Editor's Note: This article, from the Chinese media, claims that Chinese students who study overseas find it difficult to reintegrate into Chinese society. The article also suggests that it is different for overseas returnees to find jobs because of their weak personal networks. The author writes that returnees generally settle for entry level jobs and seems to try to be dissuading Chinese students from attending school abroad. The author fails to mention that Chinese who study abroad come out bilingual with strong writing and critical thinking abilities and have more freedom in their education. Despite the fact the author claims that it is difficult for them to integrate to society, only 13% of survey respondents actually claimed that this was true.
Over half of Chinese students who attend university abroad return to China after their studies. 13% of those students find it difficult to re-integrate into Chinese society.
From 1978 to 2014, 1.8 million students have returned to China after studying abroad. 1.3 million of these students studied abroad in the last five years. In 2014, 364,800 students returned to China after studying abroad, an increase of 172% compared to numbers back in 2010.
Millions of Returnees
On August 16, the 10th Chinese Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum and recruitment website Zhaopin released a report on Chinese student returnees in 2015. The reported stated that, “As of 2014, 1,809,600 Chinese students have returned from overseas, accounting for 51.4% of those who study abroad.”
The returnees, mostly in their 20s and 30s, returned from studying abroad, mainly in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. Those in charge of the survey gathered a total of 913 questionnaires. 78.4% of respondents had returned to China after 2010.
Zhaopin founder Guo Sheng said that trends show that more and more Chinese students return to China after studying overseas. Returnees have come back to work as ordinary workers in society. In the past, overseas returnees were seen as top talent, but now they join the Chinese workforce at the entry level.
Difficult to Integrate
“When overseas returnees come back to China, they face more difficulties, as China is more competitive than ever before. It will become increasingly difficult for them to integrate into China's environment,” said Guo.
The survey shows that 32.7% of overseas returnees were able to quickly integrate back into domestic Chinese society, and 54.4% were able to eventually integrate. 12.9% reported that they have found it difficult to integrate back into Chinese society.
According to the “Chinese Returnees Development Report (2013) published by Chinese and international think tanks, that year, “more than half of returnees found it difficult to integrate into the domestic environment.”
Weak Personal Networks
Another survey showed that only 15% of respondents believed that their personal network was strong in China. 47% said that they felt themselves to be at a disadvantage and felt that they had no personal network back in China because of their studies abroad.
Source: The Paper
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Keywords: China overseas returnees Chinese Students Studying Abroad
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It's funny how the editor's note is telling us how we're suppose to think about the matter. LoL, can't you guys just translate the article and stop with the propaganda? Thank you. :)
Aug 23, 2015 00:02 Report Abuse
This whole article is a numbers play tactic. The actual numbers are small. 13% reporting difficulty to integrate in the job market would be expected even from locals in a booming economy - how difficult is difficult? They are forced to accept entry-level jobs because they don't have the same guanxi networks, but it may also have to do with the lagging economic growth that is kept hidden. How many locals who studied in China must accept entry-level jobs? How many well-connected people with guanxi actually get top jobs? It boils down to a carefully worded propaganda piece for Chinese education, misrepresenting statistics and percentages as dishonestly as possible.
Aug 21, 2015 15:46 Report Abuse
China has become more competitive than before , but the job market is still more prosperous than most foreign countries . Returning back to China is an good option for most students who study abroad, I suppose.
Aug 21, 2015 14:35 Report Abuse
Well it is certainly a challenge to really adapt to a new culture and then try to change back to your old culture. Given that China is a bit insular, collective minded, and fad oriented, that makes it especially hard for a returnee to care or understand about the latest craze or news.
Aug 21, 2015 01:48 Report Abuse
Showing once again that in China, it is all about who you know, rather than what you know. You can be dumb as bricks, but if your mom or dad has the right connection, you'll be the CEO of Nongmin International Country Trade Factory Ltd.
Aug 19, 2015 21:50 Report Abuse
"The author fails to mention that Chinese who study abroad come out bilingual with strong writing and critical thinking abilities and have more freedom in their education." Because in China, actual language ability, writing ability, and critical thinking are all meaningless compared to connections.
Aug 19, 2015 21:36 Report Abuse
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