A foreign diploma does not mean a high salary

A recent survey on the employment situation of Chinese students who studied overseas shows the monthly salary for most of these students, who come back home to work, is 3,000 yuan ($476) to 10,000 yuan. That is to say, their incomes are almost the same level as those who studied at home.

China became the largest source of overseas students in 2010. Chinese students studying abroad account for about 14 percent of the world's total. Chinese parents send their children abroad to study in a bid to get better jobs after graduation. But they all may be disappointed by the survey's findings.

Education is valued in Chinese society and traditions. Some Chinese families even exhaust their savings to pay the expensive tuition and living expenses of their children on foreign campuses. The parents regard it as a good investment.

In this process, some intermediaries take advantage of the parents' mindset and try to persuade more Chinese students to study in foreign countries, regardless of the families' finances or the quality of various forms of foreign education.

Some foreign schools regard Chinese students as cash cows, and believe that as long as the Chinese get foreign diplomas, they will pay the high cost.

In this case, students graduating from foreign schools may not necessarily have the ability and knowledge that correspond to the prestigious name of their schools. Plus, some students attend “diploma mills” that issue only fake certificates.

The Chinese education authority should take timely measures to stop the brain drain and money drain from China. It should do more to raise the parents' awareness of the importance of making a rational study plan for their children.

As more Chinese students studying abroad come back to work in China now, the employers will be pickier while choosing the right talents. The change of employers' attitude will also make more Chinese realistic about choosing the right school to attend.

Translated from 21st Century Business Herald