When Parker Zhang made the choice to leave his home in Southern China and come to study economics in Canada, he knew there was a possibility that he would choose to not return home.
The low cost of living, coupled with the country’s welcoming immigration policies, made Canada a very attractive destination for Zhang. He first learned about the opportunity to study in Canada while in high school, and took it upon himself to learn as much as he could about Canadian culture and the English language before he made the trip.
“I took Canadian high school classes in China, which was an advantage to me because then I was already familiar with the culture. So coming here wasn’t as intimidating as it could have been, because I knew what to expect,” he says.
This fall, Zhang will be graduating with a degree in economics from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.
Many international students are encouraged to come to Canada as part of a recruitment effort organized by a particular Canadian university or college, and are often inspired to choose their international school based on the school’s ranking and post-graduate employment statistics.
This is true for Lorraine Monteiro, a recent graduate of Carleton University’s Bachelor of Commerce program who specialized in international business.
“One of the things that impacted my decision was that Carleton University actually came to my high school in the United Arab Emirates, and told us about the [job] opportunities and how you can apply. From there I decided to give it a shot,” says Monteiro.
In a 2014 survey conducted by Hobsons Education Solutions Company, 18,000 international students in Canada indicated that university rankings, tuition fees and post-graduate employment prospects were key factors in determining which school they chose to attend.
Caroline Konrad, who is the current head of the career centre at the University of South Hampton in the United Kingdom, says that promoting Canada’s high university rankings abroad is essential. “[Canada is] amongst the top in the world,” says Konrad. “We have the employment factor; tuition costs are on par with anywhere else and, in some cases, are actually lower than most places in the world.”
Konrad says she plans to move from the UK to start a new post in Toronto at Ryerson University in the fall. She says higher education for international students is actually the eighth highest industry in the UK, although these numbers are seeing a drastic drop due to restrictive legislation that was introduced in 2011.
“Students can only work in the UK for four months after graduation. To stay beyond that and qualify for a Work Visa, they have to have a job offer for a salary over £20,000, which is only possible if you’re an engineer. It’s really restricting the number of students who can stay on in the UK.”
This restrictive legislation is one reason why more students, such as Zhang, are coming to Canada, as it’s easier to obtain permanent residency here.
“This legislation started to come out in the UK in 2011-2012, and now less than two years later you’re seeing a 30 percent drop in international student applications. India alone is dropping more than 20 percent,” said Konrad. “That’s crazy.”
Zhang says he plans on staying in Canada to complete a Master of Business Administration (MBA). To do that, he must leave his full-time job.
“Once I get my MBA, I’ll probably go back to work for my current company because they have some education benefits and they help pay for tuition, which is great because it saves me money. I would be saving $15,000,” said Zhang.
In the UK that number is reduced to a maximum of 10 hours per week, according to Konrad. In Canada, international students can up to 20 hours a week, but for many that is not enough.
“By restricting the number of hours one can work to 10 (or 20 hours) a week, you are restricting the student in building up their resumé,” she says. “Since work placements, [part-time jobs and co-ops] are often key to getting graduates jobs, this poses a significant problem.”
Monteiro says she has also faced this same problem. When asked about job prospects for international students, she laughs.
“If you’d asked me this question a week ago, I would have told you that it’s really hard to find jobs, but if you keep trying, you will eventually get something,” she says. “I always advise people to take on internships, even though it’s free and might seem discouraging at first.”
Monteiro says that at one point after graduation, she had taken on three internships with different companies, to boost her resumé and keep busy. It was one of these internships that led to her current position in marketing.
Although the inability to work more than 20 hours a week does pose difficulty for many international students studying in Canada, some are finding that their international background actually has worked to their advantage in finding employment.
The part-time job Zhang worked throughout university actually led him to his current position as an international marketing assistant with a Waterloo company. His main responsibility is to build connections between Waterloo and Shanghai.
“I definitely feel as if there are job opportunities in Canada, especially in international cities like Toronto or Ottawa. Here, my international background works to my advantage because I can speak both English and Mandarin, and I know both Chinese and English culture.” CO
