Stuvisor.com: I know you are busy dealing with various projects so Could you tell us about your responsibilities at ESLi? Brief introduction about you!

Jack: My title at ESLi is "Senior International Outreach Manager." This means that I am the senior recruiter for ESLi and help with overall strategic planning and analysis of the markets we cover with ESLi, particularly with regard to SE Asia and Korea. I also have become the de facto liaison for cultural understanding with regard to Korea.  When people in our company have questions about the approach to take when interacting with our Korean partners, our staff and teachers know they can approach me with the question. I may not always know the answer, but I have enough great Korean friends and partners that I can discover the answer fairly quickly. 

Stuvisor.com: Thank you for attending K conference in Seoul this time with us. I'm aware it's been a quite few times for you to join the conference. How many times have you attended so far? 

Jack: ”I am always happy to attend K Conference. The connections I have made there are global, and they have been exceptionally productive for us. This was my fifth K Conference, and I am hoping to attend in the fall at least one, maybe two more conferences. "

Jack :

”I am always happy to attend K Conference.

The connections I have made there are global, and they have been exceptionally productive for us.

This was my fifth K Conference and I am hoping to attend in the fall at least one, maybe two more fairs "

Stuvisor.com: How did you like the new concept of K Conference where we customize the meetings based on your preferences?

Jack: The personal attention given in the new format is a quantum leap forward in a customized program that I believe is the hallmark of what agent-school fairs should be. Every single meeting we had was meaningful for us particularly, and we have already signed two agents from the meetings we had. 

Stuvisor.com: We understand ESLi by having partnerships within US and Canadian universities with specialized programs..could you share with us details about ESLi and its program.. (where it is located, partner universities, advantages) 

Jack : ESLi works with six schools on an on-campus basis, and three schools on an affiliate basis. We work with Trinity Western University in Canada, Western Kentucky University, West Texas A&M University, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, U. of Minnesota-Duluth, and U. of Wisconsin-Superior in the USA as our on-campus partners. Our English credential is also accepted by Humboldt State University, the University of Kentucky, and Full Sail University. We are also very excited that Sullivan University will be joining us in 2017 as a full partner. 

Our partners offer hundreds of majors, ranging from AA degrees and certificates all the way up to Doctorates in Education. We provide English training for students to help them acclimate academically to the demands of an American university classroom without needing a certain score on IELTS or TOEFL. 

Our campuses offer a multitude of advantages. Students can study on-campus in the environment in which they will pursue their actual academic degree, and on a campus where a community of international students exists, communities where they can find friends who are in the same situation. They are treated like all the other students and have access to the same facilities as students pursuing their academic careers. They have a ready-made community, and I have seen student friendships that transcend major, socioeconomic background, and even culture. Students don't need an IELTS or TOEFL score. Our campuses are some of the safest campuses in North America but within a short drive of major cultural centers.  

Stuvisor.com: You travel to different countries to promote ESLi, what would you say benefits for international students when they go to ESLi?

Jack: The advantages of coming through us are multiple. Instead of landing in the middle of a classroom in the USA and adjusting to American culture, American classroom culture, being so far away from home, being on your own, and trying to find friends all in the most difficult semester most students will have their entire academic career, when students come through us, we can help them with all of these things in an environment which is tailored to help students adjust to all of these things. Our graduates do better than any other segment of the student population--native speakers and direct-entry students who have scored higher on TOEFL or IELTS.  

Stuvisor.com: An amazing and well-organized short-term course you have recently launched,
could tell us more details on the course and what kind of universities can you collaborate with?

Jack: We have a wide variety of short-term programs for students. Both TWU and WKU offer programs for a range of students, both young and mature. One of our most exciting programs is our pre-seminary program for students who wish to attend an American seminary. 

Stuvisor.com: ESLi is well known for having great and close relationships with worldwide agencies, what kind of benefits would you provide when agencies partner up with you?

Jack: At ESLi, we believe that our industry is best when we act with honor, generosity, and integrity towards everyone. When we enter a partnership with a university and an agency, we do whatever we can to assist both of them. We often introduce our agents to our partner universities for direct-entry commissions. This doesn't benefit us financially, but it makes our partnerships stronger because everyone involved benefits.  We look for every possible way for our partner agents to benefit financially through our relationship. 

Stuvisor.com: This question is a bit general - What are market trends like these days in US? US Market is still strong but what are the significant factors that we should keep an eye on this year?

Jack: The market is very concerned about some specific impending matters, particularly the price of oil. Oil has weakened the markets dependent on it for their financial well-being, and this sends ripples throughout the industry.  Players new to the market and extremely dependent upon oil money have a serious concern. We are lucky in that many of us in our company saw this coming, and expended time, money, and effort on diversifying our student population, but many schools are not so lucky. I expect many non-university-aligned ESL schools to close in the next five years if the trends continue. Schools aligned with universities will do better. Schools dependent on Middle East students will suffer. 

Thank you for your time doing this interview.