It seems like a really prestigious idea to say that your child is studying in a foreign university. Indian parents especially are bowled over by the idea of sending their children abroad for higher studies. Even if they don’t have the required money (which is a lot!), they’ll go to any extent, knock the doors of every bank seeking an education loan, and leave no stone unturned to send their beloved heirs abroad! They expect that their children will get back a higher return on investment, and earn in millions and billions once they complete their education and land a lucrative job in a foreign land. But alas! That mostly seems like a myth now.

Undoubtedly, a foreign degree makes your CV look alluring, but does the Indian job market care anymore? NO! Most companies will tell you they require a candidate with a 2 years’ master’s degree or years of experience to land a decent job. Needless to say, most foreign universities only offer a 12-15 months of post-graduation studies. What are you supposed to do then? You cannot complain because you’re not even eligible in the first place.

When Karishma flew back home after completing her master’s in the US, she had her hopes high, because she expected she would be in huge demand back in India owing to her foreign degree. Little could she imagine, she would not even land a decent job, let alone thoughts of a higher remuneration. She still continues to job-hunt. And Karishma is not alone.

The case was same with Sujay. In spite of completing his studies from a recognized university in UK, he hasn’t been able to land a job of his preferred specialization till date. He says “my parents paid for my foreign education with much difficulty, but I expected their burden would be minimalised when I’d land a money-making job here in India. Unfortunately, companies are not only turning me down, my international degree is not even considered!”.

There are millions of universities abroad that will attract you (some are even fake). Foreign education makes you dream of a comfortable life, you want to absorb the foreign culture, you want a foreign degree, and ultimately want a high-income job. But how far is that true? No one knows! No institution or counseling partners/agencies (the ones who help you reach a foreign institution) will ever give you a job guarantee. They will just repeat the clichéd line, “it all depends on you”.

Foreign universities can cost you a fortune! Unless you are super rich, or you are okay with your children settling abroad; do not think of sending them in a foreign land in the hope that they would return back in India and land lucrative jobs. It is simply not going to happen. Some foreign lands do not even extend student visas, and your children are forced to come back home, even if they wish to settle there. It is so happening that graduates passing out even from the topmost recognized universities are finding it difficult to get a job of their dreams back in India. Such is the reputation of foreign degrees here.

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