international agency in Australia.
They certainly do offer some great services. These include assistance: opening a Bank account; obtaining a Tax File Number opening (TFN) and Australian Business Number opening (ABN) if required, special prices and discounts for work certificates: RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) to work in businesses that sell alcohol; White Card (construction) to be able to work in the building industry.
But what stands out most for me is the assistance they provide in preparing students to find employment. They offer Job preparation sessions at their offices which include workshops, seminars and training. They also offer special prices and discounts for work certificates like the RSA and White Card which is fantastic.
Going even further with the assistance in finding a job, Go Study has an eBooks package which includes information on Working in Australia, including the ‘Ultimate guide to getting a job in Australia’; ’12 Websites to find a job in Australia’; and ‘Ultimate Guide to Regional and Farm Work’. Even more they have a GO STUDY Jobs Club newsletter subscription to receive the latest job offers.
SOL Education and Migration
Sol Education and Migration’s history began in 2002 in Brisbane and has expanded into other markets. They are probably the largest education agent in Brisbane with a team dedicated to Brazil, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. SOL offers a lot of extra additional services for their student. Upon arrival students receive a welcome pack that includes all the information necessary for the student to live in Australia. Students also receive assistance with: opening a bank account; obtaining a TFN; getting a SIM card; RSA & White Card and a mail service for the first few weeks. The don’t provide a service to get a job however they offer advice on how to find one.
They focus a lot on social connections and offer a lot of social events like excursions to Stradbroke Island, Halloween parties, speaking clubs (which up to 120 people attend), special events like national independence days etc. and expos on studying in Australia. SOL has a Google rating of 4.8, while it isn’t perfect, is still respectable considering the large number of students they help each year.
KOKOS Brisbane
Kokos Brisbane has a perfect Google rating of 5.0 from students and others. I can understand why they are rated so highly as they were professional, polite and helpful when I spoke with them. They offer a wide range of additional services like good education agents do. The additional services they offer for free include: assistance with opening a Bank Account; obtaining a TFN, ABN; getting a SIM card for your mobile phone; writing a resume and offering a mail service if required when you first arrive. Additional paid services that they offer include an RSA course, airport pickup service (cost depends on where you live), help finding a job, finding accommodation (cost depends on style of accommodation).
Hello Australia Brisbane
Hello Australia has been in operation for over 13 years and has a strong focus on people, as you would expect form an agency focused on Brazil and Latin America. They have a lot of varied social events that connect people together to help form friendships whilst in Australia. This is an important service they offer, particularly to Latinos, and is highly valued when you compare education consultants in Brisbane.
The extra services provided to their students include help with obtaining a TFN, writing a personalised Resume and offering a mail service. But what makes Hello Australia stand out though are these three extra services. They have an airline department which takes care of all the details of the ticket to the destination country of your choice, offering great flight options and special promotions for students and companions. Hello Australia Brisbane will also introduce you to their employment contacts which will hopefully lead to a job quicker as it is very expensive to live in Australia. We all have bills to pay and we need to work. Additionally, they have partnerships with companies specializing in Homestay and Student Residences so that our students can choose the type of accommodation according to their preference. This is of course a paid service but very helpful.
JRIS Education Brisbane
Established more than 20 years ago, JRIS has assisted tens of thousands of students to study in Australia. They are a Taiwanese focused education agent and make the claim to be the most professional and caring consultants in Taiwan. The students they have helped seem to agree with this claim and have given them a 5 star google rating. When I personally spoke with the staff at JRIS, they were very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about the education market in Australia.
JRIS has also been rated as the best study abroad centre by many Australian universities even being recognised with the Best Business Award by the Australia-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce. This is a notable achievement when you compare education consultants in Brisbane and the quality of the service they offer.
Of course, being friendly is important, but it’s the services that JRIS offers that makes it a top education agent in Brisbane. Starting with a one-on-one video consultation from your own home or anywhere they continue to help you through the standard services of school selection, application, admission acceptance and visa just like every other education agent. However, it’s the extra services of: helping you open a bank account; get a SIM for your mobile phone; and organise a Tax File Number (TFN) so you can work, that make it standout. Additionally, for an extra fee they can also arrange an airport pick-up service and make accommodation arrangements.
Find out more about living and studying in Brisbane, Australia
