Foreign Students News

The International Student Problems Blog

Foreign Students — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:02:39 +0000

There's a new face on the internet who is taking the student blogging world by storm. IntProblems.com has a selection of brilliant images pointing out the common problems and differences that international students face in a new country (just like the ones above). It seems other foreign students can relate to the amusing observations and every new post is being reblogged around the world, with the online community growing all the time.

After spotting the blog, we had to know who was behind it, and discovered 20-year-old Boston University student Tessa ten Cate. We spoke to Tessa to find out her background and why she created IntProblems.com.

What's your background?

"My name is Tessa ten Cate. I'm 20 years old and am currently a senior at Boston University majoring in Magazine Journalism and minoring in Psychology. I was originally born in The Netherlands as both my parents are Dutch, and I have a Dutch passport. When I was two-years-old my family (parents and two older brothers) moved to Taipei, Taiwan where we lived for eleven years before returning to The Netherlands."

Cannes 2012 Preview

Séamas — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:15:49 +0000

Séamas McSwiney is our guest film correspondent with decades of experience in film journalism, and work published in some top international publications. Here he previews this year's Cannes film festival.

"Moonrise Kingdom is this year's Cannes opener. It also opens in UK cinemas on May 25th, giving a welcome opportunity to keep up with the latest buzz from planet cinema, a world that systematically migrates to the French Riviera once a year in May. As usual it will have a Cannes competition programme that goes beyond the standard all-American multiplex fare and will again provide a wide range of celluloid offerings from the planet's finest filmmakers.

American Offerings

This said, Cannes 2012 also offers a particularly fine crop of quality contemporary American movies. For starters there is the afore mentioned opener, Moonrise Kingdom by Wes Anderson. On the surface it tells an all-American simple story of a little boy who loves a little girl in 60s USA, all trammelled with scout camping trips and indulgent parents, too dim to understand the essence they lost by growing up. But add the oddball, the quirky and surreal, the habitual tones of Wes Anderson's cine-palette, and you have quite a different and hilariously memorable experience.

Comedy Train Announcements to be Introduced

Foreign Students — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:11:13 +0000

A railway company has come up with an unusual way of improving their customer experience. Chiltern Railways have hired a top British sitcom writer to create comedy announcements that customers will hear on their trains. They then went one step further, by hiring TV comedian Tony Robinson to teach the staff how to deliver these new announcements.

Writer Richard Preddy, who wrote the series Green Wing, was hired by the company after research showed that commuters unsurprisingly found their journeys depressing. The new announcements will hopefully soon be putting smiles on commuters' faces on trains between London and Birmingham, as well as at London Marylebone Station. Preddy explained:

"We have all waited for a train or a bus into work as the rain pours down and bustled our way to a seat and I think comedy can help to alleviate that stress. It's important to note that we aren't trying to turn everyone into a comedian. Rather we are hoping to bring out a little more of the staff's personality and humour via their day-to-day announcements and help cheer up the commuters along the way."

Changes to Student Visas Damaging & Poorly Communicated

Andy — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:17:44 +0000

In the first of a new series exploring the radical changes the British higher education system is undergoing, ForeignStudents.com Editor Andy looks at how new student visa restrictions are affecting international students.

Last year Theresa May announced that 260,000 fewer student visas will be given out over the next five years, through harsher restrictions on fake colleges and bogus students. Whilst it is clear that preventing fake students from illegally gaining visas is a positive thing, I believe the problem has been hugely overblown, and the solution poorly managed and badly miscommunicated.

Misuse of Figures

The basic problem here is that headline grabbing statistics have been used to the advantage of the government in order to impress British voters, whilst the very same figures have had the exact opposite impact on prospective international students. The headline figure of 260,000 fewer visas sounds like a high number and makes the government appear to be taking action. However, to prospective students abroad, the figure inevitably makes Britain appear less welcoming.

Boris Johnson Re-elected as London Mayor

Foreign Students — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:47:33 +0000

Boris Johnson retained his position as Mayor of London after the results of last Thursday's election were revealed over the weekend. The contest was far closer than many predicted, with Boris beating his Labour party rival Ken Livingstone by just 3%.

It is the second time that the two candidates had faced each other in the London mayoral election, and between them they have shared the post ever since its creation in 2000. Overall, Boris Johnson took 44% of the votes, versus Ken Livingtsone's 40.3%, with the various other candidates taking less than 16% between them (see all the candidate profiles).

In reaction to the final count, Boris vowed to "continue to fight for a good deal for Londoners, a good deal from government", whilst Ken announced his retirement from frontline politics, revealing "this will be my last election".

A Third of Graduates Forced Onto Jobseeker's Allowance

Guest — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:15:51 +0000

Research from totaljobs.com has revealed that a third (34%) of UK graduates have been searching for work for over six months, forcing the same percentage to claim Jobseeker's Allowance. Shockingly, almost two fifths (16%) of graduates have applied for over a hundred jobs, without success, with one quarter not managing to secure a single interview.

The difficulty in finding work has led to a significantly lower wage expectations compared to those currently at university. Today's graduates expect to earn £19,800 a year, compared to those yet to leave university who expect over £800 a year more.

However, the regular survey of graduate jobseekers has shown some improvement in the last six months. There has been a 5% drop in graduates that have been looking for work for over a year and confidence has also improved as a result. In November 2011, 19% of graduate jobseekers said that they were not at all confident of finding work in the next year. Six months later, the figure is 10%. Confidence in finding work in the next six months has remained stable.

Mike Fetters, graduate director at totaljobs.com, said of the results:

London Mayoral Election 2012

Foreign Students — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:31:05 +0000

Millions of people throughout London will (hopefully) be heading to polling stations today to vote on their next Mayor of London. There have only ever been two mayors since the position was created in 2000. Ken Livingstone held it for 8 years, before the current mayor, Boris Johnson, took over in 2008. So, you'll never guess who the two frontrunners are this year.

That's right, the mayoral election is looking like a straight up two-way battle between Boris and Ken...again. However, though you wouldn't know it, there are other candidates. Here we give a run down of all the main candidates and what changes they are likely to make to the Capital if they get in to power.

Top Tips for English Language Learners

Guest — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:18:17 +0000

EnglishLanguageClasses.wordpress.com is a blog for those studying English as a foreign language, providing useful resources, guidance and support. Here they give some top tips for students wanting to improve their English.

"Over the years I've taught many, many students English. Some students, though, reach their goal of fluency much faster than others. How? Read on to learn some of the studying techniques that these students used and hopefully you'll find them useful!

1) Practice, Practice, Practice

If someone you know reads a whole book about how to drive a car, does it mean they can then drive? Probably not! Clearly reading books is useful, but practice really is the key to language learning success. It's important to realise that while language can be studied from a theoretical approach, it is a practical skill. Practical = Practice!!

2) Your Language vs English

Latest Piece Added to Graffiti Wall of Mayfair

Foreign Students — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:05:46 +0000

A bare, unassuming wall in Mayfair is quickly becoming one of the hottest outdoor art sites in London. Already covered in street art, a further addition to the collection appeared yesterday afternoon (30th April) depicting the Queen (above).

The disused building, on Bruton Lane, W1, first hit the headlines in November last year when an instantly recognisable piece by Banksy (below left) appeared two storeys above the ground. After we discovered and exclusively revealed the Banksy, it was quickly dubbed ‘Shop ‘Til You Drop', before it was confirmed as an official Banksy on his website.

Floods During a Drought. Only in Britain…

Foreign Students — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:47:27 +0000

The British are infamous for the amount of time we spend talking about the weather, but if the last month hasn't given us a valid reason to then we don't know what would. It was only a matter of weeks ago that we were bringing you news that parts of Britain were officially in drought, but since then the country has been hit by severe storms and flooding. Whilst all the time remaining ‘in drought'.

The country was officially thrown in to drought on the 5th April, after the driest 18 months since records began. With March temperatures soaring over 20^oc, hosepipes were banned as experts predicted the worst drought in the UK for 30 years. However, ever since the drought was announced, Britain has been hit with a pretty much constant downpour of rain.

The Wettest April on Record

As April ended yesterday, vast swathes of the country have been left battered by the weather. Overall, the UK experienced the wettest April since records began in 1910, with some areas receiving a month's worth of rain in a particularly bad 72 hours. There are still 36 flood warnings in place, as well as 150 less serious flood alerts, and the wet weather is expected to continue well into May.