1. Working effectively with international students Aled Williams International Career Consultant Cardiff University AGCAS Biennial 10 Sept 09

2. Elements of IS Provision Cross-service responsibility Dedicated IS resource IS Centred Preparing IS for UK market Preparing IS for global market Preparing All for global market Internationalisation – All Students & Staff

3. Internationalisation not just International Students “Internationalization at the national, sector, and institutional levels is defined as the process of integrating an international, intercultural, or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of postsecondary education” (Knight, 2003) In the spirit of true internationalisation, a higher education institution will seek to enhance the experience of IS and the infrastructure which support them but it will clearly seek to develop a sense of international, intercultural and global awareness and citizenship in all its staff and students – not just IS

4. Sound familiar? The one who always has “one more question” The one who hands you a pen with their CV The one with poor English skills and brings a friend – usually of the same nationality The one who wants degree and career specific advice The one with little or no work experience but sky high expectations The one who is weighed down with parental expectations The one who wants a list of international friendly employers The one seeking career related experience even unpaid The one who books everything but is a serial non-attender The one who is elusive!

5. Tips for working with IS on a personal level Address their expectations – clearly state what you can and cannot provide Establish clear referral points Present a united approach to cases Pay particular attention to language used when speaking to students Do not under-estimate the impact of culture on IS expectations as well as the differences within a single culture The student’s learning style may be different to the teaching style in their own country Have IS case studies that are inspirational yet accessible Develop a workshop or produce a handout to handle common IS queries

6. Tips for working with IS on a Service wide level Establish International Interest Group within your service Contextualise your IS work - Know the international student profile / strategy in your institution and target academic schools accordingly. Tap into AGCAS resources and know about PMI projects etc. before reinventing the wheel Use benchmarking measures like ISB as a catalyst for collaborative work and as a means of getting extra funding

7. Tips for working with IS on a Service wide level contd Work with the International Office to distribute a Careers Service flyer to prospective IS Can your HEI increase the number of courses offering a work placement? Explore opportunities to work regionally with neighbouring HEIs International Careers Fair needs clear definition Bring students to employers rather than expect employers to come to students

8. PMI2 China visit March 09 Team BeijingTeam Shanghai

11. Jobs Fair at Career Centre, Tsinghua University Who said we had a monopoly on queuing?!

12. Alumni Focus Groups & Case Studies

13. Tips from Chinese Alumni Have a plan before they get to the UK as the time goes quickly. Get well prepared at the beginning of their studies not at the end. Start career planning early and be flexible Improve English language competency while in UK Obtain work experience – ideally in China before coming to the UK Develop / Maintain their Chinese networks Lower their expectation when they return to China Mention UK University ranking on resume. Send covering letter written in Chinese characters (if you have good hand writing) and consider applying via post as opposed to email.

14. Sea Turtles vs Seaweed Overseas educated Chinese students seen as Sea Turtles or “Returnees from overseas” Due to the mismatch of opportunities and expectations they are often seen as Seaweed or “returnees waiting for employment”

15. Employer tips for “Sea Turtles” Get rid of sense of superiority and be prepared to compete on an equal footing Don’t limit the choice of your job location to the few metropolises Don’t calculate your salary request by the cost of your overseas education, but by the market rate of the position you’re seeking Don’t assume that the area of speciality that you majored in is still in high demand when you graduate

16. Employer tips for “Sea Turtles” contd Fluency in foreign language alone does not usually constitute a full slate of job skills. One needs hands-on experience in a specific field Be ready to adapt your Western way of thinking to the Chinese way of making things to happen Knowing the market is not just window dressing. It is essential. Developing what you’re best at regardless of market needs may land you in a dead end Be prepared to make a leap of confidence and settle down in China. Managing a business by “remote control” from abroad is not practical Taken from Raymond Zhou, “How ‘sea turtles’ turned out to be ‘seaweeds’?” China Daily, 10-02-04

17. Useful Chinese Job Hunting Sources chinahr.com zhaopin.com 51job.com Other Useful Sources www.educationuk.cn www.cscse.edu.cn

18. Over to you Write one thing for each of the following on the multi-coloured post-it notes provided and stick the onto the wall chart: Tips for staff working with IS Resources for staff working with IS Tips for IS seeking jobs in UK Resources for IS seeking jobs in UK Tips for IS seeking jobs back home Resources for IS seeking jobs back home Your main training need in relation to IS

19. Tips for staff working with IS Resources for staff working with IS Tips for IS seeking jobs in the UK Resources for IS seeking jobs in the UK Tips for IS seeking jobs back home Resources for IS seeking jobs back home Main Training Need for working with IS

20. Next step What 2 ideas could you take from today to help you deal more effectively with IS? 1 for you 1 for your service

21. Thank you 谢谢您 Any Questions ?