大学西方化的职业建议或“误导”国际学生

尽管经济发展“大规模”转向亚洲,但大学未能为海外学生提供适合回国的职业建议

三月 30, 2022
Pedestrian crossing at the intersection in downtown Kuala Lumpur to illustrate Careers advice for international students ‘misdirected’
Source: Getty

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一位国际教育专家表示,西方许多大学正在引导他们的海外学生毕业后向本国雇主求职,却忽视了学生来源国往往有非常优越的工作机会。

居住在吉隆坡的顾问路易丝·尼科尔(Louise Nicol)表示,由于对学生职业服务的短视,许多大学只专注于本国的工作机会,并假设西方的工作经验能让学生们回国后进入跨国企业工作,这对国际学生们是无益的。

这忽略了“毕业生求职市场的巨大转变”——亚洲公司正取代西方企业成为开启职业生涯的最佳场所。离开本土太久的学生有可能被贴上“海龟”的标签,认为他们“多年来与本土脱节”,并接受了不符合本土习惯的西方态度。

未能掌握这种动态的大学可能会危及未来的入学率。“亚洲世纪的经济将更加转向亚洲。”亚洲职业集团咨询公司创始人尼科尔女士说:“对不了解这一点的大学来说,最大的威胁是国际学生可能花很多钱获得学位,但回国后却找不到工作。”

她预测,腾讯、华为和工商银行等中国巨头将取代西方企业成为首选雇主,吸引美国、英国和澳大利亚大学的毕业生以及本土人才。在东南亚,当地雇主也正在获得优势。

尼科尔女士说:“马来西亚排名前10位的受毕业生青睐的公司中,只有一家是非马来西亚企业。”

在印度,甚至香港和新加坡等国际化中心,本地雇主的工作岗位也在增加。尼科尔女士继续说:“我们将看到全球南方对技能的巨大需求。”

“我认为世界上没有任何一所大学通过在学生所在国开展就业宣传来促进这一点。给我指出任何一家帮助学生在海外找工作的大学吧!”

尼科尔女士说,即使是在便利​​店或咖啡馆工作,或者成为优步司机,在留学国工作可能是宝贵的经验和乐趣,许多国际学生最终也确实做了这些。但学生需要评估,他们是否负担得起这种体验。

澳大利亚等地的低技能工作所付的工资可能高于本国的入门级职位,但一旦考虑到食物、交通和“高价”租金的成本,差异就会变小。

学生们还需要对移民到留学国的前景或者将在这里积累的经验用于回国就业的前景有一个现实的了解。“他们需要在算完账后,睁大眼睛,着眼于未来的职业生涯。”

“在毕业后的工作结束时,他们可能不得不回家——到那时,谁会帮助他们在印度等地的毕业生招聘市场中找到方向?谁会帮助他们建立人脉网络,以便能找到一份好工作?”

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com

本文由刘静为泰晤士高等教育翻译。

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Print headline: Careers advice for international students ‘misdirected’

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Reader's comments (1)

As someone who recruits international students I have observed that many of them are interested in relevant work opportunities in the host country after graduation. So in terms of their aspirations, this isn't just an education story, it's a migration story. This is particularly the case for students from India and Sub Saharan Africa. Sadly, the reality is that many are disappointed as employers in the host country aren't willing to sponsor international students, however well skilled or qualified, into the appropriate graduate or postgraduate level jobs, either because of worries about the visa process or just plain xenophobia. Hence if students are able to stay (based on their personal circumstances) they may end up under-employed. The other issue of concern is that this whole phenomenon effectively represents 'brain drain' from their country of origin. The article seems to suggest that University Careers Services should be able to advise students on home country job opportunities and application processes. This would require resource and expertise that isn't currently there. Plus, it isn't necessarily what the students want anyway. In addition, the personal and religious freedoms enjoyed in host countries may not be available 'back home': take Chinese or HK Christians as an example. A further question is, what are the Universities selling (or mis-selling)? The promise to work in the host country? Skill development to take 'back home'?