Re: Chinese students
I am not sure that is fair and is maybe a very restricted view.
International students provide significant income for universities that goes way beyond supporting "hugely inflated wages or beancounters and Principals". The reality is that in the grand scheme of things, reducing VC salary has minimal impact on what is delivered to students. I don't disagree that some of the salaries at the very top of university's do appear to have increased excessively over the last 10 years but that is all down to this mythical "required to attract talent."
Covid and all the restrictions on travel severely hammered most institutions as there were students that chose to delay starting or if they were already on courses, refunds were given because of the switch to online. If the Chinese students English is so poor then maybe the institution you have experience of needs to improve it's ELTU support.
In my experience many of the international students, particularly on the more challenging STEM courses are far more committed than the UK students, possibly because they have paid so much.
China pushing for in-person teaching I see as a reasonable request. It appears to be a malaise of UK students that they want to do everything they possibly can online or at a time of their convenience.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
