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Cultural considerations box set: China and Hong Kong

  • Date: October 16, 2024
  • Time: 12:30 – 13:30
  • Cost: BAISIS members box set – £225, BAISIS member individual session – £55, BSA members box set – £335 BSA member individual session – £75, Member additional attendee – £25, Non-member box set – £670, Non-member individual session – £110
  • Audience: All staff, boarding, pastoral, academic, leadership, marketing, admissions.
  • Platform: Zoom (online)

Course Outline:

Introducing a new webinar series for BAISIS members designed to promote greater understanding of different international markets for student recruitment. The session will discuss application during the marketing and recruitment stage, induction, and day-to-day care of international students who join our schools.

This five-part series looks at the key markets for international student recruitment in 2024-25:

  • China and Hong Kong (Oct)
  • Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea (Nov)
  • North and South America (Dec)
  • Europe (Jan)
  • Africa (Feb)

Each webinar will delve into the cultural sensitivities, language considerations, prospective family wants and marketing suggestions of each market to support members in adapting their marketing and pastoral strategies to maximise results and provision.

Training topics will include:

  • Cultural sensitivities, norms and differences from the UK (religion, lifestyle, health, wellbeing, medicine, body language etc)
  • Language considerations and communicating with current and prospective parents
  • What this market wants from the UK education system
  • Maximising marketing
  • Promoting best practice in pastoral care provision on recruitment and arrival.

Learning outcomes:

  • Greater cultural understanding of the markets you recruit students from
  • Increased awareness of what to focus on from a marketing perspective, and how to engage with prospective families
  • Understanding how to provide care and support to students from different cultural backgrounds.

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Speakers:

John Zhang, Co-Founder and Company Director of Connexcel Ltd

John Zhang is the Co-Founder and Company Director of Connexcel Ltd, a UK-based leading provider of education services connecting China and the UK, focused on the elite education sector.

John and his team provide comprehensive services such as summer school, online tuition, boarding school placement, immigration compliance,  guardianship, and university applications. John helps many Chinese students thrive in the UK. His deep understanding of both Chinese and UK education systems has facilitated valuable collaborations between schools in both countries, promoting cultural exchange and enriching experiences for students.

As a Master’s graduate from the University of Leeds, John had a successful career as a Procurement Director for two FTSE international companies before setting up Connexcel.

A familiar voice in UK independent education circles, John has been a regular guest speaker at notable events in the independent education sector. His perspectives on education have been featured in major media outlets, including interviews and contributions to The Economist and the annual Chinese Parents Survey, which was quoted by the Times.


Samuel Chan, Managing Director, Britannia StudyLink 

Born in Hong Kong and attended a UK boarding school at the age of nine, Samuel spent his significant stage of life in the UK for more than fifteen years, which prompted him to establish Britannia StudyLink – with the aim to transform Hong Kong’s overseas education consultancy market.

With his knowledge and experience in overseas education, Samuel is now a reputable KOL of the market in Hong Kong.


Steve Greaves, Head of Boarding, Pocklington School

Steve has been the Head of Boarding at Pocklington School, East Yorkshire, for the past five years. He was previously Head of Boarding and a Boarding Housemaster at Royal Russell School, Croydon. He has over 20 years’ experience working in the UK Independent sector with students from Hong Kong and China, both in boarding roles and as a teacher of Mathematics.

Steve has previously worked for the BSA as a tutor on the Certificate course ‘Supporting International Boarders’ and last year graduated from the University of Buckingham with an MA in Residential Education, where his research focused on the Induction and Integration of boarders from China and Hong Kong.