Journey to Europe for Education: Difficulties for Burmese Students and How to Prepare

This article is also available in [Burmese]

For those who can afford it, most people going abroad to study go to countries like the US, Canada, and the UK. People do go to Europe, but it's a small number. Why don't people choose to go to Europe?

How to choose a country for studying abroad.

For anyone who has seriously thought about these issues, the choice of country will certainly raise more questions. There are so many countries, and if you are only calculating based on cost, then why are people going to the US and UK instead of Europe?

• What is your budget?
• What qualifications do you have?
• Which countries are you considering?
• What major do you want to study?
• How much time do you have?
• What is the purpose of going abroad?

Can't you use English?

Among the countries that use English as a standard language are the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. However, even in these countries, other languages are used, for example, French.

But can you use English in the remaining countries? Yes, you can. However, it will only be convenient to a certain extent, for traveling or visiting. For someone who is living and studying in a country long-term, it will be difficult to get by.

After all, none of us grew up living and breathing the English language from birth. No matter how much you use English daily, or even if you say you are more fluent in English than in Burmese, you can never be as proficient as someone who grew up with the language and was taught every subject in English.

About Language

You can't just think, "Oh, English is an international language, every country will use it." That's not possible. Yes, it can be used as an international language, but its usage varies from country to country.

• Is there a place (or city) where it is used?
• How widespread is the use of English in that country?
• How widespread is the use of the native language in that country?
• The difference in usage patterns between English and the native language.
• Do the universities teach in English? If so, is it good? Is it convenient?
• Can you live there without knowing the native language? Will it be convenient for work?

The Use of English in Your Destination

Whether it's Singapore, New York, or Oxford, the way English is used is not the same. Even within the UK, the English accent is not the same from city to city. For the most part, in cities with many tourists or many students, this might not be a problem.

However, difficulties with accents can be managed. You can adapt. It might be difficult at first, but after a while, your ear gets used to it. Before you know it, you yourself will become proficient.

In the UK, the signs on the roads are written in English. The signboards are also in English, and every shop assistant can speak English. This situation is not possible in Thailand. It's not possible in Korea. In most Asian countries, the use of English as a national language is rare.

Even in Canada, which can be called an English-speaking country, French is one of its two official languages. Similarly, in most EU countries, they have their own ways. Even if it's not the native language, it's difficult to get by with only English.

How do students study in non-English speaking countries?

In countries where another language is widely used, there are "English-taught programs." There are courses taught in the native language, and there are also versions of those courses taught in English. They are created for international students.

However, when these courses are taught in English, they might not be as good as when they are taught in the original language. Let's say you are studying in Germany, and there is a German version and an English version. A single course is split into two. When you compare them, the English one might not be as good as the German one. You can't just consider the teaching alone.

It will depend on your country, the quality of the professors, the situation of each university, your course, and your city. There are courses that are taught well regardless of the language, and there are also courses that are completely inconvenient. That's if the course is bad. Sometimes, no matter how much they teach, it is difficult for you to understand.

If you study in English, you will only interact with other international students like yourself. There will be very few Germans. In the German-taught course, there will be more Germans, and over time, you will have more interaction with their culture, their way of life, and their social circles.

Would it be feasible to study in a brand-new language?

Let's say you want to go to Finland to study. You might not be able to go right away with just an IELTS score. If the university's entry requirements include passing a Finnish language exam, you can't just learn the language when you get to Finland. You have to learn it on your own in your home country first.

Even if you pass the exam and go to university, there will be challenges. We struggle even with English, a language we've been using since we were young, when it comes to academic terminology, specific vocabulary, and everyday slang.

No matter how rich you are and even if you attended a school full of foreigners, because the country you live in is Myanmar, the mother tongue is what is primarily used everywhere.

Even when studying in an English school, a language you are familiar with day-to-day, the academic texts are still difficult to understand. You are at university now; they won't be teaching you with easy-to-understand texts and novels like when you were a child. For us, even if it's written in English, when we suddenly see a university textbook, we don't know what on earth is written before we can even begin to understand it. And that's with English.

Now you have to use a language you just started learning yesterday for your daily life. Even if you don't use it for anything else, you have to use it for your studies. You have to use it to read books. When the teachers explain things, they will explain in Finnish. If you don't understand something, they will explain it in Finnish. Even if they explain in English, they can't be translating constantly. Whether you're taking an exam or doing anything else, you have to do it with this new, unfamiliar language. It's not just a simple conversation anymore.

You will also face difficulties outside of school.

What difficulties can you face when English is not the native or widespread language?

This happens in countries like Korea, Japan, and Thailand where English is not widely spoken, as well as in European countries where English is understood to some extent.

Even if you can prepare before you leave for school, how much can you truly prepare? Everywhere you go, everything you eat, whatever you do, you see this foreign language. Whoever you talk to, it's with this language. Even in your social life, the people you interact with daily will likely only be those who can speak English.

And of course, if others are gossiping in German, you'll want to understand them. Look at the road, the bus stop, school matters, important issues—all in German. Google Translate can't be with you all the time.

Work

The difficulties mean that when you need to have a normal conversation, you'll only be able to speak English, so it will be hard to find a part-time job. Most jobs will want a worker who can speak Korean more than one who can only speak English. From part-time work to getting a job with your degree, they will give preference to someone who can speak the language. This is common in countries where English is not widespread (e.g., Thailand).

Study

If you are considering studying and living in such a country long-term, you will definitely have to learn the language. You will have to study from a state of not understanding the language at first until you are proficient. That is how people become fluent. It just takes a certain amount of time.

What qualifications do these universities accept? Where can you obtain them?

It depends on the country, but most of the time when searching for schools in European countries, they tend to ask for the IB diploma. The IB is a European diploma that is not widely taught in many schools.

Schools like Brainworks, YIS, and ISY teach it. However, the school fees for these are so high, even for international schools, that most cannot afford it long-term, and those who can are a handful. You can also go with OSSD, A-Levels, or a US diploma.

Whether a certain qualification is widely accepted, whether you can get into the school you want with it—that depends on each university and on you, so it's impossible to say for sure.

How to get into good universities?

To get into good universities, there are requirements. Besides academics, there is:

• Your passion.
• Your situation from the schools you've attended throughout your life.
• The rewards and achievements you can present.
• Other community work and experiences.
• The reason why you want to study at such a university.

To be honest, the person with the highest chance of meeting these requirements is someone who is wealthy and has received full support from their family regarding their education. I don't want to say things like, "You can get in even if you're not wealthy."

No matter how hard you try, no matter how talented you are, there are limits. I'm not talking about gifted individuals who get into Harvard at age 12. Even for a child considered talented in school, if they don't have money, these are not situations they can break into.

Passion

It's difficult to find your passion. Parents want their children to be exposed to everything, to try everything. But for parents who are struggling to support their own family, they are not going to make their child do things that they perceive as an extra expense.

The country's educational situation also pushes this. It's a situation where even if you get a degree, it doesn't make a difference. So it becomes a situation where you have to decide between your passion and your livelihood.

Passion is, for example, someone who loves sports. What sports can you even do in Yangon? Whether you live in a quiet residential area or anywhere else, is it convenient to go for a run early in the morning? There are no good sidewalks or places to run. If there are, they are crowded with people (like at People's Park).

Or you like cycling. Where can you ride conveniently? Yes, there are people who ride regularly. However, just because people are riding doesn't mean it's good for riding. People who like to cycle, are very passionate about it, and are very good at it can't even afford a good quality bike, so they can't train. Even for recreational riding, you have to search hard for roads.

For cyclists, there isn't even a place where you can ride a bike at ease without avoiding cars. Even if a car hits you while you're on your bike, there's no one to take action. So, you either have to have money, or a good background.

Because it's so hard to explore one's passion in practice, the sense of passion is a very lost thing. There are those who try no matter what. I want them to keep trying. However, if they had been born in a good country and their parents could have guided them well, people like them would not be facing such difficulties.

Your Schooling History

The schools you've attended throughout your life reflect your situation; that would be very true. Yes, schools in Myanmar are not that different from each other. However, just in the curriculum gap alone, a student who has attended a Myanmar school their whole life and one who has attended an English school can be very different.

Yes, not every student who goes to an English school is smart or a good person. That's true. What I mean is that you can get out of it as much as you put in. No matter how much you want to do critical thinking in a Myanmar school, don't worry, the teacher will just strike it down. In an English curriculum, even if the teacher strikes it down, you will be a step ahead of others in exams because of this skill.

If this kind of situation related to critical thinking, which is not a big deal, grows little by little, a person who has lived like this until their high school years, before reaching two decades of age, will become like a dull blade. And they will probably be thinking, how much better things could have been if only they had money.

Did you do your work properly in these schools? Are these schools where you can prove and say that you did your work properly? Or are they schools that give more preference to the student who fawns over the teacher, the one who takes tuition from the class teacher? The fact that foreign countries do not accept the Myanmar curriculum, do not recognize it as an equivalent curriculum, is not unrelated to these kinds of issues. It's about the state of recognition.

Rewards and Achievements

I don't want to include achievements that can be obtained with money in this conversation. What is it, "Lu Ye Chun" (an old national award for outstanding students), English proficiency. Everyone knows how much favoritism is shown to students from famous schools like Dagon 1 or Sanchaung 2.

Whether it's at the regional or state level, those who have actually done it know what the situation is like. If it were me, I wouldn't consider these as rewards. You don't gain any real awareness from them. The only thing you learn is that if you flatter people and have money, you can get anything.

Does being recognized at school for these things matter? No matter how many gold medals you get, you still have to do your own schoolwork. Since you are being taught an incorrect curriculum, you can't do anything else besides your studies; if you do, it's considered extra.

Sports

Other things related to sports. There are situations where teachers make students pull weeds during sports time, or don't let them play because exams are near and they're afraid of leg injuries. And even if you want to play sports, it's not safe to travel from one place to another in a big city like Yangon. It's expensive to take a taxi, and if you go by car, you worry about not having a parking spot at home. And on top of all that, if you want to do something you're passionate about at home, you'll be greeted by your family's scolding: "You're not studying!"

Community Work and Experiences

What is it, "community work," where schools make students observe factories, or go and talk to people in elderly homes, or make donations to monasteries that are already overflowing with donors while there are so many places in need?

In reality, apart from a single photo and a little bit of food, the other side doesn't gain anything. And this side doesn't gain any unique experience either.

The Situation with Internships in the Country

There are so many companies that are corrupt, using names like "NGO." Similarly, there are many people who are interning at famous, well-known companies. The problem is, what you can get from these places, apart from a certificate, is useless.

They don't treat you like an intern, but like an unpaid worker. They force you to do things because they know you'll stay for the certificate. They make you do impossible things. They shout and curse. It's not because they want you to become good at your job, but because they are just yelling whatever comes to their mind.

And what's different about the people? They take whatever they can get. They backstab, they cut you out, they sell you out, they only think of the short term. Over time, you start to think, is this what being an adult is, learning to lie like this?

The Situation When Volunteering

In this kind of environment, no matter how much you want to give to people, to get this kind of experience, you have to try yourself. For example, if you want to save dogs, you have to open a dog shelter. But then, you need money. You need experts.

Similarly, is there a workplace where young children can go to volunteer? There is no place where you can leave a child with peace of mind. Even in schools, there are teachers who curse and shout at children. And there is no government to stop or control these people. There are only people who are there to extort money and be corrupt.

Why don't people go to the Europe

Keeping these things in mind, how to work around this kind of situation, how to avoid it and get by with the least amount of damage—these become things to consider.

The reason why people don't go to Europe is because of these kinds of difficulties. Because of the language barrier, most people can't go, and they can't prepare the sufficient qualifications to go.

Most people come from ordinary schools and then suddenly their plans change to go abroad, so they don't want to spend extra time going to European countries, so they go to countries that might be more convenient.

The things I wrote above are about the situations you can and can't do if you want to get into a good school, rather than a school you can get into just by paying money, whether it's in Europe or any other country, and describing the real-life situations.

If you want to prepare:

• Research the qualifications that your target country accepts. Find out which qualification is the easiest and fastest to get accepted with, depending on the quality you need.
• Reach out to students who have been there, are there. They will probably be willing to help. If they don't help, don't be upset; they are also still struggling.
• In the meantime, prepare for the language. It takes a long time. Learn one of the most commonly used languages. It's possible that after learning it, you might not even end up going to that school.
• There are high schools in Myanmar that offer Foundation-like programs, schools that offer HND diplomas. But be careful. If there is someone who has gone through this path, it's best to ask them.
• From the side, prepare the necessary certificates. Collect them. Learn what you need to learn. Learn until you are so successful that they can't refuse or ignore you.
• There are very good countries in Europe. From citizenship to education, there are countries that are much more convenient than the UK. Do your research carefully.