Education New Zealand: Market Brief - Korea

Education New Zealand: Market Brief

Korea

February 2004

Korea is the second largest source of international students for New Zealand institutions, and forms an important part of New Zealand’s international marketing strategy. Student numbers rose substantially during 2003, and whilst full figures are not yet available, the indications are that they topped the 20,000 mark.

Korean students are primarily concentrated in the English Language and Schools sectors. Numbers in both sectors grew during 2003, with student numbers in schools climbing 45% to 7,232. This makes Korea the largest market for schools, well ahead of the 5,376 from China.

A special feature of the Korean market is the presence of younger students in schools, at an intermediate and primary level. The presence of younger students places a premium on effective pastoral care, and changes to the Code of Practice during 2003 reinforced and strengthened provisions relating to very young students. A particular innovation was the mandatory requirement for very young students to be accompanied in New Zealand by a parent or legal guardian. To support this measure guardianship visas, which enable a parent to stay for the duration of the students education, have also been introduced.

Significant numbers of Korean students also participate in tertiary education, with close to 2000 students spread fairly evenly across universities, polytechnics and private providers. Overall, the Korean market is worth over $300 million per year to New Zealand, making it tremendously significant for both economic and educational reasons.

New Zealand’s institutions have had a lot of experience in the Korean market, and have led the development of the industry to its current size. However, the joint Education New Zealand/NZT&E ‘Five Steps Forward’ marketing programme supports the institutional efforts through a variety of initiatives, including the hosting of agents in New Zealand, seminars in market, media visits and a very successful Combined Education Fair in Seoul with Australia.

Although it is a mature market, New Zealand certainly does not take Korea for granted. The success of our institutions is built on the provision of a quality education that delivers the results that Korean students want. The entire industry works hard to ensure that New Zealand continues to meet Korea’s needs.

ENDS

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