For thousands of Chinese graduates, the path to a career at home runs through UNSW Sydney. We speak to two UNSW alumni about the skills, networks and confidence that set them apart.
When Rachel Li’s phone pinged back in 2020, she had no idea the WeChat message she had just received would be career-defining. It was a link to a job opportunity with insurance broker company Aon-COFCO in China, shared on the UNSW China Alumni Association WeChat group – a network connecting UNSW graduates living and working in China.
“I was working around Darling Harbour in Sydney at the time and was used to seeing the Aon logo around,” Rachel recalls. “When I saw the name in the job advertisement, it immediately caught my interest. It was familiar and felt like a connection between my life in Sydney and a potential life back in China.”
As a member of the WeChat group, Rachel had been following the journey of UNSW alumni who had already returned to China. Unsure of what she wanted to do after finishing her Bachelor of Economics, the group gave her a window into life back home as a UNSW graduate.
And what she saw was promising. In a highly competitive Chinese job market, Rachel believes the connections, skills and capabilities she built during her time at UNSW played a profound role in helping her secure her job at Aon.
In 2026, a record 12.7 million graduates will enter China’s already strained employment market. Master’s degrees are increasingly becoming the new baseline requirement, while employers also expect graduates to be employment-ready – bringing practical skills and experience to their roles.
“Employment pressure is a global issue,” says Sisi Wu, UNSW alumna and Associate Director at Aon-COFCO. “Multinational companies are shrinking their employee numbers in China and the competition for well-paid, meaningful work is really high.”
Once an international student herself, Sisi believes a degree from a world-class university like UNSW can be the edge graduates need to stand out.
“Critical thinking, strong English skills and an international perspective are highly regarded skills and capabilities that studying at UNSW gives you. The experience of travel can also create common ground with clients, helping you build stronger relationships,” Sisi says.
Her experience at UNSW inspired Sisi to start the UNSW China Alumni Association for thousands of other graduates.
Studying a double degree in accounting and economics at UNSW gave Rachel the academic foundations and practical skills she needed to feel prepared for her role as an Associate at Aon.
“UNSW's Business School provided practical, industry-focused education. The teaching was very practical, and I came out feeling like I could do everything, not just talk about the theory."
Rachel also developed her critical thinking skills at UNSW, which was a clear advantage over other graduates who studied locally.
“At UNSW, we were taught to question, analyse and form your own opinion rather than simply memorise the materials. This skill is very valuable in consulting work where clients expect clear reasoning," she explains.
For Sisi, studying among classmates from across the world added another dimension entirely – one that’s hard to replicate at home.
"Living abroad, you have to manage everything on your own – from daily life and navigating a new city to adapting to a completely different culture. It gave me the confidence to be more independent at work too.”
That exposure to different cultures and ways of thinking is built into the UNSW experience. As a Global Top 20 university, UNSW has attracted thousands of international students for decades – including 69% from China in 2025 – creating an environment where cross-cultural collaboration is a natural extension of the learning journey.
When Sisi returned home after eight years living and studying in Sydney, she missed the UNSW community. So, in 2019, she decided to build a local alumni network, the UNSW China Alumni Association, connecting other UNSW graduates living in China.
“I wanted to find other UNSW alumni and organise gatherings where we could share our study experiences in Australia, while looking for jobs here in China. The more people I met, the more I realised how much we had in common. That sense of belonging I had during these gatherings was why I started the group,” Sisi shares.
She also knows the power a person’s network can have on their career, so she started connecting group members with career opportunities – like the one that Rachel jumped on. She also actively collaborates with the UNSW Employability team, connecting alumni in China with job opportunities through the university’s industry partnerships.
“Many corporates approach UNSW with roles they’re trying to fill. Any opportunities that come up we share on our WeChat channels,” Sisi explains.
“My time at UNSW gave me an international perspective and a better understanding of how business works in a global context. It’s something employers in China increasingly value, especially in industries like insurance and financial services that have international dimensions,” Rachel says. “And the connections I’ve made have been invaluable.”
Today, the UNSW China Alumni Association WeChat group enables its 3,000+ members to connect, organise events, post job opportunities and share experiences.
Rachel is still an active member of the group. But these days, instead of scrolling for job leads, she's posting her own experiences for the next wave of graduates making the same journey she once did.
At UNSW, things have changed since Sisi graduated. While she didn’t have the same Employability programs available to her as a student, Sisi greatly values UNSW’s increased focus on helping students, graduates and alumni succeed in their careers.
“The university helps them find a job, not only in their home country, but also in Australia. It’s great to see that they have invested a lot in international students' employability,” she says.
In a market where nearly 13 million graduates are competing for the same opportunities, that network, and the university behind it, may matter more than ever.
This article was brought to you by UNSW Employability.
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