'At least I got a job': Underpaid international students reluctant to report

By YIQIONG SHANG

Many international students suffer serious exploitation in the workforce in Melbourne, but most won't report it.

The Fair Work Ombudsman said fears of losing their jobs was a big reason so few international students reported any systematic underpayment of wages.  

“From 2015 to 2016 only 9 per cent of all the requests for assistance involving visa holders came from international students,” a spokeswoman for the Fair Work Ombudsman said. 

“The conduct we are seeing involving international students is often serious and exploitative,” she said.

Monash University's Career Connect manager Michelle Maes said international students tended to be much less likely to report exploitation.

“Most international students we see here, who do have genuine complaints won’t go that next step – they won’t report,” Ms Maes said.

“I’ve heard students actually say, ‘Oh well, you know, at least I got a job … I wouldn’t earn that much at home’ … A lot of students just take that attitude especially when they first arrive," she said.

International student Shang Ren, who has been living in Melbourne for more than two years, said he would rather turn a blind eye because she did not want to risk losing her job.

“Many international students really need money … although $8 an hour is not much, we still could get by with it,” Mr Ren said.

Career Program Coordinator from Monash University Leanne MacKenzie said employers were taking advantage of international students who were desperate to find a job.  

“International students come here and they are almost desperate to get experience or work, so they will take anything,” Ms MacKenzie said.

“Because there will always be students coming here wanting to get that experience, and there will always be people out there, willing to exploit that vulnerability,” she said.

Mr Ren said he had been underpaid since he did his first casual work at a restaurant in Melbourne.

 “I still remember my first employer was quite mean because he wanted us to be working all the time, and he got mad at me the second I was done with my work,” he said.

Chinese blogger Yuyi, who trialled four casual jobs after arriving in Melbourne, said new students often undertook several low-pay jobs to gain experience before applying to a local business.

“They don’t feel confident to speak English, that’s why they often choose to work within their own community, where sadly they could be more likely to be exploited,” she said. 

Ms Maes said it was scary for some international students being in another country without having their families around, and working for their own community was easy and comfortable, but it would not help them in the longer term if they are exploited.

“It’s even more difficult to complain when you are in your community because going outside the community and making legal complaints is very threatening for students,” she said.

For those underpaid students of Monash University who need help, Ms Maes said Career Connect could be “first place to drop in" or make an appointment on Career Gateway to speak to a careers consultant.

“They can give you suggestions for where to go from there,” she said.

The FWO spokeswoman said any student who had concerns about their workplace rights and entitlements could seek assistance from the FWO by visiting their website or calling the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94. 

“FWO also has an Anonymous Report tool which enables members of the community to alert the FWO to potential workplace issues,” she said.

CONTACT POINTS:

International Education Association of Australia(IEAA)
https://www.ieaa.org.au

Job Watch
http://www.jobwatch.org.au

Study Melbourne Student Centre
http://www.studymelbourne.vic.gov.au/help-and-support/study-melbourne-student-centre