Edu-immigrants’ job search and employment journeys: a qualitative inquiry

Shirmohammadi, Melika, Beigi, Mina and Ayoobzadeh, Mostafa (2021) Edu-immigrants’ job search and employment journeys: a qualitative inquiry. In 37th EGOS Colloquium 2021. 29 pp .

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

The journey from deciding to move abroad as a student to gaining the right to stay permanently has been described as a long tunnel. One of the most significant turning points along this journey is when edu-immigrants (EduIms) attempt to secure permanent employment upon graduation from host country universities. In this qualitative study, we explore the career stories of twenty-nine highly skilled EduIms who have undertaken the transition from student to permanent employee. Adopting a boundaryless career perspective and informed by the intelligent career framework, we identify the career competencies our participants developed as they navigated the transition to permanent employment. Also, we show how enacting a boundaryless career required our participants to address the host country’s macro-context enabling and disabling factors that played a prominent role in securing their permanent employment. Our findings inform practitioners interested in improving the career prospects of EduIms and benefit from a potential pool of highly qualified candidates.

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