Study Abroad UK blog
Behind the Scenes at Study Abroad UK
Thursday 23rd June 2022
Kerry Ferguson Director of Global Citizenship
This time of year we Study Abroad UK is very very busy. We are right in the middle of what we call "placement season". Applications are flying in and everyone is working flat out to meet the deadline of the end of July. All educational places have to be done and dusted as schools in the UK close for summer. The main problem we have is that schools/colleges are equally super busy and sometimes getting a response can take weeks. We like each profile to be read and accepted individually. So we have the inboud admin team reviewing and accepting new students, the school team are phoning, emailing and contacting schools/colleges, the family team are interviewing and screening new host families and welcoming regular families back. Host families are receiving and accepting students profiles, then setting up facetime calls and messaging back and forth. The home visit team are visiting new families in their homes as part of the vetting and screening we do, the transport team are dealing with return transfers. The outbound admin department are preparing visa documentation, immigration clearance letters, sending out e-welcome packs and placement information... The student support team are getting feedback and helping the outgoing students prepare for the journey home. It really is non stop. Me, Kerry Ferguson well I just have my finger in all the pies helping everyone I can and seeing that things are running smoothly. Also, I am receiving calls from incoming students and parents who like to talk about practical matters.