The role of international mobility in the academic and professional pathways of Chinese students in France

Résumé 0

Until the beginning of the twenty-first century, very few Chinese students came to France for their higher education. Today, they make up France’s largest foreign student community from a non-French-speaking country (numbering 27,315 in 2019–2020; Rosenwald, 2020). Their increased mobility is strongly impacted by the particular Chinese educational context, where the university entrance exam is decisive for students’ futures. French public universities are especially accessible to foreign students who are not rich enough to pay for private establishments. Nowadays, studying abroad is no longer only for the elite like it was thirty years ago. A degree from a renowned university can make it easier to find a job in China. Chinese students overseas are thus increasingly differentiated according to family background, high school performance, and career plans. In this way, studying abroad in France is organized around a triptych model comprising a “second chance,” financial means, and the attractiveness of the French language in the Chinese job market. Students who are not satisfied with their previous experiences in China try to get a better-recognized degree in France. Nevertheless, while Chinese employers can easily tell the value of different Chinese university degrees, it is more complicated for them to do so with foreign degrees. In fact, it can be harder for international students to ensure that their professional and academic experience in French higher education is valued. For example, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Chinese graduates from French universities to find a job because of the numerous other Chinese graduates from all kinds of higher education institutions around the world.