To stay or not to stay? (2)

Stay in the UK

Advantages:

UK employers are being encouraged to give Chinese students more work experience opportunities. The China-UK Internship Programme, devised by international consultancy Global Education Group (GEG) and the Chinese Embassy in the UK, is designed to help Chinese students, who find it difficult to get practical work experience while they study. Under the UK’s new immigration system, international students who graduated from a UK institution can apply for the Post Study Work Visa. Successful applicants will be granted permission to work in the UK for up to two years without a work permit. After that, you may be allowed you to stay and work longer if you have been with the same employer for six months and you pass a further point-based assessment. This is an outstanding opportunity for those Chinese students who want to work in the UK.

Disadvantages:

Although many countries including the UK claim they will not treat those foreigners differently, the truth is that discrimination is everywhere. The discrimination is not only related with the policies of government, but also about the local citizens’ attitude. For local companies, they prefer to employ native people who know the local culture and society very well. Take journalists as an example, ethnic minorities are still under-represented in media industry. In the UK, a large number of journalists, particular in senior positions are white, middle class and men.

I interviewed some of my friends for their working plans.

Mu He, having her Post Study Work Visa and taking an accountant job said that “If people are seeking equal opportunity, I would say that stay London is a better choice. In China, it is usual to know many people use their relatives or contact’s resources get a job, instead of through the competition of talents. Despite certain prejudices in the UK, as long as you can show your talents and competency, you will get equal treatment.”

“I will come back to China.I have family and many good friends in China. I can make friends in a foreign country, but those friends will never be as good as the friends I grew up with. Another reason is if I stay in China, English will be my greatest advantage. But, if I stay in an English-speaking country, I do not have confident that I can use English better they can!” Xuan Dong, a third year students from Goldsmith College expressed her different view.

Jingyi Lee plans to go back China after finishing his economic degree. “I can see the bright future in China, but not in the UK. UK is still in severe financial crisis, which means the unemployment rate tends to be higher and higher and can not be controled in a short time.” he said.

“As far as I am concerned, I will not immediately come back as the salaries are really much higher in the UK,” Laura Liang explained, “I mean, for all the years you studied and all the money you have spent, isn’t the best way to stay here to make your money count?”

Overall, the final decision depends on the actual working situation and which side is better for different individuals.

If you will graduate soon, are you going to stay in the UK or return China? If you are still studying, have you even thought about your future plans? Leave comments to state your opinion about this topic.

To stay or not to stay? (1)

One crucial choice that Chinese students in the UK have to consider is, after graduation, should we stay and find a job or just go back to China to contribute?

Go back to China

Advantages:

Attracted by the rapid economic growth in China, an increasing number of Chinese overseas students decide to return China to work. Many high-tech companies, international cooperation’s and Sino-foreign joint ventures are seeking for employees with good English communications skills and have western education background, and familiar with cultures of both countries. For overseas returnees, the most valuable things they have learnt abroad are the advanced concepts. When they study in the UK, they can receive an open, creative, and more all-round development. They have many chances to gain practical experience. Through different projects, they have developed the spirit of team working, concepts of leadership, and the way to manage a team. These capabilities are what Chinese students lack, as in China, sometimes the education is more rigid, traditional, and emphasizes a lot on learning and memorizing. With the expanding business market in China, setting up own company is another opportunity for overseas returnees to develop their career.

A website helps overseas returnees to find jobs in China

There has been a nationally heated discussion on Chinese talents outflow for several years. In recent years, Chinese government encourages overseas students return by providing various preferential policies that returnees can enjoy. According to the report from People’s Daily in 2009, China has started a nationwide plan called “one-thousand-talents scheme”, which promises top salaries and attractive funding to elite overseas students or researchers, who are willing to return the country with the aim of boosting China’s innovation capability. China will fully trust and give free environment to returned talents. Preferential policies will be further modified to help them solve difficulties encountered in life and work.

The tradition of focus on family value is also a factor brings Chinese students back. Confucius said “You should not go on a long journey when your parents are still alive, if you have to do so you must have reasonable reasons” Having studied far away from home for several years, working in China is much easier for overseas students to look after parents and get together with family. Homesick and missing Chinese food make students to pack their bags and head for home.

Disadvantages:

A large number of returned overseas students has diluted their competitive advantage in the job market. Consider about the diminished quality of studying abroad, the over high expectation for salary, it is not easy as before for overseas returnees to find jobs in China. Since returning home, many students have discovered that overseas experience cannot guarantee an ideal job. According to a survey from China Youth Daily, although more than 71.3 percent managed to find work within 6 months of their return, 10.2 percent have remained unemployed for a year or more. For some, added expectations and pressures from family and friends make the situation even more stressful and frustrating.

More than 20 percent of returnees have started their own businesses, but this is difficult as well. They have had to adjust to the rules of the Chinese market and the domestic business culture. The overwhelming influence of interpersonal relations among the Chinese business community and the imperfect legal system are two of the main problems. In most west countries, people are quite business-oriented, while in China people don’t discuss business directly.

To be continued