A personal perspective on how we can better support international students

When international student Charlotte* chose to study at the University of Sydney, she did it for the prestige and the promise of a world class education, yet she feels like she has been treated as a “cash cow”. For years universities have depended on the never-ending flow of international students' fees to finance their institutions. The young woman who has been studying for three years believes that “international students do feel like cash cows for the university and are treated as such”. “The university takes our tuition money but none of that goes back to our studies or anything that will realistically help us,” Charlotte told Campus Review. “I understand that we’re not the only people that pay to be in university, but it feels like a very unequal deal when we’re paying for a ‘world class education’.” She believes that the university does not treat her any differently from a domestic student, yet spends thousands on marketing an “incredible international experience”. “It's embarrassing how little they care and give us support when we need it, and everything comes with a price. “I would rather have this money spent on equal pay for my instructors so they’re not overworked,” Charlotte added. With the COVID-19 crisis, international students and their wallets have deserted campuses across the country, causing havoc among university management and the community. Due to the loss of international students' fees, about 35,000 academics and university staff have been made redundant, leaving the remaining staff to pick up the slack. Meanwhile, modelling by Universities Australia highlighted that without the return of international students, universities could lose up to $16 billion by 2023. Overseas learners are needed more than ever, and the government and universities are pushing to have their international cohort back. In January, 355,627 student visas were approved: a long way behind the pre-pandemic numbers which climbed to more than 750,000 students. In an attempt to prop up the numbers of overseas students, back in January the federal government agreed to reimburse visa fees of approximately $600 for every student arriving before March 22. Seven thousand overseas students arrived between 24 January and 30 January 2022 alone, a number that will grow exponentially. The university experience matters The experience international students get when coming to Australia depends on many factors such as social circles, living situation, job and interaction with others. The first step universities should take to enhance their overseas student experience according to Charlotte is to “make international students feel welcomed”. “There’s initiatives but a lot of what they do feels fake, as no one goes to the event and they’re always forcing the word ‘international’ into everything. “It would be nice to see an international representation outside of the international student lounge and the Asian food court.” She believes a change in mentality needs to happen in Australian culture, as it is hard for international students to develop friendships with local students. “I’ve found that it’s hard to make Aussie friends because everyone is super cliqued up from high school, which does not help when we struggle with ‘Australianisms’. “There is also a general attitude from domestic students towards international ones – there’s this skewed idea that all international students are Chinese and inherently rich,” she added. Charlotte says joining clubs and societies can really help international students make connections. But the distinction between domestic and international students widen when it comes to student activism. During the recent strikes at Sydney University, Charlotte didn’t find any interest in striking alongside domestic students as nothing ”would benefit [her]” at all as an international student because the university is not going to ”treat [her] any better”. The same issue arises during student elections, where international students' issues are left to the side during the campaigns. “We know we’re not ever going to be seen as equal, but maybe consider our opinions as well,” concluded Charlotte. Towards a solution In order to improve international students' experience and stay in Australia, Deakin University has been contracted by the Government under the $10 million International Education Innovation Fund (IEIF) to implement the Best Practice International Student Engagement project. Led by former international student and now Professor at the School of Education Ly Tran, the project aims to develop good-practice guides for both the education sector and the wider community to better support international students' experience. “Educating international students is both a privilege and a responsibility,” Tran told Campus Review. “It's a privilege to have the opportunity to educate students from across the world but, it comes with professional and ethical responsibility to ensure a high-quality experience for them.” The Best Practice International Student Engagement Project will focus on identifying good practices, engagement activities and strategies to provide effective support for international students. There is also a need to learn from practices that now are not so effective or sustainable Tran said, as this will help make recommendations to the different stakeholders. The project will release three guides, one targeted directly to overseas students, another to education providers and a third one to communities and other organisations outside the education sector. The Deakin team will focus on international student’s connectedness with the local community and domestic students, as well as work-integrated learning, employability, mental health, wellbeing and engagement in online and blended learning. “In order to develop effective support programmes and activities, it is very important to understand the needs, the characteristics and the aspiration of international students,” Tran said. “Without that understanding, we could hardly tailor the support that is suitable for them.” In addition to their education, international students want to experience and engage with their host community and host country, Tran said, something that isn’t easy to achieve. “It is really important to foster the connectedness between international and domestic students as well as the local community, and nurture a sense of belonging. “Reciprocally, the Australian community has a lot to learn from international students.” She believes that stigma around international students plays a major role in how the local community interacts with them. “Some people think international students take away jobs, places in the accommodation market, and university spots from local students." According to Tran, international students make a significant contribution to Australian education, culture, society, politics and the economy. However, with the Covid-19 crisis, their contribution has been overshadowed and impacted negatively, while the news around them was mostly focused on the loss of university income and their vulnerabilities. “International students are valuable cultural, educational and language resources, given their transnational knowledge, skills, network and experiences,” Tran said. “They have great potential to contribute in terms of enriching the life, the culture, and the livelihood of local Australians. “It is more critical than ever before that we focus on supporting international students' experience and promote Australia as a welcoming and caring study destination.” An issue of status Tran believes that one of the key challenges encountered by international students is seeking work-integrated learning or part-time casual jobs in their field of study. International students are often forced to take on casual jobs in the service or construction industries where they do not always get the minimum wage. While being under a student visa, international students are limited to working 20 hours per week, and the desperate need to cover their basic living expenses forces some of them to take on extra shifts and get paid under the table. As inflation continues to rise, international students see themselves in a difficult position where they do not always have family to support them. Another visa held by international student is the Temporary Graduate visa, giving eligible international graduate students full rights to work in Australia, without any restrictions on hours. The policy intention of the post-study work visa is to give international student graduates the opportunity to stay in Australia for between two to four years to gain work experience related to their field of study, and enhance their employability. Yet, Tran said that there's a gap between policy intention and the reality, and the demand and supply of the labour market. One of the key barriers is the lack of understanding of employers about what a post-graduation work visa is, and the benefits of international graduates’ contribution to their business. “Businesses are worried about investing in those particular international graduates and setting them up, and then having to start all over again when their visa expires. “There's a need to educate employers better about the value of international student graduates and the value of the post-graduation work visa to their business," Tran said. When facing the Australian employment market, Chris, a former international student, was left baffled as he couldn’t find a job in his area. “Many job applications require you to be either a permanent resident or a citizen: international students are excluded from the get go.” When he could land some interviews, Chris always faced the visa questions that he felt “stressed out” his future employers. “Employers do not want to spend time and money on international students, they know that if they want to keep them longer they will need a sponsorship, and that is costly.” Chris had to work in construction for months before finally landing a role in his field of study. “I landed a role but I had to lie, I had to tell them that my girlfriend at the time will be able to give me the paperwork to stay long term. “I’m sure they would not have given me my chance otherwise,” he added. According to Chris, Australian businesses value local experience, something that it is difficult to acquire as a foreigner. “There should be partnerships between universities and business to provide international students with internships in their field of study. “This would allow us to have that first local experience that will ultimately help us get a job after,” Chris concluded. *Name has been changed to provide anonymity.

A personal perspective on how we can better support international students

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