International student retention: going beyond ‘just learn the local language’

In some European countries, there appears to be a significant disconnect between employers urgently needing workers and international students seeking jobs relevant to their fields of study. Against this backdrop, developing local language skills is increasingly emphasised as key to the local labour market for international students studying in European countries.  

International students and graduates are often under- or unemployed to a higher degree than their domestic counterparts. Studies find that their proficiency of the host country language is a major barrier to employment. However, some of these barriers may in fact relate more to the employers and their expectations and recruitment practices than to the level of language proficiency of the international students and graduates. Flexibility around language requirements and use of language in the workplace would lessen the strain on employers looking for talent and level the playing field for international students and graduates in the host country. This post looks at such systemic language issues and changes that higher education practitioners can implement to approach both the employability of the students and the ‘employer-ability’, or willingness and ability to employ international students and graduates, of the receiving organisation.  

Decoding employers’ linguistic requirements 

Employers often cite a lack of local language skills as a reason for not hiring international candidates. However, the level of local language skills required by the employer may be based on assumptions that near-native language skills are necessary regardless of the position. The employer may not have assessed the actual level of language proficiency needed to perform the job. Additionally, language constraints may not only concern the language skills of potential new employees, but also to the English language proficiency of current employees, or their openness to using multiple languages at work. Creative yet underused approaches, such as intercomprehension, could function as a bridge between employees who understand each other's languages but prefer to speak their mother tongues. For instance, an English-speaking employee who understands Finnish and a Finnish-speaking employee who understands English can communicate effectively, each speaking in their native language.

Despite some companies having the capacity to onboard English-speaking employees, employers may prefer to hire domestic talent or even leave positions unfilled rather than hire someone who does not speak the local language fluently ie employers may be able, but not always willing, to employ international students, graduates, or other international job seekers. Many higher education institutions (HEIs) have responded to these linguistic requirements by developing career services for international students that emphasise language preparation and cultural adaptation. However, it is extremely challenging for international students to achieve the level of fluency in the host country's language that employers expect while also managing full-time studies. 

The potential for linguistic discrimination exists in the hiring process and across all stages of employment, even in cases where international applicants do speak the local language. Examples of linguistic discrimination and its impact on international talent include:  

1. Job descriptions: Some job listings include language requirements equivalent to "native" or "mother tongue" (like "German as the mother tongue" or "Native Finnish"). Such phrasing is discriminatory per both EU guidance and national laws.
2. Phone/video screening and interviews: These processes often double as a pronunciation test or language audition, distracting from the candidate’s qualifications.
3. Career advancement: Even if international applicants with less than perfect local language skills are hired, they may not advance in their careers to more senior positions due to their lack of native-level language skills.

Other discriminatory factors, such as accent discrimination and racial discrimination, also influence the hiring processes and employment experiences. 

Balancing competing goals 

Recruiting international students as future talent is complex and involves stakeholders with competing goals regarding language proficiency. HEIs market English-language programmes to attract international students. However, students often lack the time to achieve fluency in the local language alongside their studies and part-time work. Many international students face challenges studying in English because it is also not their native language. Some also express concern about the lack of access to, price of, or quality of local language courses that often focus on grammar and formal written language rather than everyday spoken language. Meanwhile, employers demand high levels of fluency to grant even initial job access. It is also important to keep in mind that many international students and graduates speak English as their second, third or even fourth language. Those who speak English as their mother tongue might have accents or different pronunciation from the host country population, and their proficiency might thus be perceived as inferior. 

Enhancing international students’ employability through developing their language skills is just one side of the story. HEIs should critically evaluate their marketing, recruitment, and support structures, including language training and policies for students and staff. Unfortunately, HEIs often lack resources for increasing language offerings and might be pressured by funding schemes to graduate students as fast as possible, not leaving room for additional language courses in curricula. International students paying tuition fees also want to graduate quickly to save time or money. HEIs should also explore how they could support local employers in becoming more inclusive and aware of (often unconscious) language barriers and how to overcome these. 

Due to global competition for talent, international students can take their pick regarding destination countries offering English-taught programmes. Learning an additional local language is difficult and time-consuming. Non-Anglophone countries, therefore, need to support such language learning if they want to stay competitive in talent attraction and retention. This involves civil society, HEIs, and employers. Companies could attract skilled workers by reassessing their policies and procedures to determine if local language fluency is genuinely essential for every position and by offering language training on the job. Balancing the needs of students, employers and HEIs is critical because successfully integrating international students into local labour markets can have a sizable positive economic impact on the host country.  

Institutional approaches to promote linguistic flexibility  

Addressing linguistic inequalities in the job search requires concerted efforts from both HEIs and employers. This involves institutions helping students develop their employability, and help companies develop their employer-ability. Here are some recommendations for going beyond telling students to "just learn the local language", ie that learning rests entirely with the students and is a sole determinant for their employability.  

1. Increase pre-graduation awareness: 
   • Ensure that students are fully informed about the importance of local language skills well before graduation. Transparent marketing and recruitment materials should accurately reflect the linguistic demands of the regional labour market.

2. Campus employment programmes:

   • Develop employment programmes within HEIs that provide work opportunities for international students in English. These programmes can serve as learning platforms where students and staff gain an understanding of the complexities of working in and across cultures.

3. Use of ‘plain’ language:

   • Plain or ‘easy’ language facilitates communication with people with limited skills in a given language and can offer a low-threshold way of learning the local language. Plain language – in either English or the local language – keeps sentences short and simple, is active and direct, and avoids terms that are context- or culture-specific.

4. Integrate subject-specific language learning:

   • Incorporate work-focused language instruction into degree programmes. Recognise that traditional language courses often are criticised for being too slow, superficial or irrelevant to how language is used at work. Collaborative efforts by language centres, international offices and programme managers can lead to the development of specialised language courses, starting at the A1 level, that focus on preparing students for job-related communication.

5. Support employers through training and consultation:

   • Provide comprehensive training for companies on improving their recruitment procedures, interviews, and job descriptions. Assist them in making these processes more inclusive for international graduates. Advise them on the benefits of linguistic flexibility across various roles within their companies. This includes:

   • Recruitment and interviewing: Develop workshops or presentations to guide employers on fair and inclusive hiring practices. Emphasise the importance of on-the-job training and clear promotion pathways.

   • Job descriptions: Encourage clarity and reasonableness in language requirements listed in job descriptions. Make sure they know that unmerited levels of language requirements may be considered unlawful discrimination.

   • Linguistic flexibility: Advocate for integrating linguistic flexibility into organisational practices to attract and retain international talent. Promote understanding that accent-free language proficiency may not be necessary.

   • Value of international talent: It is essential that employers do not perceive foreign linguistic backgrounds as a liability or cost, but rather as an investment and added value. Multiple languages can open doors in terms of access to new markets and customers abroad, but also to international populations in the host country. 

Embracing linguistic flexibility and going beyond the advice to "just learn the local language"  enhances the potential for retention of international students in local labour markets. Instead of placing all responsibility on the students, HEIs and employers have the power to create more inclusive environments that reduce linguistic barriers and support the successful integration of international students into the professional workforce, and all parties have much to gain by doing so.  

For more information about how HEIs can support employers in developing inclusive and flexible linguistic policies and practices, especially from the hiring perspective, please view the Language Inclusive Recruitment Guide and related course on Employer-ability by the Erasmus+ project INTERLOCALITY, co-funded by the EU. All the materials are open access and free to use and develop further under a Creative Commons license.