Honest Motives, Better Outcomes

Studying as a path to move and studying to learn are two different projects. If the aim is a new life, the prep looks tougher: map where internships are real, learn the visa rules and extensions, estimate time to first paycheque, check whether rent and transport are survivable, and make sure your language works for the workplace, not just the lecture hall. Different goal, different risk profile.

People choose the study route because it’s a legal, structured doorway. Student status comes with defined steps toward work authorization, a career office, internship boards, basic social protections. Many countries keep tuition low for internationals. Lower cost doesn’t cancel accountability; it raises the bar for using the opportunity well.

Applicants rarely write “I just want to relocate.” Universities judge academic fit and potential. Visas require a credible intent to study. You can be frank about career plans in the host country and show how the program connects to its labor market. You just can’t present study as a pure escape. And if a country helps fund your education, treating that as a loophole is a choice you have to own.

Do you need to move at all? Sometimes no. First switch fields, raise your language, do a remote internship with an international team, earn a certification, build a portfolio. Sometimes a change of city or an employer with global operations solves the real problem. Emigration doesn’t repair professional drift or personal conflicts. You carry them with you, only under a new tax number.

On brain drain: I don’t cheer for it. I work for people who truly need international education or a career abroad and who accept the price of adaptation in time, money, and effort. Mixed motives happen, but priorities must be clear. Choose programs by the internships inside, the language of instruction, post-study options, cost of living, and what the local market actually needs.

If the main aim is the country, study has to be a tool that pays back through your career: a portfolio tied to a real specialization, a defensible academic base, a concrete job-search plan, fluency in local rules and bureaucracy, and a year of funding. If knowledge comes first and location is secondary, the center of gravity shifts to the supervisor, the lab, publications, and the language of research.

Bottom line: self-deception is expensive. Clear motivation shapes your university list and your odds of surviving the first term. If you’re sure you want study and a career abroad, proceed. If not, pause and prepare for a mature decision. It saves money and, more importantly, years.

Lilian Lori (Liliane Laurie) is a language instructor and education consultant helping international applicants navigate admissions to European universities. Writes about how admissions systems really work and who gets access to education and why.

Current projects include WindowToFrance and STUDYON, both focused on educational mobility and early career building in Europe.

You can follow Lilian on Telegram @lilian_lori, or through projects WindowToFrance and STUDYON.