Struggles Faced By International Students in Canada | Overcoming The Challenges |Our Honest Opinion

hi everyone good morning good afternoon good evening wherever you're joining from thank you for joining us today my name is shasi and I'm here with Peter is and today we want to talk about something very very important it's close to both our hearts that's why we decided to come and talk about it today now when I both been international student in Canada I came in to do a master and Peter is right now doing his PhD right Peter that's correct yes that's correct and we we know the challenges that we went through as International students and we know that there are a lot of international students that are struggling with one thing or the other sometimes they don't even know how to navigate what these struggles so today we want to talk about how to navigate the troubles in Canada as an international student and we're going to be giving tips on how you can overcome some of the stroubles so that you can have a very pleasant experience as an international student in Canada yeah so um so Peter I know I don't know about you as an international student um because I came to Canada fresh um and I went through a lot of these challenges and I also saw some of my colleagues going through some of these challenges so I guess we start from what you think is the biggest challenge that International students are facing then how they can overcome it I mean I I came in Canada 200 17 yeah and at that time there were not really a lot of videos you know that I could watch at that time to really give perspective as to you know life in in Canada so I think it's probably in last five six years that you know uh things are you see like people sharing more and more of their experiences and all that I think for me the biggest challenge I mean the first challenge that you you that inter students face is even just understanding the system because there is just so many things that you have to understand okay and if you don't understand them I mean these are information that are readily available if you don't understand that just look as if you are one person in the middle of the ocean right you know you have to understand how the school system work you know how all of their finances work if not you probably just go to you know screw up your credit card like I did initially you know this is free money I can just SP it I didn't even care about pay the Mone paying it back I just spend they called me and increase my interest to grabing close to 30% because I just I didn't really care about it you know so just having those that understanding and asking questions right I mean we talk about but just understanding how the system work and you know this is to for for those people that did not do a lot of research in their visa application now you f with Canada where everything is all going to be somebody will send you link and say this is how to do it and that's it so you have to be able to do things yourself because you may not be used to it but now you have to be used to it now let's say you apply for a stud payit to come to Canada now stud payit is expiring and you your agent is not got right you have to apply for yourself so all of these are all big strugles that I see I think people will face as an international student yes yes so right off the backat even getting into the system and understanding how the system works it's very challenging yeah when I first came I think my very first struggle was being able to understand what my supervisor was saying we were not yeah we were not on she was talking too fast and she couldn't hear me uh so we had to both slow down in the way we speaking and then of like integrating yourself into the system it's a different country with a different of culture different way of even doing school the the school system is even completely different from what we're used to back ho and a lot of people they come here and they don't expect to see all of these challenges and it's just it's demoralized as sometimes they struggle in the first semester and they fall in their because they have not been able to understand the system and then some people don't ask questions oh my God like you said you have to ask everything I noticed that if you don't ask people don't tell you I don't even know why it's like that they don't assume that you have the answers if you don't ask you just assume that you know yes so if you're struggling as an international student please make sure you can even go to the international office a lot of and make your inquiries yeah so which other which other challenges do you know that International students have I mean you know juggling between if you have to do it you know especially I mean a lot of international cers of course will be doing some kind of part-time jobs you know as I mean for those that are doing research I I will speak for my own case you know it is extremely challenging because now I have to be in the lab like in like everybody every LAB Works differently for my own lab I have to be in the lab Monday to Friday minimum 9:00 a.m. to like 5:00 p.m. every day like Monday to Friday so even I had to do you know any parttime in fact I couldn't do it in the first year because it was so tensed no now especially for if you're getting a scholarship the expectation is so high you can't you can't you can't get like in my department then if you get less than I think it's like 75 or so you're going to lose your scholarship right so your pro will so your Prof will keep hammering that and telling you you have to do your best in your in your course because your scholarship is dependent on that so coping all of that I I I couldn't do you know combine that with a part there are people that are able to do it you know but I I personally I was not able to do it you know uh it was probably after in the second year that I was able to you know kind of incorporate parttime job and even at that it was still challenging because you know sometime I've been in the job and my Pro send me an email and say hey I need need this I need this data in the next two hours and I'm I'm at work you know so it is yeah it it is very challenged because we have there's a lot of us there are lot of assignment that you have to do they combining that with your work sometimes you don't even sleep early before you come back from work still have to do assignment you know so I think combining those you know school plus work it's it's it's pretty challenging as well I I agree that I agree with you I think that's one of the major challenges that we have as International students because a lot of time we come as mature students here and right off the bat people want to work I want to say that over 90% of international students want to get a job while they are studying not understanding the that the challenge they going to have juggling both of them and the major reason why you're here as an international assent is to study I always start you don't want to fail so you don't the situation where chasing the job and you now fail yeah wondering I don't know how how they would cope with both yeah I guess it's for me when I was a student I didn't work any job that was more than if you give me more than 20 hours even in 21 I tell you to take it because that two was scholarship and I wanted to get at least more than 75% on everything yeah exactly exactly it it is challenging and then exactly exactly and I tell people you know uh when you come the first thing you have to do first understand how your timetable work and you know the schedule and how rigorous the courses that you're doing it just by time you sort out your schedule then you cannot talk about job right because you don't just want to come and then start faing in your you know first you know assessment and and stuff like that you know so and I tell people so according to the IRC requirement okay you are supposed to show minimum of 20,000 Canadian dollars 20 20, 6 something as a single person for your cost of living so that means even you know that should take you for a lot of months of that you know in the real in in the in the actual sense you know I know for those of us that I you know on scholarship you may not have they are not going to give you the whole money to say put it to your account at once right so they are going to you know be sending you maybe every you know two weeks per month and stuff so you really have you know a few options at that point in time and you just have to be able to manage uh what is available and you you just coming to Canada and you're using you're looking at someone that has been there for like five years ah this person is living in an apartment that is like you know $900 in a month so I I I have to also get on a special apartment to show this guy that we are in said nobody really care nobody like nobody really care you know so don't don't just imitate just just be you just be you and added to that I think another challenge that the reason why they are so focused on working is because they did not call it money a lot of international students even though have told the that I can afford to pay for myself for the one year a lot of us don't come with enough funds so I see a lot of international St because they know I do this thing sometimes after church or sometimes even when I go to the grocery stores people come up to me and they tell me their child I can't pay my school fees I'm owing lots of international students are o I think that's even one of the reasons why they will opt the living expenses the challenge that some International students have faced is actually finding jobs in Canada um sometimes they might not understand how to actually get jobs yeah some people say they here for months as International students and they haven't been able to find jobs Y and I think I've made videos that I believe that Peter has as well in terms of the kind of jobs he can get as an international student and also how to actually apply to those jobs as a student not all jobs might be open to you yeah so there are types of jobs that you can apply to maybe Peter you can talk to that what jobs can they get as a yeah I think cases where maybe espe for those that are very experienced in their home country they already maybe close to supervisor manager and then they come oh you know can I get a manager position part time you know like no you know what the nobody is going to give you that so the most common you know jobs that you can get you know customer service you know sales associates um you know Warehouse Associates your inventory cashier you know so these are very very common I mean majority of them pay minimal wage and if you're in a province that allow you to use like previous experience to work in like home care or as a special sport worker you can also do that it's I know in in a place like new fundland is a very lucrative you know things that some students do but yeah there are some provinces that may have restriction that you may have it's kind of certificate before you can apply so don't and a lot of this may even though they are entry level positions I tell you you don't be putting you a super a manager in your home country and be putting it your C that you're looking for Sal assult you just have to you just have to you know bring yourself down and put in the me the beest experience that you have that matches the job that you apply for that's that's it yeah yeah exactly so so really this is very important information especi especially for mature people who like Peter said were managers before sometimes you need to tweak your resume a bit and know the kind of jobs that you are looking for okay um you were going to say something about challenge Peter yes yes yes yes yes another another um challenge you know um all the you don't put yourself in trouble and just assume things okay um you you may come as an international student and you are a teaching assistant let me use that as an example and you know the way we back I don't know for others that are watching from other countries but you know back in Africa you when you are do a teaching assistant you can know talk to your uh to the students in the way that you like and feels as if driv close to them you know and stuff like that but sexual harassment here is a big thing so I learned that very early and somebody in my lab told me I said Peter if you are doing teaching assistant just go do your job SE and go anything that has to do with even connecting with the student you know on social media whatever don't do that okay so I learn that just don't assume and don't take their smile okay for invitation to friendliness or to say oh initation to Friendship because somebody just smile at you doesn't mean they really they really like you you know so just just ask for permission right if you want to always ask for permission before you do something and then no the necessary limits okay and you can't even just look at somebody for long anyhow that you want so those are those little little things are things you you should you should be careful with and another thing that they may be friendly with you you will do something they will smile with you before you know it you are getting a you're getting a query that this is what you did you know so just be careful yeah with with with with with how you approach your your your friendship yeah very very insightful even may I just learned something very I've heard people's stories about all of such things that's because I had a mar that to one time she was always smiling but there was a when I knew that those smiles were just just doesn't mean that they like you or they want to exctly exactly exactly yeah one other challenge I think it's a big one that I see International students have and a lot of times it's from the questions that they ask when they are about to finish studying and get their P how do I get pgwp one of my options for permanent residents um I'm always surprised when people come and ask me and they their pgwp is just a few months to end and they just asking now about options for permanent residents yeah so I don't know if seen people like that that have come to you they don't really understand how to it's like it jumps on them but it doesn't jump on you you knew all the study to Transit from a student to a permanent resident yeah so these are these are some of the challenges that you have if you if you don't do your application before coming to Canada because you don't know how to do research you don't know how to get the necess information and you know I've I've seen like people asking me question oh they about I mean they're about finishing that program in like one month or so they're asking how would they apply for pi you know and I was like that's a very very vague question and this is something that you should be doing a lot of research and see you know have a a notebook where you write these are all of the options that are available for me and what do I need to do right to uh make myself qualified for example there are people that you have maybe they want to write English test shortly even before they graduate if you already have let's say master's degree in your home country and you're coming to do diploma you want to do gr evaluation those are things you should do before you even graduate so that when you graduate you already have you know things ready and do research people don't do research that everything is all available or the IR it feels like whatever I'm saying we are saying here is not information we just made up right that all information available you have to do your own research and know you know am I doing provinal nomination am I doing the you know um Federal Ste worker program you know am I doing the um um like now that you have all the differ you know you know just see what you qualify for that's another thing see the one you you don't qualify for everything see the one that you qualifi for and then get all necessary things ready yes yes very funny the way you said you had a notebook when I came I was a student I already had an Excel sheet yeah this month to yours this month to this and this was while I was I started working on it the very and and I studied for two years and I had a three year pgwp it's like I had time but I wanted to know i options for all provinces is not working but some people just just don't do that like you said people resarch and the information is all there on thec and another I well another another thing I wanted to add is don't say this is the route that my friend messaged me some time ago I said ah that um the person saw that oh that I that I got my CH even while I'm still a student and they are currently still doing diploma they want to apply for PR and before they graduate you know I was like you have to see what what works for you and don't say somebody did this definitely I'm going to follow it may not work for you that's another big question you have to do to do what works for you what what works for Mr a Mr B may not qualify for it and you don't know the especially if you have let's say prior experience back home two three years experience you know you're already having some kind of Advantage you know in terms of getting you know more points in the express and other so just see what what what works for you and then follow that know know the uh what do they call the uh the worst scenario okay the worst scenario if the plan a does not work I'm going to plan B if you should have at least plan plan you should have at least Plan D you know don't just have only plan a in your like rout of TI application and very important you should understand I'm telling you even as we're talking a lot of people watching don't know at this point they don't know their options some people are graduating so they still don't know the options that are available to them so please guys go and do some research yeah if you if you studied at a one-year program you're likely to get just a onee pgwp and you're only getting it once you cannot extend it it was only during covid that it was extended you can't extend it so if your PGW expires before you able to apply for permanent residents then you have to look at other options yeah because you have run out of time he race against time that's right yeah that's right and I always the best way to start a research is to see what is available in the province that is the easiest way to to see what is available with the province in terms of the provation a lot of provinces have you International streams you have to see you know do you what work experience do they require how long do you have to work so you have to know how to play your game and then there are a lot of options available on the FED dra as well right the general draw and the most recently the category based draw you know so you have to you know watch the points and see which if I they were to do draw today which one am I going to qualify for right so you know if you have to write friends please do it and it's so important for people to know that they have options just restricted to the federal skilled um workers with your province has so many programs there's even the rural and L immigration program it's not just in otaro it's in Saskatchewan and that's why you have to do your research so that you can know all the options that actually available to you because this studying in Canada is a is a great opportunity are getting um world class education and you also have the opportunity if you qualify to get Canadian permanent residents that's right that's right yeah any more challenges I I don't yeah so uh I know we haven't um so you have to understand how they I know you have a a channel where you really talk about finances and and all that so you have to really understand how the financial you know the all Finance this you know in Canada work and also like you may be like oh I don't have lot of money so why do I really care about how the finances work but if you start to do your research on time and kind of know how you know especially how the tax system work and especially how the c credit card works and understanding what investment opportunities are are available I've seen a lot of I've seen people that are that that just graduated and they tell you I don't even know what a tax free service account is like I don't know what it is I'm telling you I'm tell I they don't know they don't know what it is they don't know what a what is available to them because feel like I don't have the money you may not have the money but just keep doing your research and then you know there may be some grants that are available you know do your you know just make sure do your own research to make sure you know if those things are available or not and then yeah that's about it yeah so finances is a whole other is a whole kettle of fish yeah lot of international students just like you said they don't know what a tax account is they are not saving some of them are not even exploring Scholarships in their school I Jo on fund and yet I was always looking out for scholarships 20055 500 here and there yeah I wasn't letting anything go I was like whatever it exactly opportun they don't they don't know I I scholarship page of my University at that time so guys um and like Peter said I have a channel it's called don't go broke TV here it's all about the finances in Canada Factory savings investment options available how to use credit card I got into trouble with credit card just like P said in my just money yeah to pay my bills and I know in that so you need to get this is not the time and space for us to talk about all that so I'm going to channel for you guys go there there a few videos about taxis another thing I wanted to quickly add before we before we go is as much as possible try to do a lot of volunteering is very very you know it's very helpful I know uh my my when I was in my masters at some point they were calling me Mr volunteer because you will see me everywhere like any event you go to and there's an opportunity I don't that and that helped me to really get integrated into the system then you could you can ask people questions that have been in the system for a while and and you get a lot of references right and you know when when you apply for jobs if you don't have the Canadian experiences those voluntary can can count as a volunteer experience in fact one of the person I volunteered with was the person that gave me reference when I was doing my PhD you know because I volun with the person for probably close to two to about two and a half years and know she was able to speak highly of me for my PhD application you know so volunteer and also be strategic about it okay pick volunteer position that will help you and if possible in your department in your University there is the you know graduate student union and all that participates yes participate a lot is going to really be helpful for you yeah and thanks everyone for sticking around and then there's anyone that interest you among all of these challenges um if not really interest you there's anyone you kind of particularly lent just put it in the comment section and say oh thanks for sharing information about this specific one let's and I also just put where you're watching from so that uh we see where we have most of the population from and then if you have any specific question just also you know put it in the commentation as well okay also if you're an international student and you have any particular challenge that we haven't talked about that you also want us to you have a question put it in the comments as well um and then for those of you that going through one challenge or the other I pray that you know you will find respect and comfort and God will send help your way yeah don't forget to like the video and share it with your friends so that as many people as possible can say it and if you have any particular topic you want I or Peter to talk about like why don't you talk about this or talk about that just leave it in the comment and we'll try and make videos for you because that's why we're here right to provide you with information that's going to help you integrate smoothly into the Canadian culture and the Canadian environment absolutely so that's all for today guys if you want me and Peter to come again and do another video comment and tell us the that you like about thank you very much for watching and have a lovely rest of your day right for now all right all right byeone

Channel: Peter Isesele

Views: 3,088

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Id: 8mnzLniCLZ4

Length: 28min 8sec (1688 seconds)

Published: Wed May 01 2024