Baćko Babić, Founder and Executive Director of ISEM Agency
Undoubtedly, the world we live in is becoming increasingly interconnected, and the boundaries of education are becoming more permeable, which is why international academic experience is no longer a luxury – it has become a necessity. It was from this vision that ISEM Agency was founded, by Baćko Babić, a man whose personal biography embodies what he now offers to hundreds of young people: an opportunity to gain knowledge, experience, and security for life in a global society through education abroad. In this interview, Babić talks about the challenges and opportunities that studying beyond borders brings, the importance of self-awareness when choosing a career, and how ISEM builds bridges between young talents and world-renowned educational institutions.
Mr. Babić, you founded ISEM Agency in 2011 in Podgorica, inspired by your own academic experience, with the goal of empowering young generations to realise their potential and talents through education abroad. How do you achieve this?
You’re absolutely right! After finishing high school and completing my undergraduate and master’s studies abroad – specifically in the USA, Costa Rica, and Belgium – I decided to return to Podgorica and establish ISEM Agency, with the aim and desire to help future students have an equally enriching and valuable experience. During my studies abroad, aside from playing basketball for American high school and university, I was involved in numerous student activities and won many awards at both national and international levels.
ISEM Agency (www.isem.agency) was founded in 2011 and today stands as one of the leading regional agencies specialising in educational tourism in Southeast Europe. We operate in nearly all countries of the region. I’d especially like to highlight Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where, alongside Podgorica, we organise International Scholarship and Education Fairs. We offer an extensive range of programs, including language summer schools, summer camps, high school exchange programs, boarding schools, university admissions at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels, Harrison Assessment academic guidance, as well as Work & Travel programs, etc. In other words, there’s almost no educational program related to studying abroad that we don’t offer. Therefore, I would say that the programs our agency offers are accessible to a wide range of candidates. We take great care that, in addition to the quality of our programs, the prices are also reasonable. In this regard, most of our programs can be financed through 12 equal monthly instalments, and we also cooperate with educational institutions that often offer full scholarships. Our mission is to demystify educational programs abroad, and to genuinely introduce them in a thoughtful and approachable way to a broad group of candidates, making them accessible to a wide audience of students.
The ISEM Agency was just recently named the best Education Agency in Eastern Europe. For the previous two years, ISEM made it to the final round in the selection for the best agency, and this year won first place. This is yet another proof of its quality, dedication, and high level of professionalism both towards students and pupils, as well as towards international partners – language schools, high schools, and universities.
How do you think international academic experience contributes to the competitiveness of young people in the labour market in Montenegro and the region? Additionally, when comparing the personal motivations you or your generation had for studying abroad with the motivations of today’s youth – are there differences, and what are they?
It’s encouraging to see that so-called student mobility in the education sector is increasing year by year on a global scale. This trend is, in a very positive sense, spreading to our region as well. This means that in a few years, it will be almost impossible to find a student or job candidate considered a serious contender who hasn’t spent some time abroad – whether through a summer camp, a language summer school, a semester at a foreign high school, or even a student exchange program during their studies. Already, international academic experience is highly valued as a desirable condition for employment, particularly for young people seeking employment. Given that there is already a noticeable presence of foreign labour in many sectors of the economy in Montenegro, employers greatly appreciate having young people on their teams who have been exposed to multinational environments. However, all of this will become even more significant once Montenegro and the countries in the region join the EU. As someone who earned a master’s degree and gained extensive knowledge at the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium), specialising in the field of European Economic Integration and Business, and drawing on the examples from numerous countries that have already joined the European Union, I believe that once Montenegro becomes a full member of the European Union, our domestic market will become part of the broader, unified EU market. As a result, exposure to international academic experiences will become a necessity, not a luxury, in enhancing the competitiveness of young people on the EU job market. On the other hand, I think the motivations for students to study abroad have essentially remained the same, regardless of the time gap. First and foremost, they are driven by the desire to experience something new, to improve knowledge and better prepare for upcoming academic and life challenges, to master a new foreign language, and to make friends from all over the world, etc. What’s different now is the mobility, which is much greater and more accessible globally than before. Additionally, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of candidates who, year after year, decide to take this step. As a result of these decisions, I observe that young people are maturing faster than before. While I went to study abroad only in my fourth year of high school, today we have candidates who choose to go abroad as early as their first year of high school. Also, about twenty years ago, it was unthinkable for children aged 11 or 12 to attend language summer schools, but today, this has become a common practice. In the end, the level of awareness about studying abroad is much advanced than it used to be.
It’s in human nature to seek knowledge, to improve oneself, and to explore areas of interest. Therefore, science and education are among those vital life elements that can make people happy. What are the biggest challenges young people face when making the decision to study abroad?
I think one of the biggest challenges young people generally face when choosing a high school or university, whether in Montenegro or abroad, is the following: insufficient self-awareness, a lack of understanding of their own abilities, and the activities they enjoy doing. Young people often choose academic programs based on what they think such career will offer them in the future, i.e., how they imagine a typical workday. Unfortunately, the way they envision this workday, or their expectations, sometimes don’t align with the reality of the situation. I notice that there are also many undiscovered talents that often come to the surface when going abroad, as there the approach to children is generally very different. As a result, after discovering their talents and potential, candidates can then make a more informed decision about their academic program. To help candidates choose the right academic program, our agency has been implementing the Harrison Assessment academic orientation for many years. By filling out an online questionnaire, a report is generated about the candidate, which is then interpreted by our certified psychotherapist. The Harrison Assessment academic orientation is based on the fundamental hypothesis that the more we enjoy performing certain activities, the more likely we are to succeed in that field, and certainly be happier. In this way, our psychotherapist can unambiguously conclude which career would be ideal for a candidate based on their personality traits and the activities they enjoy doing. Unfortunately, personality traits and what candidates are good at, what they love to do, or what they enjoy most, are often neglected. Additionally, we always like to ask a few questions when helping a candidate choose an academic program abroad, whether it’s for high school or university. First of all, what is their desired academic program based on their personality traits? What language will they be studying in? What type and kind of institution (e.g., public or private, lecture-based teaching or small group work, etc.)? Then, the choice of country in which they want to study, their future plans, and finally, the budget they plan to allocate for studying abroad. I would also like to add that I believe we, as an agency, have contributed to changing the awareness of parents over the past 15 years when it comes to their children’s education abroad. I think that nowadays, parents are increasingly recognising the necessity to invest in quality education for their children, which is supported by the fact that many families are redirecting their budgets away from housing or buying new cars, and instead investing in their children’s education, so that these children, empowered with new knowledge and skills, will be able to handle all future financial matters in their lives on their own.
ISEM Agency also provides support once students arrive abroad – how exactly do you help students during their stay in another country?
I would underline that ISEM Agency has three key roles. The first role is advisory – as I already mentioned, we help candidates make the right decision when choosing an appropriate academic program abroad. The second role is administrative support for candidates – this involves assistance in applying for language summer schools, high schools, universities, Work & Travel programs, or other programs. We also provide support when applying for scholarships, where we always strive to secure the largest possible scholarship. We assist with visa applications, housing searches, etc. Finally, the third role of the agency is to give support to the candidates throughout the duration of their program. This includes many aspects, such as adjusting to the new environment, dealing with potential moments of homesickness, additional administrative tasks upon arrival in the foreign country, help with choosing elective courses, assistance in changing programs, transferring to another high school or university, and so on. We are truly at the disposal of candidates throughout their entire education, all the way until they return to Montenegro. Additionally, we work on connecting high-quality graduates who return to their country with potential employers in Montenegro who are looking for candidates with international academic experience and knowledge.
You collaborate with numerous language schools, high schools, and universities around the world. How do you choose your partners, and how do you ensure that young people from Montenegro and the region get the best opportunities for education and professional development?
Owing to the agency’s fifteen-year tradition, as well as the personal experiences of all the members of our team, we have managed to establish numerous partnerships with institutions around the world. ISEM Agency is a member of many networks, such as the British Boarding Schools Network, the United States Boarding Schools Network, various university associations, or, in majority of cases, direct partnerships with institutions. We also participate in many conferences worldwide, where we strengthen cooperation with current partners, as well as expand our network of partnerships with new institutions. In this regard, the most important thing for us is that our partners provide a stimulating, high-quality, and safe environment, and that they hold the necessary accreditations to ensure that our students can easily have their diplomas recognised and accredited upon returning to Montenegro. We always strive to ensure that the partners we choose for cooperation offer a broad and comprehensive experience for our students. This means that in addition to academic education, students have the opportunity to gain practical experience, engage in a wide range of extracurricular activities, etc. Certainly, the experiences of former students are important to us, as we wish to share them with future candidates to give them a more distinct picture of the program itself. We have also visited a large number of our partner institutions around the world to share our experiences from these visits with potential candidates.
How do you see the future of international education and what trends do you expect in the near future?
I believe that the need to gain life, educational, academic, and professional experience outside one’s own country will be the only way to adequately prepare for future life challenges. The future is global, the borders between countries are becoming thinner, so candidates must start preparing for this kind of future at an increasingly younger age. Today, there is hardly an educational institution that does not have a department for international cooperation or internationalisation. Foreign languages are intensively studied, teachers at high schools or universities are often visiting professors, that is, foreigners, and numerous exchange programs are organised at the level of elementary schools, high schools, and universities. Sometimes, such exchanges or gaining work experience are necessary requirements for obtaining a diploma.