How to choose the right education agent in UK

Many students planning to study abroad consult an ‘education agent’ – sometimes referred to as an education advisor or counsellor.
Education agents can help you plan your studies, apply for a course, book accommodation, travel and more.
It’s important to choose a reputable agent who will put your interests first and offer you good advice.
Here Helen Obaje, Professional Development Manager at the British Council, gives her top tips for finding and working with an agent.

Before you approach an agent

1.  Think carefully about your study and career plans – you will get better advice if you have a clear idea of your goals and the type of course you are interested in. Use the menu above to browse courses and read about your study options.
2.  Some agents have formal working relationships with particular schools, colleges and universities. This means they know the application processes well, and should be able to help you effectively. If you already know where you want to study, choosing an agent who represents this education centre may be ideal for you.
However, if you are interested in exploring lots of different education centres and evaluating which one is best suited to you – make sure the agent is able to present you with the full range of options, rather than just the particular schools, colleges or universities they represent.

To find an agent

3.  If you are interested in a particular school, college or university: ask the institution if they have good agents in your country that could help you. Many UK schools, colleges and universities list the agents they work with on their websites.
4.  Another good place to look is the British Council’s Global Agents List. Here you can find contact details for certified agents in your country. Agents listed here have passed the British Council’s Agent Training Certificate within the last two years, meaning they have a good knowledge of the UK’s education system.
5.  Ask your family, friends and teachers if they can recommend a good education agent to you.

Before you use an agent’s services

6.  Ask the agent for references or testimonials from students they have assisted in the past.
7.  If possible, speak to more than one agent – this will give you the opportunity to compare the information you are given.
8.  Always ask for a summary of costs – make sure you know what you are paying for, and compare prices. If an agent doesn’t charge you a fee, this is because they receive a commission from the education institution they represent.
9.  Be aware that your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) is normally sent directly to you from the university, college or school, and not to the agent, unless you have arranged this with your CAS provider.
10.  Finally, read any documents carefully before you sign them.

Visit the British Council’s Global Agents List to find agents now.

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Learning how to live on a student budget in UK

It can be hard to plan a budget for your first few weeks in a new country – there will be many one-off expenses, social events, activities and societies to join, and things you'll want to buy for your new home.
Many people will tell you to watch out and avoid ‘splurging’ (spending too much) at the beginning of term. The important thing is to be sensible and make savings where you can. Fortunately, there are many student discount schemes, second-hand stores and even free goodies on campus!
These guidelines will help – plus, if you're starting your studies in September or October (the start of the academic year in the UK), you'll find many special deals, sales in shops and 'freebies' to look out for...

Some general tips to follow:

• Weigh up how much money you have vs. what you need to buy. Make a list and decide which items you need straight away – and which are not essential. You can buy these items later in the year if you still need them. The International Student Calculator is a handy tool to help work out your budget.
• Decide on a weekly limit for overall expenses, especially on spending like entertainment, eating out and takeaway food. Put money aside for bills you know will be coming up during the term (rent, electricity, heating, gas, etc.)
• Find the best deals! If your college or university has a students' union building, hang out there and read the noticeboard and flyers. Students often advertise things they want to sell (like course textbooks) there.
• Always allow a little bit of a ‘safety net’ in your budget in case things end up costing more than you expected.
• When you’re going out for the day or evening, bring only the amount of cash you want to spend.
• If you can, pay for things in cash. Studies have shown people are likely to spend less if they pay using cash rather than credit or debit cards (it’s not nice to see all that money leaving your pockets)…

It’s likely you will have a bit of quiet time in between events, when you might be tempted to head straight to the shops and get all those things you need, but first:

Think about what you really need

• Always make a shopping list: it helps you focus instead of buying impulsively.
• Organise group shopping trips: It’s nice to have your own cooking utensils but the fact is, if you buy things with people you live with, you can share the costs and make sure you don’t end up with three toasters and five saucepans but no forks!
• Your school, college or university will have some computer equipment you can use. You may not need your own printer, for example, but if you think you’ll be using one daily then share it with some other students and split the costs of ink and paper. You can find basic printers that are not too expensive in some large stores.
• Some people enjoy colour-coding all their lecture notes and take great care with presentation, but fancy stationery can be expensive. Think about what you need to organise your notes effectively (folders, binders, note paper, etc.) before going shopping! Look out for ‘pound stores’, where almost everything costs £1 – these shops are increasingly popular across the UK.

Don’t buy brand new things... if you can find second-hand or free stuff!

• At the beginning of term, you'll often find people on campus giving out various ‘freebies’ – particularly at the societies fair, if your institution has one. From pens to notepads and mugs, you can stock up on essentials without spending a penny.
• For larger purchases like a bicycle, kitchenware or furniture, you can save a lot of money by buying from charity shops or vintage markets. You could even get them for free through 'freecycling' websites – find out how in Second-hand shopping in the UK.
• Other items you could buy second-hand are folders, pencil cases and books (plus, you never know, a previous student might have left some funny notes or doodles). Libraries often clear out books to make space for new arrivals, so keep an eye out at the beginning of the year, and give an old library book a loving new home!

Keep informed and get organised

• Spend your time online productively! Email newsletters and Facebook groups are great ways of finding out what the latest offers are – many organisations write free newsletters about student deals, healthy and cheap cooking, fun student events and more.
• If you plan to get a UK phone, do lots of research online and ask in-store for a deal that fits your budget. Find out more in Choosing a UK mobile phone plan
• Ask your teachers or lecturers what online resources are available for students, and as often as possible, borrow books from the library instead of buying your own (but be quick – if your course requires you to read certain books, it's likely these will quickly disappear from the library!)
• Do lots of research before making a big purchase. If you’re looking at ads in a newspaper or online, look through the whole section – people who pay more tend to get the more prominent ads, so scroll all the way to the bottom as you might find some great things for sale that just aren’t being advertised effectively.
• Some stores and restaurants have loyalty schemes, meaning you can collect points for rewards, such as getting the 10th purchase for free. You should always be careful and read the small print with this type of deal, however, and never sign up for anything you don’t want!
• There are lots of ways to save money on food shopping, such as shopping at the end of the day (when prices on many items are reduced) and cooking in bulk. Read our article Eating on a budget for more great tips.

Re-use, reduce, recycle

Getting into the ‘recycling’ mindset is good for the environment as well as your wallet!  Buy a metal or good quality plastic water bottle that you can refill instead of buying drinks on campus, and buy plastic food containers to keep leftovers – always think of how you could use leftover food instead of throwing it out.
You could even get creative with old flyers, magazines and craft materials to make greeting cards, wrapping paper or even small gifts for your friends’ birthdays!

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Some Rett Syndrome Tips

Working with girls and women who have Rett Syndrome
can be a unique and wonderful experience.  Rett Syndrome is a
neurological condition that effects only girls (with a few, rare
exceptions).  Although it varies in presentation from girl to girl, in
general, those with Rett Syndrome are primarily alternative
communicators, they present with hand wringing or similar movements and
they tend to have amazing eye contact and eye pointing skills.  Most of
the girls are very motivated by music and music can be an ideal teaching
modality.  About half use wheelchairs for all mobility.  Most have
seizures, have swallowing difficulties and have issues with
unintentional breath holding.  Sleep disorders are common as are certain
lung and heart issues.  Rett Syndrome used to be considered a form of
autism, but it is, in fact, a specific genetic condition. 



Girls with Rett Syndrome used to be automatically assumed to have very
severe to profound developmental and intellectual disabilities. 
However, as more and more people are willing to practice the least dangerous assumption
and presume competence and as technology has evolved to include
somewhat affordable eye tracking based alternative communication systems
we are finding that many, if not most, girls with Rett Syndrome have been dramatically underestimated and, sometimes, educationally neglected.



Here are just a few tips for working with girls and women who have Rett
Syndrome in our classrooms and in other educational settings.

• Bringing the hands to mid-line (the center of the body) is one of
  the key diagnostic features of Rett Syndrome.  This can be hand washing
  movements, hand clenching, hand mouthing or clapping.  The girls cannot
  control this movement, in fact, an attempt to control this movement may
  be distressing and thus increase it.  Therefore, rethink hand use goals.
• hand wringing and related stereotypies are a hallmark of Rett
  Syndrome functional hand use is occasionally possible for some girls
  with Rett Syndrome, however, as a general rule goals that work towards
  hand use should be rethought.  
• such goals are likely to be lead to frustration for the girls and
  for staff.  Whatever energy or effort the girls must put forth to meet
  such goals will be a heroic effort in battling a symptom of Rett
  Syndrome, it is unfair to ask her to do this while doing other important
  things - like learning
• look through your IEP.  If any of the goals for communication, life
  skills or academics call for the girl to use her hands especially using
  her hands in a very specific way look for other ways to meet the goals. 
  Consider eye gaze from communication, switches with a head or foot
  movement for activating adapted items and generally adapting the
  environment to be accessed without hand us
• it is ok to have her use her hands, to encourage her to use her hands, but having it be the goal may not be best overall
• some girls do have more hand use than others, a few can hold a cup
  or spoon or even activate a device, but consider the effort required
  overall as you decide what to spend energy on

• Remember what apraxia (a key component of Rett) is:
  
• a inability to perform a task, especially speech even though:
• the request is understood
• there is willingness to do the task
• the muscles work properly
• the task may have already been learned
• This means
• you can't assume a Rett girl doesn't understand, is "acting out" or
  "refusing", is physically incapable or that she has forgotten what she
  has learned
• you can assume that the more the girl wants to do or say something
  the harder it will be and she is inevitably more frustrated than you are
• the girl with Rett will be consistently inconsistent, not because of intelligence or behavior but because of apraxia
• a burst of strong emotion may override apraxia 
• Also since you can't measure her knowledge fully because of the
  combination hand stereoypies and apraxia of speech, even using high
  technology, you must assume that she is competent to avoid causing an
  developmental disability through educational neglect

• Anxiety severely affects girls with Rett

•  Anxiety is a massive issue in Rett Syndrome.  The girls are often
  times unable to communicate their anxiety or ask questions to clarify
  situations which may be causing anxiety.  
• Anxiety can present as increased stereotypies like tooth grinding,
  hand mouthing, breath holding and other behaviors; it can also present
  as shutting down (closing eyes, appearing sleepy) or with crying or
  yelling.  Very rarely, some girls may hit their heads, bite their hands
  or otherwise hurt themselves.
• Teachers and therapists should seek to create a low stress, low anxiety enviroment by
• explaining changes in the environment, in staffing, in anything that can cause stress
• teaching about emotions and how to communicate about them
• ensuring the girls have the words to talk about anxiety
• using social stories to teach about how to decrease anxiety and to prepare the girls for difficult situations
• be aware of what your students particular anxiety markers are and intervene at the first sign
• know what music, sensory experiences and people your student finds
  calming and have them available, give the girl a way to ask for these
  things 

• Eyes are usually the best means of communication
  
• Although a few girls can speak some words and a few others can use
  their hands or switches to activate augmentative communication devices
  most girls do best when using eye gaze as a way to communicate
• Start evaluation for high technology eye gaze communication system
  early, at diagnosis or between nine months of age and two years, if
  possible
• there are no prerequisites for high technology eye gaze based
  communication, girls do not need to use low technology eye gazed
  interventions first, they do not have to master PECS or picture symbols
  first. 
• all of the best practices of Augmentative and Alternative
  Communication apply to eye gaze such as: implementation of a robust
  vocabulary, intensive and ongoing aided language stimulation and
  implementation across all environments

• Trying a high technology eye gaze system
• Be sure you work with a company representative and/or AAC specialist
  who is knowledgeable about both Rett Syndrome and eye gaze tracking
  technologies, but if there is no one available still proceed with trying
  high technology eye gaze systems
• Explain to the girl well ahead of time and more than once what a
  high technology eye gaze system is and what it is for, show videos of
  other girls using such devices
• Schedule the demo and trial of the system for when the girl is usually most alert, for most girls this is the morning
• Do not have the girl present for the boring set up or "how this
  works" session with the company representative, do not bring her in
  until you are ready for her to start using the system!
• Do NOT waste time trying to calibrate the device when the girl
  arrives, calibration has no built in rewards and is hard to understand
  why is it useful from the girls perspective.  It tends to cause the
  girls anxiety.  Have the rep turn on a fun sensory activity for the girl
  to try with her eyes.  She will likely "get it" right away.  Move from
  there into a communication activity with a large targets and a big pay
  off (something exciting happens when the buttons are activated even if
  that something exciting is you doing what the girl tells you - sing,
  dance, jump).  At this point the girl may be tired.  Take her cues. 
  Stop before she has any sense of failure.  At the next visit move
  through the same sequence more quickly and then try calibrating.  Rarely
  after two or three sessions when the girl is awake and feeling well is
  there then not enough evidence to get a month long trial of a system for
  further evaluation. 

•  Literacy is a human right!  Rett Girls can read!
  
• start teaching girls with Rett Syndrome letters, letters sounds,
  letter blending and word segmenting along the same time line as typical
  peers but,
• if the girl is older it isn't too late, start now,
• reading and spelling is being accomplished by girls and women with
  Rett Syndrome everyday, be a part of this reading revolution and
  teaching reading and spelling now

• Music as motivation
• girls with Rett Syndrome can be very motivated by music and may be more able to learn when music is involved
• consider music therapy and work to have it consist of more than
  cause and effect activities and listening to music, many girls are able
  to contribute to writing lyrics to music using there speech devices and
  many find music a way to relieve anxiety and express emotions
• use music and music videos to teach key concepts, you can find a music video for just about any educational concept on YouTube!

• Connect with resources
•  Rett Syndrome Educators Network
• RettSyndrome.Org
• Rett University
• Rett Syndrome Research Trust
• GirlPower2Cure
• Facebook IRSF Communication and Device Exchange

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