Andrew has ten years in education and recruitment, most of it helping people choose between courses. He studied at the University of Malta, then did an MBA at Anglia Ruskin University online while working full time, which is where the idea for Elephant & Cross started. He co-founded the company in 2021 and runs course advice: the first call, and the honest answer about whether a course fits.
What do you actually do all day?
I manage the advisor team now, so a lot of the day is that. But I still take calls with people who are deciding whether to study. Fifteen minutes, usually. I ask what they do now, what qualifications they have, and what they want the course to change. Then I tell them which course fits. If none of ours does, I tell them that too.
You did your MBA online. What was it like?
The course itself was good. The support was not. I was working full time and studying in the evenings, and when I had a question about an assignment or a payment nobody answered. There was no one in Malta I could call. That is what we set out to fix.
I haven’t studied in fifteen years. Can I do this?
Most of our students say this on the first call. The diploma is assignments, not exams, and the lectures are recorded, so nobody is testing your memory on a Tuesday evening. The first assignment is the hard one. After that it gets easier.
Who should not do a diploma?
Anyone who needs a specific licence to practise, because a diploma will not give you that. And anyone who wants a campus. We are online, for people with a job. If that is not what you want, I will say so on the call.
What happens after the diploma?
Over half of our students come back for the degree. The diploma gives people confidence they did not have when they called me. Once they have finished one, the degree does not look so far away.
What do people get wrong about studying online?
They think flexible means easy. It is not easier. You still have to sit down and do the work, you just choose when.