Chinese International Students’ Wellbeing in Australia: The Road to Recovery

Abstract

The research findings on which this report is based arise from a five-year study funded by the Australian Research Council. Devoting herself fulltime to this project, between June 2015 and June 2020, the author undertook a multi-sited longitudinal ethnographic study of a core group of 50 young women from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) who travelled to Australia for tertiary education. The focus was on Chinese students’ social and subjective experiences of educational mobility: everything outside of study. This report addresses pragmatic questions about Chinese students’ experiences of life and wellbeing in Australian cities.

A key purpose of this report is to identify problems in the Chinese international student experience. The study found that Chinese international students in Australia experience a number of vulnerabilities including: restricted access to reliable local information; exploitation in rental accommodation; racism, social exclusion, and restricted opportunities for intercultural mixing; restricted work opportunities and exploitation at work; difficulties understanding and engaging with Australian police processes; and difficulties accessing Australian health systems including mental health support.

The detailed recommendations presented in each section of this report are based on the central recommendation that international students should be reconceptualized as part of the national youth population and residents in local communities, with associated rights as such.