What should professionals pay attention to when studying abroad?

In recent years, with the upsurge of studying abroad, more and more people choose to resign and study abroad in the workplace. Compared with students who go directly to study abroad, professionals' work experience gives them an advantage in application and a more targeted study. However, professionals studying abroad will also have some disadvantages, such as high visa risk and great pressure on language and exams. It is understood that most people in the workplace study in business, engineering, art, media and other majors. Experts suggest that people in the workplace should be clear about their purpose and development direction of studying abroad, and don't study abroad for the sake of studying abroad.

The age of studying abroad is between 25 and 35.

The data of several years show that the number of students studying abroad in the workplace is on the rise.

"There are two main types of professionals who go to study abroad. One is college students who have worked for one or two years, and the other is middle and high-level people with many years of work experience. " Yan Feifei, director of New Oriental's future overseas project in Britain, pointed out that the latter may have more than ten years' work experience and have reached the top of the enterprise, and the cost of studying abroad may also be borne by the company. The reporter learned that most people in the workplace are between the ages of 25 and 35.

Judging from the majors that people in the workplace choose to study abroad, most people will choose business, including business administration, human resources, finance and accounting. , as well as engineering, art and communication majors. Yan Feifei said that in recent years, the choice of media and art has increased.

"However, there are very few people studying abroad in the workplace compared with recent undergraduate graduates." Geng Lei, deputy manager of the US Department of Kai Tak Education Group Beijing Branch, said. Regarding the motivation of studying abroad, many experts from New Oriental Future and Kai Tak said that there are several main purposes for domestic professionals to choose to go abroad. One is to meet the bottleneck of career development and need to improve their own abilities; One is for immigration; Others are confused about the future and want to find new opportunities by studying abroad. Of course, some people are trying to fulfill their dreams of studying abroad.

There is a high possibility that the visa application will be rejected.

Compared with students, people in the workplace have advantages and disadvantages in studying abroad. According to Wang Weiwei, director of the Canadian study abroad program of New Oriental, professionals with rich work experience are more likely to be favored by famous foreign universities, especially business applicants, who have rich work experience and are often more likely to be admitted to famous universities. In addition, because professionals are relatively mature, they are more tolerant of foreign cultures, which can reduce their discomfort, easily integrate into local study and life, and gain more in studying abroad.

"The disadvantages of studying abroad in the workplace are also obvious." Wang Weiwei pointed out that, first of all, it is more difficult for people in the workplace to enter the learning state, and language learning is more difficult. In addition, it will be more difficult to obtain a study visa. For example, Canada has strict background requirements for visa applicants. Because professionals are older, visa officers will preconceived that their motives for studying abroad are impure, which may lead to the rejection of visa applications. In addition, many professionals regard studying abroad as a stepping stone to promotion and salary increase, and often have high hopes for future job opportunities. Once you can't find an ideal job after graduation, the psychological gap is huge, which is more likely to lead to an embarrassing situation.

Don't expect too much from studying abroad.

Yang Huan, director of the French West Department of Kai Tak Education Group Beijing Branch, suggested that professionals who want to study abroad should have a full and objective understanding of their current abilities and funds, and in addition, they should also have certain plans on whether to stay in the local work and life after studying abroad. Wang Weiwei pointed out that, in view of the possible visa risks, people in the workplace are advised not to resign if they are uncertain about going abroad. They should get the last visa before going through the formalities of leaving the company.

"In view of the situation in Australia, the main purpose of most people in the workplace is to consider immigration." Xiang Li, education consultant of ANZ Department of Kai Tak Education Group Beijing Branch, reminded that when choosing schools and majors, we must apply for suitable institutions and majors according to the screening principle of immigrants. Besides, if immigration fails, we should also consider our other options.

Yan Feifei hopes that people in the workplace should not study abroad for the sake of studying abroad, and should not blindly follow suit in choosing a major. "In the past, everyone knew to look at the school rankings, as long as the school was famous. Now this kind of information imbalance is getting less and less, and people in the workplace still have to choose the major they really need. "

expert opinion/advice

Don't be too "wishful thinking" when applying for a major.

Mia Piao, Product Director of EF International Language School in China.

In China, professionals often face many misunderstandings when planning and implementing study abroad, including: strong pertinence, paying attention to the actual gains and practical significance of studying abroad, which is an important feature of studying abroad for adults, but it is also a very common phenomenon to be too "wishful thinking" when applying.

Some students may choose according to their own subjective ideas, but they don't really carefully examine and experience the real content, emphasis, advantages and disadvantages of the major itself, because the definition of major in many foreign universities is very different from the general concept in China, and it is very likely that the major they choose can't give students what they really want to learn and the knowledge and skills they gain. As for the school, the style and environment of the school itself and the overall atmosphere of the city where it is located are all factors that students should properly examine and consider. Sometimes, the ranking and environment of overseas universities are ideal, but the cities and regions where they are located do not meet the hopes and needs of students, which will greatly reduce the overall experience and effect of studying abroad.

In addition, the characteristics of "lenient entry and strict exit" in overseas universities will cause great difficulties for students who are not well prepared in the workplace. Students studying in overseas universities and studying in [Weibo] often face the situation of "lenient entry and strict exit". Although they have successfully applied to the corresponding universities and ideal majors, many China students are faced with problems such as unsuitable research methods of overseas universities, inadequate preparation of academic English and professional background knowledge, which may eventually make it difficult for them to graduate smoothly and obtain degrees.

special case

Studying in Spain is a reporter's dream.

Nicky (pseudonym) once resigned to study in Spain.

I majored in English education at the university. After graduation, I became an English teacher in a school, but English is not my special major and I don't particularly love the profession of teachers. What I really want to learn is news, especially sports news.

By chance, my mother and I visited the Beijing International Education Exhibition. At the exhibition, a teacher suggested me to study in Spain and introduced the relevant situation. We think it is feasible, and I like Spanish football player Raul very much, so I decided to study communication in Spain. In this way, after working for more than a year, I still want to pursue my dreams.

After resigning, I studied Spanish in Beijing for four months and passed the Spanish proficiency test. Spanish universities combine leniency with strictness, and the requirements for applicants are not high. I didn't encounter any difficulties when applying, and my work experience didn't really help much.

I spent most of my first two years in Spain studying languages. In fact, two years is not enough to understand Spanish postgraduate courses. The stage of learning a language is very relaxing and enjoyable. I only have half a day's class, and I can do a lot of things in the rest of the time. When I really went to graduate school, I was very nervous and stressed. Graduate students studied very hard this year and finally graduated smoothly.

Before I went to Spain, I made a ten-year plan to be a football reporter after studying abroad. But when I came back, I found that it was not so ideal. Although I am a reporter now, this is not the field of football and has nothing to do with sports. But this experience of studying abroad has a great influence on me, and I think it's worth it. It has improved my quality and taught me to respect and respect various lifestyles and attitudes towards life.

Many times, it is important to choose and apply for overseas universities and majors with high ranking and strong strength, but whether they have their own "soft power" will actually directly affect the experience and effect of workplace students in the process of studying abroad.