Then, too, there is the chance to gain an international perspective on life by mingling with one's peers from around the world.

Let's examine these two statements, dealing with the latter first.

My experience is that the pressures of study and also the impact of culture shock can make students gravitate to fellow mainlanders to study, eat and (rarely) play together. They may not like each other - they may be involved in cutthroat competition for the few post-graduate slots open at the best schools - but it's something they are familiar with from perhaps 16 years of schooling at home.

Yet, surely, this lessens the benefits of living abroad?

Now, let's look at their employability - whether in China or abroad.

The piece of paper they have earned doesn't necessarily mean much. A recent report from Shanghai indicates employers are no longer impressed with a foreign degree but look for 'relevant work experience" and even those returnees who get a job cannot expect any preference over a domestically-trained colleague on starting salary.

One returnee whose parents had invested 200,000 RMB on his education in Britain complained "firms treat us just like ordinary job seekers."

I doubt the elite who can get into Cambridge or Harvard, for example, will have any difficulty in the job market, but it's those who attend lower-ranked schools who may not benefit much from their big investment.

Chinese teachers have told me mainland employers are increasingly dubious about the masters degrees awarded in Britain, as these can involve no more than nine months of study (compared to two years in the US and three in China).

If that's true, then I think employers need to look at what British schools cram into those nine months. It's a real study treadmill!

Even staying overseas is no guarantee of success. Cultural and linguistics differences can hamper the finding of a well-paying job (and in Britain, there is a growing anti-immigrant movement urging local companies to hire British).

One girl told me: "It's easy to get a student visa because you're putting money into the economy, but it's extremely difficult to convert that to a working visa, maybe because you're taking money out". It's a good point.

One of my former students gained a masters degree in law in Canada and wanted to stay there. After a year of fruitless job-hunting, she returned to China - where she found she cannot get the job she wants and but is offered only those that don't attract her.

China's youth can gain a lot from the knowledge and experience its young people gain overseas, but it's no guarantee of a good job and a fat payback.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://m.by33321.com/opinion/geoffreymurray.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.