Monday, December 29, 2008

Report concludes overseas students exploited

According to a recent article in the Age, the International Student Experience Taskforce has concluded that overseas students are exploited in the workplace and are increasingly receiving misleading information from overseas recruiters before they arrive. The report into student's welfare has also concluded that a lack of accommodation threatens the growth of the international student market in Victoria, which contributed 3.9 billion dollars to the states economy in 2007 making it the states biggest service export.

Regarding exploitation in the workplace, the report found that many students are working more than the currently allowed maximum of 20 hours a week. As a result many students find themselves at risk of being exploited. In effort an to reduce this risk one of the reports recommendations is to allow students who are performing well academically to work more than the currently allowed maximum of 20 hours a week.

To combat the increasingly suspect dealing a of offshore education agents, the report recommends a register of agents.

As for housing, Mark Choo from the National Liaison Committee for International Students cited rental accommodation as one of the key problems face by overseas students. The report recommended that institutions be required to provide access to affordable and appropriate housing for overseas students during their fist 6 to 12 months in Australia.

In response to the report Skills and Workplace Minister Jacinta Allan said addressing the issues raised by the taskforce would enhance the already positive experience shared by most of the state's international student population.

Finally, the taskforce recommendations will help to shape the State Government's International Education Strategy, which is due in March.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Young and excited about the future



My name is Yang Tong Xiu and I come from China. I used to study at the Communication University of China but unfortunately I didn’t complete my studies before leaving. At that time, my family and I thought it would be better for me to come to Australia to study. The main reason was that coming to Australia would help me get a good job in the future.

Chinese students come to Australia to study for many different reasons but the main one is definitely to secure a well paying job in the future. Of course another reason is that Australia is an English speaking country, and it is good for us to have this environment, because pay prospects are still better in many companies if you are proficient in English. The third reason, I suppose is because Australia is cheaper and safer for students.

As for those students who don’t go overseas to continue their studies, they also have their reasons for staying behind. Firstly, for many students it is too expensive to study overseas. As you know, our fees are three times higher than those of local students, which is a very heavy burden for our families. Secondly, overseas study is a tough thing to do. Some students have a very promising future in my country so they don’t need to consider this choice. For most families, they don’t want their children to carry too much on their shoulders when they are very young. Obviously, life would be better and easier for most of us if we were able to stay in China where we have close friends and family. Australia is a good country, but we would be able to enjoy a much more convenient life and closer relationships if we were at home.

To be honest, I did not choose to come to Australia. Australia was my only option. This is the country that my family was able to afford and also seemed like a good environment for study. If I had a choice, I would probably say I would like to live in France but after everything I have experienced here, I am not sure if going abroad to study is the right decision at all.

Generally speaking, overseas study is a good thing for Chinese students. I suppose it is because we are young and all excited about the future. But for most of us, the reality of studying in Australia is not exactly the same as we used to imagine. Talk about complaints, the biggest one is the high price of almost everything! And the environment is also a problem for us. One of the reasons many people came here was to learn English but there are so many Chinese! We hang around and speak our mother tongue, despite the fact that language is already the biggest problem for us getting involved in Australia. So, you will often hear students say, “I never knew there were going to be so many Chinese here.” This moment seems rather dramatic, as this is one thought we all share but no one wants to say.

Melbourne isn't like living in a foreign city




My name is Zhao Jing (Crystal is my English name) and I come from Henan in China. I have lived in Australia a little over a year now and moved here shortly after I finished my undergraduate degree. Like many other students, the main reasons I decided to study abroad were to improve my English, to meet the expectations of my parents and to enjoy a high quality education.

Regarding those students who don’t make it overseas, I believe most of them stay in China because of a lack of money and English skills. As for why I chose Australia, my brother was already living here and my parents encouraged me to join him. Do I believe that Chinese students are satisfied with their educational experience in Australia? Yes, I think they think it is OK. However, there is a consensus that living in Melbourne isn’t really like living in a foreign city at all.

I am living in Clayton at the moment. Personally, finding accommodation wasn’t that difficult but finding suitable housemates was extremely hard. Many people just don’t know how to communicate with other housemates or with their landlord and this causes problems. Apart from this, I find the expense of housing in Melbourne to be the biggest difficulty. In terms of my ideal circumstances, I would like to find a place near to Clayton campus that was reasonably priced and not too big.

In terms of safety, I can't say that I feel safe in Melbourne. I think people drive too fast and this makes me feel uncomfortable. Also, I have experienced being bothered on the street whilst out walking. However, the worst thing is a thief stole my credit card! I reported it to police but nothing really happened.

Introductions


The initial idea behind Soy Sauce was to bring together stories from Chinese students living in Melbourne. The next couple of entries introduce two such students. I have been lucky enough to teach both of them in the past and I asked them to be the first profiles on Soy Sauce because I had always found them to be very interested and insightful regarding the transition period all of us face when moving to another country.

Special thanks to Crystal who very kindly translated all of my original questions into Chinese and who has been very encouraging of this project from day one. Thanks also to Xiu who has sent me heaps of extremely engaging and honest material which I aim to upload over the next couple of days.

Even with just a couple of profiles ready to share, I can already see how Soy Sauce has the potential to be a positive force for change in the lives of international students in Melbourne. Through reflecting on the problems faced by these young people as they try their best to adjust to life away from home, we must look for new ways in which to make this experience not just meet their expectations, but exceed them. In the same way, by bringing together examples of positive housing, life and educational experiences, Soy Sauce hopes to act as a resource for those looking for some suggestions on how to make their new home a little bit more enjoyable.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Racisim and Discrimination

Over the past week or so there have been a couple of interesting things that have popped up in the Age regarding international students in Melbourne. Of most interest to Soy Sauce was an article entitled ‘Students face racism, exploitation’. The article reported that international students in Australia face discrimination in three key areas: the workplace, the classroom and the housing market.

These findings were based on two submissions recently handed to a Victorian State Government taskforce which is examining some of the problems within the international education industry. The submissions were made by the Tenants Union of Victoria and the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.

The Tenants Union submission found that in the housing market, students face discrimination when applying for rental properties. Unable to find a house to rent within the mainstream rental market, they and are forced into applying for private rooming houses which are often overcrowded and unsafe.

The Human Rights Commission submission states that in the workplace international students are paid less and asked to work unreasonable hours . According to the Commission these students have too little information about their legal and human rights, and in cases where an incident does occur, they are often too scared to go through formal channels to make a report for fear of breaching student visa conditions.

Whilst the task force's final report was due to be presented to Skills and Workforce Participation Minister Jacinta Allan last month, the Age article indicates that it is still in the process of being completed.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Student Survey

The Melbourne City Council is hosting an international student survey on their website. The survey covers many of the questions that I hope Soy Sauce will focus on, exploring issues such as housing, safety, community engagement and overall satisfaction with the city. I am interested to see what the Melbourne City Council does this year in terms of engaging with international students as I know they have a couple of positions dedicated to projects regarding the community.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Background and Statistics

In an effort to provide some background to the international student population in Melbourne, here are some figures from the Australian Education International and Australian Bureau of Statistics websites.

The most recent data from the Australian Education International website reveals that as of August 2008 there were 112, 728 students from China studying in Australia, representing 23.6% of international student enrollments. This figure was up 18.8% on the previous year. As of June 2008, Victoria hosted 28, 059 of these students, enrolled across all sectors including Higher Education (12541), ELICOS (5120) High School (6033) and VET courses (3649).

Further insight into the Chinese student community comes from the
Australian Bureau of Statistics website. The latest information from
2006-07 shows us that 57% of arrivals from China are aged in the 20-24 age bracket, with a further 20% aged between 25-29.

In terms of gender, girls made up 52% of the 2006-07 Chinese student cohort, an interesting figure considering that the next largest student group that year were from India with 80% of that group being male.

Figures from ABS show that 20% of the international student population are engaged in part time work of some sort, the majority in the food and accommodation service sector.

However, what I really want to know is how are these students finding their experience in Melbourne? Is it meeting their expectations? What are their biggest sources of frustration? Do they want to stay? If not, why not? Why did they choose Melbourne to begin with? Through talking with students I hope to delve more deeply into these questions, and unearth more questions of interest.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Welcome to Soy Sauce

This is my blog. It is called Soy Sauce Stories. I am hoping it will become a place where I can publish stories about the lives of Melbourne’s ever growing Chinese international student community. You might be wondering why I am interested in this community. There are several answers to this question.

Firstly, I study Chinese and it is a great opportunity to speak with people in a language that I love learning. I hope to eventually post in both Chinese and English so that students, their family and friends can read about each other in their first language. Also it will give me a chance to practise my writing skills.

Secondly, I lived and worked in China for around two years beginning in 2005. I lived in Guangzhou and rate my time there as probably the best period in my life. I was astounded by the unbelievable hospitality I received in that city and everywhere I travelled in China. I made life-long friends whilst living there with my girlfriend and I hope to go back and live there in the future.

Finally, I teach English in Melbourne. As a teacher I have met hundreds of foreign students. I am always interested in what has brought them to Australia to further their studies. Also, I am very curious about how they are finding it here in Melbourne. Have they made any friends? Have they found places they enjoy hanging out? What is their favourite restaurant? Are there aspects of the culture they don’t really understand? Do they feel safe? Will they stay?

I hope this blog will be a way to both explore these and other questions, and to share the answers.