Recently, the China (Ministry of Education) Study Abroad Service Center held the "2025 (30th) China International Education Tour Exhibition" in four cities: Beijing, Wuhan, Shanghai and Guangzhou. In addition to traditional study abroad destination countries such as the UK, the US, and Australia, this exhibition also attracted colleges and universities from emerging study abroad destinations such as Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Hungary, Poland, and Vietnam to join, among which universities in Vietnam and Ecuador participated in the exhibition for the first time. A reporter from Yangcheng Evening News learned that in recent years, with the deepening of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative, the niche study abroad market is gradually heating up.  

  Niche study abroad opens up new ways to receive higher education  

  The cost of living in Europe is gradually rising, and the threshold for a one-year master's degree in Spain has increased sharply - as the traditional study abroad path becomes more and more crowded, the 29-year-old Chen Bi turns his attention to the hinterland of Central Asia. Arriving in Almaty by bus from Xinjiang, this dusty city became her new starting point: the one-year accounting master's program at the Kazakhstan State University, the tuition fee is only 1/3 of that in Europe, and there is no need for language scores and GPA hard requirements.

  "After a year of coming out, she should change her mood for herself on vacation, and she can also get an education." After being laid off by a central enterprise, she chose to board the ferry boat to study for graduate school abroad, and after improving her education, she returned to Xinjiang to take the exam for the exam. Her experience reflects the employment anxiety of many people choosing to study abroad.

  According to the "2025 Chinese Study Abroad White Paper" recently released by Kaide Education, the number of Chinese students studying abroad reached a historical high in 2024, and it is expected that the growth trend will continue in 2025. Study abroad destinations are showing a trend of diversification. In addition to traditional English-speaking countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, the attractiveness of non-English-speaking countries such as Germany, Japan, and Singapore has significantly increased.

  Yao Bo, dean of the Beijing Asia-Europe International Education and Culture Institute, analyzed that choosing a niche study abroad country has high education quality. Some universities such as Germany and Kazakhstan perform well in QS rankings; the cost of studying abroad is low, and the annual cost is only a few thousand yuan; the language requirements are loose, and there are many international courses taught in English; the cultural atmosphere is good, the pace of life is slow, and there are many Chinese in some countries, which is conducive to integration; there are many opportunities for immigration, such as Germany looking for a job visa after studying in, and you can apply for permanent residence when you meet the conditions; there are broad employment prospects. As Chinese companies go overseas, countries with close cooperation with China have a demand for talents who understand Chinese and local businesses.

  In recent years, with the continuous increase in the cost of studying abroad, international students will pay more attention to the issue of study abroad when studying abroad. The "Blue Book on China Study Abroad Development Report (2023-2024)" released by CCG shows: "The high-quality educational resources and cost-effective life experience of Germany, New Zealand and other countries are attracting more and more Chinese families to turn their attention to these regions."

  "The United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia are too expensive, and the cost of living in Europe is high, and Central and Eastern Europe is the cost-effective choice." After Mika resigned for a year in her job, she chose to go to Poland to find a working environment that suits her. In Poland, the annual tuition fees of public universities are generally less than 30,000 yuan, and the living expenses are relatively cheaper than those of Western European countries. International students are allowed to work part-time (20 hours a week). Mika, who just resigned, has room for capital turnover in this situation, and has seized the opportunity of cooperating with Polish merchants to engage in part-time jobs such as document translation and goods reception to subsidize household expenses.  

  Returning to China to find employment is still the mainstream choice for international students  

  According to the "Blue Book of China Study Abroad Development Report (2023-2024)", with the changes in the international situation and the advancement of the construction of the "Belt and Road", the distribution of Chinese overseas students has become more diverse. In recent years, in addition to traditional study abroad destinations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Japan, European countries such as Germany, France, Russia, Italy, Ireland, Sweden, and countries such as Malaysia and Thailand jointly built the "Belt and Road" have also become important study abroad destinations for Chinese students.

  Yao Bo said that many universities in non-English speaking countries emphasize the combination of practice and theory, such as German science and engineering, French art research, and Dutch business, cultivate students who have solid professional knowledge and strong practical abilities and can have outstanding strength in the corresponding fields. At the same time, study abroad experience can give international students the advantages of cross-cultural exchanges, get in touch with diverse cultures, education systems and thinking methods, have a broad international perspective, and can adapt well to multinational enterprises or international business positions. There is also the advantage of language ability. Studying in non-English speaking countries allows you to master the local language. Multilingual ability helps it stand out among companies that have business dealings with the corresponding countries.

  Xiaosu, who once worked part-time in Serbia, said: "It is an advantage to know Chinese, but only by knowing Serbian can you take root." Under the influence of the "Belt and Road" initiative, the employment markets of niche study abroad countries often have two-way needs: on the one hand, local companies are eager to expand the Chinese market and urgently need bilingual talents, while on the other hand, international students need to break through language barriers to truly integrate into the local employment environment. Mika, who lives in Poland, also said that long-term life abroad, independence and autonomy are crucial, and it directly determines whether people can integrate into a new environment, understand a new culture, and adapt to a new order.

  Although some international students choose to stay abroad to develop, returning to China is still the mainstream. The "2025 Chinese Students White Paper" released by Xinhuanet shows that among the students who choose to find employment, more students returning to China to seek jobs than those who want to find jobs overseas. Cultural belonging and motherland attraction are the two main factors that attract overseas talents to return to China for employment.

  "Studying abroad is short and it is difficult to fully integrate into the local living environment. I still prefer the domestic rhythm of life and interpersonal communication methods." Xiaosu mentioned that in addition to living habits and cultural environment, it is also emotional links rooted in the family that encourage international students to return to China. Chen Bi admitted: "The country is becoming stronger and stronger and more opportunities are more important because our parents are in their hometown."  

  Plan your road ahead of time and avoid blind job hunting  

  No matter which country you study in, students will eventually be tested by the market. According to the LinkedIn China's "2024 Job Search Insight Report on Returning to China", 47% of Chinese students began to use various channels and platforms to find jobs after returning to China before graduation. Among them, 31% have identified jobs before graduation. "Salary and Benefits", "Career Development and Upgrade Space", "Work Stability", "Work Location and Job Matching Level" are the top five factors that Chinese students consider when returning to their homeland for employment.

  Regarding future career development plans, Chen Bi affirmed the positive effect brought by Kazakhstan's study abroad experience. In her study abroad class, several students in their thirties also hope to return to the motherland for the exam through the study abroad pedal. The drive from Almaty to Xinjiang is more convenient than going to the eastern region. Xinjiang and other places include Kazakhstan's education in the "Border Talent Introduction Plan", and some cities and cities provide 30,000 to 50,000 yuan to settle down subsidies for master's degree in Kazakhstan... This provides many Chinese students in Kazakhstan with the gravity of returning to their hometown.

  Yao Bo said that international students in niche study abroad have many advantages in employment, but they also face challenges. The international reputation of niche national universities studying abroad is limited, some majors are not popular and strong, and employment competition is easy to suffer from disadvantages, and companies are slowly establishing trust in their academic qualifications and professional abilities. When returning to China to find employment, cultural differences often lead to misunderstandings and conflicts in communication and work philosophy. And compared with traditional major studying countries, the number of international students in niche study countries is small, and the domestic alumni network and network resources are relatively weak, but these phenomena will gradually change.

  Regarding how to improve employment competitiveness, Yao Bo suggested that international students can improve their competitiveness by studying hard at school, participating in professional activities, and obtaining domestic accreditation certificates. In terms of interpersonality, you can use social media and other connections to expand your network, and highlight your study abroad advantages when looking for a job for self-marketing. In addition, planning your own career in advance and choosing majors and practices based on the needs of the domestic employment market can avoid the detours of blind job hunting.

  It is reported that in response to the employment issue of international students returning to China, at the 2025 China International Education Tour Exhibition and China Study Abroad Forum Information Release Conference, Wang Daquan, director of the China (Ministry of Education) Study Abroad Service Center, said that the center is relying on the national study abroad talent employment service platform to provide online employment services. At present, the number of international students registered on the platform has reached more than 310,000, and more than 1,700 employers, helping international students break through the information barriers in the employment market and promoting the precise matching of talent resources and employers' needs. "Only by building a healthy study abroad education ecosystem can we promote the two-way flow of overseas students and overseas students to study abroad." (Reporter Sun Wei, intern Chen Xinyue)

[Editor in charge: Wang Qi]