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Frequently Asked Questions

What is College Site Access?

 

College Site Access provides unlimited access to The BIG Guide Online for students, faculty and advisors. It is the Web version of the world’s best international career guide, The BIG Guide to Living and Working Overseas, including the chapters and text from the original guide, plus thousands of Resources, Organization Profiles and useful tools. The BIG Guide Online is a comprehensive, interactive site that helps college students build global career skills starting in their first year at college. See the Product Description to access detailed information about the content and features of the guide. 

How does it work? How do students get access?

Set up is easy. Colleges post links throughout their Web site and students register for free access by following these links. Access is granted to any user who has a school-designated e-mail address. If your school or organization does not have a standard school e-mail address, alternative registration processes are available. Contact us for details. 

How will it benefit the students we serve at my college or university?

In order to be competitive in the new global economy, students must make global career skills a priority. The BIG Guide Online helps students develop these skills so that they have international credentials and cross-cultural know-how by the time they graduate. The BIG Guide Online is designed to be consulted throughout each student’s time at college or university, starting in the freshman year. It offers expert advice and top-class resources to help them take advantage of every opportunity to build their International IQs. 

What does The BIG Guide Online offer over other resources that are available?

There are two main reasons why The BIG Guide is unique in comparison to our competitors: 

Firstly, the quantity of top-quality information that it offers. While there are many Web sites providing resource listings (program descriptions) online, there are very few that provide these listings along with expert advice, strategies and learning tools. 

Our competitors (in both online and printed format) focus on country-based job searches. A key element of author Jean-Marc Hachey's philosophy is that it is almost impossible for recent graduates to conduct a country-specific job search. Encouraging students to limit themselves with resources such as, for example, “How to Find a Job in Italy" leads students away from an international career path and towards low-skilled work in their country of interest. College graduates looking to build professional international experience need to do so with sector-specific job searched, targeting organizations that work internationally in their field of expertise. For more information on this important distinction, read our article published in the March 2008 issue of The NACE Journal (National Association of Colleges and Employers), Debunking The Myths About How College Students Look For International Work or read our Quick Guide on this subject. 

Will The BIG Guide Online provide our students with the tools they need to increase their ability to achieve their international employment goals?

Absolutely. The editors of The BIG Guide understand that international careers are built step-by-step over time. Students need to start building global career skills as soon as they enter their first year of college. Students will enjoy revisiting The BIG Guide over the course of their college careers because it offers customizable features, interactive elements and self-assessment tools, as well as thousands of pages of advice and useful resources. As they build skills, students can also share their experiences by publishing Reader Contributions or Reader Comments. At The BIG Guide Online we are constantly updating our Web site, keeping all our information as fresh and current as possible. Click here to view a list of recent major updates.

What tools does the site have for college administrators and student advisors?

The BIG Guide offers a series of tools for administrators: from videos and webinars, to marketing strategies and trackable usage statistics. Colleges are also able to personalize and brand the site, increasing its recognition as a service provided by your school. See the Benefits section for detailed information. 

It sounds like a good resource, but how much does it cost?

The annual fee varies by size of school (small, medium, large) and service levels (Standard and Premium). For exact pricing, please refer to our price list page or see page four in our online brochure.

How can I justify using that amount of money out of an already tight budget for a resource that’s available in print format?

Students want to access information online 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With online access, students benefit from having round-the-clock access to the world’s best international career guide. The BIG Guide provides information and tools that can be used by individual students, surfing the Web in their dorm rooms, but it also provides tools that can be used in seminars and one-on-one counseling sessions at the school. See the Product Description page for more information. 

Couldn’t we just as easily purchase multiple copies of The BIG Guide for the Career Center library and/or university library?

While the printed version of the guide is a great resource, having a few copies at the library does not encourage students to build career skills the same way 24/7 access to advice and interactive tools does. The BIG Guide Online is also being constantly reviewed, revised and updated. The printed version of the guide also has a more Canadian flavor, whereas the Web site has been completely revised to reflect our US and North American audience.

Is your site license fee on a sliding scale based on the number of FTEs or is it the same for all colleges and universities, large or small, private or public?

Yes, the fee is different based on the number of potential users at an institution. Please refer to our price list in the brochure for further details.

I think the study abroad and/or international studies programs at my college or university should pay for this, not the Career Center!

At most institutions, departments and offices with a vested interest in supporting this project collaborate to foot the bill. The Career Center often takes the lead and builds support with the Study Abroad office, Student Services, International Students office, International Programs and internationally focused study programs. The library is also often involved since they often purchase electronic resources for students.

Do you have any suggestions on how we could afford the site license fee?

See our pricing information for exact price and consider the suggestions below.

  • While the Career Center is generally the lead funder, collaboration across several departments (especially the Study Abroad office) often makes this project a joint venture on campus. 
  • The electronic resource librarian also responds well to funding request when two or more departments work together supporting the purchase and approach the library together. 
  • In a number of cases, the president’s office or the internationalization committee also supports the purchase since it is in line with their goals.