I was reading the latest digital version of the EL Gazette yesterday, and perusing some articles relevant to the ELT situation in Australia. One that really stood out was the report about how Australia is predicted to attract at least 125,000 less international students over the next year, costing the economy something in the realm of 3 billion dollars and potentially up to 10,000 jobs in Victoria alone.
Of course, most of this is put down to global economic factors, the surging strength of the Australian dollar, and visa regulation changes designed to filter out students looking to do a short course here en route to a permanent residency visa.
The news did, however, remind me of something I noticed earlier in the year when I was (out of idle curiosity, really, as I have more than enough work to keep me occupied!) taking a bit of a look at the ELT job market here in Australia.
I recall looking at a position being advertised for an academic English skills advisor for international students at one of Victoria's universities. Basically, the role involved helping international students with their academic English to enhance their capacity to handle lectures, write reports, etc.
Good move, I thought. This sort of help is really needed for so many international students. It will help them handle their mainstream studies considerably, AND send them home with a better impression of their host's attention to the needs of its foreign students (who generally pay 20-50% more for their courses here than the local students do).
There was only one position of this nature in the university's student services division. And it was temporary - only four months, finishing up as soon as the autumn semester came to a close.
Now, here's the thing...
That university had more than 8,000 international students, making up more than one third of its total enrolment. To say that international students are absolutely crucial to that university's overall enrolment and financial situation would be an understatement, putting it mildly.
To allocate ONE academic English advisor, for just four months, for a precious fee-generating enrolment of more than 8,000 students, strikes me as being one or all of ill-advised, inconsiderate, incompetent, or just downright stupid.
I also saw another position being advertised at a university in my local area for a housing officer to help the international students there find accommodation. ONE housing officer for thousands of international students. Imagine my (total lack of) surprise when, during a chat with a real estate agent I know here, he mentioned that they have hundreds of international students knocking their door down, all at the same time of the year, and to his great regret he and his staff have major problems communicating on a basic level with them. One thing did get through the language barrier to him, though: the foreign students all pretty much said the university housing service was almost non-existent, and no one there seemed to give a damn.
Yes, we can talk about Australia losing international students on account of the global economy and national visa regulations.
I think we also ought to be talking about losing students because our universities do a pretty crappy job of looking after the students that come here and feed their budgets.
Perhaps, just perhaps, we lose students when we treat them like convenient cash cows, and leave them blatantly neglected as a result of budgeting designed to wring even more profit out of a system that has - basically - already made itself almost completely dependent on foreign student numbers.
Perhaps Australian universities aren't quite as clever or special as they think they are.
:-)
