Trends and Tips for Canadian Institutions
Demographics of Republic of Turkey
Population
Growth rate
76,667,864 (31 December 2013) 1.38% (2013)
Birth rate
16.9 births/1,000 population (2013)
Death rate
5.0 deaths/1,000 population (2012)
Life expectancy
76.9 years (2013)
• male
74.7 years (2013)
• female
79.3 years (2013)
Fertility rate
2.17 children born/woman (2014)
Infant mortality rate
11.6 deaths/1000 infants (2012) Age structure
0–14 years
24.3% (2014)
15–64 years
67.8% (2014)
65 and over
7.9% (2013)
State education is free Turkish education system is under the supervision and control of the state, namely the Ministry of National Education. There are plenty of private schools
Pre-School Education: Optional kindergarten education, up to 6 years of age. Primary Education: Compulsory and free basic education for eight years 6-14 years of age.
Secondary Education: 4 years of High School (Lise), or Vocational High School education, 15-17/18 years of age. Higher Education: 4 years of University, or 2 years at Higher Vocational Schools. Master's study lasts 2 years; PhD 3-5 years.
State schools suffers from a lack of resources 30% of 1.6 millions students who take university entrance exam are placed
Level of English teaching remains insufficient Entering good high schools and universities is very difficult and also can be very expensive
100,000 students go abroad every year Turkey ranks sixth worldwide in the number of students it sends abroad.
Turkey is spending 1,5 billions dollars annually for study abroad
Families were sceptic Students were afraid Think that Canada is very far Limited interest to Canada So cold how we will leave How we can travel… Education is free…
Families and students are informed They have been in Canada or Know someone in Canada Many already participated to summer camps They know name of institutions
Among English speaking countries, Canada is the fourth most popular foreign destination for Turkish students.
Canada hosted approximately 1608 Turkish students and 3,000 Turkish students in 2010 with languages students
Canada hosted more than 1,877 Turkish students excluding languages students in 2013 and the growth trend is expected to continue in the next five years. Turkey is Canada’s 23rd largest source country for international students
First category is looking for prestige and ranking of school, money doesn’t really matter Second category is looking for an alternative to private education in Turkey, cost of education and work opportunities is important Safe and friendly environment
Advanced degrees including Post-Graduate Undergraduates studies demand is increasing Long-term English programs Summer camps High Schools Most requested sectors are management, economy, finance, international trade, engineering Recently health sector
Prestigious Universities and institutions Affordable price High quality education A safe and friendly environment, Visa process time is shorter Promotion of Canadian Experience Class (CEC) work permit and provincial nominee programs Immigrations opportunities
Turkey is also a real market for French institutions More than 500 000 persons are speaking French in Turkey We have French High schools with more than 12 000 students Prestigious Galatasaray French University where all the programs are thought in French plus various French programs in different universities.
Language barrier: most of the agencies don’t speak French
Campus France is very strong
French Accent vs Quebecois accent
CAQ
Takes time to penetrate
French schools GPA is very low compared to other schools
French schools get funding from the French government, the majority of students are encouraged to join French immersion programs during the summer holidays and usually the only preferred destination is France.
Establish relations with counselors of French Lycée in Turkey is important: giving seminars and visiting them will be very helpful.
Keep your relations and communicate
Give possibility to make application in English
Build relationships with Agencies
Assist your agency with all the process
PARTNERSHIPS with Turkish high schools
Assist with CAQ application
Involve yourself in the market
Organize seminars with other French institutions from Canada
Make partnerships with French schools including Turkish French schools
Be visible and participate the fairs, give publicity
Offer scholarships
Offer exemptions: example of Ottawa University
Offer commissions or incentives if possible
Offer affordable special French immersions programs
Use Francophonie to invite teachers and students to Canada
International Education Fair participations: A2, Edufair, IEFT with Embassy School visits Agency Visits Giving seminars Word-of-mouth endorsement Alumni's Ad in newspapers Online promotion including banner ads Ad in special edition such as EduLife Canada Magazine published in Turkish only about education in Canada Scholarship promotion
ICEF
Canadian Embassy
Schools references
Associations of education agencies in Turkey
During Fairs
Offer competitive commission Follow-up with the agency Give the support During your visits meet all the counselors at the agency Be sure that you take your time to explain your programs and advantages Explain clearly your application process Don’t give an USB and say everything is inside, take your time to explain
Don’t try to find 100 agents, sometimes only few will be enough
Have your time in your schedule to meet agents and invite them out
Take your time to build a relationship with your agents
Take your time, time notion is larger in Turkey than in Canada
Relationships do really matter
Questions…
