The Impact of International Education and Cultural Empowerment in the Global Job Market

Abstract This article challenges the idea that international education only has positive spillover effects on the students going through it, assessing students’ capacity to understand and, if possible, explore new working opportunities in the host country. It discusses to what extent an international education experience and regular exposure to an alternative educational, social, and working environment could provide opportunities for students to broaden and deepen their views and perceptions of the world, and to use cultural capital gained from international mobility to increase their employability in the global job market. Based on a study conducted among a small group of Chinese students based in France, this article highlights when, how, and under which circumstances students’ mobility capital is understood and explored as a new source of economic opportunities, discussing motivations and integration in the experiences of Chinese international students.