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Written by: Michelle Cormier
Published: 04/30/2009 Recruiting Agents at Chinese College Fair Pose as Translators
A number of American universities have issued complaints against a college fair co-sponsored by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in Hangzhou, China. According to fair attendees, the translators hired to work with Americans participants were actually student recruiting agents for Edushanghai International Company Ltd., which bills itself as a provider of "counseling services" to Chinese students who want to study overseas. IIE, which holds higher education fairs in countries around the world to bring together colleges and students, forbids third parties to seek to represent colleges or potential students at the events. The organization has offered the aggrieved colleges a credit for the fees they paid to participate in the recent college fair. "As far as we are aware, this situation has never occurred before, and we are taking steps to make sure that it does not happen again," IIE spokesman Sharon Witherell said in a written statement. The use of paid recruiting agents is one of the most controversial issues in international education today. Universities in Australia, Britain, and elsewhere commonly use overseas recruiters to attract foreign students, but the practice is not widespread among American institutions. Critics worry that agents may take advantage of students, but proponents argue that the only way in which American colleges can compete globally for students is to use agents.
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