Politics impacting public school board's ability to recruit young international students to London

Officials who recruit international students to attend the region's elementary and high schools say Canada's increasingly negative reputation abroad is having an impact on how many kids choose to come here to study. 

Before the pandemic, 470 students from kindergarten to Grade 12, from dozens of countries around the world, came to study at Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) schools, bringing in just over $6 million in tuition in the 2019-2020 school year, said Sarah Leeming, who oversees the international student program for the board. 

This year, there are 247 students, with another 30 to 35 possibly coming for the second semester, Leeming said. 

"We're happy that we have more than 20 different countries represented, so we're expanding our diversity," she said. The top three feeder countries are China, Korea and Vietnam. 

But in an increasingly competitive market, the perception that Canada and Ontario aren't welcoming to international students has meant getting back up to the pre-pandemic level has been touch, Leeming said. 

"Canada has unfortunately havd reputational damage in the last few years about welcoming international students. Federal and provincial policies don't actually impact K-to-12 international students, but the reputation is what it is." 

Tuition is $14,500 per year for elementary school and $15,000 for high school, with a $250 application fee and a third-party health insurance plan that costs $500, Leeming said. 

Most of the international students are in high school. Kids 12 and under must live with a parent or relative. 

Lucas, Banting and Montcalm high schools have the most secondary students and Masonville, Stoney Creek and Stoneybrook public schools have the most elementary kids. 

Students hear about London through older siblings who are studying here, or through international recruiters hired to sell the school board to families looking to send their kids somewhere, Leeming said. This year, 67 per cent of students were referred by education agents. 

Students stay with families who get $1,000 a month in compensation and are screened for similar interests, dynamics and routines.

"Hosting a high-school aged student is different than hosting a post-secondary international student," Leeming said. "They're young. They need love and care and someone to make sure they're doing their homework and getting off their phone to go to sleep. They become part of the family dynamic." 

When they arrive, students' English and math skills are assessed at the One World Education Centre and then placed in schools within their home stay family's boundaries, Leeming said.

"A big draw in this region is the post-secondary connections. We will often get students who want to go to college or university here but they want to do a year or two of high school to get their feet under them and learn the academic culture before they go to post-secondary." 

Ideally, the school board wants to have between 400 and 480 international students each year, Leeming said. 

"This is not just a revenue generator. We don't do a great job in Canada of sending our students out on international experiences. It's just not embedded in our academic culture, so the next best thing is if our students aren't going out to international experiences is to bring the world to them. It fosters deeper global connections." 

The London District Catholic School Board was unable to provide international student numbers by publication time.