Studying abroad is the dream of many students all around the world, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. But with an overwhelming amount of options, how do they know what to choose? That’s where we come in.
Adventus.io is excited to welcome Amorndej Cholpilaiponk (affectionately known as “Home”), Regional Manager for Thailand, to our growing team.
We had a chat with Home recently about his background, what’s happening in international student recruitment in Thailand, and what Adventus.io has in store for Southeast Asia.
Thailand is a country in the midst of great evolution, particularly in terms of education. With an aging population and a shrinking skilled workforce, studying abroad has never been more important (or necessary).
With 170 colleges and universities open today – including 71 private universities – there are more spots than students available to take them.
This hasn’t, however, greatly impacted the number of students leaving Thai shores for higher education, with anywhere between 25,000 to 26,000 students each year opting to travel to countries like the UK, Australia, and the US.
One of the differences that set Thailand apart from its Southeast Asian neighbours like Laos or Cambodia is how families view education after high school.
“There’s a stereotype that when a Thai person finishes high school, they need to have a connection to Thailand first before they go out into the world to explore themselves,” Home explains.
“When you ask most Thai families they think that an MBA is the only type of degree there is to study abroad,” Home laughs. “They also prefer to choose the higher-ranking universities too, regardless of what GPA their child has, which is an interesting cultural quirk.”
For Home, he saw the value of studying abroad early on and brings a wealth of experience to his role at Adventus.io.
“I was studying abroad in the UK and found myself giving advice to other students who had just arrived,” Home reflects, “so I started my own blog about how to study abroad without using an agent because I didn’t have a good experience with agencies.”
“When I came home to Thailand, I got a job working with IDP for a few years, but made the switch to Study Group and was there for six years.”
With our new office in Thailand up and running, as well as the presence we already have in neighbouring countries like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, we’re thrilled to be able to connect more and more people together to make studying abroad a reality for more and more Thai students.
Here’s what we’re doing to reduce some of the friction.
“The most popular question I get asked is about scholarships,” Home says. “And that is often the benchmark that determines where a student can go.”
Every institution has its own application process and this can be overwhelming for even the most tech-savvy student. Counsellors working with Adventus.io have access to the latest scholarship information and deadlines, with the ability to draw on the expertise of the global Adventus.io team to get students placed faster than ever before.
“For Thai agents, it can be difficult to place students because you only have a few contracts with universities,” Home explains. “But with Adventus.io, you immediately get access to a big global network of institutions all at once.”
Our aim is to service the entire international student recruitment ecosystem – institutions, recruiters, and students – on our marketplace. Thai agents can benefit from up-to-date information about courses at some of the world’s most highly ranked schools that are top of mind for Thai families, which is a win-win for everyone.
“Master Agents here in Thailand often split the commission 50/50 or even 60/40,” Home offers. “It’s in the favour of the Master Agent, even though the smaller agencies work very hard. Agents don’t like this model as it feels very unfair.”
“But with Adventus.io, agents get 100% of the commission which helps them to continue to build their own business while still placing students.”
This is what makes us different and something we’re very proud of. Our partners mean the world to us so we’re always looking for ways to make the Adventus.io marketplace work for everyone involved, not just our bottom line.
If you’re an institution looking to enrol more Thai students or a Thai agent seeking support and career growth, request a demo of our platform to see it in action. We’re continuing to expand into new markets and we can’t wait to have you on board.