Not-So-Foreign^©
A Bulletin for International Education Professionals
Volume 7, Issue 6; February 13, 2008

The PDF version of this week's issue can be found here.

1)  THE PLAYING FIELD – Foreign students like 'safe' U.K.
2)  ABROAD PERSPECTIVE - Struggling Overseas Students Exploited In Australia, Study Finds
3)  OVER THE COUNTER - College orders fingerprint scans for non-EU students
4)  GLOBE TIPPING – In search of vegetarian food

1) THE PLAYING FIELD – Foreign students like 'safe' U.K.

A recent study of 11,000 students by i-graduate, a research firm, has revealed that 60 per cent think of the United States as being "very attractive" compared with the United Kingdom's 52 per cent rating. But on the broader "attractive or very attractive" rating, the U.K. moves ahead with 95 per cent compared with the U.S.'s 93 per cent. One of the main reasons given for the U.K.'s high ranking in the study is the perception that it is a safe place to study.

While the U.K. and U.S. rank as the most expensive countries in which to study, students think that they have a better chance of getting a visa for the U.K. than for the U.S. "It appears that the U.K. is beginning to challenge the supremacy of the U.S. in terms of popularity among prospective students. However, this might simply be a sign that the U.S. is losing more ground than the U.K. to emerging smaller competitors, who are collectively increasing their share of the international student intake," the report says.

Source: "Foreign students like 'safe' UK,"
Times Online, February 5, 2008

2) ABROAD PERSPECTIVE - Struggling Overseas Students Exploited In Australia, Study Finds

While Australia boasts of its growing popularity as a leading foreign
education destination, a new study claims that many overseas students are exploited in the country. Two papers, one on international students in the workforce and the other on the financial difficulties faced by overseas students, were based on interviews with 200 students at nine universities across Australia.

The study has indicated that many overseas students are paid well below the minimum wage and are among those most vulnerable to exploitation by employers in Australia. More than one-third of foreign students struggled financially and about 60 per cent are paid less than the legal minimum wage, according to the research. The authors of the joint Monash University and University of Melbourne studies criticised universities for treating overseas students like "cash cows."

"Keep in mind that the majority of students are rarely innocent in this," cautions Mel Broitman, who manages Higher-Edge's five offices in South Asia. "Thousands of 'students' with the help of hundreds of education agencies will do whatever it takes to get to Australia and work."

Source: "Struggling Overseas Students Exploited In Australia, Study Finds,"
Bernama, February 7, 2008

3) OVER THE COUNTER - College orders fingerprint scans for non-EU students

Ireland's Griffith College will introduce fingerprinting to enforce classroom attendance of students from outside Europe. Under the new scheme, which begins next term, students from outside the European Union (EU) must provide a scan for the device, in order to enrol and attend classes. The college says the measure will "assist" non-EU students to stay on the right side of the immigration authorities.

While fingerprinting has been introduced in a number of Irish secondary schools, this is the first time the technology has been used to enforce attendance of immigrants in private colleges. According to the Independent, in recent months several colleges have been exposed as fronts to help foreign students get fake documents for visa purposes.

Source: "College orders fingerprint scans for non-EU students,"
Independent, February 10, 2008

4) GLOBE TIPPING - In search of vegetarian food

With bird flu in the air again, it may be safer to turn vegetarian for
a while, especially while travelling. For those looking for vegetarian
eating options while travelling abroad, the Happy Cow's Global Guide
to Vegetarian Restaurants and Shops is a searchable online dining
guide to vegetarian restaurants and natural health food stores. The
guide lists vegetarian and vegan eating places in countries such as
India where most vegetarian recipes use dairy in the form ghee, curd
and milk.

www.happycow.net

Not-So-Foreign^© is a publication of Higher-Edge
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