An agent’s perspective on recruiting in France

The junior language travel market – that is, programmes for those aged 18 and under – has been one of the industry’s most dynamic segments for some years now and a source of growth for many major study destinations. The Paris-based agency La Route des Langues specialises in the junior market in France, and in today’s feature interview Managing Director Laurent Pasquet shares his insights on some of the trends that are shaping the French market. In our first interview segment below Mr Pasquet notes that French juniors are reflecting some of the characteristics that we see among younger students in other important sending markets, notably a strong demand for more specialised programmes. In our second interview segment, Mr Pasquet provides an overview of some of the recent shifts in destination preferences among French juniors. He notes as well that fluctuations in currency exchange rates often underpin such shifts in student or family preferences. “Education providers need to decide how they want to approach the French market,” says Mr Pasquet. “Are they willing to go direct? Are they willing to go through a platform? Or are they willing to go through an agent?” As he explains in our next interview excerpt below, the answer will often depend on the market segment the provider is targeting in France. In our final interview segment, Mr Pasquet looks ahead at some of the major trends that will influence the French market going forward, and the growing role of online booking platforms in particular. For additional background, please see:

• “Specialised camps are raising the bar for junior programmes”
• “Junior language travel market continues to develop”