In an article from the South China Morning Post, a western education isn't what it used to be.
on Facebook (with video) - Overseas education is no longer a sure route to success in China
As sea turtles turn into seaweed, Chinese graduates look beyond the career ladder to find value in studying abroad
An unflattering nickname for those returning from universities overseas highlights that this path is no longer a sure route to success
Liu counts herself as one of the more fortunate ones – rather than settling for the lower-paid role she was offered, she opened her own studio to edit documentaries as a freelancer.
She picked up two long-term jobs that would yield a steady income over the next 18 months and took small jobs for shorter videos at 15,000 yuan each.
“I think I am on of the lucky ones, being able to land on my feet so quickly. Some of my friends are still struggling,” Liu said.
According to the Ministry of Education, last year 544,000 people went abroad to study and 432,500 returned after finishing their foreign education. Nearly 80 per cent of students chose to go back China after completing overseas study.
These graduates were once applauded as “hai gui”, a Chinese word for returned students that sounds like the word for “sea turtle”.
However, with lucrative prospects dwindling, a new and far less flattering phrase entered the lexicon to describe returnees waiting for a job – “hai dai”, which sounds like “seaweed”.
A report released earlier this month found that while more than one third of foreign-educated students found their first job within three months and nearly 89 per cent within half a year, more than 68 per cent made less than they expected.
