Array renewed as an accredited New Zealand Specialist Agency in India.

I am happy to announce that ArrayGlobe.com has been renewed as a member of the prestigious New Zealand Specialist Agencies’ group in India. This is an elite group administered by Education NZ (ENZ), NZ Trade & Enterprise and Immigration NZ (INZ) and only 21 agencies across India are members as of date. We are one of the founding members of this prestigious group and the I had the privilege to be the head of the steering committee for a period of time. The chairperson of the group is the NZ Trade Commissioner to India. The member agencies are selected through a robust assessment which includes a check for criminal records if any of the directors of the company, submission of fraudulent documents to INZ if any by the agency, recruitment of minimum numbers to NZ institutions annually and maintaining an 85% or above success in visas filed with INZ. We passed all these successfully and Array is now an accredited member for the next 2 years. I have no doubt in my mind that we will continue to remain NZSA members for a long time to come and continue to serve the interests of our students, partners, institutions and NZ education to the best of our abilities.

MBBS or BDS…Doctor or Dentist???

I was party to a very interesting conversation between an 18 year old and his parents. The kid had just completed his Intermediate (12th class) and he now has to decide what further studies he is going to undertake and where. The choices he has are MBBS (medicine) or BDS (dental surgery) and India or the USA. From what I could discern the father was against MBBS, the mother for it and the kid completely confused! The interesting aspect is that the father himself is a MBBS doctor but is strongly advocating against taking it up. He claims it is too much of commitment and drudgery and also that the actual earning starts very late and finally when it does start the profession consumes all leaving very little time for pursuing one’s other interests. The mother’s contention is that there are thousands of doctors who managed to pass the course even if the required amount of effort was very high and that they also went on to have a decent enough work-life balance. The father again came back saying that a MBBS doctor is nothing without specialisation and was like a jack of all trades while a Dentist can go on to become a Master of one particular aspect of the human body. He also claimed there would not be emergencies for a dental surgeon (which means he is not on a 24/7 call situation) and he could also set up a clinic with very little investment and start the earning cycle quickly. The mother was adamant that she wants to see her son as a doctor come what may. She said the ‘white coat’ meant a lot to which the father said that even a dental surgeon wears one! Interestingly the mother had discontinued her own MBBS after one year of study because the college she had joined shut down and she had no option but to stop. So there may have been some unfulfilled desires lurking there and she wanted them realised through the son. The dilly-dallying went back and forth and finally it was decided that the kid would take the opinion of another uncle who was also a doctor and then decide. Man! he looked completely confused and I pity him and the thousands of others who go through this. As far as the destination was concerned they all agreed it was alright to send the kid to a good University in the USA as against paying 40-50 lakhs of donation and getting him into a second rung Medical or Dental College in India. There wasn’t much disagreement about that especially as the family is well off and affordability is not a factor. Plus they had enough relatives in the USA to support the kid if needed. If I had to take a stand I would have gone with the father. I think he made a lot of sense and I could see the frustration he had endured being in the medical profession, first as a student and then as a practicing Physician. He claims he had to dramatically contrive and manage situations to be able to enjoy his life and felt his son should not go through the same thing. He also was emphasising on the importance of physical exercise and having a wide range of interests to keep one’s life ‘happening every second’ as he put it. Overall he made a lot of sense and I walked away with a lot of respect for him. I could see that his experience was what was making him talk while the mother was being more emotional and sentimental. There will be a lot of you out there with the same dilemma – MBBS or BDS? Hopefully this blog will give you a small pointer. Because as a complete outsider I could see both points of view but finally I think what the father said made a lot of sense. Best of luck and log on to ArrayGlobe.com for checking out your study options.

Am I too old to go abroad now for studies?

I got this off Yahoo questions – “I am married, with children. I would like to go the University of Ottawa to further my education, would I be able to handle it? Any input is appreciated..Oh! I am thinking of taking Social. Thanks.”

Such a poignant moment for this lady in her life that seems quite overwhelming at this stage. What with kids, a desire to pursue her academic and subsequent career dreams later. There is no mention of a husband so maybe she is also a single mom. But hats off to the lady that she has the courage to get back and do what she thinks she needs to do. And posting a query on a public site is a wonderfully brave first step. Well done mom…go for it.

There are many such in India who have a dream to go on for further studies abroad but feel they are too old or too bogged down by other circumstances. I would say to you ‘do not become a prisoner of your own mind and get out and do it’. It is not going to be easy but unless you get out there and start exploring the possibility seriously it will only remain a dream. The oldest international student I met was 64 years old, a German who came to New Zealand to study English for a few months and then go back. I loved the man’s attitude.

During our counseling sessions also we come across quite a few married people who take that first bold step by calling or walking into our office and speaking to a counselor. At least they have taken the first step and I encourage more of you to do the same. Whether you end up going abroad for your studies is another matter altogether. But at least take that first step if you have a desire in your heart somewhere. And you don’t even have to go to any consultant office. Log on to ArrayGlobe.com and do your own search at your leisure and at any time you want to speak to a knowledgeable advisor, he/she is just a phone call away.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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How can I get/find a job abroad?

Yes you can, But it is not going to be easy, The overseas job market is a tricky one and whether you find a job there or not depends on how good you are. So before anything else you need to assess your own capabilities. And you need to be honest about this assessment. See what category you fit into:

1. Type A – Highly academic – Will have a Masters degree or above. Perhaps, even a PhD.or will be called a Geek at some point in life. talk about the theory of relativity like you and I will talk about the cricket score. May not have a very high degree of English skills, but will have adequate to get around and get his work done.

2. Type B – The real go getter – Extremely confident, excellent English skills including spoken and written, may not have a high qualification but would have a degree at the minimum, would have been called a wheeler-dealer or glib talker at some point in life, would be willing to start low in the organisation Knowing fully well, he can claw his way up quickly through his street smartness.

3. Type C – Average Joe – The name says it alli.e., average in pretty much everything but an overpowering desire to go abroad.

4. Type D – Middle age blues – Will be between late 20s or late 30s. Has this persistent feeling that life somehow has given a raw deal and going abroad will fix the problem especially the monetary aspect. Will also suffer from feeling of inadequacy about not creating or having grabbed opportunities in the past. Will exhibit or at some point in time would have had qualities of type A, B or C.

5. Type E – Desi boy – Very desi, poor communications skills but again like average Joe has an overpowering desire to go abroad.

Now depending on which category you fall into your overseas job chances are as follows:

1. Type A will find a job without a problem if they diligently apply for jobs especially if they have qualifications and experience in high technology areas. They need to be focused on where they are applying. Generic job sites will not be very effective as much as focused research to find out opportunities on company websites who are seeking specific team members. But sometimes you can hit pay dirt from a general jobsite as well. It’s a known fact that many companies especially, Technology firms cannot find specialised people and encourage their governments to create ‘skills shortage lists’ so that talent can be attracted. So you have a very good chance and it’s imperative you use the net to search the skills shortage list of the country you intend to go to. If your qualification and work experience is listed then you have a very good chance. Then you really start the research and send your CV to targeted companies or job sites/agencies. You don’t need a local Indian ‘consultant’ who will essentially do the same thing that I am suggesting i.e. send your CV to many job sites abroad and may not have the inclination to do specific search suited to your profile. The thing is these consultants will charge you a bomb for work that you can essentially do yourself if you set aside an hour every day. Simply follow the steps I outlined. If this approach fails go for another Masters or PhD and then use this as a pathway towards eventual job. If you choose the study to work pathway please use ArrayGlobe.com.

2. Type B can also find a job but, they will not have the same success as type A. Mainly because type B will have qualifications that will not be in the skills shortage lists of many countries. They do not need BA, B.Com types and unfortunately our dashing type B will have only one of these. Or worse they will have an Engineering degree that will technically fall into a skills shortage but they struggled through the engineering course with many backlogs and the only use they can put a Vernier Callipers now is to check the size of their drink in the absence of a peg measure! So these guys will need to find their way into the country and then use their charm to find a job. One way of doing it is to see if they qualify for migration under the points system prevalent in many countries. This will essentially lead to a work-to-residency sort of permit. This will be easier to get if you have a spouse who is also qualified. That gives additional points. The other way is to try and get a visitor visa and then once you land there look around for a job and apply for a regular work permit. But getting a visitor visa is not as easy as it sounds and also there will be a reasonable amount of struggle to find a job on a visitor visa as most employers will be apprehensive to employ you while you are on a visitor status. But it can work. One word of caution-DO NOT overstay if you are on a visitor visa. Immigration departments HATE overstayers and you can also get into legal trouble and even be jailed. An easier option is to go for a Masters or specific Diploma and then use this as a pathway towards eventual job. If you choose the study to work pathway please use ArrayGlobe.com.

3. Type C – It is always a struggle for this type unless they make a valiant attempt to change their circumstances especially qualification and communication. I would suggest getting into a local course for language as well as some technical qualification like ERP, etc and then attempt the H1B path. That’s pretty much the best advice I can give. A much better way they can utilise is through the study-to-work pathway which will also give the average Joe time to improve on communication and social skills during the stint as a student. If you choose the study to work pathway please use ArrayGlobe.com.

4. Because type D exhibit traits of A,B or C it is best to decide which type you exactly are and then attempt to do what is suggested.

5. Type E are better off staying home and doing something locally as they will otherwise be exploited rather cruelly even if they manage to smuggle themselves into a country. Sadly these are the people who are exploited by the people smugglers and also the unscrupulous education agents who enable them to go abroad through fakes documents, etc. But once they reach there they are completely lost because they simply cannot cope with the environment unless they already have some family or friends there. But these are the type most likely to actually degenerate into a second graded life after the initial euphoria of being in ‘phoren’ evaporates. Their problem can be curbed by curbing the unscrupulous agents.

I hope that helps. If you choose the study to work pathway please use ArrayGlobe.com. Otherwise, best wishes and do not hesitate to write to me for further advice at partner.helpdesk@arrayglobe.com

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Is it really worth going abroad to study after having work experience?

We get a lot of prospective students who are not fresh graduates and have a few years of work experience. They engage us through person or phone because somewhere at the back of their mind they want to go abroad and create a career pathway through study but the question plaguing them is ‘Is it really worth going abroad to study after having work experience’? They know they would like to be abroad, they know that it is not easy to get a job directly and they also know that study can create the platform for seeking a job and an eventual career and possibly settlement. But, they are not sure and they come to us to essentially use us as sounding boards to their own internal turmoil about this question.

The simple answer to that is ‘because you do not know what you are missing out on’. But before I simplify such an important issue, let us examine who you (the working professional who wants to go abroad to study) are today.

You are a working professional. You possess excellent communication skills, have full of confidence and have a zest for life. You work for a good company and have a few years of experience in an area of specialization like Sales & Marketing, Accounting, administration, etc. You are a Graduate, possibly even a post Graduate. Your age is somewhere between the early 20’s to the early 30’s. You have a good circle of friends in your city and enjoy yourself on both the personal and professional fronts. To you, your life is as complete as it can be.

I disagree with that. While I agree that you are already where a lot of your contemporaries would wish to get to, it is my strong belief there is a very important element missing from your life. AN INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE! Think about it. You live in a global village today and yet your entire universe is the city where you live in. Ask yourself what you are missing out on. Ask yourself what you can achieve at an international level with the confidence and all the other abilities I mentioned earlier.

Without a doubt you have some friends or relatives who already live overseas. And there would have been times when they came home and impressed you with their lifestyle, their opportunities and their many little foreign acquisitions like sleek video cameras, fantastic perfumes, etc. In all likelihood during some of those moments you were impressed enough to go and do the same thing yourself and get yourself into a foreign country. And yet you did nothing about it, as you still live and work where you were a few years earlier. And slowly but surely you are losing out on one of the most irreplaceable things – Time!

Either you were too busy, just did not care or more importantly did not know where to start the process of going overseas. Frankly, it is not rocket science and in case you do not want to tread the study to a career path, you could even give a straight shot at getting a job directly (I will write about this soon.) But the study pathway is a great way to do it systematically and with the right preparation. It not only gives you a local degree that can be valuable when presenting yourself to local employers but during the study period you have also adapted to the country and possibly even created a good network of contacts through your part-time work. In many instances I have seen students being given firm job offers after course completion in the places where they were working part-time during study. Let me put it more simply – if you are smart…you WILL get a job. Period.

But what is important is that your country, college and course choice will be of great significance when you eventually set out to get your career. So, be careful of advisors/consultants who may not suggest the best things and use the power of the internet to do your own research. Also use resources like ArrayGlobe.com so that you are in control of your own destiny. Read my previous blogs as well to get more insights.

One last word. In 1998, I was exactly where you are today. A working professional in India. And today, thanks to my overseas stint, I am a successful international business person with a few achievements to talk about. My only regret…I should have done it earlier. I believe you can do it too and encourage you not to lose more time than what you have already lost. Give it a shot. You have nothing to lose and a world of opportunity to gain.

Get on to ArrayGlobe.com and talk to one of our experts who can help you devise a specific roadmap with no obligations involved or no selfish interests of my company. I promise you that. If you are convinced about our suggestions and would like to initiate the process of seeking success overseas, we will be happy to enter into a professional relationship with you and become your partner in your own international progress.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Does a student really need a consultant’s advice for choosing an overseas study country, college and course?

I am of the strong opinion that a really smart and confident student does not need a consultant and can do it by themselves. I mean what you need is to have all country, college, course options in one place like ArrayGlobe.com where you can see the details of each of these components and then move on to submit the admission documents at your convenience. Technically you are still using us as a consultant but YOU have made the choice of the all important country, college and course. We are merely then taking up the job of furthering the process based on YOUR decision. I disagree with the practices of some ‘consultants’ who will convince you of a particular country, college or course. This is not so much about your career but about their commission! So you need to watch out for it and that’s what I mean on my interview on Bloomberg-UTV that the student needs to have the choice and not the consultant. Once that is done you can then go on and use a company like Array to continue to do your admission and visa process especially when it does not cost you anything. But I think you need to choose the country, college and course yourself using a resource like Arrayglobe.com/ where you can spend hours together in the comfort of your own home and figure out by yourself what is the best choice for you. We are always there on phone and in person if you want to consult an expert. So you don’t have to rely on a consultant who does not have your best interests at heart. Do it yourself. If you are smart enough to study abroad, you are smart enough to do it yourself :)

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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The difficulty to get an education loan for your overseas study:

Over the past few weeks I have been running around different banks trying to get an overdraft facility sanctioned for Array Consulting. In anticipation of our expansion plans across India this year I thought it will be useful to have access to ready funds if needed urgently. I thought it will be a cakewalk considering I have a property worth more than 1 crore to offer as collateral security and I was only wanting to have half that amount i.e. 50 lakhs as a Dropline OD. A Dropline OD means that we will only utilise the funds that we need and not necessarily withdraw the entire amount in one go. So really I thought the bank would have absolutely no issue in giving an OD because they are fully secured in the event of non-payment. MAN, HOW WRONG WAS I?????

First one bank refused an OD to me (we bank with them incidentally) because they said the bank’s exposure was already high owing to the fact that I have a home loan with them!! Then I approached another bank (nationalised) and the gentlemen there while being very genial made me jump through some serious hoops for more than 4 weeks before he finally said that he will be able to give only around 20 lakhs and that too ‘if my zonal office approves it’. I then started doing the rounds of another bank (with whom also we bank) and at the time of writing this blog I have submitted another ton of documents to them in consultation with my CA, Accountant, an External Consultant, etc, etc. PHEW. And I thought I was going to be as simple as ABC because I had double the security to offer.

I am sharing this information because while the entire episode has been traumatic in some ways, it also gave me a fantastic insight into what an aspiring international student goes through when he/she tries to get a bank loan. I am much more respectful towards the efforts of my students now and if one of them is really frustrated I fully understand now why. I have instructed my team to be kind and patient towards students trying to get loans and to guide and counsel them in the best way they can.

Also my advice to aspiring international students is to start the process early as getting a loan is going to be a long, tedious and frustrating process. So the earlier you submit your admission documents and get your offer of place (admission letter) into your hands, the more time you will have to pursue the education loan. I have also realised that the people sanctioning loans are a different set of people altogether (but that’s what their job demands I guess), and trying to please them and give all the documentation required is going to be a herculean task. So be patient and start early.

Incidentally ArrayGlobe.com is tied up with HDFC Bank and Credila Finance for student loans and we will try our best to push your loan applications through. Best wishes for your overseas education dreams.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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How to choose a destination country for your higher studies overseas / abroad?

While my articles can be useful to aspiring international students from any country, I will be writing with a focus towards assisting Indian students who form the 2nd largest contingent of students studying outside their country. The first is of course China. No prizes for guessing that!!

Most Indian students will be faced with the decision of which country to choose? My own understanding is that they choose in this order – USA, UK, Australia (till recently), Canada (may have edged out Australia now), New Zealand, Ireland, Singapore and then other non-English speaking countries like Germany, France, Sweden, etc. There are some stats available around this and I will share them soon. But choosing a destination country is never easy. I would suggest stick to this formula:

1. If you are looking at pure academic achievement - then simply the choice is quite easy. Go to where the course your heart is pining for is. It could be Antarctica if you intend to study sub-zero temperature or some research like that. Get the picture? If your intended study and subject are clear, the choice becomes very easy. I can quote one particular course, if you have a passion for the outdoors and film making then there is a course at the University of Otago in New Zealand and I am thinking it may be one of its kind in the world. In the former example cited all the student need to do is look for a university that offers Antarctic studies and he could very well be on his way to that lovely continent. Finding this information can done through the search engines or a dedicated overseas education site like ArrayGlobe.com

2. If academics is important but getting a job later and settling down is more important – Then it is important that you not only choose a course that is available but also that the country that you choose has immigration laws/rules that will allow you to stay on after you complete your course and convert the student permit into work permit (I believe Switzerland is very difficult in this subject). If a country does not permit such an extension and expects you to leave, then obviously it will not match your requirement. You are better off choosing some other destination country which has more liberal work and immigration policies.

3. Getting a visa is primary because a rejection will finish my dreams completely – The trick to getting a visa to be honest. COMPLETELY. Now sadly a lot of young students are pretty much conned by their ‘consultant’ into showing false education, work experience and financial documents. This is done because the consultant will make money only if the students land in the college and then the college pays the consultant his commission. So the agent will do ANYTHING to get the student there. In case the immigration authorities see through the fraud, the agent gets away scot free but the student loses his ability to get a visa ever again to that country. So choosing an honest consultant is important who gives you transparent information about the process and will dissuade you from putting any fake documents. I am not sure if the various foreign embassies are already doing it, but it is only a matter of time before they start sharing information about fraudulent visa applications and this means you are pretty much shut out of most countries unless and until you are looking at Sudan, Ethiopia, etc

4. Permanent residency is my goal – Same answer as for 2 above. Make sure the country has an immigration policy that is conducive towards long term settlement. Examples would be Australia, Canada, New Zealand.

5. Earning money is my goal and I am quite happy to return to India – Choose a country with high exchange value because that will automatically mean that you will earn more in rupee equivalent in a shorter period of time. Interestingly, some of the Middle East countries maybe the choice especially considering that UAE is beginning to get aggressive in trying to attract foreign students. Bear in mind that the Middle East countries do not have tax as well. So you could as well study in UAE and then look at a job in Saudi for example.

6. I like adventure and want to make sure that there is a lot of it when I am studying – Not a very common request. Usually applicable if your Dad’s surname ends with Mallya, Tata, Birla J. But hey! there will be some of us without that surname who still want to do it. So get on to the lonely planet website and choose from the various exciting destinations. I would personally choose some place where I can do sea kayaking and the water is warm. So is a university in the Caribbean the best place for me? Possibly!

7. Peace and security are important to me – Check the world peace and choose accordingly.

8. I want to start a business in that country – Check the ease of doing business report by the World Bank.

9. I want to be in an honest country where I can live a corruption free life – Check the Transparency International corruption index.

10. I want to go where my friends/family are – Good idea actually. When you go abroad you are faced with many adverse situations (see my earlier blog about 1st week syndrome) and having family or friends around will create a safety net and a support system. So it’s a very good decision I would say and they would have already faced many of the situations and are able to guide you when the need arises.

11. I want to go ASAP - If you are in such a hurry, well quite simply check to see the intake matrix of all the countries and see which one has the next immediate intake and choose that. But be sure to leave at least 2-3 months gap even if all your documents are ready. Admission and visa will take some time and I feel at least 2-3 months is needed to have a tension free experience. If in doubt about the intake matrix of the different countries or any other details simply contact the ArrayGlobe.com counsellor nearest to you and you will get the information immediately.

I hope that was useful. I would have liked to write more, but it’s been one of those crazy days at work. So maybe I will elaborate further later as this a very important question that most youngsters are faced with.

If you have any other specific requirement please email me on arun@arrayglobe.com and I will see how best I can answer your queries. Also visit ArrayGlobe.com and do some research on your own.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Student returns from New Zealand – Another victim of the 1st week syndrome

It is never an easy task facing the ire of a student who returns from a particular country and then blames the ‘agent’ for not giving adequate information prior to going. I received one such letter today from one of our students who returned from New Zealand and sent us an email promptly. Main claim was that he will not be able to find a job in NZ after he completes his course. While I do not want to take anything away from this perception of the student, I am simply sad that he jumped to a conclusion within the VERY FIRST WEEK and returned home. This is not the first time this has happened with us. In the past too there have been around 3-4 students who came back home within the first week and invariably the excuse is ‘I don’t think I will be able to find a job after I complete my course’. My retort always is ‘But did you even give it a decent try in the first place?’

I think what happens when a student lands in a new country is not a very pleasant experience. First the culture shock, the missing home syndrome, the newness of the whole thing. I did not go to study abroad but when I went to the USA for the first time in 1999, I was already in my early thirties and man! did I have a bad experience? It was so bad that I practically ran out of my friend’s place who had sponsored my trip (still feel guilty about that one and am waiting for a chance to say sorry to him) and I could somehow picture him as the big villain who put me in this situation. It was highly stressful and after a week of continuous arguments with my friend I finally hit out and went out and stayed with an aunt and some friends who were in the USA. It was one of the worst phases of my life as I had left behind a secure job in India and was now pretty much in no man’s land. Huge feeling of insecurity and what will happen in the future, etc, etc. To cut a long story short I can only say that the combination of culture shock + missing home can be a killer. It can lead to irrational thinking and decisions made in the blink of an eye.

Every person going abroad whether for studies, jobs, migration, etc needs to be aware of this. Tourists are absolutely fine because they know exactly when they will be back home. They do not have the uncertainty that a student, worker or migrant will have. I will strongly advise that you be prepared mentally before you get on that plane. In this instance the poor student lost a lot of money for his ticket, visa fee, etc and I can bet that in a few weeks time he will be overcoming with a sense of regret that he acted too hastily. This happened with me too and so I speak out of experience. He will realise that he had kicked an opportunity that millions in our country cherish and he will then be plagued about what to do next. I assure Sameer that we will help him get back to the destination of his choice and advise him to be better prepared next time.

Remember a good 80% or above students go on to finish the course successfully undergoing all sorts of hardships like not finding a part time job for months after landing, the graveyard shift, bad roommates, racism, etc. But they come through and they are the real heroes. They go on to establish themselves and repay the bank loans they have taken for the overseas education and also create a pathway for the rest of their family. So hang in there and don’t blame your consultant. We are there to get you into a good college and ensure you get your visa. We are NOT job guarantee agencies and one would expect a smart student to do adequate research over the net and through other sources before choosing a destination country. That is where sites like ArrayGlobe.com can make it transparent for you with all study abroad information in one place.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Health and fitness while studying abroad

Health and fitness is important at any point in time. But staying fit and doing things to stay healthy is all the more important when you are in a stressful situation. And going abroad to study, work or live is a stressful situation. Because you suddenly transport yourself into a completely alien environment it causes a certain amount of stress due to jet lag, culture shock, language, climate, loneliness, missing home, a sense of alienation and a variety of other reasons. I experienced all of these to some degree or the other when I first went to the USA and then UK and NZ. Having friends around was helpful to some extent but mainly I had to cope with these feelings and depression all by myself.

Today at 42 years of age and a bit of a fitness freak, I am convinced that if only I had worked out at that time when I was abroad, I could have coped with the situation better. Working out releases endorphins into the blood stream which are mood uplifting in nature. Even if you don't participate in strenuous athletics, you can also try various activities to increase your body's endorphin levels. Besides the immediate effect of driving away the blues, working out or exercise will also keep the body healthy and prevent the onset of disease which can also be caused by stress. With a healthy body leading to a healthy mind, you will pass off the initial few weeks which is the really rough path. After the first few weeks once your body and mind starts adjusting to the new environment you begin to feel at home. That doesn’t mean you stop exercising though. Continue to keep up the routine because being healthy is one of the most if not the most key element to success and happiness.

I also recommend the usage of the gym if you have one in your institution or neighbourhood. Besides providing a professional atmosphere for exercising it can also be a good place to start friendships. From personal experience again, I can state that gyms are good places to start and sustain friendships. There is some sort of a bond that develops between people who care about their bodies and put in a dedicated effort towards this. Such people respect each other. So going to the gym can also be a useful way to develop friendships based on respect which again will help you overcome the stress of being abroad to some extent.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Students Planning to Study Abroad – Situation, Problem, Implication, Need

Situation of Prospective International Students:

• Students aspiring to study abroad are highly determined and purposeful with preparation between 1-2 years including English tests (IELTS/TOEFL/Pearsons), admission tests (GRE/GMAT/SAT/PLAB), medical tests, etc.

• Emotional and aspiration factor is very high as families make a big investment of money, effort and time to create an overseas pathway and aspire for the future wellbeing of the entire family.

• The investment is time, money, effort, expectations and emotions.

• Since it is a life changing decision most students don’t want to do anything wrong that may affect the visa and hence go to an overseas education consultant or agent.

• But majority of these ‘consultants’ giving overseas education advice have inadequate knowledge or motives of personal gain only.

• Within the more established agencies, level of information provided is inadequate due to human reliant processes.

• Result – Information and communication flow is not up to customer’s expectations throughout the counseling - admission - visa process.

• Young Indian students are ending up in wrong college, course and country.

• It is too late to retract the decision once the destination country is reached.

• Are being misguided into procuring fake academic and/or financial documents and thus permanently jeopardize their immigration status with foreign governments.

• Are being made to live with tension during the process due to inadequate updates.

• Are not being serviced professionally and being made to wait in anticipation of crucial process information.

• Post study, the expected outcomes of finding an international job to clear education loans and creating pathways for the family’s wellbeing are not being met.

• The students need to have all possible study options about college, course and country. They need to control their own choice and not be controlled by a ‘consultant’.

• They need to be frequently informed at each stage of the process as the ‘tension’ quotient is very high.

• They need to have the convenience of starting and continuing the process from anywhere and not be forced to go to offices located inconveniently.

• They need to have access to other services that will enhance their going abroad experience like bank loans, ticketing, insurance, accommodation, etc.

• More than 100,000 updated course options from 10 different countries will be available online by end of 2011 making it the largest database of foreign courses available to Indian students.

• Currently 400 colleges and 12,000 courses are online. Ongoing addition happens on a daily basis.

• Depth of information is down to the syllabus level for each course and there is no known competition at present for this level of information including leading consultants and education websites.

• Total transparency in course search and results with ability to sort by fee, start date, location, etc.

• An evaluate entry criteria for admission, visa criteria, process time analysis, 2nd course choice, etc.

• Can start process online, on phone or in person from nearest physical office location with ability to submit documents online and make online visa fee payment too. Ease of convenience.

• Gets regular updates about progress of admission application and visa application and documents submission deadline reminders via automated email and SMS at 80 critical milestones during the process.

• Will have access to a plethora of value added services that will enhance the ‘going abroad’ experience like bank loans, ticketing, insurance, etc.

• In future will be serviced after reaching destination country for follow on services like job search, work permit, etc.

What is the Process to do a PhD overseas ?

PhD is a research degree that is at a significantly higher level and of significantly higher status than a Master. Study workload can be reasonably high. Eligibility is Masters or PG Diploma with minimum 60%and a high level of English with IELTS Academic of 6.5 or TOEFL equivalent with no score less than 5. Work experience may be required. Proposal is mandatory. A PhD is attained under the guidance of recognized experts in the field of study and research. PhD is more complex than a regular course process. The student needs to work closely with a good advisor like ArrayGlobe.com to reach the desired university and destination country. Array officers also enjoy the satisfaction of dealing with a student of higher academic level. Banks also provide education loans easily for a PhD.

1.Basic steps in processing a PhD application:

a) Array counsellor will assist you to decide on country and course choice.

b) You will submit all admission documents. Mandatory document will be a one page abstract of the proposed research.

c) Array service team will apply for the admission.

d) As soon as we receive acknowledgement of this, the Array officer will instruct you to start interacting with faculty of concerned department to find a PhD guide.

e) You as the student will have to pitch to the guide directly for scholarship, assistantship, etc.

f) As soon as guide is found an offer of place will be given by the university and then we move into visa process.

2. Country specific advantages for doing PhD:

a) New Zealand: This is one of the best countries to suggest a PhD currently for the following reasons:

I. It is the highest level of education possible in New Zealand – Level 10.

II. PhD students are highly welcome as the country is spending heavily to attract researchers. So ease of getting student visa.

III. PhD is being offered at domestic fee rates than international fees. It will only be around 1.2 lakhs per month.

IV. If the student’s research proposal is really good, he may get full scholarship including living expenses in really good cases.

V. Spouse and children can accompany student and children are entitled to free education.

VI. Student can work part-time during study for 20 hours per week and spouse gets a full time work permit with no conditions.

VII. Graduate Job Search Visa after course completion is available to student. Permanent Residency is easily achievable after studies.

We will add more country specific PhD advantages soon or you can contact an Array officer. Click here to go back to our homepage and fill up the TALK TO OUR ADMISSION & VISA EXPERT form and one of our experts will call you back to guide you through the process.

What do I really want by studying abroad?

We think you want the following:

A: Good quality of education and living standard in an advanced, English speaking country. (Also a firang girlfriend or boyfriend! Don’t lie…we know :)

B: Being able to work part-time while studying to support oneself for living expenses without having to call mummy and daddy every month.

C: Student friendly policies to seek jobs after studies and get a permanent residency (green card).

D: Safety in terms of racism and crime and a good economic landscape to find permanent jobs.

When you decide to study abroad, you make a huge investment in terms of money, time, effort and emotions. Make sure you get the real reward for all this by securing a satisfying career preferably at the international level. Don’t pursue expensive studies aboard to only come back with a fancy certificate to hang on the wall (Dad will hang you next to it). Your studies SHOULD become a pathway into a career in the country where you study and this should translate into good dollar earnings and lifestyle. Do not compromise on this. With this objective, making the right choice is always a difficult task when you have many options to choose from like the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland , etc, etc.
Read this blog to get some answers – How to choose a destination country for your higher studies overseas / abroad?

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Where Can I find the Money to Study Abroad?

Finding money is easy. Some options are: rob a bank, snatch jewelry from old women or become a cricket player for India with more ads than runs!! Just kidding guys, read on.

Money, money money!! Isn’t it strange how life seems to revolve around this little word? But yes, you will need some money to go abroad to study. But not a lot really. You would have heard stories from “CONsultants”about how you need to show 30 – 40 lakhs to get a student visa. That’s a lot of bull@%*#!

To study abroad you only need the following:

For 1 year course – Approximate fees depending on what course you choose will be Rs.5 - 10 lakhs + living expenses of Rs.3 -5 lakhs = Rs.8 - 15 lakhs = VISA!

For 2 years course – simply double the above equation.

Now the good thing is that you don’t have to really take the living expenses with you. That is only to show the visa officer at the time of application that you have enough to survive on just in case you do not find a part time job after you arrive in your destination country. And if you cannot find a part time job in 2 - 3 months time, don’t get us wrong, but you probably were never meant to be there in the first place anyway. So if you are the smart one and can find a part time job in a few weeks after you land, you only need to have the fees in place. Besides the fees, an initial amount of Rs.1 lakh will cover your first 2 months living expense + ticket cost + visa cost, etc.

Now the big question is where to get the required money from? We always encourage students to be honest when it comes to money matters. If your family does not have the required funds, there are many ways to raise the funds required for study in New Zealand. Some of them are:

Educational Loans: Many banks now offer education loans liberally for overseas study. If you have a property that can be pledged as a security, the chances of a getting an education loan are very high. We have a tie-up with a few banks and financial institutions and we can certainly help you in this. contact us for more details.

Sponsorship: Sponsors for study can include family members and friends. We had a significant success rate showing funds from them. In one case we even showed the funds of a Sarpanch towards a student from his village. It was accepted by immigration and this boy is now happily settled into a job abroad. So funds can be shown in a legitimate manner from various sources. Don’t get conned by some ‘consultants’ who will scare you and say you have to show 30 – 40 lakhs and will then help you ‘manage’ the funds by taking 10%. Bloody thieves!

If you want honest information and service about raising funds, contact us and we will show you clearly how you can raise the funds in a proper and genuine manner.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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The complete admissions & visa cycle for students

The following steps outline our process in attracting and servicing POSITIVE PROFILE students (Good academic history, proven ability in English i.e. a good IELTS or TOEFL score, verifiable evidence of funds to meet the educational expenses, regular source of sufficient income of financial guarantors, intended course relevant to educational background/work experience and clear health & character requirements). The process may differ slightly from country to country.

i. Marketing – We try and attract only the best students with a positive profile. Our main source of doing this is via our website. We also employ some catchy ads and marketing strategies to attract the crème-da-la-crème.

ii. Counseling – Once we get you interested in study abroad you can do it online at ArrayGlobe.com, through our contact centre or through one of the company or partner offices.Our award winning software will be used to complete the course and college selection. Rest assured we will give you unbiased suggestions about the courses. Our only intention is to increase your chances of employability post-studies.

iii. Registration – Once you are decided upon the course, we register you as a client. This involves no registration fees.

iv. Getting the offer of place – Once all the required documents are submitted by you, our team moves into action and procures the offer of place from the selected institution.

v. Compiling the visa documents – We then move in to the most crucial part in the whole chain. The visa process. This is where all the critical documents like financials, medicals, Police Clearance Certificate, etc are compiled and made ready for filing.

vi. Statement of purpose and interview preparation – Another critical component will be to prepare the statement of purpose. This document is perhaps the most important in convincing visa officers about your genuine intentions. We pride ourselves in our ability to help our clients compile the most honest and compelling statements of purpose based on fact. We also guide our students to prepare for a telephonic interview with the visa officer.

vii. Pre-visa approval – Once the visa officer is convinced that the intentions is genuine and that the finances are in place they approve the application in principle and ask the student to make the fees transfer.

viii. Fees transfer – We will then assist you to make fast fee payments through telegraphic transfer by using the services of one of the most professional money transfer companies in India.

ix. Visa stamping – Once the fee is received by the institution, we will follow up with the visa officer to ensure that your passport with the visa is couriered back at the earliest.

x. Value added services – By then we are also assisting you with other services like airline ticketing, procuring forex, student insurance, accommodation booking any other service that may be needed.

xi. Feedback session – A couple of days before you are ready to fly we will call you to seek your feedback about services. This is intended to help us better our services on an ongoing basis. Throughout the above process, you will constantly keep receiving SMS and email alerts and updates at all crucial points. This was one important aspect that Dell recognized as an innovation when awarding us the top 10 innovation in India award. We are confident that there is no other technology enabled company that can offer such a comprehensive set of services for those like you desirous of studying abroad. So start your study abroad journey today with ArrayGlobe.com.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Why should I Study Abroad in the first place?

TO EARN A DOLLAR SALARY AT A YOUNG AGE AND HAVE A GOOD LIFE! BECAUSE EARNING IN A FOREIGN CURRENCY WITH A VALUE HIGHER THAN THE RUPEE WILL MAKE YOU REALISE YOUR DREAMS EARLIER. And because you know you can be more successful than most people who manage to go abroad as students. Do you sometimes feel like you can earn more money and have a better life? Did you feel let down every time you saw yet another incompetent person get on a plane and go away to a foreign land full of promise? Do you feel trapped in the same old place when you know you want to experience this world? If you are young, intelligent, have a good academic and/or work track record and have access to a reasonable amount of funds through own savings or a bank loan, you are ready to become a global citizen. But to realize your full potential at the global level, it is imperative to have real international experience beyond the Internet! While some get into international jobs without much trouble (mostly from an IT background), others have to take the path of studies to achieve a similar goal. Being an international student prepares you well for future challenges like finding a job and integrating into a new society. It allows you to:

1. Gain a global perspective by experiencing various cultures.

2. Cultivate a global network of social contacts.

3. Improve your social and communication skills.

4. Develop independence and acquire proficient problem - solving skills.

5. Experience new technologies and explore new concepts and ideas.

6. Become a more well - rounded individual primed for better prospects.

7. Become a global citizen and experience a new way of life.

8. Create a better India by creating networks and opportunities that will benefit our country. So go ahead and become an international student.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Is it easy to get a Student Visa to USA, UK etc?

IF YOU ARE GOOD*, YOUR STUDENT VISA IS ALMOST CERTAIN.

And it does not matter whether the visa officer is in a good mood or a bad mood!

How many times have we not heard the story ‘the visa officer was in a bad mood and did not even give me a chance to speak’? Imagine this scenario - some guy who happens to be a visa officer wakes up in the morning, has a fight with his wife and comes to work and decides to take out all his anger on the first 3 students who will approach him for a visa by not giving it to them! And you happen to be one amongst the three. Nightmare isn’t it? Imagine falling prey to the ‘mood’ of a visa officer after months of preparation, especially if you are a good student?

A good* student according to most immigration departments means the following:

• Good academic history
• Proven ability in English to be able to successfully attend a course of study in their country
• Verifiable evidence of funds to meet the educational expenses
• Regular source of sufficient income of financial guarantors
• Intended course relevant to educational background/work experience
• Clear health & character requirements

If you have the above you will be termed a ‘Positive Profile’ student by the student visa team. All visa officers are expected to make rational judgments rather than whimsical decisions based on ‘mood’. So if you are good as per the description above you should get your student visa. Our definition of visa is:

V - Verifiable funds
I - Impressive English
S - Sincerity of Purpose
A - Academic or Work track record

Because we came out with this most brilliant explanation ever of a student visa and since we know others will copy it sooner or later and make it look like their own (bloody chors), can you please, please tell everybody that you saw it first at Array? Thank you! So stop worrying about a student visa if you are good and get started on your study abroad process right away by visiting ArrayGlobe.com.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Do I have to attend a personal interview for a Student Visa?

For most countries you do not have to attend a personal interview at their embassy/consulate/high commission. Only the USA insists on a personal interview and they have this elaborate online interview appointment dates blocking system. Unless you have some really peculiar circumstances most other countries do not insist on a personal interview. In some instances you have to answer a telephonic interview however. And you can always say you will call back if that moment is not appropriate or convenient to you like being in traffic. You have to be confident. Remember the visa officer is not a god, just another person doing his/her duty.

And you can explain clearly and state without any fear that you want to go abroad, study sincerely, pick up any post study work experience/job search visa/permit if available, find a job relevant to your course and possibly even look at long term employment and permanent residency. Simple! No cock and bull stories are required like a sick grandfather who cannot live without you and hence you WILL come back after you finish your studies. Remember most countries are trying to attract Indian students to study there and then encourage them to work and live there because their work force is dwindling alarmingly. So it is as much their need to have you there as you desire to study, work, and settle there.

A good company like Array can ensure that if a visa officer has been unreasonable, we will take it up on your behalf and fight it out and ensure you get your visa. So don’t be afraid, be confident and start your study abroad process by visiting ArrayGlobe.com.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Do I have to come back to India after I complete my course?

ONLY IF YOU HAVE BEEN OFFERED THE LEAD ROLE IN KARAN JOHAR’S NEXT MOVIE! And you want to take it up because you think you can do a better job than SRK.

Alright wake up now! If you are done with your daydreams, let’s get down to business. You don’t have to come back to India if you successfully complete your studies in countries that offer a post study work permit/job search visa facility. Some examples are USA, UK,AUS,>,Newzealand.Switzerland. Switzerland is not in this category and so one needs to be careful before choosing this country. So once you complete your studies successfully you become eligible for this job search visa or post study work experience permit. This visa allows you to stay in that country and work full time in any job. But the important thing is that in the period you have on your visa/permit, you have to find a job relevant to the course you just completed. Once you secure this you can apply for a longer work permit which is generally issued and you can then go on to eventually apply for Permanent Residency or green card as it is know in the USA.

The points needed for permanent residency are based on age, qualifications and subject, how long you studied in that country, work experience and industry, spouse qualifications and any blood relatives who are citizens or permanent residents of the country already and willing to support your application.

Once you are a Permanent Resident, you are eligible for all social benefits from the government. A few years after becoming a Permanent Resident you can apply for Citizenship. To know more about study-work-settle options in any country talk to us. Visit ArrayGlobe.com and leave us an enquiry and one of our experts will call you back.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Funds to be shown by Students applying for a Student Visa

This is a generic overview of FUNDS TO BE SHOWN BY STUDENTS APPLYING FOR A STUDENT VISA. It may differ from country to country. So check back with us for details. To talk to an expert on admission & visa simply visit ArrayGlobe.com and leave an enquiry.
It is imperative that all students provide sufficient evidence of funds to meet their educational expenses and to maintain their stay in the destination country. Historically in cases of students “dropping out”, insufficient funds seemed to be the main reason for the students not being able to continue with their studies. Often it appears that the funds shown to the immigration department were either not valid or were not going to be available for transfer to the destination country to assist with the student’s education.
Normally immigration departments accept the following evidence of liquid funds for the purpose of a student visa application. These funds can be in the name of the applicant, his family members or the financial guarantor:

• Bank statements from nationalized banks and MNC Banks (like HSBC, Standard Chartered, etc) covering at least 6 months immediately preceding the application,

• Fixed deposit receipts in nationalized banks and MNC banks, which are likely to mature during the education period of the student,

• National Saving Certificates,

• Savings in PPF, GPF and EPF accounts (only the withdrawal amount will be considered)

• Post office savings

• Education loan sanctions from nationalized banks and MNC Banks (like HSBC, Standard Chartered, etc). Of late some private company loans (Credila) are being considered by some immigration departments.

• Current account statement of companies owned by the student’s guarantor; and

• Annual income in the form of salary slips, tax returns etc.

Coping with jet lag & culture shock as an international student

Moving from one culture, time zone, and physical environment into another presents certain physical, mental and social challenges. This document discusses jet lag and culture shock and their usual symptoms and suggests ways you might effectively deal with them.

Jet Lag: a condition that is characterized by various psychological and physiological effects (as fatigue and irritability), occurs following long flight through several time zones, and probably results from disruption of circadian rhythms in the human body. - Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary

One of the first adjustments you will have to face after your arrival in the destination country is "jet lag". But don’t worry; after two or three days (perhaps as long as a week) of disorientation and sleepiness, you will function quite normally.

Culture Shock: a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation. – Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary

Having to adjust to a new country and a new culture, which may be dramatically different from your own is never easy. Obviously, you will no longer see the familiar signs of home. Climate, food, landscapes, people and their behaviour will all seem new and different to you. Fortunately, the orientation for new international students provided by your institution should be very helpful in combating culture shock.

International students experience culture shock in varying degrees; some hardly notice it at all. Below are some of the symptoms of culture shock:

• You may feel isolated and frustrated. You may become nervous and excessively tired. You may sleep a lot, even after you have recovered from jet lag.

• You may be excessively homesick. It is normal to miss your homeland and your family and friends, but if you can think of nothing else and write letters all the time and perhaps even cry a lot, you are probably suffering from culture shock.

• You may feel hostile toward the destination country as the cause of your discomfort. Minor irritations may make you unusually angry.

• You may become dependent on fellow nationals who attend your school. Of course, these friendships are important and extremely supportive. However, if you only make friends with fellow nationals, you will deny yourself one of the main benefits of this educational experience — meeting and interacting with students from the destination country and other countries.

• You may have deep doubts concerning your choice to come to the destination country.

• You may question your ability to perform well in an academic system different from that of your home country.

Taking the decision to go abroad

What does it involve?

• A strong determination to seek a better life and clarity of thought and process to achieve this.

• Some element of sacrifice, especially if you are a married person or have parents and siblings dependent on you. You will have to be mentally prepared to be separated for a period of a year at least. And also be able to make adequate arrangements to ensure the continuity in India during your absence.

• A willingness to understand that www.ArrayGlobe.com is a professional in this field and be open to ideas and suggestions from us.

• A spirit of adventure to embark on a journey that can change your life forever.

• The ability to move with speed once a decision is made.

• Some money and time investment to make your dream a reality.

• At some time or the other you have dreamt of going abroad and embarking on a better personal and professional life. Do not let this dream slip away thinking there is no way to achieve it. www.ArrayGlobe.com will work with you to make this dream come true and we will do it professionally, ethically, morally and with a sense of working with a person who deserves a nice life abroad.

• All you need to do is visit www.ArrayGlobe.com and leave us an enquiry for a no-obligations discussion. And do it now! If you have thought about it and believe you can be a success abroad and are still not doing anything about it, then it could be the biggest procrastination of your life as others around you will get a head start.

• After going through this blog, I am certain a smart, intelligent person such as yourself will have queries that need to be answered. That can happen only if you raise an enquiry and have a discussion in person. We look forward to meeting/talking to you to share further information that can be useful to make an informed decision.

Is education the best pathway to settle abroad?

• If you happen to be a non-IT professional chances of getting a job visa in a first world country are very limited if not completely non-existent. In such cases you need to ‘learn’ in the environment you eventually want to become a part of.

• Landing in a new country overnight as a migrant does not prepare you for the acclimatisation that is required in terms of understanding and imbibing language, accent, culture, geography, political implications, community networking, workplace dynamics, etc.

• In such a scenario landing as a migrant and getting into the ‘survival’ game from day one in a strange new place with no acclimatisation can be a traumatic experience and can also lead to adverse long term effects on the personal and professional front. It is the equivalent of going out to play a cricket match at the international level without ever having faced a fast bowler beyond the capabilities of your local club bowler.

• The rules are different at the international level and hence you also need a higher capability than what you currently exhibit at the local level. All this can happen only if you undertake ‘coaching’ in the environment in which you will be playing a match. And that coaching is best acquired as an international student who does not have to play the ‘survival’ game from day one. More often than not your tuition fee would be paid by a bank loan we can assist you in securing a bank loan we can assist you in securing a bank loan and you would carry enough money to last out at least the first 3 months. In this period you start getting into part time jobs to support yourself and also start getting into your groove in the new environment. By now the ‘foreign’ feeling would have dwindled to an extent where you start experiencing the comfort factor.

• The 1 or 2 years you spend as a student allows you to make informed decisions after getting acclimatised to the new environment. This can have positive and far reaching consequences on the professional and personal fronts. The most important acquisition during this period will be creating a network of personal and professional contacts that will come in handy at the time of the eventual job search.

• A local qualification carries a lot of weight when you eventually make an approach to companies to seek jobs. They would rather consider someone who has spent time in the country and learnt there than a new migrant who has a degree from a university or college they have never heard of before. This explains the low level of employment of migrants and the high level and quality of employment of students who transition into jobs and eventual residency.

• Some countries offer an option of transitioning into a permanent resident after undertaking a course of study in their country for a certain period of time.

• And finally, it is an undeniable fact that education is a sure path to success. And there are no age barriers to when one can go back to school to up skill with the intention of achieving success, be it at the national or the international level. Of course, the up skilling through education is more vital at the international level.

What are the different ways to go abroad?

• There are many options of going abroad. Some opt to go in as legal migrants or permanent residents, some go in as refugees, some opt to go in as students, some go as legal employees and some take the route of going as a visitor and then easing into a job and eventual permanent residency.

• From our experience the two best ways of doing it is as legal workers or as students. Only if a person is exceptionally good in all aspects of personal and professional life (some international professional experience is a strong prerequisite) can he or she be a success as a legal migrant/permanent resident or going on a visit visa and then converting to a job permit and eventual residency.

• And as far as legal employees are concerned, only IT professionals seem to have all the work visas issued to them (and again not for all IT professionals). This leaves people from other walks of life like sales, marketing, accounting, finance, administration, HR, etc with little or no chance of securing a work visa.

• This narrows down the options and makes going in as a student a very viable option. Although to working professionals, going back to studies to achieve a dream of settling abroad may sound a little farfetched, we believe there are very valid reasons for taking this route.

Why go abroad?

• The world is a bigger place than where you are right now. And there is so much more to life than spending the rest of it in the same place.

• You enjoy a good lifestyle which includes uninterrupted power supply, excellent roads, law & order, subsidised health care, emergency healthcare, children’s education, unemployment and accident benefits and many more things.

• With an international experience the options in career and lifestyle improve many fold.

• Because of exchange rates, you can achieve simple Indian goals like a good house for your parents or other such things in a fairly comfortable fashion. Also if you aspire to do business in India or pursue some other personal dream, going abroad is the quickest way to raise the capital through your own efforts without having to borrow.

• An international stint or permanent residency raises your value and net worth in the circle of family and friends. Efforts to seek investments for a business venture will carry more weight.

• Because you can build a better India by being abroad and creating valuable networks and contacts that will benefit our country.

• Because you don’t know what you are missing out on!

How to write a good statement of purpose (SOP) to get a visa?

The statement of purpose along with a visa application is perhaps the most crucial document in ensuring the success or failure of your visa application. We have compiled the following set of topics that we believe you need to cover in your visa SOP to ensure your student visa application is successful. Answering these questions truthfully will enable the visa officer to understand you better. The process of answering these questions will also prepare you for your journey, study and post-studies settlement. Hence take time answer these questions truthfully, to the best of your abilities and with utmost respect. Remember it is YOUR VISA that is at stake. Do not hesitate to take our help or seek clarifications at any stage. Simply visit ArrayGlobe.comand leave an enquiry and one of our visa experts will help you with no cost to you.

1. Introduction & family background.
2. Your academic background.
3. Interests & hobbies.
4. Work experience.
5. Any gap between your studies and work experience.
6. Why have you chosen your destination country as your choice?
7. How are you funding this study?
8. Previous visa application/s details.
9. What do you intend to do after you complete this course?
10. Do you have any friends or extended family members living in destination country?
11. Any other information that will enable a successful outcome of your visa application.

We have devised a scientific way of capturing your answers to these questions and then collating them to be presented to the immigration authorities. If you want to take advantage of our expertise, then simply visit ArrayGlobe.com and raise an enquiry.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Why should you think of going overseas when you have everything in India?

The simple answer to that is ‘because you do not know what you are missing out on’. But before I simplify such an important issue, let us examine who you are today.

You are a working professional. You possess excellent communication skills, are full of confidence and have a zest for life. You work for a good company and have a few years of experience in an area of specialization like Sales & Marketing, Accounting, Administration, etc. You are a Graduate, Possibly even a post graduate. Your age is anywhere between the early 20’s to the early 30’s. You have a good circle of friends in your city and enjoy yourself on both the personal and professional fronts. To you, your life is as complete as it can be.

I disagree with that. While I agree that you are already where a lot of your contemporaries would wish to get to, it is my strong belief there is a very important element missing from your life. AN INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE! Think about it. You live in a global village today and yet your entire universe is the city where you live in. Ask yourself what you are missing out on. Ask yourself what you can achieve at an international level with the confidence and all the other abilities I mentioned earlier.

Without a doubt you have some friends or relatives who already live overseas. And there would have been times when they came home and impressed you with their lifestyle, their opportunities and their many little foreign acquisitions like sleek video cameras, fantastic perfumes, etc. In all likelihood during some of those moments you were impressed enough to go and do the same thing yourself and get yourself into a foreign country. And yet you did nothing about it, as you still live and work where you were a few years earlier. And slowly but surely you are losing out on one of the most irreplaceable things – time!

Either you were too busy, just did not care or more importantly did not know where to start the process of going overseas. If that is the case, I urge you to start the process of research. In today’s Internet age you don’t need a stupid consultant to tell you where you have to go and what you have to do. But if you want some honest information from a professional company as against some half baked ‘consultant’, I invite you to visit ArrayGlobe.com and raise an enquiry to talk to one of our experts. It is a no-obligations discussion to figure out what it means to get an international experience and how one can go about doing it. I am an expert in this field and it is my mission to help deserving young professionals such as you to make a successful transition from India to a land of your choice. Do read some of my other blogs on this page.

One last word. In 1998, I was exactly where you are today. A working professional in India. And today I live a happy, contented life as a successful business man in India after a 6 year long international experience. The international experience truly helped me. My only regret…I should have done it earlier. I believe you can do it too and encourage you not to lose more time than what you have already lost. You have nothing to lose and a world of opportunity to gain. Visit ArrayGlobe.com and leave an enquiry.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Which is the best overseas education/study abroad consultancy in India?

Well that’s a difficult question to answer because there are some good ones. and some bad and ugly ones too. But amongst the good ones, ArrayGlobe.com can lay claim to being different. And even if this sounds like an ad line, because we genuinely care about your future. But go on and read why we are your best bet.

Visas - Reason # 1

Dudes and dudettes, trust us…we know how to get you that student visa without the tension and the natakbazi normally associated with it. We have an exceptionally high track record of visa approvals because we make sure every aspect of your application is covered. And we don’t mean in fraudulent ways. But ion the most sincere and professional manner possible. Also we have special privileges as accredited agents with certain immigration departments. Our student visa applications are fast tracked and we have received visas in less than 48 hours. We ensure your application is picture perfect when we send it to immigration and we fight like crazy if there are any queries raised. In most instances we win because we only cater to genuine students?

And don’t worry if you already lost a student visa application to the USA, UK, Canada, Australia or elsewhere. If you are a good student, quite frankly, we will fight on your behalf!

Honesty - Reason # 2 Hey people, you have all heard of ‘consultants’ who make quick money and run away. Thankfully we are not one of them. In fact we don’t even think of ourselves a ‘consultancy’. We assure you that we will not send you to some two-bit school somewhere just because we will earn more commission. We are aware of some of these ‘idiot consultants’ who only think money and probably cannot spell overseas education. Believe us; we would rather shut down our company than do something like that to you. It’s our solemn promise that we will ensure you get an honest deal from us all the way from the information provided in our FREE counseling session, to the time you land in the country of your choice. Plus with our award winning software you can be assured of the best institution and course choice .

Professional - Reason # 3 It’s time to be a bit immodest, but we really operate as the best little MNC in town. I come from a background in Xerox, Canon and Tata Teleservices and also have international work experience in the USA, UK and New Zealand. I run this company on exactly the same principles and practices as my previous experience, national and international. So when you deal with us, everything is in black & white. No hidden costs or promises that cannot be kept. When it comes to work, we compare with the best professionals anywhere. We say that with a lot of pride. I believe only we have a software that allows constant and up to date information and alerts about your application . So you are never in a tense mode while working with us.

Friendly - Reason # 4 It’s funny how formal people can get just because they sit in a bloody air-conditioned office. Surely you can get work done even while being friendly right? We strongly believe in this and we maintain an informal and friendly atmosphere in our office and in our dealings with you. We are a bit like you. No nakhras and no hang-ups. But there is only so much we can say without blowing our own trumpet. Why don’t you experience the Array informality + professionalism yourself? Simply visit ArrayGlobe.com and start your overseas education journey.

And as far as technology is concerned, if you do find anybody better than Array, please go to them.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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What should I do if my student visa is rejected?

If you have been rejected a student visa before, there is no problem in re-applying. Any number of rejections will not and should not hamper the visa officer’s rationality unless the previous visas were rejected due to fraudulent documentation or a medical problem. Now those two are a definite problem. In fact in most immigration departments, all decisions have to be ratified by a senior officer before being conveyed to the student. So there is an inbuilt system to avoid bad decisions based on the individual likes and dislikes of one visa officer. One of our classic cases was a student who was rejected to the US five times and then got his New Zealand visa at first attempt. Last we heard he was doing very well in Auckland.

If you have a visa rejection and want it to be reassessed, simply contact us. Array is committed to working with any good quality client and helps them realize their international dreams. We understand that sometimes a visa decision may not be fair and hence we have introduced our 'Previous Visa Rejection Assessment' service. If you have a previous visa rejection and strongly believe that the decision was unfair click here to fill the form below and we will attempt to help you to the best of our abilities.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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F1 Visa – Frequently Asked Questions and Suggested Answers

I’ve always wanted to write about the visa interview and how to prepare for it and when I was researching came across this well written piece at indianstudentsabroad.blogspot. This is a really good blog started by a group of Indian students abroad, but sadly seems to have tapered off after a few attempts. I quite like this one about preparing for the visa interview and am reproducing it with credit to the author. Why reinvent the wheel and better to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

F1 Visa Questions - (GMAT/ GRE/ MBA/ MS) – (Source:indianstudentsabroad.blogspot)

With visa interviews starting soon for the Fall semester I thought it would be a good time to write a post on how to prepare for the visa interview and what to expect from the visa officer. The first thing that you have to keep in mind is that more than 80,000 students from India come to the US everywhere and there is no reason why you won't be one of them. So be confident that you are going to get the visa when you go for the interview.

I recently went to a reunion of Indian students in the Los Angeles area and we all started discussing how it felt when we went for the visa interview. The days leading to the interview are always tense and a lot of preparation goes into it. So what all do you need to prepare for so that you can be another Indian student who is studying abroad.

1) You have to make sure that you have all the required paperwork with you and the paperwork is properly labelled in different files. You on an average get 2-3 minutes with a visa officer and none of us wants to waste that time trying to search for our documents.

2) Your passport and I-20 should be ready in your hand.

3) Once the visa officer takes your passport and I-20 he will start asking you questions. Confidently and with a smile on your face answer the questions. It is always better to have a general idea of what you are going to say but there is no need to try and remember the answers by heart. If you try and say it too fast without conviction the visa officer could think you have been tutored which means they will start asking you questions which are not routine and those can be much harder to answer. Let us start with the questions:

4) Why this university? (The university you presented the I-20 for)

There is no one right answer and 100 people could answer it in 100 different ways. One of the answers could be - I did my research and liked the professors in the stream I am specializing in. I talked to a couple of professors and it seems what they cover in the curriculum is very useful in the real world(If you have a scholarship). Moreover the university is offering me a scholarship and that sealed my decision. I also interacted with a couple of alumni from the university and they highly recommended it.

5) What are the names of the Professors you talked to?

Always know the names of the professors and the email IDs as well if you can remember.

6) How many and which universities did you apply for?

Tell them exactly how many universities you applied to, which all you got accepted to and why you chose not to accept admission to any of those. Again it could be because the university you chose is really good in your specialization or the other universities were not offering scholarships etc.

7) Why not do your MBA in India, why go to the U.S. for your MBA /MS? You could answer with something like - with more and more multi-nationals coming into India I would like to get a global perspective of how things are conducted internationally and what better place to do it than in the USA which is the engine of the world economy. By combining my local knowledge with U.S. education I would get myself an edge over the competition.

8) What will you do after you complete your studies? You will of course say that you intend to come back to India and work e.g. I did some research and these companies hire a lot of people with this experience and education and these are the companies I plan to target when I come back. With so much growth in India I think I will be able to progress a lot faster after completing my education in the USA.

9) Do you have any relatives in the U.S.? Always answer this question truthfully. In my particular cases I had a member of the immediate family already in the USA. I still told the visa officer the whole detail. You should never try and lie about such things.

10) So XYZ from your family is already there and you will also stay there after you graduate? Of course not. At this point you need to convince the visa officer you have good reason to come back e.g. your parents who do not want to immigrate etc. Visa officers know that many of us stay back in the USA to work etc. - all they are looking for is a smart, well thought answer. Remember a visa officer is looking for an excuse not to give you the visa, if you do not give them that excuse they will not stop you.

11) How do you intend to pay for your education? Start answering the question confidently e.g. my father is sponsoring my education or I have a approved loan. Would you like to take a look at the documents? If the visa officer says yes hand them over but do not keep pushing your files through the window unnecessarily. Here it again becomes important that everything is properly labelled and in small files. The area to pass documents is not too big so do not try to push through a 6 inch thick file :)

12) What will you do if your visa is rejected? You can say something like this - "I will of course be disappointed. I have worked hard to get a good score, invested a lot of time and money applying and getting accepted to the universities. I see this as an opportunity for furthering my career. However it is not the end of the world. I know I am a deserving candidate but an adverse decision will definitely disappoint me".

13) What is your family composition i.e. how many brothers and sister do you have? Tell them about your family and what they do.

14) What are your sources of income? If you have savings give the officer details about it or provide details of your father's income.

15) Do you know anyone in the U.S.? Tell the officer about your contacts.

All of the above questions can be answered in 100 different ways and everyone's situation is different. My sole idea is to start you thinking about this process and be prepared for it. There are a lot more questions and I will cover them in a follow up post but the 15 above are the most common. The visa interview is the final step in all the effort you have put in for the last 8-12 months preparing for your study abroad.

Best wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Staying Safe While Studying Abroad

This is yet another important topic for students studying abroad. Because you go abroad with so many dreams and aspirations remember all that will come to nought if you are not safe and cannot protect yourself from injury or harm. Staying safe is mostly common sense. Your internal compass will tell you when you are deliberately putting yourself in danger. Listen to your gut and stay away from such situations. It could be a rowdy weekend in a sleazy part of town where you are vulnerable to other local drunks/gangsters, an idiot friend in a rented car trying to go over the speed limit on the motorway or pushing yourself to do unfamiliar adventure activities like kayaking or jet skiing in the sea just because you see other locals doing it with ease. Remember that is their way of life from childhood and not part of our growing up habits. The unfamiliarity may prove deadly sometimes. I am not trying to discourage you from acquiring good, adventurous habits because that is such an integral part of being overseas; all I am saying is do not try to do something stupid out of false bravado. Stay within your limits. And danger is not always necessarily bodily or physical harm. I once came across the episode of an Indian student who got really drunk and then went out in his car to get more liquor. He was stopped by the police because of erratic driving, was arrested, paid a hefty fine (luckily avoided jail), lost his peace due to the stress and then was finally denied a work permit after completing studies due to his drunken driving charge. So while that is also one dimension of being safe. The other dimension is to choose a safe country if peace and security are important to you than other aspects. Check out the world peace index and choose accordingly. I also found this really good article at http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/staying-safe-while-studying-abroad.html that already captures most of the thoughts I wanted to share. So happy reading, be safe and be successful overseas.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Recruiting International Students in India – A Good Practices Guide

I have always wanted to write an article on pretty much the same topic so that it will be useful to institutions desirous of recruiting from India. And then thankfully I found this brilliantly researched guide put together by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. So as against reinventing the wheel it is probably easier to simply put the link here - http://www.aucc.ca/_pdf/english/publications/recruitment-guidebook_e.pdf. If you are an institution keen to look at India as a market this is well worth a read. Brief, precise, insightful and brilliant.

Best Wishes,

ARUN JACOB
Managing Director
ArrayGlobe.com

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Know your agent in India... I wrote this piece for fun with no malice or intention to hurt the sentiments or feelings of anyone.

1. The Crook – He is an out and out rogue. He has committed enough document fraud to be put away for life. But he has not been caught to date and cleverly stays ahead of the law. Foxier than a fox. He wears a silly coloured or patterned tie with a terrible knot and he will have pictures of himself with various visiting delegates plastered all over his office. Within the first 15 minutes of your visit you will be asked to pose for a picture too. He will scratch his balls without even knowing it at least twice when he is escorting you out for lunch. And then shake hands with you before you get into the car. He will take you out for lunch to a restaurant that will border on seedy. By the time you come back from lunch his pathetic looking team will have an even more pathetic looking bunch of students waiting for you for spot admissions. You realise soon not one of the poor sods has an IELTS of more than 5.
   
   
2. The Oversmart – He knows it all. He will tell you why your country needs to change its foreign policy towards India and why global warming is actually related to bad immigration policies. He will refer often to his stint as a student or resident overseas and spare no effort to let you know that he is your equal or more. He will take you to a sophisticated restaurant for lunch and ask you a million questions about your policies, make suggestions how they can be better and essentially not let you enjoy your lunch. At some point you will want to just slap him and walk away, but barely hold back because you want him to represent you.
   
   
3. The Flashy Dude – He will charm you out of your pants with his western accent and the flashy office. Not to mention the fancy wheels he will drive you around in and take you out for a beer for lunch into a loud pub, backslapping you and cracking jokes all the time. He guffaws loudly at his own humour. He will convince you he is the best thing that could have happened to the institution you represent since the time it was started. He will throw numbers at you during lunch and the pitch will be so believable that you will have a feeling of a full stomach even before you get started on your plate. The doubts creep in towards late evening by which time the charm assault of the afternoon would start wearing off.
   
   
4. The Coy Lady – She is demureness personified. She will connect with you immediately especially if you are a woman too and at some point in your relationship you will be discussing shopping and/or family more than business. If you are a male representative and if the lady agent is pretty, you will make an almost impossible detour to visit her for spot admissions every time you are in India. She will be more dedicated to her work than Mother Theresa was to charity and this by itself will keep her in your good books for years. She desires to grow but is not sure how to go about doing it and so settles for a sedate pace. Sometimes you want to dump her but then the shopping and pretty looks kick in. And you let it be.
   
   
5. The Rupert Murdoch – He is the fortune 500 list all rolled into one. He will have a massive office with a seemingly endless army of workers. The place will be abuzz with activity. He will make you wait for sometime just so that you know how important he is. Finally a slave like secretary ushers you into an office that will rival the grand central station for size. A couple of strategically placed photos with senior foreign dignitaries will be visible. You will soon be drawn into a conversation fit for heads of state where he will talk about world domination and how his company will one day have offices in the capital cities of all developed nations and a sophisticated software running it all for him. He will eventually mellow down within about an hour and become either type 2 or 3 above depending on how much of an impression you have made on him. It helps if you are female and young. If male simply display aggressive traits like himself and tell him you intend to have the head of your school bumped off and step into his shoes. He will love it.
   
   
6. The Furniture Man – This guy is so plain and boring, he could be part of the furniture in his office which would be drab too. You are simply not able to form an opinion and every time you think you have nailed this guy down, he will show another trait plainer than the one before. He will dutifully pick you up from the airport and drop you back and responds to your attempts at humour a full minute after you have completed the joke. His smile indicates he has not really understood your joke. But he will laugh to make you comfortable because you are his guest. His wife steps in to run the office when he goes for his afternoon nap after a vegetarian meal and he will stand smile till your car reaches the corner after visiting his office and you are going away. But before that he would have apologetically requested you to increase the commission. Even if by a little bit.
   
   Have fun reading it and let me know what type I am ?
   
   Best Wishes,
   
   ARUN JACOB
   Managing Director
   ArrayGlobe.com
   
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   What kind of institution should I choose?

   There are 3 kinds of institutions anywhere in the world. These are 1. Universities, 2. Institutes of Technology/Polytechnics/Community Colleges, 3. Private Colleges. Universities are typically large and educate thousands of people, most of them under-grads. The other two type of institutions are smaller in size and range of courses offered. Also Universities focus on academic programmes and the others focus on practical training. Over recent years however polytechnics and private colleges have expanded their size and range of programmes and now there is significant overlap between Universities and them. Cross-credits for courses completed at the Polytechnics and private colleges can in some instances be credited to ongoing University study. The polytechnics and private colleges get students ready for the job market. Mostly universities and polytechnics are owned by government or large educational organisations. So there is an element of history and stability with them. There is a certain element of ‘unsurety’ about some private colleges and hence it is very important to do a background check and ensure they adhere to the norms and quality requirements of international student recruitment. Having said that there are some exceptionally good private colleges which are keenly focused on individual subjects like travel & tourism, computer graphics, film making, accountancy, physiotherapy, early childhood training, etc. So do not discount private colleges and do a background check using the internet to see if the college is appropriate for you. Also bear in mind that polytechnics and private colleges have a lower entry requirement and a faster turnaround of applications. So if you are looking at a course that will make you job ready, and does not demand high entry criteria a polytechnic or a private college is a good bet. If in doubt whether a college has a good reputation or not simply contact the ArrayGlobe.com counsellor nearest to you and you will get the information immediately.
   
   Best Wishes,
   
   ARUN JACOB
   Managing Director
   ArrayGlobe.com
   
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   What level of study should I choose?

   The simplest thing to do is go one step above your current level if you are sticking to the same subject. For instance if you have just completed your bachelors in science then your next step will be to go for a masters in science. But bear in mind there are other options available at the post graduate level. There is a PG diploma and also PG certificate in science. The PG diploma is sometimes the first year of the masters. So you may well take up a one year PG diploma instead of a 2 years masters and after completing this may opt to work for a year or two and then return to complete the masters. Or you may quite simply be content with the PG diploma and quite happily settle down in to a career. The situation becomes more complex when you get exactly the same benefits in terms of post study work permits whether you do a one year PG diploma or a 2 years masters. If the eventual goal is a job and settlement then really it makes sense to spend lesser time and money and do a PG diploma and quickly get into a job if the immigration rules permit it. This has been successful for many students. Of course if there is a one year masters then that will be the option. But bear in mind the entry criteria for a masters is likely to be higher than a PG diploma.
   
   If you are planning to change the subject and move into something else, eg: a commerce graduate planning to take up a course in IT, you may have to go to a level similar as your bachelors as you do not have any background in this new subject. But instead of doing a 3 years bachelors again, you can opt for a diploma which will be 1 or 2 years and is like the first 1 or 2 years of a bachelors. There is an interesting program called a graduate diploma which is aimed at graduates (only) who want to switch into a new subject. So a commerce graduate or physiotherapy graduate wanting to move into IT can take this one year program and this will be at a slightly higher level than a regular diploma as the age of the student is at least 21 years or more because he is already a bachelor of some subject. So since the student is mature the course content will also be slightly higher than a regular diploma. This graduate diploma also has a reasonable amount of success in the job market.
   
   The other factors to consider about what level to take up also depends on the duration you want to study and how much you want to spend? If you are clear about this, then your course level also becomes easier. To take the same example as stated above if you are confused between a one year PG Diploma or a one year Masters then you may quite simply opt for the PG Diploma because it is $1000 to 2000 less than the masters. So all these factors can help you choose and decide.
   
   If you need some expert advice or more information simply contact the ArrayGlobe.com counsellor nearest to you.
   
   Best Wishes,
   
   ARUN JACOB
   Managing Director
   ArrayGlobe.com
   
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