Breaking the silence: career guidance for self-initiated international placement students

Self-initiated international placements by students have been largely ignored in theliterature on outward mobility in higher education. The support given to self-initiatedinternational placement students, if any, have received even less attention. This study aims toaddress this lacuna. Drawing on insights from global mobility literature, we surveyed UK university students who engaged in self-initiated international placements to various countriessuch as France, China, Brazil, and Ghana. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics andthematic content analysis. Findings reveal that these ‘voluntary’ placements can improve language fluency, increase self-confidence, renew stress management abilities, and enhance cross-culturalcompetencies and intercultural sensitivity. The study problematizes the lack of support givento these students, particularly in terms of career development. Our paper is one of the first to bring this under-studied population to the attention of career guidance scholars. We propose that scholarly attention should be directed toward the agency of self-initiated international placement students and that targeted career guidance must be provided through more inclusive career services.