By Mia Nulimaimaiti
After finishing her master’s degree in education last December, Harley Hu began looking for a full-time job in the United Kingdom. The search proved to be far more gruelling than she had expected.
“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.
Chinese nationals make up about 25 per cent of Britain’s international student population, yet account for only 10 per cent of graduate visas – whereas a smaller number of Indian students end up receiving more than 40 per cent of the visas.
In China, we’re taught that degrees are everything. But once you’re overseas, you realise employers care a lot more about experience
Harley Hu, Chinese graduate in UK
The discrepancy is partly linked to the fact that many Chinese students actively intend to return home after graduation, aiming to use their UK degree as a stepping stone to a better career in China. But many more appear to choose to leave by default, after losing faith in their ability to find work in Britain.
Young Chinese are often unprepared for the vast differences between the UK and Chinese job markets, with British employers placing far less focus on candidates’ academic achievements, according to Hu.
“In China, we’re taught that degrees are everything,” Hu said. “But once you’re overseas, you realise employers care a lot more about experience – and no one really tells us that.”
And international students have little time to adjust, as a large chunk of them have signed up to master’s degree programmes, which typically last only one year in the UK. “It’s such a short time,” Hu said. “Just when you start adapting to life here, it’s already time to hunt for work, and you’re not ready.”
Jack Chen, who earned a humanities degree from the University of York last year, has also noticed that his Chinese classmates struggled more than their peers to secure work after graduation.
“It’s just harder for Chinese graduates to get jobs than for Indian students,” the 25-year-old said. “Our culture doesn’t encourage us to stand out.”
Chen has found things difficult, too. Since finishing his studies, he has submitted more than 400 job applications and received only two part-time offers – one as a retail assistant at Zara and another as a social media manager for a small Chinese business in the UK.
“I know I studied a not-so-practical subject, but two part-time jobs? That’s way below my expectations,” he said. “I’m barely making £2,000 (US$2,750) before tax, which isn’t even enough to cover basic living expenses in London.”
For Chen, many Chinese students lack the confidence and competitive mindset of some of their peers. “Indian students are way more proactive,” he said. “They’ll call companies directly to pitch themselves. That sounds crazy to me, but while we’re still looking for part-time gigs, they’ve already landed full-time jobs.”
To make matters worse, platforms like LinkedIn – essential for UK jobseekers – are often unfamiliar to Chinese students due to restrictions back home. “They know how to use it and have polished CVs. Meanwhile, we come from a system where that stuff doesn’t even exist,” Chen said.
Emily Lu, a London-based headhunter who works mostly with Chinese nationals, noted similar issues. “Chinese graduates hesitate to reach out to employers, don’t use LinkedIn effectively, and rely on submitting CVs through formal channels – missing out on networking and informal routes that often lead to jobs.”
Chinese graduates are smart and capable, but they need direction. At home, teachers guide them every step of the way
Emily Lu, headhunter in UK
China’s rigid, exam-driven education system is partly to blame, as it does not teach students the soft skills that would help them stand out, according to Lu. “They’re smart and capable, but they need direction,” she said. “At home, teachers guide them every step of the way. Here, that’s not how things work.”
A 2024 report from the UK-based Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) confirmed the gap in post-graduation outcomes. It found that Chinese students in the UK often struggled with oral English, relied on tight-knit social circles, and faced digital literacy barriers that prevented them from accessing useful job-hunting tools.
With Chinese students scoring just 6.1 on average in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) spoken English exam, significantly lower than most other nationalities, many find it hard to integrate socially and access resources on campus, the study said.
A lack of support from universities exacerbates these issues, with Chinese students often clustered together in international student dormitories that effectively separate them from their classmates.
According to the report, 21 per cent of Chinese students said practically all their friends were Chinese, while just one in 10 reported having a diverse group of friends from other countries.
Meanwhile, only 21 per cent had used university career services, and just 2 per cent credited those services with helping them find a job, the report added.
This isolation and lack of access to local networks often shuts Chinese students out of opportunities like referrals, internships and job leads. And with growing uncertainty about the UK’s post-study visa programme, more Chinese graduates are simply going home.
In 2019, about 73 per cent of Chinese graduates returned to China after studying in the UK. By 2023, that figure had risen to 84 per cent, according to HEPI.
Chen said he was preparing to do the same thing. “If I don’t find something this year, I’ll go back to China,” he said. “A lot of jobs in China want you to work Saturdays, and salaries are lower, but at least I can get by. The cost of living is easier to manage.”
For Jessica Deng, things worked out – eventually. After completing a degree in education at the University of Southampton, she worked three part-time jobs before finally securing a full-time position in early years education this June.
“I sent out more than 300 applications,” she said. “In a country where even locals are struggling to find jobs, it’s hard to expect international students to have equal opportunities.”
While UK law prohibits discrimination against foreign applicants, Deng points out that many employers are put off by the uncertainty over foreign graduates’ visa status. “If you’re on a short-term post-study work visa, it’s not so simple,” she said.
The HEPI report urges universities to take a more hands-on approach to supporting Chinese students – from helping students build cross-cultural networks and navigate the UK job market more confidently to embedding work experience into their academic programmes.
“Some Chinese students feel like they are being treated as revenue sources rather than as valued members of the community,” it said.