J-1 Visa Program: Fostering Lifelong Friendships

The State Department has released this video on the J-1 Visa Program from the employer perspective.  I thought I would embed this video here as I think many IHEC Blog readers will find it interesting.

If I was trying to get into the field of international education I would be all over this!

Recently Missy Gluckman over at Melibee Global put out a call for 2 interns on Twitter to work on various projects that can be done remotely with expected time commitment of 2-3 hours per week.  If I was looking to enter the field or was a newcomer in the field I would jump on this opportunity in a second.  Why?  1. I would learn much from Missy; 2. I would learn much from the work I would do for Melibee Global; 3. I would make connections in the field which will lead to opportunities which will lead to more connections which will lead to more opportunities and so on; 4. the time commitment is flexible and very reasonable; 5. I would get a valuable recommendation from someone in the field of international education and, 6. while unpaid the compensation I would receive (in addition to what I mention above) will be realized at a later date!  If you are interested you can contact Missy at info@melibeeglobal.com and check out the Melibee Global blog at http://melibeeglobal.com/ as well as on Twitter at @MelibeeGlobalel.


See my related post here on IHEC Blog about an exciting and affordable seminar project "A Day of International Inspiration" that Melibee Global is working on.

Education Abroad and Its Value in the Job Market: An Annotated Bibliography

On Wednesday I followed the live Innovators in Internationalization chat hosted by The Chronicle of Higher Education on the topic "How to Connect Study Abroad with Careers and Jobs" and it got me thinking that I really need to update an annotated bibliography I compiled on the subject entitled "Education Abroad and Its Value in the Job Market" which I have embedded below.  Please note that this bibliography is in need of a serious update and that is slowly in the works but I thought I would post what I have compiled to date. I also enjoyed following/participating in the live Twitter back channel conversations during the live Innovators in Internationalization chat ~ I think a #hashtag is necessary!
Education Abroad and Its Value in the Job Market-An Annotated Bibliography by Comp, 2008

If you have written an article or conducted research on this topic please leave a citation with abstract below in the comment area so it can be included in the next update or if you want to send me an electronic copy of your work I will be able to add the citation and abstract to the bibliography as well as include your work in my Bury Book International Education Library & Archive.  You can also access many more of my annotated bibliographies related to international education (primary focus on U.S. students going abroad) on my International Higher Education Consulting website.

Study Abroad Gets an Image Makeover – A Chronicle of Higher Education Innovators in Internationalization Online Chat

Building on an October 17^th Chronicle of Higher Education article entitled “Study Abroad's New Focus Is Job Skills”, Cheryl Matherly from the University of Tulsa and Martin Tillman, a higher education consultant, will participate in and lead an online discussion (part of the Chronicle’s Innovators in Internationalization chats)  on helping students translate their international educational work experiences into productive conversations with employers. 

If you are free this coming Wednesday, October 27^th at 12:00pm (EST) learn more and consider joining the discussion at http://chronicle.com/article/Live-Chat-Innovators-

in/125007/.

Some time ago I compiled an annotated bibliography entitled “Education Abroad and Its Value in the Job Market” (due for an update) which you can access on my International Higher Education Consulting site at http://davidcomp.wordpress.com/research-projects/ (scroll down a bit to the “Annotated Bibliographies” section).

Photo credit:  deanmeyersnet

International Education: More than an Occupation—a Lifeline

[A] man’s work is one of the more important parts of his

social identity, of his self; of his fate in the one life he has

  to live, for there is something almost as irrevocable about

    choice of occupation as there is about choice of mate.

While there has been a significant technological and demographic shift in the workplace since Everett C. Hughes wrote those words in 1951, one cannot dispute the accuracy of the above statement.  With the passing of the years we have become more imbedded in our work and it is often difficult to separate ourselves from our professional responsibilities.

International Education is a profession that is noble in its aspirations and practical in its applicability to an increasingly globalized society. More importantly, and less recognized, is that it contributes substantially to how we as international educators view ourselves. Sociologist Robin Leidner describes work as “…an arena for self-development, a source of social ties, a determinant of status, and a shaper of consciousness. For all these reasons, people’s relation to work contributes to their sense of self and the sense that others have of them.” 

What happens then when an international educator loses his/her job? There are feelings of shock, despair, anger, frustration, etc., which are normal, of course. But the longer the period of unemployment, the more profound the effects are on the displaced individual. Feelings of worthlessness, bitterness, isolation and anger contend with and sometimes overwhelm the individual’s self-esteem. (Note: while I am focusing on international education, the observations and effects extend to displaced individuals from other professions as well). After a certain point of unemployment, the person becomes withdrawn and resigned to the fact that he/she will not find a job, at least not in international education.  

In their book Coping with Job Loss, Carrie Leana and Daniel Feldman list three factors that influence reactions to job loss: 1) financial circumstances; 2) perceptions of labor market conditions; and 3) job attachment. In the case of displaced international educators, job attachment may be the most prominent contributor to their anxiety. When asked what kind of an impact a layoff would have on her, Fabienne van den Bor, Education Advisor at the Fulbright Center in the Netherlands, replied that, “I would miss the excitement of working with people from all over the globe who share the same passion, who understand the value of
international education, for the individual and our societies.” The longer an international educator is unemployed the more likely he/she will dispense with that aforementioned sentiment and assume the thinking that their field has abandoned them; that there is no possibility for them to return.

It is difficult to assess the implications of any significant migration of international educators to other professions (there currently is no mechanism to track international programs that are shut down or international educators who are laid off), but any such movement would not help how international educators and their profession are seen by many senior level higher education administrators. As blogger Anthony Grafton writes, “If you don’t see the point of their work, why not eliminate them? Then you have room for things that pay off immediately.” This, sadly, will be the thinking of many key decision makers during this recession. Money talks and if universities can run an office of international programs on the cheap, then they will do so. Some even consider it fiscally logical to hire an inexperienced individual over a seasoned international educator with the thinking that they can learn on the job. Here they are operating under the assumption that anyone can run an office of international programs; that anyone can learn on the job. But this simply is not true and organizations like NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Forum on Education Abroad need to do more to show our displaced colleagues that they have not been forgotten and to extend to them a symbolic lifeline demonstrating that they are still valued colleagues with much to contribute to the field. Outcome assessments and cultural competencies are important, to be sure, but NAFSA and the Forum must not forget about the people who make those things happen. It is my hope that both organizations will take the lead in reminding us all that international educators are integral parts  of higher education and their displacement is a tragedy not only to their former places of employment but to the profession of international education itself.

I want to thank Tom Millington, Director of Study Abroad and Global Learning at Western Kentucky University for his excellent guest post today!  Tom also started and manages the International Educator Circle group on LinkedIn and Facebook.  If you are an international educator out of work (or if you know someone in the field out of work) I recommend joining this LinkedIn and Facebook group!  

The International Educator Circle Group

For this 500^th IHEC Blog post I would like to highlight an important new group in the field of international education called the International Educator Circle. I learned about this new group yesterday via a post to SECUSS-L by Tom Millington (founder of International Educator Circle). I originally planned to summarize what this new group was about but thought it would be best to simply copy and paste Tom’s original message below as I think it’s best to convey what this group is about in his own words:

Dear colleagues:

I am pleased to inform you of the formation of the *International Educator Circle*, a group whose purpose is to build and maintain connections between the field of international education and those of us who have been adversely affected by the recession. While the principal objective of this group is to provide a network of support, it will also provide opportunities for currently unemployed international educators to do the following:

*strategize on ways to remain relevant in the field

*develop approaches to participate in NAFSA and the Forum on Education Abroad conferences and maintain membership in these organizations

*explore ways to transition out of the field and communicate with potential partners

*advocate for more dialogue with NAFSA and the Forum on Education Abroad

The *International Educator Circle* can be found on Linkedin here and on Facebook here.

Please forward this message [link to this IHEC Blog post] to colleagues who have been laid off and are looking for ways to remain connected to the field. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at millingtont@gmail.com.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Tom Millington

[1] Posted to IHEC Blog with Tom’s permission with minor edits to transition from listserv to blog post.