The hidden cost for schools of having the wrong agent partnerships

For schools recruiting international students, education agents are more than just another marketing channel. They are an in-country brand ambassador and extension of the school’s values, standards, and decision-making.

The agents a school chooses to work with, and the way those relationships are managed, directly influence student outcomes, staff confidence, and the long-term reputation of the international program.

Enrolling school students is fundamentally different from enrolling young adults. When a school accepts a student who is not academically, linguistically, or socially ready, the impact is felt immediately in classrooms, boarding houses, and pastoral teams. Over time, repeated poor-fit enrolments begin to erode not only academic outcomes, but also internal trust and confidence within the school community.

High-quality education agents understand this responsibility. They recognise that their role is not simply to deliver enrolments, but to help schools and families achieve successful, sustainable placements. They invest time in understanding a school’s expectations, entry standards, and support structures. They prepare families realistically and respect the processes schools have put in place to protect students and maintain quality.

However, not all agents operate this way. In a crowded and competitive marketplace, some agents prioritise speed and certainty over suitability. They may direct students toward schools primarily because of existing agreements or commission arrangements, rather than because the school is the right fit for the student. In these situations, placement decisions become commercially driven, with readiness and long-term success treated as secondary considerations.

There are also agents who actively seek to bypass or minimise school quality assurance processes, such as English language testing or academic assessments. Rather than viewing these processes as safeguards that protect both students and schools, they see them as obstacles to overcome. The objective becomes achieving a quick enrolment rather than ensuring the student is prepared to succeed once they arrive. While this approach may deliver short-term numbers, it creates significant long-term risk.

When underprepared students enter classrooms, the consequences are felt quickly. Teachers are forced to adjust expectations, lesson pacing, and support strategies. Pastoral teams manage higher levels of stress and disengagement. Leadership teams begin to question whether enrolment decisions are aligned with the school’s standards and values. Over time, this can erode the internal social licence of the international program, as staff confidence diminishes and concerns grow about the impact on teaching and learning.

Externally, the risks are equally significant. Students who struggle academically or socially are less likely to succeed, less likely to complete their studies, and more likely to share negative experiences with peers and families. Gradually, this affects how the school is perceived in the market. Reputation, once damaged, is far harder to rebuild than enrolment numbers are to grow.

For these reasons, schools need to be deliberate and disciplined in how they select and manage agent relationships. Holding firm on entry requirements, assessment processes, and readiness standards is not an administrative burden. It is a strategic safeguard that gives admission teams a defensible position internally and externally. Schools that compromise these standards under pressure from agents risk undermining the very outcomes they are trying to achieve.

Commission structures are also an important part of this conversation, and they vary widely. Since the pandemic, lead times from enquiry to enrolment have become significantly longer, with agents often having to support families for many months or even years through repeated discussions and decision points. When compared with the UK, US, and New Zealand, the commission arrangements of Australian schools are often perceived as uncompetitive and definitely influence which schools agents actively promote. While the financial viability and sustainability of these arrangements must always be considered, schools need to be aware that agents naturally prioritise partnerships that recognise the work involved in responsible recruitment.

At the same time, commission alone should never determine the strength of an agent relationship. Schools benefit most from working with agents who understand the school sector, respect quality assurance processes, and share a commitment to student readiness and wellbeing. These agents tend to deliver fewer problems, stronger outcomes, and more sustainable enrolment pipelines over time. Rewarding their quality work with competitive commission is a strategically sound decision that will bear fruit over the long term.

Schools can also benefit from engaging directly with agents through AEAS in-country events, particularly AEAS Agent Workshops. These events provide an efficient way for schools to meet and assess multiple agents in a short period of time, often described as a form of professional speed dating. While attendance supports regulatory expectations around ongoing agent training and quality assurance, the value extends far beyond compliance. Agents invited to these workshops are carefully vetted by AEAS, ensuring schools are exposed to a high-quality cohort that includes both experienced school-sector specialists and emerging agents who are actively investing in developing their school placement expertise. This balanced approach supports sustainable recruitment and helps schools identify agents aligned with their standards and expectations.

The AEAS Official Partner Agent Program was established to support this kind of strategically aligned engagement. The program recognises agents who demonstrate genuine school sector expertise, ethical practice, and a commitment to achieving appropriate student placements rather than simply maximising enrolment volume. For schools, working with Official Partner Agents helps reduce risk, strengthen outcomes, and reinforce confidence across teaching and leadership teams. Importantly, these agents understand and respect the need for schools to hold firm on their entry requirements and processes, even when challenged, because they recognise that this discipline underpins long-term success.

Because Official Partner Agents are focused on long-term outcomes, they actively embrace quality assurance measures such as independent assessment and testing. They understand that tools like the AEAS Test support better decision-making, clearer and more honest conversations with families, and ultimately more appropriate school matches. AEAS works closely with schools and agents to support this alignment by providing independent, objective assessment of student readiness, helping schools maintain clear standards while supporting responsible recruitment. We do not pay commission to agents for test referrals, which allows AEAS assessments to function as a genuine quality assurance tool rather than a procedural formality.

Ultimately, international enrolment success should not be measured solely by numbers. Instead we encourage a viewpoint that considers first and foremost how well students cope, progress, and thrive once they arrive. Schools that choose their agent partners carefully, and that hold firm when challenged, protect not only their students, but also the integrity, reputation, and internal confidence of their international programs.

For schools seeking guidance on how to select, evaluate, and work effectively with education agents, AEAS can act as a trusted point of reference. Through our long-standing engagement with schools and agents across multiple markets, we are often asked to provide advice on agent capability, market behaviour, and best practice in managing agent relationships. Drawing on this expertise allows schools to make more informed decisions, particularly when navigating pressure from agents or reviewing existing partnerships. Contact us for more information.