Promoting secondary schools: the practice of recruiting foreign fee paying students

Abstract

Within nine years the recruitment of Foreign Full Fee Paying Students (FFFPS) into New Zealand educational institutions has escalated into a multi-million dollar industry. Secondary schools in New Zealand have seized the opportunity to recruit FFFPS with vigour. Yet little is known about the practices adopted by secondary schools to recruit FFVPS and less is known about the images presented within promotional material to entice potential students to their school. This research seeks to address the gap within literature, which focuses on the experience of FFFPS in educational institutions, by examining the practice of recruiting FFFPS to Wellington secondary schools, particularly the type of promotional material used and the images presented to entice potential students. Two methods were adopted to meet the aims of the research. A postal questionnaire provided data on general recruitment practices and images presented in promotional materials, while qualitative analysis of promotional material used by secondary schools in the region identified themes within the material. The documentation of current recruitment and promotional trends within the industry will support educational institutions, as the more knowledgeable schools become about the market they have entered, the better equipped they will be to make informed decisions about the practices adopted to recruit FFFPS. The research summarises the type of practices, promotional material and images adopted to recruit FFFPS, in addition to the characteristics of secondary schools that have above the average proportion of FFFPS on their roll. The research also discusses the impact of the Asian economic crisis on the industry and the level of Government support.