Chinese students going overseas are getting younger and younger. In 2006, only 65 Chinese students studied in middle schools in the United States, but the figure rose to 6,725 in 2011.

The US, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia are the most popular destinations for Chinese middle school students.

The intermediary agency industry makes a lot of money from this change, and it actually promoted the changes, because the younger the students, the more money they can make from them. The gross profit rate of the industry is around 50 to 60 percent.

Graduates in specialties with higher requirements for professional expertise and knowledge, such as medical care, business, science and engineering, earn more money than their counterparts in majors with lower requirements.

Preparatory courses are compulsory for international students wishing to attend the more rewarding medicine and business courses in some countries. So Chinese parents must send their children abroad earlier than before.

A recent survey in China showed that the income level of Chinese graduates from foreign schools who come back to work in China drops by a large margin, they earn around 3,000 yuan ($476) to 10,000 yuan a month, which is similar to their domestic counterparts.

Chinese education authorities should raise the parents' awareness levels about the importance of making a rational study plan for their kids. On the other hand, Chinese universities should do more to improve the quality of their courses, and to better adapt to the needs of the job market.

When Chinese parents become confident about education and job opportunities at home, they will think twice before sending their kids abroad.

Translated from 21st Century Business Herald