Consultant Spotlight - Maria Pillay
Each month we plan to feature a member of the Society of Education Consultants in our new Consultant of the Month article. New SEC member Maria Pillay offers specialised visa advice for colleges recruiting students from abroad as well as designing and delivering suitably visa-compliant courses for international students.
Originally from South Africa, she has spent many years in a variety of overseas locations, including India and Italy. For the last three years she has worked for Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College.
"There is a lot of fraudulent activity in the field of visa applications and I have developed considerable experience in understanding the precise visa requirements and then helping students and colleges overcome the pitfalls," she says.
"It remains to be seen how the election of the coalition Government will affect visa rules and regulations, but policy in this area has been particularly volatile in recent years."
Before moving into education, Maria worked in industries as diverse as pharmaceuticals, engineering and clothing. For example, she spent five years working in FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) for United Biscuits.
"My extensive experience in the corporate sector has given me strengths in strategy, technology and operations."
Maria lays claim to considerable expertise in course mapping and accreditation and has lectured on a number of international business programmes.
In addition, she can provide clients with training and development for their staff and can assist in change management and transformation processes.
Colleagues met up at the successful recent SEC Symposium to discuss latest developments in education consultancy in a unfolding national context.
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