A Phenomenological Exploration of International Students’ Barriers to Employment in China

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 7:45 am - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Structural Forces and Storywork: Qualitative Methodologies for Understanding Identity, Inequity, and Opportunity

Abstract

This study explores why few international students from high-income countries stay to work in China despite supportive policies. Based on interviews with 15 students, it identifies two patterns: self-directed planners and constrained passive leavers. The study highlights how multi-level structural barriers shape their employment decisions.

Author

• Jiaqi Tang, Tsinghua University