Bennett Education Consulting vs. "School Finding"—What's the Difference?

In a nutshell

Over the years, we’ve learned that a question we need to answer for our industry colleagues and clients is “What is education consulting, and how is it different from a typical DSP school-finding service?”  It’s a fair question and one we’re always eager to answer.

First, though, we’d like to say that we have a genuine appreciation for our partner Destination Service Providers who provide critical support to relocating families; Bennett is a perfect complement to their services & we tip our hats to them for all that they do so well.

So, what distinguishes education consulting or a Bennett School Placement Service from a service that might be offered by another provider? Here are just a few things:

·      At Bennett, we’re former teachers and education experts; education is what we do and what we’re all about.  In fact, it’s all we do—we’re specialists.

·      We begin with the child and then move on to schooling options at hand. Our first step is a thorough intake interview to understand the student we’re supporting: schools attended, languages spoken, academic strengths and difficulties, extracurricular interests, student and parent anxieties; Special Education Needs. As appropriate, we review student transcripts, course summaries and psycho-educational testing.

·      We can explain to families the similarities and differences between different curricular options—IB, AP, English, German, French, etc.—so that, together, we can find the right fit for the student. We can also explain the philosophies and cultural components of different education systems; and our focus is on finding the right fit for the student because a force fit is not a fit.

·      We talk about next steps, after the assignment; what does the child need to be prepared for in two or three years’ time?  Is she going back to England and will need sit for the GCSEs or A-levels?  Is he returning to Brazil and needs to be prepared for the ENEM exam?  Coming back to the US and needs to be ready to apply to US colleges?  Answers to these questions will inform the school search.

·      We can advocate for a family & liaise with schools as education professionals who know schools and school culture. We “speak” school, and  when our consultants aren’t busy supporting families, they’re out in the field, visiting schools and getting to know admissions personnel.

·      Our service is not limited by time; education decisions often take time, and the structure of our service allows for extended support of a family, often over many months. Bennett is finished with the job only when the job is done.

·      Our consultants do not accept “referral” fees from schools, and we follow best practices in education consulting​ as put forth by the professional organization IECA.

These are just a few of the things from the top of the list that distinguish a Bennett service, and we’re always happy to share more.  Have questions?  Please feel free to drop us a line at clientservices@bennettinternational.com.

Sincerely,

The Bennett Crew

Over the years, Bennett International Education Consultancy has worked with hundreds of corporations across the globe, many of them Fortune 500 companies, providing domestic and international school advisement & placement services - preschool through university - to the dependents of relocating employees. In addition to education placement, our team provides customized consulting for corporations with a range of education issues: education policy writing & benchmarking, tuition studies, group move advisement & planning, and remote education solutions.