Chinese graduates struggle to compete in harsh UK job market: ‘it's harder for us'
'I sent out maybe 200 or 300 CVs,' the 25-year-old told the Post. 'It took half a year to find something stable.'
After six months of juggling part-time work as a Chinese language tutor, Hu has now secured a full-time role in teaching. But the job only provides a temporary respite, as her employer does not sponsor skilled worker visas.
That means Hu will need to find another solution to stay in the UK after her two-year post-study work visa expires in late 2026. 'It's really tough,' she said. 'If I can't sort it out, I'll have to prepare to go back to China.'
Hu is far from alone in struggling. Competition for graduate jobs in the UK is intense amid a
sky-high youth unemployment rate of 14.3 per cent – and Chinese graduates often face even greater challenges due to a host of cultural barriers.
UK government data reveals a sharp contrast between the trajectories of Chinese international students and those from other nations after graduation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China on Thai-Cambodian conflict; Taiwan recall vote: SCMP daily highlights
Catch up on some of SCMP's biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing China and Europe should foster a 'healthy' economic relationship characterised by both competition and cooperation, the Chinese premier told European Union leaders and businesses on Thursday. China will continue to play a 'constructive role' in helping to ease regional tensions, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday, as Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged fire on their border for a second day. Chinese researchers have manufactured the world's largest barium gallium selenide (BGSe) crystal, a breakthrough that could pave the way for ultra-high-power laser weapons capable of zapping satellites from the ground.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Xi meets EU leaders, China's little-known oversupply problem: SCMP daily highlights
Catch up on some of SCMP's biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing At a meeting in Beijing on Thursday, President Xi Jinping urged European leaders to 'make the right strategic choice' as the world grapples with profound changes. He made the remarks to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, who are in Beijing for a summit that some Chinese analysts expect to be tone-setting for China-EU relations. Six university students drowned in an industrial tank during a field trip to a mining operation owned by China's most prestigious gold producing company, according to state news agency Xinhua. US President Donald Trump meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, on July 22. Photo: TNS The United States has struck new trade deals with Indonesia and the Philippines, in a move analysts say could indirectly undercut China by reshaping regional supply chains and tapping rare earth reserves – even if Beijing is not explicitly targeted.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
23 kindergartens in Hong Kong plan to close by end of school year
At least 23 Hong Kong kindergartens have indicated they will close by the end of the current school year in August, marking a 28 per cent year-on-year increase over 2023-24, education authorities' data shows. The anticipated rise has been linked to the record-low birth rate in 2022, with children born that year set to make up most of the next batch of first-year kindergarteners. The sector has also warned that more closures may follow if the situation fails to improve. The city has already seen a dip in the number of registered births this year, with levels for the first five months dropping by about 6 per cent year on year, despite small upticks in 2023 and 2024. In a reply to the SCMP, the Education Bureau said that as of June this year, 23 preschools had indicated that they would cease operations in or by the end of the 2024-25 school year. In the first 10 months of 2023-24, 18 kindergartens told authorities that they would close. The tally for that entire school year later reached 29, comprising 17 non-subsidised local kindergartens, eight non-local institutions and four subsidised local preschools. The anticipated rise in closures has been linked to the record-low birth rate in 2022. Photo: Jelly Tse Sector leaders said they expected non-subsidised preschools to account for most of the affected kindergartens, citing the city's high rents and declining student numbers. Among those set to close are two private preschools operated by Greenfield English (International) Kindergarten, an early childhood education group. The two branches are set to close in August, with the company attributing the move to the falling fertility rate. The group had four preschools in Hong Kong this academic year. Many of the pupils set to enter K1 in September were born in 2022, when only 32,500 births were recorded. It is the lowest number since the data became available in 1961. Industry leaders have already spoken about the difficulties of admitting sufficient K1 students for 2025-26. Wave of closures The Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers warned that the early childhood education industry could face a wave of closures if the situation continued. 'The current decline in the school-age population in Hong Kong has made it difficult for kindergartens to enrol students. The financial pressure on kindergartens that run full-day classes has become even more severe, with losses occurring year after year,' it said. The federation urged the government to let subsidised kindergartens running half-day and whole-day classes use public funding more flexibly. 'We suggest the authorities allow the financial surplus of half-day classes to subsidise the financial losses of full-day classes, thereby increasing the financial flexibility of kindergartens and alleviating operational pressure,' it said. The number of registered births in the first five months of this year dropped by about 6 per cent year on year, with the level going from 14,760 to 13,855. The latter figure echoes levels seen in 2022. The number of births in 2023 and 2024 stood at 33,200 and 36,700 births, respectively, marking the second and third lowest figures on record. Choi Lai-fong, vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers and a private kindergarten principal, said insufficient student enrolment levels would only get worse in the future. 'The uptick is so small, while there are more than 900 kindergartens in Hong Kong. With only about 30,000 babies each year, it is already considered very good for a kindergarten to secure 20 new K1 students for the coming year,' she said. Choi said subsidised kindergartens with old facilities and private preschools grappling with high rents would bear the brunt of shrinking birth rates.
