With the rapid development of all aspects of China in the 21st century, especially with the continuous improvement of people`s living and material standards, the external promotion should be accompanied by the internal sublimation, so studying abroad has gradually become a hot topic in recent years. The Blue Book of International Talent: a report on the Development of Chinese study abroad published by the Social Science Literature Publishing House has attracted the attention of various groups and media.
The report points out that the number of Chinese students studying abroad has accounted for 14% of the total number of students studying abroad in the world, ranking first in the world. Especially in recent years, the number of students studying abroad under senior high school has become more and more, and the trend of studying abroad has gradually become younger. What is the impact of this low-age trend of studying abroad on the students themselves and their families?
The number of small students is growing, and they are growing by 20% a year, and most of the children who cannot take care of themselves are enrolled in well-served private boarding schools. As a matter of fact, the cost of studying abroad for small students is not cheap. Many parents constantly struggle to send their children out to study, whether it is worth it or not?
International education can enhance the competitive advantage of job search, so that the "young study abroad" began to rise in China. Between 2012 and 2016, the percentage of Chinese students with a high school degree or below rose 13 percent to 36 percent, according to survey data.
Many parents want their children to be more competitive and successful, and this mindset is often more pronounced in younger families. But if you can`t rationally judge the pros and cons of studying abroad, but blindly utilitarian to let children go abroad early, then it may backfire. Parents should be reminded not to consider studying at a young age as a panacea to change their destiny. Here is a way to share the pros and cons of studying abroad as well as the preparation you should know before you go abroad.
First, the advantages of studying at a young age
The advantages of studying abroad at a young age are certain. Let`s look at the advantages of children who study and live in this kind of foreign environment.
1. Exposure to new cultures
Teenagers are the golden age of learning. Under the cultivation of local education abroad, it is easier for foreign students to adapt to the new cultural life, interpersonal relationship, and a good language environment to avoid the pain of language learning to a certain extent.
2, conducive to the cultivation of creativity
It is beneficial to compare the similarities and differences between the two cultures and ways of thinking before the young students come into contact with completely different cultural circumstances before their thinking has been completely fixed, and thus conducive to the cultivation of creativity. We will find that those who study abroad will analyze the problem in a very different way from the domestic examinee.
3, which is beneficial to the cultivation of children`s independent ability.
In China, many parents will try their best to do what they can for their children. In Australia, children need to live and study independently when they leave their parents` asylum. In this environment, children can develop their own self-care ability. High school students with strong language skills, firm learning goals and good independent learning habits are suitable for high school in Australia.
Second, the disadvantage of studying abroad at a young age
We understand the advantages of studying at a young age, but his weaknesses are also obvious, this is also a lot of parents` entanglement. Let`s take a look at it.
1. The cultivation of children`s mental health
Out of this stage of the children`s outlook on life is not yet mature, the purpose of studying abroad is unclear by parents early sent abroad. It is easy for children who are used to dependence to lose sense of security in strange environment. The lack of cultural identity leads to psychological loss. In the long run, it will affect the development of mental health.
2. Security issues are difficult to guarantee
Many parents do not know much about life on the other side of the ocean, many of them have heard or followed suit, the safety problems of Australian schools, such as campus violence, the shoot incident, and so on, are unpredictable. If the child can not find the motivation to study in the life of studying abroad, it will often lead to bad behavior such as, gambling, brawl, and the safety problem will become a hidden trouble.
3, language barrier, it is difficult to succeed in gold plating abroad.
It is not possible to send students abroad blindly. Language is a big problem. There is no way to monitor the learning quality of international students in various countries at a young age. The students` self-determination ability is not strong, which causes many students to study language classes abroad indefinitely and fail to pass the customs. They mix with Chinese students all day, neither learn real knowledge, but also waste time and money.
Third, what should parents do before they study at a young age?
1. Financial management: teach children to manage money and guide children to spend money.
There are many foreign students who are less likely to manage their own finances, so parents need to help their children plan their finances properly because they are prone to overspending without supervision. On the other hand, the problem of property security, sometimes inadvertently by criminals through different channels and means of extortion or theft of money. Parents should keep abreast of the financial situation of their children and help them to raise their awareness of self-protection and avoid unnecessary injury and loss of property.
Before going abroad, parents can discuss each consumption with their children. Educating children with encouragement and guidance will enable them to gain respect and understanding and learn how to spend their money in a reasonable way and slowly correct the incomplete values of consumption.
When it comes to consumption, it is very important for parents to have good communication with their children. It is better not to deny it from the beginning, but to actively communicate with their children about the reasons for consumption. It is suggested that parents can use the Internet to get an overview of the local price level and estimate the amount spent by their children so that they can work with their children to work out the corresponding monthly spending limits.
2. Self-care ability: ability to exercise independently before going abroad
An early student who went abroad said that when studying abroad, he would choose to live at home and school, which requires students to take care of their own clothes, food, travel, and self-care. Some foreign students do not do laundry and cooking, do not deal with interpersonal relations, self-care ability is poor. In the event of a situation, they first make a cross-ocean phone call to complain to their parents and ask for help. Some small students do not correctly grasp their position in the second home and do not get along well with their homes. In fact, families regard foreign students as members of their families, and foreign students can help the landlord set up tableware before dinner, water the garden, clean up, do what he can, and abide by the landlord`s family rules. Will make their study abroad life more safe and happy.
It is suggested to exercise consciously for a while before going abroad. Parents should let their own children use their own brain, do it themselves, personally deal with the relevant affairs of studying abroad.
3. Emotion Management: learn to adjust self-emotion
Now most of the children are only children, under the protection of their parents have not passed the ups and downs of life. Living and studying alone, such a test is unprecedented. The lack of psychological preparation will cause various psychological problems and affect your studies. Therefore, you must learn to adjust your self-emotion and consciously shape a good personality. Generally speaking, it is positive. Optimistic, extroverted people are more adaptable to the environment, better able to protect themselves and finish their studies in unfamiliar environments.
After going abroad, parents should always pay attention to the mental and ideological health of their children. In recent years, many cases show that the mental and ideological health of young students has become a security issue that needs to be paid more attention to. Parents and children are advised to maintain regular contact and communication by means of instant communications such as telephone, Email,QQ,MSN,GoogleTalk and Skype, and to learn about changes in their learning and living conditions, thoughts, mentality and emotions abroad. And actively give the child correct guidance on a variety of issues. Among them, the adjustment and adaptation of learning methods abroad, the establishment of correct and civilized values of life and love and marriage, as well as the way of dealing with people and so on.
4. Legal consciousness: understanding legal knowledge, legislation Law Awareness
Many Chinese students do not pay enough attention to foreign legal norms, love and use things, legal awareness is very poor. If you don`t have insurance, you drive around and fight for other Chinese students.
Foreign laws are different from those in China. For example, to attend high school in Australia, parents should teach their children to consciously learn and abide by local laws, regulations and cultural practices, and learn to use the law to protect their legitimate rights and interests. Laws involving foreign students usually include civil law, criminal law, traffic law, neighborhood law, marriage law, consumption law, environmental protection law, wildlife protection law, public order law, labor law, immigration law and so on. At the same time, each school also has its own management regulations, such as school status, attendance, examination, library lending, material copying, homework copying, fee management, accommodation management and so on. Consult and seek help from professional bodies or professionals when required.
Parents should let their children know about the law from an early age and cultivate the awareness of legislation law. Before going abroad, let children attend some training or related lectures, understand the foreign legal norms in advance.
5. Language competence: it is critical to pass the language level
To study abroad, it is necessary to teach in the local language, do homework, hand in papers, live, work. If the language ability does not pass, goes to cannot understand the lesson, reads the book, cannot communicate with the other person normally, then, this study abroad is a kind of failure, to the student psychology a kind of invisible depression and the blow.
Although foreign schools are wide-cut in and out of the country, it is very important to prepare for the study before studying abroad. To be shy of speaking abroad, it is better to pass the oral level at home, fully prepared, and low cost.
Experts say that many parents and students have a general psychological feeling that their children have a poor English base at home, so if they go abroad early, they will be able to pass the language barrier. There are also many people think that learning a foreign language should go abroad, learn fast, and pronunciation is correct.
However, the reality is that after a long period of traditional feeding and examination-oriented education, many Chinese students do not have the ability to learn independently and have the courage to practice, let alone achieve the ease of using a foreign language. If study abroad immediately, inevitably can not understand the course, can not open the mouth, and then fall into the vicious circle of learning.
He suggested that senior high school students should go to professional language training institutions to improve their language level before studying abroad, especially in the spoken language section. So that as soon as they step out of the country, teachers and students from different countries can communicate freely and promote each other.
Fourth, explain the related problems of Australian primary and middle school students
1. What conditions do our children need to meet if they want to live in Homestay, in Australia? What procedure is in place?
Homestay home must have Blue Card-Working With Children Check (WWCC); students need to have their own bedroom, with furniture to study and live. A Homestay can only live at most 3 foreign students, and there should be plenty of room for activities at home. Homestay requirements vary from school to school in Australia, but international student leaders usually go home to check to ensure that the environment is basically in line with the school`s requirements.
2, from the landlord`s point of view, what are the advantages and disadvantages of being an Homestay?
The responsibility of Homestay is not only to take care of a teenager`s diet and accommodation, but also to pay attention to the physical and mental health and personal safety of international students. Most of the time, landlords need to give them extra help. In terms of benefits, Homestay`s weekly income is about 250 to 320 Australian dollars, which is a good income.
3, Australia 500 student visa when can work, 16 years of age above?
Yes. Students over the age of 16 can work, 20 hours a week. According to Australian law, once a fixed income is paid, so a friend who wants to work needs to apply for a tax number.
4. How can I apply for an Australian school? What are the specific requirements of local schools for overseas students?
If you need to apply for Australian public schools for your children, also known as government School (Government schools), you need to apply through the Australian Department of Education. For Queensland, the website is: https://eqi.com.au/.
If you need to apply to Australian private schools for your children, apply on the school`s official website. When applying, the school will look at the scores of overseas students in recent years (country of origin) and will consider whether it is necessary to arrange the Homestay. Overseas students who come to Australia with their parents or relatives are more likely to apply successfully.
5. Can primary school students only attend international schools when they study abroad? Do you have to read? Can I work with my parents? Are there any restrictions on the length of working hours? How much is the normal tuition? Do you have the advantage of going to high school or college?
Primary school students can apply for government school in Australia, but parents or immediate family members will come to attend. Parents with visas are not allowed to work, and children need to leave the country when they reach adulthood. Tuition for a semester is usually around $3000, but private schools are more expensive. If a student`s visa has always been an international student, primary school students will have no advantage in language, but not in high school or college.
6. If the middle school students come to Australia to study abroad, do they have to advance the local language schools?
Right。 Middle school students need to read the language for 20 weeks, unless they have been tested in English recently, such as IELTS, and their scores are equal to 5.5 points of IELTS total score.
7. I live in Homestay, but I don`t like this family very much. How can I get help?
Homestay rarely has a perfect family, and it`s normal to have conflicts. If conflicts can be reconciled, schools generally advise students to continue living together; if they can`t live together, students can ask international student leaders to replace their Homestay, but it still depends on whether there is a suitable family to stay in.
8. I just came to Australia when I was 15 years old, and I didn`t have any friends. I don`t know how to get in here.
Language schools are a key to integrating into Australian life, and parents must encourage their children to participate in local school activities. There are many Chinese communities in Australia. Some Christian groups usually have a lot of social activities, and children can also try it.
Experts on studying abroad suggest that, in addition to making adequate preparations in the areas of psychology, independent living ability, and language, financial assessment is also a very important aspect. Before going abroad, you must correctly assess the economic situation of your family and families with poor economic conditions. Hard support to let children go abroad, is bound to bring a series of problems, to be careful.
