“The risk is.. that the result that you want is not going to be achieved”
You shouldn’t use a recruitment company if they’re telling you what you want to hear!
or you’re asking for answers that you want to hear, and they give them to you pretty easily. That’s the first thing.
It’s hard to pick up when someone’s just telling you things that you want to hear, it’s hard to say, “Whoa.” Take a step back, “Is it too good to be true?” It’s hard to pick up on that, but it’s something you need to be wary of. If they’re just constantly telling you things you want to hear, saying yes to everything. Yes, it might be what you want to hear but is it the right option.
You shouldn’t use a recruitment agency if you’re happy to pay $1,000 or $30 a month or $50 a month or whatever amount it is and actually lose it, if nothing eventuates. This happens a lot and I speak to a lot of parents about this because there’s, I guess…… a risk!
The risk is that, the result that you want is not going to be achieved. If that result that you’re hoping to achieve, hasn’t been explained properly … If that result is impossible to achieve, then yes, you’re going to take a huge risk.
“I’ve only lost $1,000.”
Go back to the start, identify what you actually want to achieve and then say, “Well, if I get to achieve that, then it’s a positive result.”
You shouldn’t use one if you’re happy to lose the money that you’ve paid, whether it’s $30, $50 or $100 or $1,000. I feel as though a lot of people or parents, they’re happy to pay for the lower costing services or the $50 a month because if it doesn’t eventuate well, I’ve only lost $1,000.
I’ve lost only $1,000, $800, I’ve only lost $40 a month, It’s only 50 bucks a month. It’s a similar business model that gyms use, it’s a similar model that Netflix uses or anything like that. It’s called, “The Freemium Version.” You have free profiles, you have $30 a month, you have $50 a month or whatever it is.
I can tell you right now that if you’re not putting any effort in, regardless of how much money you’re spending, whether you’re spending $5,000 or you’re spending $30 a month, you’re not going to get the outcome you want.
“It won’t happen unless you’re 100% committed”
We’re one of, if not the most expensive out there but I still need your information, I still need your input, I still want to catch up with you every single month. I still need to get you tested athletically, I still need you to study, I still need you to speak to college coaches.
Whether or not you’re spending money or not, isn’t the thing here. If you are happy to lose $1,000 or $500 or whatever it is, if you’re happy to lose that amount, then you shouldn’t use a recruitment agent, because you’re not going to get the outcome because it won’t happen unless you’re 100% committed.
There is a certain amount of commitment, whether it is providing information, filming games, improving athletically, keeping up with your grades and improving as a student. That’s a requirement regardless of how much money you’re spending. No recruitment agent or company can improve you as an athlete.
Whatever the amount, you shouldn’t be paying for an agent to help you or an agency to help you, if that investment is a struggle to make. You definitely shouldn’t be paying for an agent If you struggle to get that money, to get there in the first place. Or if you’re uncomfortable paying that amount.
“I can only afford a full scholarship.”
In proportion to your college fees, it’s going be a smaller amount but 98% of athletes are going to have to pay for college. Even if you’re on a full scholarship, there’s still costs associated with the pathway.
Your fees for college, as we explain in our free 12 step guide and as we explain to all parents, you will need to have a budget expectation in mind before you even start this whole process. It goes back to what we call the full scholarship mindset. If you’ve got a full scholarship mindset, if you say this – “I can only afford a full scholarship.”
Well, if you can only afford a full scholarship that means you can’t afford anything. Because a full scholarship essentially means paying nothing, so you can’t afford it.
So, you can’t expect to spend $1,000 or $5,000 and hope that in return you get everything paid for over there, and if you don’t, well then, you’ve lost that money and that’s been a huge struggle for you to get in the first place.
You can’t go to university for free here in Australia. Obviously, there’s HECS, but it’s still not free. You’ve got your living costs and you’ve got all your sports fees, books, leisure, phone etc.
It’s something we’re very transparent with the families we speak to. It’s something we have to be transparent with because our end result is getting every single person to college. If we didn’t tell you how much it’s going to be, you’re not going to be happy with us at the end.
“It just means that you shouldn’t even start the process.”
Another reason why you shouldn’t use a recruitment agency is……. if your daughter or your son doesn’t go to college because they changed their mind and you’re going to be upset that they don’t go. As a recruitment agency we have done our job we have provided the athlete with quality options and provided your child the offer that they need to get to college but you’re going to be upset that they don’t go because you’ve invested money and time, then you shouldn’t use one either. It just means that you shouldn’t even start the process.
Because at the end of the day-Going is one thing. Getting an offer is another.
You have to separate both going and getting an offer. You shouldn’t use a recruitment agency, if they get you a result, your child doesn’t go for whatever reason, injury, illness, or a boyfriend, girlfriend, or just completely changed their mind. At that point you become upset and angry that they didn’t go.
Because at the end of the day, it’s about opening doors. It’s providing options, so when the end of year 12 comes around and your child has opportunities in America, opportunities in Australia. It shouldn’t bother you what pathway they choose.
“They cannot make you look like Ronaldo in your footage”
Recruitment Agencies are not miracle workers, they cannot make you a better athlete, and they cannot make your footage into Ronaldo. They can’t make your handicap lower. They can’t make your swim times faster.
You shouldn’t use one if you’re expecting that. What we can do is provide you with the tools to support you and keep you on track and if you are expecting multiple places that you are ineligible to actually get into then you shouldn’t use one either.
Don’t join or I guess sign on with a recruitment agency if the agent or if an employee tells you that we’ve worked with a similar athlete to you before, playing at the same level and this is where they went or you want to go to UCLA, I know the head coach at UCLA.
You shouldn’t use a recruitment agent just because they know someone at a specific school, because whether or not you’re getting into that school, has absolutely zero to do, and when I say zero, it’s a zero to do with the contact. Because that contact still needs to make their own assessment or opinion, you still need to be eligible academically, eligible financially and capable to afford the school, they’d still need a placement availability at the school, and that’s big in basketball.
“I know the coach!”
Basketball coaches in Australia especially…. are notorious at telling their kids that they’ve got a friend who went to LSU and or went to Oklahoma and went here and went there, “I know the coach!”….Who cares!
“I know” the coach means nothing. It means absolutely zero. It actually upsets me when I hear it. It means zero because whether or not you are good enough for that school or have placement or academically eligible to the right subjects, that’s what determines whether or not you’re going to the school. Not the fact that they know someone.
The coach has absolutely no say on the school’s admission. The head coach in the States, even if let’s say they do like you as an athlete, they still have no say over your academic eligibility. If you take maths and you failed high school, you can be the next Lonzo Ball and you’re still not going to get into the school.
You shouldn’t use a recruitment agent/person to help you get to college if they say they know someone- and they can get you into that school because that means nothing.
That does not relate to you whatsoever. There are so many different variables that need to come into play. Coaches or someone at recruitment agencies, and their relationships with coaches in the States means absolutely nothing. Unless you know Donald Trump or the president of that particular school…… Even then, it’s going to be a struggle.
If you want to find a list of all the recruitment agencies, go on our website, on the top navigation bar, under resources, other scholarship agencies. Or click here
Have a look. You can scroll through, you can jump on their websites, have a look at costs. Again, we’re very open with all of the information that we provide.
Don’t forget to grab your FREE 12 Step Guide on how to find Sports Scholarships in the USA – Click the image below to get yours
