Interview with Sanjeev Verma

Today’s international student recruitment business partner is Sanjeev Verma, the founder of Intelligent Partners, an international student recruitment agency based in Dubai.  Thanks for participating!

Tell us about your agency, when it was started, what markets it focuses on, and where your offices are based. 

Intelligent Partners is one of the oldest Education services providers in the United Arab Emirates,  founded as a result of the need to guide students through various career options available globally.

We are based out of UAE, having offices in Doha and India. We are partners with 500+ universities across the globe and have helped around 5000+ students achieve their career goals.

We strive to enable each and every student to maximize their potential, by providing them with very best in counseling and education services.

Tell us about you.   What’s your role in the company? What’s one thing you like to do outside of your work? 

I am Sanjeev Verma the founder of Intelligent Partners, I am an Education Enthusiast, Weekly Columnist for Gulf News. Incurable travel specialist and an Avid classical music lover

Why did you start your agency?

We believe in a world where potential isn’t limited by geography or access, and access to opportunity in every facet of education is provided seamlessly through knowledge. Intelligent Partners was formed with a vision to educate students of the opportunities available to them and take them through the process. Our Career Experts are at it every day.

If an international admissions professional was visiting your city or country and had a free weekend, what’s one recommendation for something fantastic to do or see?

Dubai has a lot to offer, from skyscrapers and seven-star hotels to souks and even skiing. One can visit the world’s biggest mall on the earth to world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa. Sky diving over the Palm Jumeirah is the best option for the adrenaline Junkies.

Do you work with different nationality clients such as Australian universities or American universities?

We have tie-ups with universities globally; Canada, Germany, USA, Australia to name a few. All the Universities work towards the same goal of maximizing the opportunities for students across the globe and provide our team with all the necessary support.

What is one thing that surprises you about American universities’ approach to either agencies or to international recruitment in general?  

American Universities have an ethical approach towards their partners. They provide current, accurate and honest information in an ethical manner. That enables us to help international students to make informed choices when selecting the Universities. It will be great if American Universities spend more time visiting and doing presentations with their Partners in the Middle East. As the Partners have a local presence and local presence has the local know how.

We have a strong relationship with all our partner Universities, we enjoy working alongside universities that practice responsible business ethics and act professionally.

If universities are new to international recruitment, what do you wish they knew about working with agents BEFORE they started?

To try to work with just a couple of recruiters in each market. Ideally that will get the loyalty and you can get more out of the recruiter.

Building relationships with agents can be challenging for universities in a cross-cultural environment.   How do you motivate your own team in-country, and what lessons can universities learn about working with and communicating with agents in your country?

Regardless of the culture, successful interactions across cultures are built on respect, trust and the ability to communicate effectively.

One should keep an open mind and avoid the stereotypes. Keep away from making assumptions. Attending multi-cultural networking events also helps.

Finally, what’s your favorite part about your career?   Any new projects on the horizon? Let us know what’s new for 2017!

My favorite part about my career is the fact that I get to work closely with the younger generation. Understand their needs and help them build their careers.

We have a lot of exciting things coming up for 2017, We have recently launched our very own, International Foundation Program in collaboration with the NCC that leads to guaranteed admission for 50+ universities abroad for our students

Thank you,  Sanjeev, for participating in our Meet the Partner series! You can connect with Intelligent Partners on their website or on their listing here.   If you’ve worked with Intelligent Partners in the past,  be sure to leave a comment on their page!

If you would like to participate in a future interview,  contact us at:  info@educationagentreviews.com.

Our blog series,  Meet the Partner, presents international student recruitment partners and/or agencies with their own insights and perspectives. In today’s blog post, you’ll get to learn more about international student recruitment from a partner perspective. You’ll gain knowledge about marketing in a target country, and you’ll also receive valuable insight about forging strong partnerships.

About Education Agent Reviews:  EducationAgentReviews.com is the only comprehensive directory available for international student recruiters at higher education institutions to search for potential business partners, agents, fairs, tours, & services to help them increase their international student population.   Search by geographical area, name, or category.

About Intelligent Partners:  Intelligent Partners is an educational agency based in Dubai, UAE, with additional offices in Doha, Qatar.  Their mission is to enable each and every student to maximize their potential, by providing them with very best in counseling and education services.