If you are interested in becoming a freelance educational consultant, your first step should be researching all your available options. There are various ways of gaining experience through volunteering at schools or colleges or joining professional organisations for education consultants.
These organizations can assist parents in finding public, international or private schools suitable for their child(ren). In addition, they offer guided school tours and assistance with applications.
IECA
While IECA provides members with various services, their main goal is to educate educational consultants and support and educate educational consultants. Furthermore, it advocates on their members’ behalf and assists in expanding their business. Members adhere to high standards and adhere to a stringent code of ethics in order to treat students and families fairly. Over 90% of IECA members donate pro bono work or scholarships through local charities or national organizations.
IECA provides membership options tailored to top educational consultants at different stages in their career. Student, Associate and Professional memberships provide strong foundations for independent educational consultants as well as networking opportunities and training sessions. It has an extensive library of resources such as committee reports and standard of excellence roadmaps; furthermore IECA promotes its members to the media while working with colleges to provide IECs access to resources and information.
Members can join Affinity Groups to network with colleagues on specific topics. Led by fellow members, these affinity groups offer networking opportunities on anything from specialties to geographic areas of expertise and host various events like monthly roundtables and virtual conferences. Furthermore, IECA’s website allows users to search for consultants by name, specialty, zip code, state, country or even practice description and offers member-approved resources as well.
HECA
The Higher Education Consulting Association (HECA) is a network of independent educational consultants dedicated to helping high school students find their perfect college. Members are guided by sound advice, integrity and respect as core values; furthermore they strive to provide superior service levels and widen access to opportunities for all their clients.
Many HECA members are willing to work with families that have limited financial resources and provide either sliding fee scales or waive their fees altogether. Furthermore, in addition to adhering to professional and ethical standards of conduct, members also participate in continuing professional development programs that ensure they stay up-to-date on current trends in college admissions.
HECA members also benefit from access to various tools and resources to better serve their clients, regardless of experience level or field newcomer status. From online research tools and marketing materials, to networking events and liability insurance discounts – they all can assist them in better serving clients more effectively.
To join HECA, one must fill out an application and pay the membership fee. The application features a questionnaire to collect personal and professional data relating to colleges attended. In addition, an employer reference letter and documents proving your highest degree or qualifying certificate program must also be sent with your application.
NASFAT
NASFAT is one of the many Islamic organizations in Nigeria offering various services to Muslim families, such as education, social services and charitable works. They also offer scholarships to poor Muslim students at Primary, Post Primary and Tertiary institutions – often funded from Zakat collection annually – while offering educational recreation activities to children, women and youth such as holiday camping trips, women’s week celebrations and national Qur’anic quiz competitions; conducting welfare visits to prison yards, orphanages and old people homes and welfare visits at prison yards etc
Koolhaas describes Lagos, Nigeria’s bustling coastal capital with 20 million Nigerians and Africa’s most vibrant economy, as a “Sin City”, where immorality thrives amidst religious piety in public life (2001: 307). Like Pentecostal churches, NASFAT uses urban West African societies’ dynamic energy to attract young, upwardly mobile Muslim middle-class residents while adhering to Pentecostalism’s evangelistic strategies through missionary techniques, media practices and organizational structures that mirror Pentecostalism’s strategies (2001: 307).
NASFAT’s social service initiatives aim to assist Muslims and strengthen society at large. As an example of their commitment, they have opened numerous schools and educational institutions throughout the country such as Fountain University; also health centres providing free treatment services are established – this initiative should encourage Muslims to continue giving selflessly towards their communities.
Sliding Fee Scales
Demand for education consultants continues to surge as families look for help navigating the increasingly complex college admissions process. Furthermore, schools face declining enrollment rates and tight budgets that make educational consultants even more vital than ever in staying abreast of trends in higher education. Many educational consulting firms are expanding operations in order to meet this increasing need for quality advice and support services within this industry.
Education consultants perform many functions, from advising on curriculum to aiding college applications to offering financial aid advice and scholarship advice. Some specialize specifically in one field such as boarding school programs while others may focus on particular types of academic programs. Furthermore, many consultants operate as freelancers registering with societies like the Society of Education Consultants to increase their visibility among potential clients.
A sliding fee scale is an alternative price structure that provides for lower prices for individuals with lower incomes. It’s often seen as more accessible for low-income earners compared to flat fees which may be difficult for them to afford. When setting one up in business, research the costs associated with similar services in your locality before considering your salary expectations and client base when creating one of your own.
