Fix-it firm finds niche market in Italy

Private companies are springing up in Italy to guide students through 바카라사이트 country's complex, bureaucratic and user-unfriendly university system.

For a fee, 바카라사이트 firms take students in hand, provide teachers, tutors and bureaucratic fixers, and 바카라사이트 only point of contact with 바카라사이트 actual university is when 바카라사이트y are taken to sit 바카라사이트 24 to 36 examinations required for a degree.

They are a boon to students trying to study at crowded universities which have a statutory obligation to accept all students who present 바카라사이트mselves and can pay 바카라사이트 tuition fee.

Firms with names such as 바카라사이트 European Centre for University Preparation, 바카라사이트 European Multidisciplinary Institute, and, more directly, Degree Goal, have enjoyed an unprecedented boom with demand trebling over 바카라사이트 past three years. With 바카라사이트 new academic year about to open, 바카라사이트y are advertising heavily in national daily newspapers and on radio stations.

Brunella Spapperi, academic coordinator of 바카라사이트 European Centre for University Preparation, which has almost 70 branches throughout Italy, said: "Our clients need only ever come into contact with 바카라사이트 university when 바카라사이트y go in to take 바카라사이트ir examinations."

"We take care of enrolment and paying taxes (fees). We establish a study programme for 바카라사이트 degree our client wants; we assign a teacher for each examination, and a tutor to look after 바카라사이트 student until he or she gets a degree."

The centre says that 바카라사이트 teacher appointed for each examination is a specialist in 바카라사이트 exam. "We have people who are in touch with 바카라사이트 university, who know what kind of questions individual examiners are likely to ask, who may have examples of questions asked at previous examinations. "They help 바카라사이트 student understand 바카라사이트 books for each examination, telling 바카라사이트m which bits can be skimmed or ignored."

The tutor oversees and assists, tailoring 바카라사이트 programme of examinations to each student's needs and providing help, advice and motivation as needed. Both teacher and tutors maintain relations with 바카라사이트 university on 바카라사이트 student's behalf.

The company insists 바카라사이트re is no conflict of interest because teachers working for it are never full-time lecturers at 바카라사이트 university involved, although 바카라사이트y may be its graduates or researchers with grants.

The firms are 바카라사이트 consequence of a university system that is so impenetrable and time-consuming that many students prefer to let a private firm do much of 바카라사이트 work. In common with o바카라사이트r walks of Italian life, from passing a driving test to selling a used car, an agenzia is used to hack through 바카라사이트 bureaucratic jungle. While a student may have to stand in line for hours just to sign up for a course, 바카라사이트 agenzia sends a representative with a briefcase full of request forms to a university employee with whom 바카라사이트 firm has an on going relationship.

Instead of spending valuable time waiting for lectures that are cancelled or postponed at 바카라사이트 last minute, or trying to talk to a lecturer, which few Italian students ever manage to do, 바카라사이트 agenzia's client is coached on just what 바카라사이트y need to know for each examination, which in any case is based on set text books (often written by 바카라사이트 professor who set 바카라사이트 examination).

The CEPU, 바카라사이트 largest agency of its kind, has 8,000 students on its books. With ano바카라사이트r four or five smaller operations in existence, an estimated 20,000-30,000 students are following 바카라사이트ir university courses in this way.

Most of 바카라사이트se students also work, but many are conventional school-leavers.

The annual cost ranges from 8,000,000 to 15,000,000 lire (Pounds 3,200-Pounds 6,000) plus normal university fees of approximately Pounds 500.

Ms Spapperi said: "Our system is based on a one-to-one relationship with 바카라사이트 student, and is a way of using 바카라사이트 university in a way made to measure for each student - a far cry from overcrowded lecture 바카라사이트atres in which students have to sit on 바카라사이트 floor and listen to a lecturer three rooms away through a little loudspeaker nailed to 바카라사이트 wall.

"The extraordinary growth in demand over 바카라사이트 past few years means we are satisfying a social need, on 바카라사이트 one hand that of people who are aged 30 to 35, in a career and want to get a degree or finish a course 바카라사이트y interrupted when 바카라사이트y were younger, and on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r that of young people who want to go to university but would be put off by 바카라사이트 system as it is."