Birmingham is a truly global university, enriched by strong partnerships with a wide range of international institutions and home to a vibrant community of researchers and students from around the world. With over 8,700 international students representing approximately 150 countries, and 31% of academic staff coming from overseas, our campus is a dynamic and diverse environment that attracts the brightest global talent.

This diversity brings with it a rich tapestry of cultural perspectives, lived experiences, and societal norms. International students and staff may arrive with different expectations around communication, academic engagement, and social interaction. As a mentor, it’s important to approach these differences with openness and empathy. The following guidance is designed to help you support your international mentee effectively and foster a positive, inclusive mentoring relationship.

Effective communication

When communicating across cultures, it's worth considering the approach you tend to take, and how this may be perceived. It's important to recognise the communication styles may be different between you and your mentee if you work across different international circles.

Adjusting your tone or delivery may help provide clarity and leave things less open to misinterpretation. It's good to think about:

The audience - Who are you speaking to, and what are their cultural expectations? In some cultures, students may expect a more formal relationship and may hesitate to challenge or question authority. Others may prefer a more informal, collaborative approach.

The context and medium through which you're communicating - Are you communicating face-to-face, via email, or through another channel? Written communication can be harder to convey message if your communication style relies more on social cues/body language.

The purpose of your communication - Are you informing, providing instructions, persuading or trying to connect?

To try and avoid miscommunication you can try:

Practising active listening - aiming to understand rather than simply reply.
Use clear and concise communication - steering clear of jargon as this can require cultural context to understand.
Harmonizing tone, pitch, and body language - ensuring verbal and non-verbal cues align.
Aim to demonstrate respect and courtesy in all interactions.

High-Context and Low-Context cultures

Whilst it's best not to generalise, different cultures will on average have slightly different approaches to communication.

High-Context Communication: Information is communicated more indirectly through nonverbal aspects (facial expressions/gestures), context, shared experiences and implicit understanding.

More common in: Japan, China, Arab countries and Latin American Cultures.

Low-Context Communication: Information is communicated explicitly through wording that avoids leaving meaning open to interpretation.

More common in: the UK, Germany, the United States, Scandinavia and Canada.

It's worth reflecting on which of these approaches speaks more to you and why, as it will relate to the context of your own societal upbringing.

The table below provides some more elaboration and examples:

Communication styles
High-Context Communication		Low-Context Communication

Message meaning is implicit		Messages are direct and clear
Strong emphasis on tone, body language, and relationships		The focus is on precise wording
Communcation assumes a shared cultural background		Less reliance on shared history or non-verbal cues
Misunderstanding can occur if you're not part of the group		Ideal in multicultural or unfamiliar settings.
	Scenario example - Commenting in a meeting
An executive from a high-context culture might say "That could be difficult," whilst nodding slowly. Implied meaning: "We don't agree with this proposal, but we won't say it outright to maintain harmony."		A manager from a low-context culture might say "We don't think this proposal meets our needs." A direct and unambiguous communication of disagreement.
	Scenario example - Feedback
"There's room for improvement" Feedback is indirect to preserve face, and expectation is the employee will 'read between the lines'.		"Your report had inaccurate data - you need to double check your sources." Feedback is blunt and precise, focussing on clarity not emotional cushioning.

Career decision making - cultural norms.

Career decision-making is influenced by a range of cultural, societal and economic factors. While some students may base their career choices on their interests, strengths and sense of personal fulfilment, others may place greater emphasis on practical considerations such as job security, financial stability, professional status and the return on investment of their education. Some students will make career decisions largely independently, whereas others may be strongly influenced by the expectations, aspirations or experiences of family members and wider communities.

As a result, career conversations can vary considerably and may shape the types of questions students ask. For example, some students may be interested in what motivates you personally and what you enjoy about your role, while others may focus more on progression opportunities, salary potential or long-term job security.

We recognise that there is no single ‘right’ way to make career decisions. Different approaches are shaped by individual circumstances, values and cultural contexts. As mentors, being aware of these differences can help you approach conversations with curiosity and empathy, avoid making assumptions, and support students to reflect on a wider range of factors that may inform their career choices.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)

Many of our international students have English as an additional language. Entry criteria to the University does require a set standard of English (typically related to a specific IELTS/Pearsons score), however the practicalities of English as a language mean that some students may still take some time to adapt to using English within specific academic and/or professional settings.

As a University we do offer additional resources for students, with our Birmingham International Academic providing Academic English workshops.We also offer all students Free Language Courses.

In the context of Mentoring, you're offering our international students a really valuable opportunity to practice their English in a professional setting so thank you for your patience in this. We recognise some students may come to their mentorship with more practice using English in a 1:1 professional setting than others.

Working in the UK

Many international students wish to work in the UK after their degree. Their career opportunities in the UK are informed by the work visas available to them.

The Graduate Route visa allows graduates to stay in the UK for at least 18 months after their graduation (upon application). The Skilled Worker visa can allow graduates to stay longer in the UK providing they meet a range of criteria including minimum salary thresholds and working for an employer with a sponsorship licence. This process can be challenging to navigate.

Guidance on other forms of visa to work in the UK can be found here.

If your mentee is asking for guidance on obtaining the right visa permissions to work in the UK, we would advise caution on offering advice. Whilst we recognise the value of mentors sharing their personal lived experience, immigration regulations change regularly and so a mentee's specific circumstances may not always be relevant to your own experience.

If a mentee is asking for visa guidance, please direct them to the resources below or advise them to email their query to careersenquiries@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

If you want advice on working on your student visa, contact the UoB International Student Team
If you want advice on talking to employers about visas complete our online course: Talk to UK Employers about Visas and Sponsorship
For general information on visas and working in the UK after your studies, visit UKCISA who provide information and advice for international students studying in the UK through online resources and a telephone advice line. We also recommend consulting UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). to help you understand UK government visa regulations.
For specific workshops and career planning support for international students including visa support, take a look at the specialist services for international students offered by Careers Network.