Founded 2003 (2003) Headquarters Shanghai, China Website www.behk.org | Founder William Vanbergen Services Education | |
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Number of locations Shanghai
Beijing
Changzhou
Chengdu
Shenzhen
Tianjin
Zhengzhou | ||
BE Education is an international education company created to help students in China gain entry into schools and universities in the UK, US, and Switzerland. BE Education was founded by William Vanbergen in 2003 and currently has offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Changzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Tianjin, and Zhengzhou in China and Oxford in the UK.
Contents
- History
- Overseas Education Consulting
- Holiday Programmes
- Oxford International Colleges of China
- References
BE Education has three international colleges located at Oxford International College of Chengdu, Oxford International College of Changzhou, and Oxford International College of Zhengzhou, taking local and foreign students with options to board full-time or part-time. BE Education's Holiday Programmes send students over summer and winter breaks to study at schools and universities such as Eton College, Charterhouse School, Institut auf dem Rosenberg, and Dartmouth College.
Other services include a range of overseas education consulting, mock interview practice, and one-to-one private tutoring in English language and a variety of subjects in preparation for overseas study.
BE Education has published an annual Schools Guide since 2009, providing in-depth information on top schools and universities. The Schools Guide includes recent news, information, and interviews with headmasters, educators and students.
History
The idea for BE Education began when founder William Vanbergen was approached during his time in university by a friend asking Vanbergen to help get a Chinese friend into Stowe School. Vanbergen agreed and prepared the student with typical interview questions and tips for a successful interview. The student was accepted and his mother insisted on paying Vanbergen for his work.
From there, Vanbergen booked a flight to Shanghai, where he began hosting promotional events to explain the benefits of a British education. By the end of 2003, he had placed 10 Chinese students in a variety of notable UK schools including Eton, Wycombe Abbey, Westminster and Winchester. Vanbergen opened an office in Guangzhou and set up a course at Eton to send students abroad on a Summer Course, sending its first students to Eton in 2004. This was followed by the opening of Summer Courses at Charterhouse School in 2009, Rosenberg Switzerland Winter Course in 2012, and Tonbridge School and Dartmouth College in 2014.
BE Education’s Shanghai headquarters officially opened in 2007, with offices opening in Beijing in 2006, Chengdu in 2008, Shenzhen in 2010, and others in Changzhou, Tianjin, and Zhengzhou. BE Education has opened two private schools in China that follow an international curriculum, founding Oxford International School of Chengdu in 2011 and Oxford International School of Changzhou in 2012. Currently BE Education offers overseas education consulting and private English lessons, and publishes its annual Schools Guide.
Overseas Education Consulting
The Overseas Education Consulting Programme, headed by Emma Vanbergen, helps students prepare for study overseas in the UK, US and Switzerland. Students receive IGCSE and A-Level practice, English language tutoring, visa application assistance, interview preparation and living arrangements. BE Education appoints guardians and tracks students’ progress after placement.
Mrs Vanbergen serves as an advisor to international schools looking to recruit top Chinese students. Mrs. Vanbergen was born in England, completed her secondary education in the United States and then returned to England where she obtained her bachelor's degree.
To date, BE Education’s students have secured placement at top schools including Wycombe Abbey, Eton College and Harrow School in the UK, Phillips Exeter Academy and Emma Willard in America, and Le Rosey in Switzerland.
Holiday Programmes
BE Education’s Holiday Programmes are designed to allow students to study and gain experience abroad for a short period of time. The programmes take place at Eton College, Charterhouse School and Tonbridge School in the UK, Institut auf dem Rosenberg Winter Course in Switzerland, and Dartmouth College in the US.
Students are housed on school campuses, taking classes in English and a range of other subjects, including drama and public speaking courses. Students participate in extracurricular activities through sports, arts, and cultural trips and events off campus to the countries’ local places of interest.
Oxford International Colleges of China
BE Education has three co-educational international boarding schools in China: Oxford International College of Chengdu (CDOIC) accepts students ages 14–18, Oxford International College of Changzhou (CZOIC) accepts students 4-18, and Oxford International College of Zhengzhou (ZZOIC) accepts students ages 13–18. The schools take both Chinese and foreign students and follow the British national curriculum to help prepare students wishing to study at universities abroad for their IGCSEs and A-Levels. All schools are accredited Edexcel testing centres for IGCSEs and A-Levels.
The schools allow for students to either board full-time or part-time. Students of the same age are grouped together with assigned tutors, one Chinese and one foreign, who supervise students in their school life. Faculty are native English speakers from the UK, US and Canada, and all classes are delivered in English. Counseling and guidance is provided for students during the university application process.
CZOIC will open a new campus on West Tai Lake in Fall 2014.
Oxford International College in Zhengzhou (ZZOIC) was scheduled to open in September 2015. At ZZOIC the British international curriculum will run parallel with the Chinese national curriculum. Primary level students (ages 4–11) will be taught in both English and Chinese using Chinese and British curriculums, gradually transitioning into the full British curriculum in secondary school. Students can take either Zhongkao exams or the A-Level for graduation.