CONSULTING BASED ON EDUCATION EXPERIENCE

Having traveled to China more than 25 times, Steve brings his love and respect for the Chinese people & culture and combines it with his desire to help internationals students reach their academic goals.

We start any consulting agreement from the premise that the STUDENT, not the decided school, is the brand to be cherished. Each student is a unique human being with social, emotional, spiritual, and educational needs that we seek to enhance by finding the 'right fit' school every time. Through extensive interview sessions, we gain a deep understanding of a student’s unique personality as a person and then work hard to recommend schools where the student can blossom into a more enhanced and mature version of themselves. We do not simply seek admission into a prestigious school but carefully try to ensure that the school choice is one where the student will flourish and excel.

What makes Advantage-USA different from most agencies is Steve spent 30+ years in the education industry both teaching for two elite private/independent schools, and consulting students now for more than 10 years. Unlike other agents who may place a student and then move on to the next batch of clients, at Advantage-USA we form a close and ongoing relationship with our students where we continue to guide, mentor, and encourage them throughout their entire study time in the USA. 

Mission statement – To find the 'right fit' school every time! Place the right student in the wrong school and it can be a disaster. As your education consultant, our job is to guide and advise based on our knowledge of the student client and the attending school. Our devotion is to the client, not the school. 

How to begin the process? If you are just beginning the search process for hiring an education consultant, then start with a simple and free consultation session. Both consultant and client need to understand the importance of the relationship of trust that is forged between all parties. 

What does a client service contract cost? We have a very simple, no-hassle client consulting fee structure. Our single-student consulting fee is $5,500 USD. ($1,000 due upon contract signing, and the balance is due when the first school application is submitted)

Consulting Timetable and process: Each step of the application process is managed and maintained by us. During our initial conversations, we will begin to get an idea of the students’ goals, personalities and determine how they align with parental wishes and goals. Next, we will begin making a list of potential 'right fit' schools. We also try to work within each family's wishes if they have suggested school choices as well. Schools who do not have rolling admission will each have their own application deadlines. A company is only as strong as its executive leadership. This is a good place to show off who’s occupying the corner offices. Write a nice bio about each executive that includes what they do, how long they’ve been at it, and what got them to where they are.

We typically will build a list of 5-8 'right fit' schools which we then present the list to the family for consideration. Together, we engage in a discussion of possible advantages, challenges, or otherwise things to carefully consider before narrowing that list down to 3-5 schools to which we will apply.

Want us to visit a campus for you? Many international families cannot make an in-person campus visit. If it is a campus which we have not personally visited, families can hire us to do a personal campus tour & visit and report back to the family.

Cultural Transition. One cannot underestimate the immensity of the transition that both student and parents will go through when making the move to a study in America experience. Change of culture, adjusting to a new school, new set of peers, new routines and new social circles present challenges for everyone involved. This is where our connection with the student and family becomes invaluable as we will be accessible to students and family to help them all through this adjustment period.

Boarding vs. a Day School. When a student attends a day school, they typically live with an American host family. We have had great success finding kind, loving, and caring American host families who welcome an international student to live in their home while they are studying in the US. Some schools have internal or external agencies who may manage the host family experience. Advantage-USA does offer our own ISGS (International Student Guardian Service) which interviews and does the vetting prior to selection. We will be training each host family who wants to be involved in how to make the student adjustment go as smoothly as possible. We are accessible to the student and host family 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We provide advice, counseling, and otherwise conduct ongoing evaluation to ensure that the host/student relationship is healthy and happy.

The cost of the ISGS service is a separate annual cost. The exact fee charged to the family depends on the geographic location of the school they attend. Some schools may be located in an area where there is a higher cost of living in which case the host family would receive a higher monthly stipend amount to cover the room & board expenses. On average, an international student/family could expect to pay $15,000-$25,000 a school year (above and beyond any school tuition fees). 

This may initially seem like a lot but when you factor in that most boarding schools now cost $55,000-65,000 USD, the day school option is typically $15,000-$25,000 cheaper than a boarding school.