International education simply refers to the movement of members of the academic world. You can think of it as the movement of both teachers and students from one country to another. The reason for this movement could either be to study, teaching or research.
Why is this concept so important?
Well, international education typically yields a transfer of knowledge and expertise. Most students move to other countries in search of a better quality of education. As such, developed countries with well structured educational systems are the targets of these students.
Additionally, developed countries offer students newer employment opportunities. To attract more students (and scholars), universities and colleges assist international students in securing jobs after completing their program at the university. As such, international education is a desirable prospect for students and scholars all over the world.
However, things aren’t always straightforward. While international education does have its benefits, there are some accompanying disadvantages too. Before you decide to move to another country, it’s best to weigh your options as carefully as possible. To help out, we have highlighted some good things and some bad about international education.
The Good
- Better Quality of Education: Improved educational standards are perhaps the most apparent benefit of international education. You get to learn in fields that may not have been available in your home country. There’s also a chance to gain access to newer technology that’s available in your host nation.
- Exposure to New Cultures: You can gain a lot from being exposed to a new culture. Most international students claim that their views and ways of thinking drastically improved once they migrated.
- Newer and Better Career Opportunities: Developed countries hold an absolute economic advantage over their developing and underdeveloped counterparts. As such, the career paths available in developed countries are much better than the opportunities in other countries. Suppose you are trying to improve your standard of living. In that case, international education is one of the best ways of doing so.
- Personal Development: Exposure to new cultures and improved standard of living combine to help you grow as an individual. With new life experiences, you will find yourself growing much faster than you did in your birth nation.
- Improved Linguistic Skills: Additionally, you get to develop your linguistic skills in a new country. This development certainly makes you more attractive to employers and the local community of a host nation. You may soon find yourself exposed to more unique opportunities once the language barrier is completely overcome.
The Bad
- Expensive Nature Of International Education: Migrating is not an easy feat. Asides from the barriers of settling down and fitting in, the entire venture can be pretty expensive. Paying for tuition, accommodation, educational supplies, and so on can drain your pocket of vast sums of money. Careful financial planning can help you manage this.
The Ugly
- Racism: The world is not yet a single global village. You may be subjected to racist attacks and discriminatory treatment once you migrate to a new country. There’s also a chance that the locals may outrightly attack you. This is perhaps the ugliest part of migrating to a new country, whether for educational reasons or not.
- Loneliness: Migrating can help you train yourself in being independent. However, there is a chance that you might start to feel lonely as time goes on. This feeling can be managed and wholly done away with by making new friends in the new country, but it may take some time.
- Language Barriers: Communication barriers can limit your success as an international student. You should dedicate some time to learning the local language to help you overcome this limitation.
Despite all these demerits, international education can still be a very fruitful venture. It not only helps you grow as a person, but it can help you better contribute to the development of your local community back home. So, it is advisable to grab hold of the chance if it’s ever made available to you. It could be the turning point you need.
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