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.

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.