44,000 Indian students are currently studying in the UK. Indian students usually opt for the one year Master's and three-year undergraduate course in the UK (except Scotland).

Students also take advantage of the TIER 1 Point Based Scheme (Poststudy work) which allows them to work up to two years after completing their studies Most students have started accepting that as soon as they recover their investments, they wish to return to India for better job opportunities,

CONSIDER this. Indian students constitute the second largest group of international students in the UK. Each year, nearly one million students around the world take the TOEFL test, the most widely accepted English-language proficiency assessment. India accounts for the fifth largest country of test takers. Earlier in the year, Aptech launched English Express, an English Learning Academy. The academy offers courses for beginners and those seeking advanced learning. The intake per classroom is 20-25 students and cost per student varies from Rs 2,701 to Rs 11,236, depending on the skill sets, preparation and the duration of courses. The duration varies from 15 to 60 days, with a daily class of 1 hour to 3 hours. The accent is on written and spoken English skills.

Simply because the skill sets are a trump card for Indian students who wish to study abroad.
"Since the English training market is estimated to be approximately US$1.4 billion a year, we realized that there was potential to improve English proficiency . Though children studied in English medium schools, many of them were not comfortable conversing in English. We stepped in to fill the gap as it's necessary to speak English in the corporate world," highlighted Preeti Malik, Senior Vice President, Aptech Ltd. The academy has collaborated with Cambridge University Press for English Language Teaching (ELT) to provide authorised course material. The courses range from General English, Spoken English, Business Communication Skills, preparation for TOEFL and IELTS,English for Professionals, Corporate training, specialized training in presentation skills, accents and English coaching to prepare for jobs in the BPO and IT-Enabled Services (ITES) industry and Teachers' training.

Instructional programmes are based on lear ning materials from the Cambridge University Press.Other highlights. The British Council estimates that over 44,000 Indian students are currently studying in the UK. Indian students usually opt for the one-year Master's and three-year undergraduate course in the UK (except Scotland). Students also take advantage of the TIER 1 Point Based Scheme (Poststudy work) which allows them to work up to two years after completing their studies. It's more hands-on than theory oriented, which gives students a competitive edge while applying for a job.

Indian students prefer studying in European universities and in other countries where the medium of instruction is English along with affordable study packages. Malaysia, Sweden, Denmark and Singapore offer value for money education. "Students have begun to accept quicker degrees and they are calculating their risks in investing on education. The currency conversion rate is encouraging students towards UK and other European regions since they are hoping for a quicker return on their investments. Most students have started accepting that as soon as they recover their investments, they wish to return to India for better job opportunities," explained Santosh Neelangatil, MERIT Higher Education Consultants.

The best options available in India are limited to the top rung of students.On an average, an MBA in an Indian B-school would cost around Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, the same would be about Rs 3.5 lakh in Malaysia. An overseas education plan should take into account factors like friendly Visa norms and job opportunities. For instance, a return on investment happens when a dairy management course is pursued in New Zealand or Netherlands. Then, accessibility plays a role. Like Singapore. The course study offered by Australia, UK and US universities are seen as pathway options from Singapore.

However other language destinations like China have become sought after for engineeringandmanagement;thenthere'sSwitzerland, whose hospitality courses draw Indian students. "The number of Indian students heading to China has not increased. That is because the Chinese Government has designated only key universities for foreign students studying medicine in English language. Other universities are allowed to enroll foreign students only in Chinese language courses. The universities which accept foreign students have increased their fees. Yet, students continue to go to China for further studies because it is more affordable than studying in India," explained Vanita Ganguli, admission coordinator, Saraswathi Online, education service provider.

Likewise the Netherlands singled out business, hospitality and trade courses."India contributes to more than 25 per cent of Deakin's international student community. Currently around 1,500 Indian students are studying at Deakin University," explained Ravneet Pawha, Country Director, India, Deakin University Australia. Deakin has established international offices in India and Beijing has exchange programmes for its students and faculty .

"International Business and Accounting remain the two most popular programmes. What has also worked well with the students across the board are our dual-degree programmes, wherein the students are awarded two degrees in their chosen disciplines at the end of the two years. Engineering and biotech have gained mass popularity, especially among Indian students," added Pawha.

The Graduate Employability Skills Survey 2009 indicates that Australian employers have increased the headcount of international graduate recruits. As part of their graduate intake, in 2005 it was 15.7 per cent which rose to 35.8 per cent in 2008. According to the Institute of International Education's report released last month, India produced the largest number of international students studying in the US in 2008-2009. "There was a 9.2 per cent increase of Indian students studying in 20082009 from 2007-2008. The report indicates that India leading in terms of the international students studying in the US for the last eight consecutive years," said Gena Netten, Educational Testing Service (ETS), creator of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).