Each year, thousands of international students come to Canada not just to study, but, potentially, to start a life here. Yet the realities of their decision can stand in stark contrast to the dream. Opinion by Anne Ginn
Each year, thousands of international students come to Canada. Despite the fact that many are from modest backgrounds, they pay hefty tuition fees for the chance not just to study in this country but, potentially, to start a life here.
He is typical — the average student in the college classroom: trying to balance the move to Canada, work, a new education system, all with the goal of getting a job and eventually becoming a permanent resident. While the “international intake” classes were homogeneous, the mixed classes were divided, visibly. I could draw a line between the international students on one side of the class and the domestic students on the other.
This simultaneous translation was not a good sign considering my courses were communication- and writing-heavy, and meant for people with already fluent in English. This means helping students focus on the learning process rather than the diploma goal, because without truly learning the skills gained in college, the likelihood of success — whether that means graduating or getting that first job — is low.
The students found that college is hard and that any job they can get during their school years is not going to cover the costs of tuition, fees, and living. While students shared stories of difficult landlords and cramped living conditions, I never fully understood the situation until I visited to give a gently used sofa to a few former students who needed it.
The excuses students would make for handing in assignments late — for example, about being abruptly evicted and having to look for another home — no longer seemed far-fetched to me.Without much knowledge of their tenant or employment rights, the younger students respond to pressure from unethical landlords and employers to accept poor living and working conditions.
When I asked what was going on, the students explained that they did not have jobs yet and they were hungry. The next class included apples and a discussion of the various student and community food banks available to them.
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