Plight of International Students Amidst Australia's Growing Rental Crisis

In episode 20, Ludwina Dautovic and Josh Farr discuss the plight of International Students Amidst Australia's Growing Rental Crisis

About Josh Farr, Founder of Campus Consultancy

Josh Farr is an entrepreneur and leadership expert who founded Campus Consultancy in 2017. He has been working to connect and develop the most influential leaders across universities, as well as with graduate programs and high schools. In this episode, we discuss the plight of international students as a result of the disruption of the education system during COVID-19, and the issues surrounding student accommodation.

About this episode

Josh shares his mission to help students better understand themselves, manage their own stress and lives, and succeed in their careers. Josh also shares stories of students who have accomplished great things through his work. We talk about the impact that the lack of support from Australia has had on international students and how they felt unwelcome when told to go home as the pandemic first hit. 

International students bring a lot to universities, cities, and towns, and that they should not be seen as “cash cows”. Rather, they should be seen as integral parts of the global community, and that their hospitality and professional skills should be acknowledged. 

We also discuss how international students should be supported in their endeavours, and have a role to play in crafting a new narrative about international students and their overall wellbeing. 

A message from our host and CEO - Ludwina Dautovic

It's heartbreaking to hear about the plight of international students amidst Australia's growing rental crisis. I'm a huge supporter of international students. My parents were immigrants and I know only too well the challenges one faces when leaving their home country to go to a strange land. It's takes courage and resilience and we need to remember that these are young adults in a strange and foreign land. It's important to support them in any way we can. We need them for the vibrancy and richness of our culture in Australia. But they need us too. 

The Room Xchange is dedicated to supporting international students. We do this by building this very platform that creates confidence to homeowners to rent their spare rooms to provide a safe, comfortable and affordable housing option to university students. We also support them as a company by mentoring international students through a program called Practera. If you are a business owner, I encourage you to find out more about Practera's well organised international student programs.

We might be going into a winter economically right now, but you can get through the winter if you cut the wood, you stay inside and you stay warm - Josh Farr

Key moments in this podcast

0:00:00 - Conversation with Josh Farr: Supporting Student Leaders and Renters in Australia

0:02:17 - Impact of COVID-19 on international students in Australia

0:05:12 - Mentoring international students and the light of Hospitality Workers in Regional Victoria

0:07:02 - The value of international students in the workforce

0:08:22 - The power of humility

0:09:53 - International student housing crisis in Australia

0:11:46 - Financial stress experienced by international students

0:13:38 - Exploring the impact of the housing crisis on young Australians

0:15:45 - Navigating the broken rental market

0:19:51 - Maximising financial resources during an economic winter for students and homeowners

0:21:26 - Exploring the benefits of house-sharing via The Room Xchange

0:23:11 - Supporting international students during challenging times

0:24:46 - Exploring ethical solutions to rising rental costs

As a child of immigrant parents, I know first hand the challenges one faces when leaving their home country to move to a foreign land - Ludwina Dautovic

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