Market intelligence: Ukraine

Valeria Samborskaya, Business Link, Kiev

EnglishUK

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Ukraine: market intelligence

1. Ukraine as a market of potential students Why Ukraine? Background, facts & figures

2. Practicalities of working with Ukraine1. Ukrainian students – what’s to expect2. Working with agents and recruiting students direct3. Useful facts & tips

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Is Ukraine my market?

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Ukraine

Succeeded by:Russia

Georgia Ukraine

Moldova Belarus

Armenia Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan Uzbekistan

Turkmenistan Kyrgyzstan

Tajikistan Estonia

Latvia Lithuania

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Ukraine

Closer than you think!5 direct flights a day

4 airlines

3 hours flight

no visa for British citizens

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Ukraine

Key facts

Population:  45.4 million (UN, 2010)

Capital:  Kiev

6 cities with population over 1 mln

Area:  603,700 sq km (233,090 sq miles)

Major languages:  Ukrainian (official), Russian

Major religion:  Christianity

Main exports:  Metals, pipes, machinery, petroleum products, textiles, agricultural products

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Ukraine

Evaluating the market

1. Statistics

2. Target audiences

3. Background info

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Evaluating the market

New, emerging market

1. Country /market formed in 1991

2. First multinational companies set up in Kiev – mid 90s

3. Post ‘iron curtain’

1. Nobody knows brands

2. Nobody travelled

4. Long term investment /effect (VS ‘Chindia’ effect)

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Evaluating the market

British visas issued between 19/10/09 and 20/10/10

 

1,299 - adult student visitors going for short courses

384 - PBS Tier 4 Child Student

800 - PBS Tier 4 General Student

5,185 (visit category) – approx. 4150 students - Child visitors

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Evaluating the market

 

English UK Stats? (not just weeks, income)

ISC Stats – 1000 students from Russia

HE Stats – 100 new students a year

Visa Stats

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Evaluating the market

Can people go to the UK to study? The potential

1. Psychologically – need to be persuaded

2. Financially

3. Technically (visas) – need to be informed

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Target groups

Juniors100% study English at school

80% of short term student visas issued

1st priority for parents

3 months summer holidaysboarding school preparation

easy visas

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Target groups

Juniors

Homestay English plus Football

Summer schools based on boarding school campuses English plus Subjects

Summer schools based on university campuses Academic preparation

Groups VS individuals Young leaders etc.

Russian speakers factor

Home tuition

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Target groups

University students

2.5 million students

900 universities (July 2009)

visas: more difficult

* no personal income yet adults

* if no travel history – problem

* depends on how ‘official’ parents income is

GE, BE

Exam courses (IELTS, FCE)

University preparation: Foundation, Pre-Masters, Pre-MBA

English plus!!! Marketing, Law, Finance

Specialised courses for people with good English?

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Ukraine

Coming out of Ukrainian system of EducationLiteracy rate: 99.7%, ranked 5th in the world

Education: free to all, 97% enrolment/attendance

1. Schooling system

1. State education 99%

2. Start school at the age of 7

3. Anything between 10 and 12 years of education

4. ‘Atestat’

2. Academic standards

1. Broad education

2. Very demanding academically

3. English

4. Teaching style

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Ukraine

Average Ukrainian student

1. Not very well-travelled / mobile

2. Cultural awareness & expectations

3. Academic

4. Motivated

5. European mentality

6. Price sensitive, but valuing

quality over price

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Target groups

Young professionals

All multinational brands represented in Kiev

Ambitions, able young people

Understand the importance of English & communication skills

Much depends on background

Corporate sales to companies - B2B

financially able to comfortably afford 2-4 weeks

good employment – visa not a problem

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Ukraine

Different target audiences

Executives: Business owners wishing to take their business to a multinational levelTired of using interpretersGovernment officialsparents of children in boarding

schools

50+

Teacher training:99% state educationno sponsorship

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History: Spiritual & cultural heritage

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Ukraine

est. 862 Kievan Rus – ancient state

est. 988 Christianity

Mongol invasions

Middle Ages: Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Cossacks

Early modern period:Russian Empire

Habsburg Monarchy

Independent states

20th c.1917 Civil war

1921 Ukrainian & Western Ukrainian People’s Republic

Soviet Era

1991 Modern Ukraine

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Spiritual & cultural heritage

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Spiritual & cultural heritage

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Modern Ukraine

• 2004 ‘Orange Revolution’

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Modern Ukraine

• European Integration• WTO• 2012 European Football cup

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Modern Ukraine

• Modern vibrant business environment• Legal framework for operation• Interest towards world’s best practices:

>> huge interest towards English language and integrating into the world infrastructure

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Why Ukraine matters to the UK

Reason 1• It is the largest country wholly in Europe, has a population

of more than 45mn people and borders four member-States of the European Union.

Reason 2• It is the most democratic country in the Commonwealth

of Independent States, having held four free and fair national elections since 2004.

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Why Ukraine matters to the UK

Reason 3• It is a rapidly growing market. UK companies exported

£545mln of goods and services there in 2009 and have invested $2.376 billion there since 1992. The UK is the 6th largest foreign investor in Ukraine.

Reason 4• More and more Ukrainians are travelling to the UK, which

continues to welcome genuine tourists and business visitors.

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How to work with Ukraine - practicalities

Market structure

Agents: 

Education abroad agencies (business)

Travel agencies (business)

Individual/self-employed consultants

Sub agents in other cities

Schools / Universities

Direct recruiting

Which cities to target

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Practicalities

Opening a new market - tips

Requires investment, investigation and time

Scholarships/ famtrips

Inward missions

Demos

Russian speaker

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Practicalities

Working with agents - tips

Key agents or all agents

Different motivation for different set-ups

bonus % on reaching a number of student weeks

sales target

look at income, not just weeks

free English course for a member of staff

fam trips

joint marketing

Long-term partnership

meeting in person

seeing the school

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Practicalities

Working with agents – tips

Terms & conditions (visas)

Russian speaker

Quick Communication

Marketing updates

‘Special offers’

Availability

Interesting

programmes!!

Direct recruiting: visas

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Practicalities

Working with agents – tips

Education abroad agents in Ukraine:

DEC

Donstream

Domar Travel Education (DTE)

Business Link

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Practicalities

Visit Ukraine (please :)

Get your brand name known

Meet agents

Meet students

Meet Visa Section staff & ECOs

Understand the market better

Where to stay

Travelling to and getting around

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Practicalities

Having Ukrainian students - tips

Expect late bookings

Teaching style expectations

Accommodation & host family expectations

Cultural differences: smile

Brief them about cultural differences

A small discount for returners works

Business Link Educational Agency, Ukraine

1997 - 2005General English School for individual and corporate clients Education in UK Department

2005-2008Business-Link is a Corporate Training Provider in English Education in UK Department

2009Business-Link is Education in UK Agency ONLY

14 years of experience of linking UK and Ukraine

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Business-Link - Building partnerships!

• 14 years of experience

• UK only

• 500+ students a year

• 2 targeted fairs a year

• Links with corporate clients

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Educating the market

• Doing Business in English– October 20th 2011– English language & University pathways

– 17 participants in 2010, 4 UK universities, BEUK

• Boarding Schools Weekend– February 19-20th 2012– 28 boarding schools in 2011– 3 summer schools

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Educating the market

• Demos & seminars • First hand information

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Bringing clients together

• Parents Club

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Bringing clients together: web

• Blog

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Building partnerships – venture out to Kiev!

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Crimea

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Driving from Kiev to Odessa

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Crimea

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Castles around Ukraine

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Crimea

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Kiev architecture

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Lviv – Western Ukraine

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Carpathian mountains

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Carpathian mountains