International students' mobility has been on the rise since the reopening of borders following the Covid-19 pandemic. China, one of the last countries to resume the delivery of all types of visas, is looking to enhance its image among international students. The benefits of studying abroad are many, such as discovering a new country and new cultures, learning a new language, acquiring new skills, making new friends, etc. But behind all those pluses lie many hardships that we cannot ignore. Work, accommodation and socialization are some of the challenges faced by international students.
Unaffordable accommodation for international students
The World Bank predicted that 2023 would be the year of a worldwide real estate crisis. The sector is indeed in deep waters. The situation was already very alarming in 2022 after the real estate euphoria caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In certain countries, things were terrible even before the pandemic. In such conditions, international students are finding it hard to find decent accommodation. Many global powerhouses, like the United States, Portugal, France, Germany, Sweden, China, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea, have very unstable real estate markets. Among them are the favorite destinations for international students: Canada, Australia, and USA.
Student accommodation: the price pressure
Finding decent student accommodation has always been a difficult task, especially in France, where the situation is even more complicated today. In 2022, the monthly rent price of a 23m² studio apartment was 557 euros (USD 610). A small room costs around 437 euros (USD 479). In the Paris area, rents are on the high end, as expected: 849 euros (USD 929) in Paris and between 600 and 800 euros in nearby cities (between USD 657 and USD 876). Elsewhere in the country, prices are more affordable, like in Le Mans, Limoges, or Brest, with monthly rents varying between 350 and 380 euros (USD 383 and USD 418). In the United States, prices may increase three-fold depending on the region. For instance, the monthly rent price of a studio in Colorado is around USD 1,000 (914 euros), whereas in New York, prices may vary from USD 2,000 to more than USD 3,600 per month (between 1,829 and 3,290 euros).
To give a helping hand, universities are opening up their campuses to international students. But here also, things are not easy due to a limited number of accommodations and increasing price pressure, depending on the university. For example, a room at Texas Tech University costs some USD 6,000 yearly (5,480 euros). At Cornell University, it is USD 10,000 for a room (9,150 euros). Other options are house-sharing, flat-sharing, or staying as a paying guest with a local family. Whatever the option, rents are still on the high end, boxed in between inflation and the economic crisis.
Australia: the new Wild West for real estate
Fifty-nine thousand international students have arrived in Australia this year. Due to the scarcity of student housing, they are experimenting with new types of accommodations, like living in a tent in the living room of a host family, for AUD 300 per week. Unfortunately, the Australian real estate market is like the Wild West, with no clear established rule for rents and where the law of the jungle reigns. Tenants agree unwillingly to pay more in order to have a decent place to live. On the other hand, landlords are increasingly into short-term leases.
The International Monetary Fund warned of the situation in December 2022: the average market values for Australian accommodations rose up to 50% more than an average household's budget. This is explained by the high interest rates, the galloping inflation, and the strong demand for housing during the pandemic. Using these factors to their advantage, landlords have raised their rents by 40%. International students are barely in a position to bargain with landlords. They lack information, support and backup plans. As they are unaware of how the market works, many have had no choice but to settle in the neighborhoods of large towns or cities, where rents are prohibitively expensive.
The housing market was already a mess pre-Covid. It is much worse nowadays, especially for students from low-income families. Universities are gladly welcoming international students back, but at the same time, they are highly aware of the difficult socio-economical context. Some Australian universities offer on-campus housing with rents ranging from AUD 280 (Monash College) to AUD 280-700 (University of Queensland) per week. The government is working on a new legislation called “Housing Australia Future”, with an AUD 10 billion fund which should generate AUD 500 million per year. That money would be used to develop social housing projects targeting mainly women, workers and children from low-income families. However, the Bill is still being studied, and it is unclear whether it will cater to the housing needs of international students too.
Finding a job: an uphill battle for international students
It would be wrong to assume that global labor shortages are a good thing for international students. Countries having housing issues are also those with severe labor shortages. Japan, for instance, is in desperate need of international talent. Surfing its positive public image, Canada also has its doors wide open for foreign workers, while France, on the other hand, is desperate to improve its image. The United States still rides the American dream. Meanwhile, Germany is introducing new laws to improve economic immigration.
Despite all these, international students still struggle to find a decent job. Whilst getting a part-time job is relatively easy, the long-term stable one remains out of reach. When they do get more stable jobs – with some governments being more flexible in their regulations, like Australia or Canada – it is merely for the authorities to be able to take the heat off their back in certain key sectors, like restaurant services, hospitality industry and tourism. Unfortunately, these governments are not really thinking about the well-being and future careers of those young foreign talent.
Difficulties met by international students and businesses
The United Kingdom is quite ambiguous regarding its migration policy: it is a yes and no situation when it comes to international talent. Student associations are adamant: British universities are useless when it comes to helping international students find stable jobs. Unlike Britons, foreigners do not adequately understand the local job market, the recruitment process, the cultural specificities, or how the CV works. Employers, too, are still unaware of the particularities of the visa systems, like the Graduate Scheme Visa. This visa allows international students to work for two years in the UK after completing their studies. It has been specially designed to facilitate the recruitment of these international graduates. However, 90% of businesses are unaware of its existence and are comforted in their belief that recruiting foreigners is a too complicated process.
In Australia, international students contributed more than AUD 40 billion AUD to the economy in 2019. But in 2022, this figure went down to AUD 25.5 billion, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Although international students' contribution to the economy is already on the rise this year, sadly, this does not paint an accurate picture of the job market. In 2022, barely half of the number of graduate students from South-East Asia had a full-time job. Most of them studied finance, engineering, health, education, or consultancy, sectors with the highest career prospects. Still, international students find it challenging to be employed. The vast majority of the jobs available are reserved for permanent residents and locals. Job prospects for temporary residents are, in fact, quite limited.
Discrimination faced by international students
Many other countries exhibit the same constraints observed in the UK or in Australia. Companies are still largely unaware of the possibilities they have in recruiting international students and young graduates. Stable employment is, however, the key to obtaining a permanent resident status. Governments hardly understand the reality of being an international student. They mainly tackle short-term gains (like increasing the number of working hours for international students to support businesses) but fail to act on the long-term benefits.
The truth is that local graduate students have the upper hand compared to international students, thanks to the various schemes designed for them. In the United States, for instance, training scholarships after graduation are reserved for Americans and permanent residents.
According to a study published in the science magazine Nature, a third of the international students surveyed are optimistic, but they foresee “obstacles when it comes to their career and the future”. More than a third had encountered discrimination and harassment, including racism. They have faced hostility and are mocked because of their name, origin, or accent. In Canada, international students have raised the alarm. They believe that the government must review its policies and decisions when it comes to opening the job market to them and not merely use international students as cheap workforce.
The unaffordable cost of living for international students
In most countries, international students are barely able to make ends meet. During the pandemic, they could not work and thus were unable to save money. Rising inflation rates have depleted their finance. Today, most prices are on the rise, including study fees, rents, food, transport, etc.
In France, the monthly cost of living (without study fees) for an international student goes from 600 to 1,000 euros (USD 650 to USD 1,090). In Canada, it is between USD 900 and USD 1,200. In the UK, students can spend between £ 900 and £ 1,400 (USD 1,112 and USD 1,731 USD), whereas in Japan, the monthly cost of living goes from 100,000 to 150,000 yens (USD 743 to USD 1,114). However, these figures can be highly influenced and impacted by the regions, cities, or even the neighborhoods where the students choose to live.
So, what's in for international students? Universities offer scholarships to students. Other organizations offer housing accommodations and/or scholarships. Some public or private institutions even sponsor international students, and there are sponsorships for specific fields. The same applies to certain categories of students.
Help and support for international students
International students face numerous obstacles. More often than not, they are alone in a new country they are not familiar with. Most of them are likely to face a culture shock that may lead to homesickness. It is unsurprising that some feel very down at times, especially as life gets tougher. To top it all, their financial constraints impact their studies. In short, the anxiety-inducing international context makes them foresee a bleak future.
Despite all these hardships, many international students are putting up a brave face, as again revealed by the survey carried out by Nature magazine. They acknowledge that life is not easy abroad but that living abroad has been a good experience overall. These hardships and ordeals have been opportunities for them to gain more experience. Others have got the idea to set up one-stop shops for welcoming and helping international students. They have been there and have first-hand experience with all the issues international students may encounter in a foreign country. Others still have set up recruitment and consultancy firms specially meant for international students. These international talents firmly believe that a new pathway is possible for them: the one they are busy building up.
Useful links:
Study Australia: support service for students
Council of International Students Australia (CISA)
Association of International Educators (US)
Japan Students Services Organization (JASSO)
British Council: scholarships and funding
UK Council for International Student Affairs
International Student Services Organization (Canada)
International Student Services Association (ISSA)
Accueil et Langue Française pour les Étudiants étrangers (ALFEE)
