What is it about?
A large gap exists between the number of students who want an international career and those who actually pursue one. We reviewed all existing research and found the intention to work abroad is shaped by a specific mix of personal confidence in adapting to new cultures, the expected career and life benefits, and practical barriers like visa policies.
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Why is it important?
As globalization intensifies, the shortage of globally mobile talent has become a critical challenge for multinational enterprises. Our work addresses the "leaky pipeline" phenomenon where students' high interest in international careers fails to translate into actual employment. By unifying fragmented research into a coherent framework, we demonstrate that traditional support, like language training, is insufficient without addressing psychological factors like self-efficacy and career outcome expectations. This study provides a necessary blueprint for universities and corporate recruiters to redesign their programs, moving beyond promoting the "dream" of travel to building the specific confidence and practical support systems students need to actually relocate.
Perspectives
We noticed that while the world is becoming more connected, research on why students choose expatriate careers was fragmented and confusing. We wanted to bring order to this chaos. By applying Social Cognitive Career Theory, we moved beyond simple lists of pros and cons to understand the psychology behind the decision. Our perspective is that "confidence" (self-efficacy) and "context" (support/barriers) are often more important than the students' initial desire. We hope this work empowers educators to create environments where students feel capable, not just willing, to become global citizens.
Ziyun Song
Guangdong Polytechnic of Water Resources and Electric Engineering
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: From campus to global employees: a systematic review of expatriate career intention, Journal of Global Mobility, November 2025, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/jgm-09-2025-0090.
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