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International students - Source: ONE News -
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After falling out of favour in 2003, there are signs that the multi-billion dollar export education industry is on the upturn.
The body representing export education providers Education New Zealand says the number of students, while still down on the highs of earlier in the decade, has increased.
"In the last 12 months we have noticed that foreign students appear to be creeping back up again, particularly in the schools and universities," says Education New Zealand spokesperson Robert Stevens.
There are currently 88,000 international students in New Zealand worth around $2.3 billion each year.
"What we have currently is a growth of about 3,300 new starts, so the pipeline is growing at the bottom end that will feed through over time as they work through the system and stay here for a number of years," he says.
The weak Kiwi dollar is one factor that has helped boost the number of international students to New Zealand,
And, as the recession dampens discretionary spending, international students who may have once opted for Cambridge, Oxford, or some of the US universities, are now coming to New Zealand which is seen as offering value for money.
Stevens says education is a counter-cyclical industry that tends to do well in a recession as people choose to stay on longer, especially in tertiary education.
However, Stevens says much of the increase in international students is due to the good marketing efforts by education institutions.
"They've stuck with markets, particularly China and a number of other countries around the world, but they've also been diversifying into new markets such as India," he says.
The Indian market has grown 100% year-on-year for the last three
years, and Stevens says high schools are doing particularly well
with students from Saudi Arabia and Brazil.
