International Student Advisor

Job Description

About Company

ILSC Education Group, which includes ELS Education Services, ILSC, and Greystone College, is a global leader in language education and vocational training. Established with ILSC’s first language school in Vancouver, Canada, in 1991, and Greystone College in 2002, the group expanded significantly, joining forces with ELS Education Services (founded 1961) in early 2022. This collaboration brings together over a century of combined experience in delivering life-changing learning experiences to international students.

The group offers diverse educational programs, including language, career, and higher education programs, across various international locations. These include Vancouver, Toronto, and Montréal in Canada; New Delhi in India; Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth in Australia; and an extensive network of on-campus English language programs and university partners across the USA.

Their mission is to provide their global community with transformative learning, living, and work experiences. The company operates on core values of Passion (to enrich & transform people’s lives), Innovation (to evolve through creativity & diversity), Respect (to treat everyone with compassion & dignity), Collaboration (to build community & achieve more together), and Integrity (to act responsibly & ethically in everything they do).

ELS, ILSC, and Greystone College are committed to providing a barrier-free environment and are proud Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employers, ensuring non-discrimination based on a wide range of protected characteristics.

Job Description

Job Title: International Student Advisor
Reporting To: Center Director
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
Salary: $38,000

Summary of Position:
The International Student Advisor is responsible for providing comprehensive non-academic student services. This includes support in areas such as orientation, immigration counseling, college counseling, legal counseling, medical assistance, personal counseling, housing, and social activities. The advisor also performs other duties as assigned by the Center Director.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities:

• Orientation: Planning, coordinating, and presenting new student orientation programs in collaboration with other Center personnel.
• Immigration Counseling: Counseling and assisting students with immigration matters, while maintaining up-to-date information on SEVIS regulations.
• College Counseling: Counseling and assisting qualified students with college selection and admission processes. This involves maintaining an extensive library of college catalogs and placement guidebooks and communicating with admissions officers to verify international student requirements.
• Referral Services: Maintaining lists of qualified doctors, dentists, personal counselors, and lawyers, acting as a referral source for students.
• Medical Insurance Assistance: Assisting students in filing claims for medical insurance, maintaining accurate records, and communicating with the insurance company.
• Local Resources: Maintaining and providing information/referrals for students on various local resources, including banks, post offices, area transportation, travel agencies, rental car agencies, recreational facilities, social services, campus resources, and international student organizations.
• Student Activities: Planning, promoting, and conducting student activities, including managing the student activities budget.
• Housing Assistance: Assisting students with housing needs.
• Other Duties: Performing other duties as necessary or assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications And Experience:

• Education: A college graduate from an accredited college/university or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required. Courses in cross-cultural awareness or counseling are preferred.
• Experience: One year of counseling experience is preferred, ideally in capacities such as a youth camp counselor or college residence advisor. Previous cross-cultural experience is helpful.

Competencies:

• Ability to work effectively in a cross-cultural environment.
• Possession of good inter-personal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills.
• The ability to handle a wide variety of job duties efficiently.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certificate or better in CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) or a related field.
• Certificate or better in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) or a related field.
• Bilingual ability (English/Spanish) is preferred for the position.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None
Travel Requirements: None

Essential Physical Functions:
The role regularly requires the employee to talk or hear. Frequently, the employee will need to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and reach with hands and arms. Occasionally, the employee may need to exert up to 10 pounds of force to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.

Work Environment:
The job operates in a professional office setting. Standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines are routinely used.