Over 30 percent of the Romanian students that are studying or finishing studies abroad will not come back to Romania in the near future, and 31 percent are undecided on whether to return, shows a study by the League of Romanian Students Abroad, released on Wednesday ( June 20 ).

Almost 28 percent of the respondents confirmed that they will come back for friends and family, while at the other end of the spectrum, the big motivations for staying away are opportunities in education, work and business.

Most of the students that choose to study do so because of what the universities have to offer, such as valuable teachers, the academic environment, cultural environment, the quality of courses abroad and technical facilities. Other factors are the applicability of gained knowledge, flexible hours, social life and career opportunities after graduation.

There are still some encouraging signs for students returning to Romania - 47 percent of respondents are interested in offers of employment here, 58 percent maintain professional contacts in Romania, 37 percent are interested in training and professional development programs at home, and 31 percent would consider internship offers.

According to 89 percent of those taking the part in the survey, attractive career prospects are critical in deciding to return. Equally, job offers are more attractive if they come with the chance of future promotion (very important for 73 percent of respondents) and professional development opportunities are very important for the same percentage - 73 percent.

The study reveals that those who have studied abroad appreciate the specifics of an offered job , the opportunities and promotion prospects the workplace, rather than just the size of the pay packet.

Those that took part to the survey are students that still study or graduate students that have studied abroad for a minimum period of one semester at an accredited educational institution. Of the respondents, most are studying or have studied to degree level (40 percent) and Masters (38 percent). However, most respondents have, in one form or another, some professional experience.

Survey participants were young people aged between 19 and 29 years (79 percent of respondents), mostly female (61 percent). They are studying or working in the UK (17 percent), Romania (16 percent), France (8 percent), Germany (7 percent), Denmark, USA and Italy (each 5 percent), most commonly in areas such as: business, management, economics, finance (26 percent), IT, engineering and science (18 percent) and international fields, politics, administration (10 percent).

Ioana Toader, ioana.toader@romania-insider.com