How to Recruit International Students4 min read

We live in a more and more open world, which is why our Jobbboard Finder team wanted to write a complete guide on how to recruit international students. Despite the current context, the diplomatic tensions or the protectionist politics, we live in a multicultural context in which people still want to discover other lifestyles, other culturesas soon as possible. Every year, thousands of students apply to go abroad, some of them for a short amount of time, and others never come back. Whether it be with an exchange program, like Erasmus in Europe, or a for a course in a professional environment, these expatriates don’t only want to discover a country like the common tourist. Sometimes, they want to understand an entirely different culture, to discover other mentalities, but also being confronted with the bad sides of countries sometimes defined as a paradise, where everything is possible.

In this blog post, we will first see how colleges and big privet schools recruit their international students. Then we will see why these students with international experience are good first for universities but also for companies. And finally we will give you a ranking of the countries that attract international students the most. We will also rank the best job boards to recruit students and international workers.

Recruitment of international students in higher education

Going abroad sometimes helps you to stop taking things for granted. It allows you to detach yourself from your motherland and from the country that welcomes you. Of course it depends on the country you have decided to leave and the one that you will discover. Every school from every country of the world has different ways of recruiting. In Europe, thanks to the Erasmus program, it has become easy to go abroad to study. Also, there are many programs promoting mobility for workers in companies that have relocated its activity. But let’s go back to students and how schools decide who qualifies for an exchange trip.

Many private schools and public colleges have decided to make school years and internships abroad mandatory for degrees that have an international orientation. The idea is to counterbalance the disparities regarding the level of language among students. These schools often sign partnerships with foreign ones to exchange students. It allows these schools to stand out and the exchange then helps the student to standout too once in the running for a job.

The recruitment process is usually the same in all schools. You have some application letters to write and English tests such as the TOEFL, TOEIC or other language tests, depending on the country to sit for. In some privet schools, you also have competitive exams, and access to a network of schools or companies to get an internship. Now, colleges in general use social media marketing for the recruitment of international students. They send messages to attract international students and after the exchange year, they try to convert international students into kinds of brand ambassadors. And this has become quite efficient and successful.

Why are international students interesting for both universities and companies?

Going abroad for a year is a huge life changing experience. It is more than just rewarding for your personal and professional life. It also allows you to develop a remarkable adaptability andthe capability to discuss, to exchange, to sell, to work with international people or teams, in a multicultural context. If you are to work in a multinational business, you will become aware of the country’s traditions, and therefore better adapt to your clients.

This quote from a French business school is a good summary of the benefits of hiring a former international student: “Opening to the international is capital for managers that will have to work in international environments, to open negotiations with foreign partners or to develop activities beyond their national border.”

Top 10 countries welcoming international students

1. United Kingdom
2. United States
3. Germany
4. Spain
5. China
6. Canada
7. Australia
8. Ireland
9. Netherlands
10. India

Jobboard Finder’s top student and graduate job boards:

• StudentJob International
• Internships (USA)
• Absolventa (Germany)
• Yjbys.com (China)
• L’Etudiant (France)
• Freshersworld (India)
• Student Job Search (New Zealand)
• College recruiter

For both employers and job seekers, Jobboard Finder is the first decision-making tool for recruitment campaigns and job searches. By gathering tools and services that recruiters can use to search and compare employment websites from all over the world to find the best job search sites, it really is the best solution for recruitment needs. Today recruiters can also purchase job advertisements for the media they have selected and manage their postings directly from our unique platform. Then they can rate and review the job boards they have used in the past for our community of professionals to see.

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Author: Anne-Marie