Pros
A job and a paycheck
Cons
I am what you might call an Indian Education Consulting industry Insider as I have worked for several companies within the Indian market and a few international companies as well. I have worked for The Chopras for more than 2 years now as a member of the faculty, and there are numerous ethical issues that need to be publicized so that potential consumers are aware of the character of the people and culture they are entrusting their children’s futures to. The company calls brands itself an Education Consultant, but just this past year, the highest proportion of their Capital Expenditures went into their EB-5 Visa business. For those of you who are unaware, these visas are United States entry visas which first require an investment of$500, 000 into US-based real estate and infrastructure projects. The Chopras earn a substantial finder’s fee(more than 5%) for each signee. Is this in any way an education-related product? Obviously not. The people running this company are business people in the education business, not educators who started a business. This is the primary difference between this company and others in the industry here in India and abroad. Other education consultancies and coaching institutes are led by educators, who at the very least have some amount of intrinsic motivation(i.e. love of education, supporting students futures, etc.) for being in this business. The Chopras have no such motivation. Their motivations are solely extrinsic. They care only for revenue growth and increased margins. Of course, The Chopras’ primary product is their study overseas consulting business. They promote themselves as a kind of “one-stop” shop for those seeking admissions at international universities. They have business tie-ups with several hundred universities, and it is certainly understandable how this be alluring to an aspiring student. The ethical issue here is that the sales pitch, made by the consultants within the relationship management unit, is not in synch with the reality. At a cost of often more than 1 lakh, the parents and students are promised full support in obtaining admission at one of The Chopras university partners. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, most universities that The Chopras have partnerships with are Bottom-Tier Universities in their respective countries. Out of the hundreds of partnerships, why don’t they have relationships with the top universities in the world? The reason is simple: Indian students applying to the best universities in the world don’t need support from an education consultant as they are already motivated and studious enough to handle this endeavor on their own. The Chopras essentially exploit the desperate parent of the unambitious, perhaps even lazy, student who, despite his or her shortcomings, wishes to get an education abroad. So, for a fee of more than 1 lakh, the “fortunate” student gets admission to a bottom-tier university costing anywhere from 15-25 lakh per year. Furthermore, what The Chopras RM team will never tell a student is that employment/sponsorship by a company in the foreign country upon graduation from a bottom-tier university is highly improbable. In most cases, the student will return to India following graduation and work for the family business or find a low-paying entry level job locally. You will even find that several of the consultants working for The Chopras are examples of this, masters and MBA-level graduates at universities abroad having returned home and now working for The Chopras. Ironic! My warning to all potential consumers: Use The Chopras at your own risk! Most past consumers have experienced buyers remorse. My suggestion: Do the application and admissions process on your own. It’s not that hard and a great learning experience. Best Wishes, The Education Insider
