Education partnerships betweenAustralia and the UAE.
I have done this work from inside an Australian university and the New South Wales Government.
Book an institution call →Australian institutions entering the UAE, and UAE schools looking to Australia
I work with Australian institutions that want to build a presence in the UAE, and with UAE schools that want their students to experience Australian education.
Australian institutions
Transnational education (TNE), dual degree programs, articulation agreements and research partnerships with UAE institutions, starting with an honest feasibility check. I also research the UAE market and support you in setting up an office or team here, or improving one you already have.
UAE schools
Immersion programs, study tours, summer programs and masterclasses for your students, and partnerships with Australian institutions.
For Australian universities and providers
Dubai alone has 387,441 students in 227 private schools, teaching 17 curricula. The largest are the UK curriculum (37 per cent of students), the Indian curriculum (26 per cent), the US curriculum (14 per cent) and the IB (7 per cent). Students from each curriculum meet university entry requirements by a different path, so a university’s entry requirements, marketing and partnerships must cater to all of them.
School figures: Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), 2024-25.
Market assessment
Which curricula, cities and programs fit your institution, and what the competition from UK, US and Canadian universities looks like in this market.
Partnership models
Transnational education (TNE), dual degree programs, articulation agreements and research partnerships with UAE institutions, starting with an honest feasibility check. Several UAE universities rank highly in the QS Arab Region University Rankings, which gives Australian universities strong partners to build on.
Setting up in the UAE
I research the UAE market and support you in setting up operations or a team here, or improving one you already have.
Reaching UAE schools and counsellors
For universities a long way from the region, I make the connection with UAE schools and careers counsellors on your behalf.
For UAE schools
I work with British, IB, CBSE and American curriculum schools whose students are considering Australia. For those students, the subject choices made early on decide which Australian degrees they can apply for. The earlier a school builds Australia into its counselling and guidance, the more options its students keep when they decide where to study.
Immersion programs
A week-long program for Year 11 and Year 12 students, visiting several Australian universities before they apply. Students see what each campus and student life feel like, and what each university offers.
Study tours
Short tours run with Australian universities, where students learn on campus through workshops, lab work, lectures or masterclasses. The tours are hands-on, so students find out what learning at an Australian university is like.
Summer programs
Short programs at Australian universities during the UAE summer break. The UAE summer falls in the Australian winter, between the first and second semesters, which is when most of these programs run. Each university sets its own dates and programs.
Masterclasses
Subject-based sessions delivered by academics from Australian universities, in person at the school or online. Students learn about a topic from an academic in that field and can ask about studying it in Australia.
Course search for counsellors
The course search is open to everyone, so counsellors can use it with students in class or one to one. It covers every course the 42 Australian universities offer to international students.
Questions schools ask
Which curricula do you work with?
All of them. The point at which a student makes the subject choices that matter differs from one curriculum to another. I offer free sessions for schools on studying in Australia.
Which year groups are the programs for?
Year 10 and above. Immersion programs are for Year 11 and Year 12.
Who do you speak to at a school?
School leaders, careers counsellors, students and parents.
Partnership work at the Australian National University and the New South Wales Government
- Worked in student recruitment at Macquarie University and the Australian National University, closely with admissions teams
- As Manager, International Development at the Australian National University, led the offshore expansion that opened ANU offices in India, Indonesia and Vietnam, and managed 8 regional recruitment managers across South Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America
- As Senior Manager, Partnerships and Engagement, and Acting Associate Director at Study NSW, built government-to-government education frameworks for New South Wales and led education missions across South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa
- Chaired the NSW Marketing Consultation Committee, which brought leaders from the education sector together to work on the state’s marketing objectives
- Ran roundtable discussions on academic and research partnerships, research commercialisation and alternative revenue models
- Ran the secretariat for the NSW International Education Advisory Board, the minister’s advisory board of university Vice-Chancellors and sector chief executives
Planning something betweenAustralia and the UAE?
A 30 minute call on what your institution is planning, and whether I can help. If the timing or the market isn’t right, I’ll say so.