survey

Survey: Demographic and cultural background of Foreign Born International Educators (Oct., 2003)

Respondent's profile (N=70)
Gender			Region of birth			Age
Female	49	70.0%	Asia	30	42.9%	20-29	16	22.9%
Male	20	28.6%	Europe	16	22.9%	30-39	27	38.6%
Unspecified	1	1.4%	C. & S. America	10	14.3%	40-49	18	25.7%
			Africa	4	5.7%	50-59	8	11.4%
*Primary Sectional Affiliation*			Middle East	3	4.3%	60+	1	1.4%
CAFSS	49	70.0%	N. America	3	4.3%	Average	37.8
ADSEC	9	12.9%	Oceania	1	1.4%	Std. Deviation	9.8
SECUSSA	8	11.4%	Unspecified	3	4.3%
COMSEC	2	2.9%
ATESL	1	1.4%
OSEAS	1	1.4%

Years in the field			Current position			Annual salary
0-3 years	28	40.0%	Student	3	4.3%	Less than $24,999	7	10.0%
4-6	16	22.9%	Entry level	15	21.4%	$25,000-29,999	7	10.0%
7-9	10	14.3%	Expert/Specialist	9	12.9%	$30,000-34,999	16	22.9%
10+	16	22.9%	Middle Management	30	42.9%	$35,000-39,999	8	11.4%
Average	6.2	years	Senior Management	11	15.7%	$40,000-44,999	7	10.0%
Std. Deviation	5.3		Other	2	2.9%	$45,000-49,999	6	8.6%
						$50,000-54,999	7	10.0%
						$55,000 or more	12	17.1%

ChartObject Q1. Your FIRST position in the field of international education was (single answer):

Analysis for Q1: Current immigration status
Foreign-born international educators (FBIEs) can be categorized into three major groups: U.S. citizens, LPR, and temporary status. Almost 2/3 of the respondents fall into the first two categories. In a separate question, 25% of the respondents have replied that they identify with a country of birth as well as with the US As for the the remaining 1/3 of the FBIEs, the next question explores the future plan of those who are staying in the US temporarily.

ChartObject Q2. What academic discipline did you possess at the time you applied for your FIRST position (multiple answers)?

Analysis for Q2: U.S. - oriented or Return-oriented?
For those who are working on non-permanent immigration status (F-1 and H-1B), there was a clear preference toward working or looking for a job in the United States in the near future. This inclination is consistent with the fact that the majority of FBIE consists of US citizens and LPR. How can NAFSA and FBIE-SIG respond to the needs of the current FBIEs who are committed for a long-term professional development in the US higher education?

ChartObject Q3. What was the highest academic degree you had attained at the time you applied for the FIRST position?

Analysis for Q3: Key cultural identifiers at work
FBIEs, as with any other group of people, carry multiple cultural identifiers. This question was set up primarily to see which cultural
identifiers play a large role at their workplace. As it turns out, cultural/ethnic background is the most salient marker that impact their work. The next section provides excerpts/summary of comments regarding how FBIEs deal with their "identifiers" at work.
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Q4. Please describe a situation or context in which certain identifiers above impact your work as an international educator. (Individuals' responses to Q4 can be viewed here.)
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Analysis for Q4: How cultural background can work for and against FBIEs
In response to the invitation to describe situations or contexts in which gender, age, class, race, foreign cultural/ethnic background, sexual orientation, ability/disability, spirituality/religion, or family roles impacted FBIE's work, 38 comments were received.

By far the most common theme emerging from the responses focused on the fact that respondents believe that their ethnicity/foreign cultural background allows them to encounter their students with greater empathy than someone who has not walked in international student shoes in the U.S. Some, however, caution that at the same time their ethnicity/foreign cultural background and resultant empathy at times detract from their credibility with American colleagues. Here are a few examples:

My foreign identity makes many dismiss my criticisms of the current climate (SEVIS etc.).
It is my feeling that technical knowledge (immigration reg. or counseling degree) is much more valued than our international/cultural education or background which initially attracted us to the field. It is truly unfortunate.
My FB background, for the most part, serves as a "plus" in my career path especially when "ethnic diversity" is strongly encouraged at the workplace. However, I also find it difficult at times to convince people that FBIEs can also think or function like their American counterparts. You often feel that you must make twice the effort to prove your points and such kind of frustration can hit you occasionally.

Being non-caucasian emerged as the second most commented upon issue in regards to working with international students who expect an international educator in the U.S. to be a Caucasian-American. Gender and age tied as the third most common factor impacting FBIE's work. Being young, or being perceived as very young, and/or female was seen as a hindrance to being taken seriously by students as well as colleagues regardless of actual ability.

Communication with colleagues who are not used to dealing with different communication styles or who have a hard time trusting ESL speakers' language abilities were cited as a negative impact by FBIE's who view themselves as good speakers of English.
And, finally, religion was mentioned as an often salient factor by those who worked at a religiously affiliated institution or who are Muslim.

For questions or comments about the survey, please contact Jin Abe (jin.abe@wmich.edu)