The majority (69.2%) of international students in Germany would prefer to stay in the country after their studies are complete according to a new survey.
The Studying-in-Germany.org survey asked 4,339 participants to answer questions relating to why they chose Germany and what their plans are for the future after studies are over.
“Germany needs young and skilled workers to keep its economy going”
The largest portion (35.3%) of respondents underlined free-tuition education in Germany as the main reason for choosing the country over another study destination, while 29.3% chose the high-quality academic staff at German universities.
One-fifth (20.4%) of respondents highlighted English language programs as the main draw, while 15.1% said they choose it because of the aesthetic beauty of the country.
Additionally, the survey aimed to know the students’ plans after they finish their studies. A total 69.2% of respondents said they plan to look for a good job in Germany and stay for a longer period of time.
Just 16.5% said they plan to immediately return home when their studies are completed, and 14.3% said they would like to travel around Germany before returning to their home country.
Speaking with The PIE News, founder of Studying-in-Germany.org Besart Bajrami said even though the high percentage of students wishing to stay in Germany after their studies might seem like a threat to the German job market, it’s not seen as a “real issue”.
“Most German companies are conservative when it comes to hiring internationals and they are interested in hiring not just qualified people, but people fluent in German as well,” he explained.
“it’s not always easy for [international students] to find a job immediately after graduation, especially if they studied in English, unless they are committed to learning the German language and speaking it flawlessly as well as doing internships and lower-paying jobs to get started.”
With that being said, Bajrami added, there is a lot of demand and available jobs for qualified international students in STEM fields.
“Germany needs young and skilled workers to keep its economy going,” he said.
“International students bring a lot of economic benefits to Germany during their studies as well as after graduation… by having a strong link with Germany for future business partnerships and networking.”
