International Education in the U.S.- Part 1

International Education, the section of the education field that pertains to students has two general areas of emphasis. The best way to look at this is by comparing the field to a freight forwarding company that ships and receives products from all over the world. There is an export side (American students needing to go abroad to study) and an import side (non-U.S. students needing to come to the U.S. to study). On the export side of the field, this is known as Study Abroad Advising (SAA) . SAAs work with American students and create and facilitate programing required as part of their educational program outside of the U.S. The other side of this field is the import side is known as International Student Advising (ISA). ISAs work with students from outside the U.S. needing to study at an American university. These students require visa documentation and maintenance of this documentation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). ISAs also act as Primary Designated School Officials (P/DSO) and represent their institution to the Department of Homeland Security. Both ISAs and SAAs work with their students in advising of the various steps on their programs. There are other positions in International Education in the U.S. such as English as a Second Language Instructors (ESL) and support positions such as Student Admissions.

One of the key qualities of an international educator is familiarity with different cultures and customs since regardless of the import or export side of the field, this will be the nature of the environment. It is quite possible that an institution may have a student from Latin America and another from Germany. You can tell both students at the same time to fill out a form and return it by a certain day. The student from Latin America may not do as instructed so punctually whereas the student from Germany will want to know the exact time on that day.

While a master's degree in this field is preferred and will definitely open more doors, it is not required as a prerequisite for starting out in the field. Two years ago, I attended a returner's conference in Yokohama where a International Student Advisor from Temple University- Tokyo (an American institution in Japan) browbeat us attendees of his presentation that without a master's degree, it is impossible to enter into the field. This may hold true in Japan, but in the U.S. and likely other western countries, to ENTER into the field, a bachelor's degree is fine. Two things that I want to emphasize are 1) since the conference in Yokohama was for ESL Instructors RETURNING to their home countries outside Japan, shouldn't their have been someone from one of those home countries brought to the conference to provide current and realistic input instead of what this out-of-touch ISA provided? And 2) the title International Educator contains the word "Educate" therefore there is no need to enter into this field unless you are willing to obtain education beyond an undergraduate degree at a later point. So, it is understood that education beyond an undergrad degree is needed for long-term professional growth but not initially. As a business instructor from Europe at Temple University-Tokyo told me, "Often lots of expatriates in Japan are not really in the "real world". Maybe he should get with his colleague and set him straight.

There is a down side to the field as the pay starting out is between $30-40K. In my opinion, this is a down side since some prestigious universities such as Furman University that command a master's degree, experience overseas, fluency in a second language, but the salary offered doesn't compare. Another negative thing is while most international students who come to the U.S. to study are here for the right reasons, there are those who are not. These bad apples will do just enough to remain in status and will make every effort to manipulate the system and the people, mainly the ISA, just to get their way. Lastly, this field deals with the federal government, and if anyone has entered the U.S. through Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and any other major gateway, they have dealt with a horse's ass agent who stamped their passport incorrectly or was vague in their explanations. In addition, the initial process requires that an accepted student receive their I-20 form from the school. The student will then visit their nearest American embassy or consulate to pay the SEVIS fee and have there I-20 form processed. Their visa may or may not be approved creating more problems.

The upside is that when promoted to assistant director or director of an international center at a educational institution, (meaning experience in International Education has been gained plus a master's degree or degree in progress) the salary becomes between $50-60K. Also, the hidden perk of travel abroad being required for the job with the students for study abroad programs is good since likely this will be gratis.

With a tight economy and since not everyone lives near a large metropolitan area full of educational institutes in various areas (technical, state university, private university, etc.) at various levels (junior college, community college, 4-year university or graduate school) to attract international students, have no fear. If you don’t mind working for a small college in a small town, there is a better chance of getting hired since less people apply for such a unique field. One way to enter the field is to start as an admissions counselor. A good way to accelerate the process is to get involved with international educators at the state level. This is where the assistant and head directors of international centers meet and are the decision makers on job openings. One ISA who has the credentials of a bachelor's degree, fluency in a second language, a year working one year as a ESL instructor in Asia started out in admissions and rose to the position of ISA due to involvement at his state's association of international educators. There is an assistant director of an international student center at a major university located in a metropolitan area who just recently obtained her master's degree. This person had a wealth of experience as an ESL instructor and rose through the ranks as an ISA and SAA prior to getting promoted.

In closing, while the notion is that big cities are where the action is for international educators, bear in mind that Japanese parents, in general, have the idea that the big American cities are dangerous and would rather have their children study in a rural part of the U.S. I once traveled from Cairns, Queensland, Australia to Tokyo and sat next to a married Japanese couple old enough to be my parents. This was six months after 9/11 and the husband went on and on in broken English how dangerous the U.S. was. Lastly, with international students paying, in some cases, up to 10 times more than domestic students in terms of tuition, local economies throughout the U.S. greatly benefit from the presence of international students.

Stand by for part two which will discuss types of master's degrees and ways to obtain.

Today's picture is of me with a group of 9th graders back in 2004 at Sachinami Junior High in Kawaguchi City, Saitama. Kawaguchi is due north of Tokyo and borders on Tokyo's northern ward, Kita-ku.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-11