Term time employment of tertiary students has increased dramatically following funding policy changes in the global Higher Education sector. Taking a comparative approach, this study of students at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, investigates the decision to work during the academic term, the characteristics of such employment, and the perceived impacts on the university experiences of New Zealand domestic and Chinese international students. The study revealed similarities and differences between the two largest student populations. Compared to their New Zealand peers, Chinese international students are less likely to take term time employment. Among those who have worked, New Zealand domestic students do so for financial reasons, while Chinese international students value the work experience in the host country. Chinese international students receive much lower wages and tend to have shorter employment durations. In terms of perceived impacts, both New Zealand domestic and Chinese international students express a generally positive attitude towards their employment decisions, with a limited but clear awareness of the negative impacts. Interestingly, for those who have never worked, Chinese international students indicate a much stronger willingness to join the student workforce in the future. New Zealand domestic students, however, are much less likely to work if they can afford not to. This research provides empirical information about international students’ term time employment in the New Zealand context. Specific advice and mentoring services are needed at both university and government levels to provide ‘a more safe and supportive’ employment environment, especially for international students.

Given the increasing number of Chinese international students attending American universities, an important study would be to consider problems arising during these students' initial transition period, as they acculturate into the American culture and educational system. Taking this information into account, university counseling centers, campus services, and those who interact with and support these students would be better able to assist in easing the initial and ongoing stress of living in a foreign country and adapting to a new way of life. Thirteen Chinese international students participated in qualitative interviews conducted in Mandarin Chinese, each participant's native language. Each participant was born and raised in mainland China, had never travelled to the US before studying abroad, had no direct family relative in the US, and had studied at a university in the US for more than two years. In order to gain a better understanding of Chinese international students' initial transition to live and study in the US, a qualitative research design was utilized. This study used a collaborative hermeneutic approach to obtain a valid and common understanding of the meaning of each transcribed interview. Data analysis followed the hermeneutic circle, which emphasizes that the meaning of the text can be better understood through reading individual parts and comparing meanings of parts and whole. These study used a team to analyze data, thus avoiding the narrow reliance on individual interpretations. Based on their personal perspectives, participants reported their experiences encountered during their initial transition into the US. More specifically, information shared during individual interviews with Chinese international students indicated specific experiences in regard to their initial and ongoing adjustment to the U.S. environment, including how they made sense of their experiences and how their ways of thinking and behaving changed as a result of being influenced by their experiences interfacing with U.S. culture. Participants also shared their strategies they perceived as helpful in specific situations. Based on an analysis of participants interviews, themes that arose from the interviews included (a) difficulties and challenges they faced as new immigrants; (b) differences they encountered in respect to their homeland and the new environment, including language/communication, culture, academic study and learning, living in the US, and psychological adjustments; (c) positive growth they acknowledged from facing challenges and adapting to their new environment; and (d) acknowledging the need to accept help and how to more proactively seek and receive help as needed. Implications for more actively assisting and including Chinese international students are discussed.