British Council launches 'I am a UK Certified Counsellor' badge for agents

New digital badge 

The British Council have launched a new digital badge for certified agents and councillors to showcase their completion of the UK's agent training.

The "I am a UK Certified Counsellor" badge is designed to instil market confidence, demonstrating that the agent has a solid understanding of the UK as a study destination and that they adhere to its ethical code of conduct.

This digital badge will automatically be granted upon completing the free training course, assessments, and agreement to follow the UK's National Code of Ethical Practice for Education Agents. Certified agents and counsellors will also be added to the British Council's public-facing database of agents and counsellors, where students, parents, and educators can verify their credentials.

Valid for two years, the certification and badge apply to individual agents, not the organizations they work for.

New course content 

The launch of this new digital badge coincides with updates to the training course content, with new information on accommodation, the cost of living in the UK, and finance. 

These updates enhance the existing training modules and assessments. The course covers all levels of international education, including study at an English language school, an independent school, a college or a higher education provider. It equips agents with the knowledge needed to support UK-bound students effectively.

Sector partner collaboration

The training course is part of the Agent and Counsellor Training and Engagement Hub. The hub is part of a suite of resources designed in collaboration with sector partners like Universities UK, Association of Colleges, Council of British International Schools (COBIS) and English UK - working together to raise standards across the international education sector.

Since its launch in late 2022, 30,000 individuals from around the globe have engaged with the hub, with over 11,000 listed in the searchable database of certified agents and counsellors.

>> Find out more about the certification, the Agent Quality Framework and the National Code of Ethical Practice for Education Agents