Job Discussion Forums

[slapntickle]

Chinese parents have always been enamoured with the idea of a western education for their children, especially these days when competition for jobs at home is cut-throat. However, in a recent article at www.asianewsnet.net I was saddened to read that a new "urban poor" is being created in China because the promised western education and its supposed benefits have not materialised, leaving parents in serious debt:

"Parents are surrendering their last resources to wager them on a child's future by sending them abroad," said Lao Kaisheng, an education policy researcher at Capital Normal University. "If these children don't get the decent jobs and the salary that is expected, their parents will naturally be sucked into poverty."

The article contnues:

However, not many Chinese families have enough saved in the bank to cover the tuition fees and accommodation and living expenses involved in overseas study potentially hundreds of thousands of yuan. Instead, many are choosing to take on massive debt at a critical time in their own life.

The article then gives a case study of a Chinese student who went to Texas to get his Master's degree, which his father thought would give him an edge in the market place upon his return:

His father worked at an electronics factory in Zhuhai and earned more than 10,000 yuan ($1,583) a month, so the adventure was not a great financial burden. However, after his return, 26-year-old Wang was no better prepared to find work.

Even his English skills had not improved, he said, as "we stayed with other Asians most of the time".

Eventually, his parents had to invest more money to help their only son eke out a meagre living by running his own electronics store.

"He hasn't earned a penny back for us, even though we've taken care of him for 26 years, while other people his age might have earned more than 200,000 yuan ($31,660) by now," said his 66-year-old father, who did not want to be identified.

"We could have had a decent life after retirement with our savings, but now we've painted ourselves into a tight corner," he added bitterly.

Wang said his father has had to quit his favourite hobbies swimming and rock climbing to save money. He added: "It's not just the lack of money, the feeling we're now poor makes me really ashamed when I'm with friends."

When will Chinese parents see the light and realise that western universities are churning out thousands of students every year with degrees that are losing their value simply because every Tom, Dick, and Wang has one?

http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=28771&sec=3

[Shroob]

"He hasn't earned a penny back for us, even though we've taken care of him for 26 years, while other people his age might have earned more than 200,000 yuan ($31,660) by now," said his 66-year-old father, who did not want to be identified.

"We could have had a decent life after retirement with our savings, but now we've painted ourselves into a tight corner," he added bitterly.

Wang said his father has had to quit his favourite hobbies swimming and rock climbing to save money. He added: "It's not just the lack of money, the feeling we're now poor makes me really ashamed when I'm with friends."

That's probably the most extreme example I've heard of where Children are seen solely as a parent's investment/retirement fund.

If I had parents like that, I'd have tried my best to stay in America...

[Denim-Maniac]

In terms of an investment, a Western education doesn't make much sense to me. I have a Chinese friend in the UK who has been there for 7 years now. Her student fees run to around 100,000 RMB per year and I would guess her living costs are likely to double that yearly figure.

Although she has been there longer than most, if you take those figures over a standard 3 year degree then the total cost is around 600,000 RMB. In the example of my friend, who has just finished an architecture MA, she expects to find a job in a major Chinese city with a salary of much less than 10k per month to start. She thinks 5k a month is closer to the mark.

A 600,000 RMB investment to start work at less than 10k a month looks like a bad deal to me. Even with future pay hikes and other benefits its going to be a long time before there is a return on investment IMO. I would personally look at using that money to fund something in China, property, small business etc etc.

On a side note, the filial duty referred to in the previous post is hard to swallow sometimes, but its not always a bad thing. Im friends with a wonderful, pretty 25 year old Chinese girl here, and rather than spending weekends drinking her money away or wasting it on clothes she doesnt really need, she keeps a little back to send home. Its certainly opposite to our culture, but a bit of filial piety beats a lot of the 'me,me, me' attitude, rampant consumerism and an obsession with store and credits cards that many young people have in the West.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

The rush to go abroad will be tempered with a reverse rush in a few years when it's found out that their kids can't / won't earn money for them.

[xiguagua]

Chinese parents always want to look at someone who has defied all odds to become successful and compare their kid to that person. It's like if all our parents said "Look at Mark Zuckerberg! He's so rich and successful, my kid is a failure because he's not the same as him"

I'm sure most 26 year olds fresh out of college aren't making nearly 200k per year......I agree with Shroob. I know that is Chinese culture and everything, but i'd probably run away too if that was my dad.

[MisterButtkins]

IMO it's a prestige thing for the richer Chinese. They send their child abroad basically because it looks good. Presenting an image is important to Chinese people. Just getting a degree is not and has not ever been a 100% guarantee of getting a job.

For the example of an architecture MA, I actually read that it is extremely difficult to find a good job with an architecture degree, and architects have one of the highest post-graduate unemployment rates. The top architects make huge amounts of money but most of them do not do so well. I read this in a recent article, don't have the link with me.

[xiguagua]

Yeah that's also a deciding factor for parents when CHOOSING THEIR CHILDS MAJOR. It makes me feel ridiculous when saying that because the idea is so absurd to me, but I have had so many students telling me they wanted to do X but their parents made them do Y. Either trying to live their their children or as you said, they can read one article and see that successful architects make big bucks and decide that's the job for their child.

I've had English majors who seriously cannot say anything outside of the typical "how are you? I'm fine thanks and you?" Wondering what their parents were smoking when they decided that for their poor kid.

People are too quick to assume that choose a major = automatic riches and glory.

[MisterButtkins]