How to encourage students to pursue a career in the international education sector
“Let students know that the opportunities for professional development are vast in the international education sector”
For those already working in the international education sector, you know what a rewarding career lies in store for those just starting out, writes Laura Slingo of CV-Library. But for the vast majority of students currently studying, they are unaware of the opportunities that could be waiting for them. You can find more advice
To share your knowledge and encourage more students to pursue a career in the international education sector, here are our five tips:
1. Offer to give a presentation
Reach out to teacher training establishments at home, and offer to give a short presentation to their students on your career to date. It may be that the establishment is not up to speed on overseas work opportunities, so your insight may be gratefully received.
2. Start a blog
If you have experience in the international education sector and the ability to communicate effectively (as all good teachers do), then why not start a blog and share what you have learned so far with those students who are just starting out?
Getting a foot on the career ladder is hard enough for students, but not knowing what avenues are open to them makes the process even harder. It typically results in people entering a profession they aren’t particularly interested in, just because they didn’t know what else to do.
“Personal fulfilment is another positive. People enter the education sector because it’s a vocation, not just a job”
3. Dispel the rumours
Most people assume that the education sector solely involves teaching. And teaching isn’t for everyone.
Talk to your students about the world of opportunities available to them within the education sector. Let them know that they could pursue a career in HR, finance, even the military, and if they are looking for an adventure, all of these jobs can be found overseas.
4. Talk about the benefits that will aid their careers
There’s a range of benefits available by working in this industry, and you should educate students about these perks.
For a start, international education offers the opportunity to broaden horizons and build skills and experiences. It gives young people more to talk about during a job interview later on in life and makes them more employable, as they will have garnered experience that a lot of other candidates won’t have.
The sector also exposes professionals to different teaching methods. Students will be able to widen their repertoire and communicate more effectively with more of their students, making them a better teacher.
Personal fulfilment is another positive. People enter the education sector because it’s a vocation, not just a job. By letting students know that if they love to teach and love to interact with people, then doing it overseas can be even more rewarding, as there’s adventure to be had too.
5. Professional development opportunities
Let students know that the opportunities for professional development are vast in the international education sector. By building their professional skills, they will move up the jobs ladder and are likely to increase their income quickly as a result. And if they discover they don’t want to stay in the education sector, the skills they will have gained will be highly desirable in many other industries too.
Here are some in-demand skills the international education sector offers:
Adaptability: Education techniques are constantly evolving and to keep up with the latest developments, professionals have to be flexible. This skill is even more pertinent if they are putting these skills to use overseas.
Communication: By working in the international education sector, workers clearly demonstrate that they are capable of communicating articulately, and doing so in a foreign environment, shows they can operate outside of their comfort zone.
Organisation: Education professionals have to be organised to meet the rigours and demands international education places on them. Effective time management is essential to make the most of the adventure that they are undertaking and this skill is highly desirable in any workplace.
Share these five tips with students looking to enter the education sector to prove how rewarding a career in international education can be.
You can discover more expert advice on education jobs at the CV-Library Career Advice pages.
My son did an internship between his 3rd and 4th years of his MEng course. They were staying in the halls of residence of a nearby university. Another group of students were staying there at the same time – Brazilian engineering students. Not only do the Brazilian students pay nothing for their tuition (and I think they were given money for their living costs) but they also get an extended all expenses paid trip abroad seeing how engineering is done in different countries around the world.
I thought wow – there is a country which is seriously investing in its economic future.
Yes, we should lower or even remove tuition costs for Engineering students. Engineering is a tough subject and I don’t think there’s much to be gained from dumbing down the course content, but there are many school leavers who have the ability to do well in Engineering but who choose to aim for more glamorous-sounding careers. The prospect of a fully funded M(Eng) may make them look again at Engineering. Unfortunately, there is great demand outside Engineering for mathematically literate graduates with excellent analytical skills, and far too many Engineering graduates are hoovered up by the financial services sector each year. Perhaps Engineering students should pay fees like all other students, but get the debt written off once they become chartered engineers (four years from graduation with a masters, I believe, which have to have been spent working as an engineer).