Information For Impact: Enabling Education Providers to Address Exploitation of International Students in Accommodation and at Work (StudyNSW partner project)

Photo: Caroline Attwood/Unsplash

Photo: Caroline Attwood/Unsplash

UNSW Sydney and UTS are leading a response by NSW’s international education sector to the exploitation of international students in accommodation and at work. Funded as a Partner Project by StudyNSW, the Information for Impact study enables education providers across the NSW VET, ELICOS and higher education sectors to more effectively deliver information on employment and housing that assists students to avoid and address exploitation.

Building on existing research on student experiences and attitudes in relation to exploitation, the project examines the types of information that will effectively respond to students’ needs and experiences, and influence their attitudes. The research includes focus groups and a nationwide survey of international students, and collation of the views of project partners and other student-facing stakeholders across the international education sector.

The survey had over 5,000 international student participants. The survey asked participants about their housing conditions in their first accommodation in Australia, their wage rates and other exploitation in their lowest paid job in Australia, as well as a range of questions about services and information that would empower international students to avoid or address poor conditions. The survey’s findings are intended to improve the effectiveness of services and information provided by education providers, government and other stakeholders.

The findings are published in public reports in 2019 and 2020.

Research team:

  • Bassina Farbenblum, Senior Lecturer at UNSW Sydney and MWJI Co-Director

  • Laurie Berg, Senior Lecturer at University of Technology Sydney and MWJI Co-Director

  • Sonja Duncan, Director of SD Strategies and MWJI Senior Researcher

  • Christine Eastman, Independent data analyst expert

  • Liz Moss, Associate, SD Strategies

  • Angela Kintominas, Scientia PhD Scholar at UNSW Sydney and MWJI Research Associate

  • DongJu Lee, Research Assistant


International Student Participant Recruitment Committee:

  • Annalyn Antig Violata

  • Anxiu (Ashley) Liao

  • Nayonika Bhattacharya

  • Sarina Manandhar

  • Xiaoyong (Shaun) Luo


Project partners:

  • English Australia

  • ISANA (NSW)

  • Council of International Students Australia (CISA)

  • Redfern Legal Centre

  • Fair Work Ombudsman

  • Edex Education


Advisory Group:

  • Commonwealth Department of Education and Training

  • Australian Taxation Office

 

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