Foreign education preference persists in Chinese recruitment

Chinese academics who studied overseas are favoured in recruitment by leading universities in their home country over those with only domestic qualifications, according to a study.

Researchers from three Chinese universities analysed about 15,000 CVs of faculty members at elite Chinese universities and found that overseas returnees – who had participated in graduate studies abroad –  tend to work in higher-level institutions than their domestic counterparts.

Writing in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, they found that the gap between the two groups has widened over time.

“Chinese universities have consistently emphasised the importance of international vision and experience, as well as the increasing significance of publishing English-language papers,” said Jin Liu, an assistant professor in Beijing Institute of Technology’s School of Education and one of the researchers behind the study. 

Campus resources on internationalisation in higher education

“It is generally believed that returnees possess advantages in these areas, which is why universities tend to recruit them to bolster their international academic standing and institutional competitiveness,” he said, despite the “increasing number of returnees and a saturated market”.

However, the researchers warn that returnees could “face increasing competition in the future” as Chinese universities begin to focus more on candidates’ first degrees and Beijing emphasises the importance of embedding “Chinese characteristics” into the country’s knowledge systems.

“Whether overseas returnees continue to be highly valued in employment may depend on their ability to effectively integrate Western education with China’s needs,” the researchers write. 

Others agreed. “As China’s research capabilities and global influence continue to grow, domestic institutions are becoming more competitive,” said Futao Huang, vice-director of the Research Institute for Higher Education at Hiroshima University. 

“Some universities are starting to balance their hiring preferences, recognising the strength of their own PhD programmes. But until China’s research output in key disciplines is seen as equal to or better than that of top global institutions, the preference for overseas-trained academics will likely persist, particularly at elite institutions.”

Xin Xu, lecturer in higher education at the University of Oxford, added that overseas returnees “do not always enjoy privileges”. Previous studies have shown that some exhibit lower job satisfaction and may struggle to bridge cultural gaps. 

“Some returnee faculty have reported experiencing ‘reverse cultural shock’ when re-entering Chinese academia, which would affect their long-term development,” she said. “In recent years, some ‘sea turtles’ [a term for returnees] in Chinese academia have also decided to return to the sea”. 

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com