The research aim of this doctoral thesis is to explore what happens to Chinese graduates from UK universities who achieved the degree of Bachelor, Master's and/or PhD, in terms of their work and employment experience and destinations, by using a case study of Bangor University. Human capital theory, institutional theories and social mobility theory are adopted to build the conceptual framework. A qualitative research approach was adopted. 39 interviews were conducted with Chinese graduates from Bangor University (in Wales, the UK), who studied different programmes, graduated between 2003 and 2016, achieved different degrees, and worked in different countries (China and the UK) or different cities. 3 interviews were conducted with relevant university staff members. The findings of the socioeconomic background, educational
attainment, career expectations, labour market experience and socioeconomic attainment of Chinese graduates from Bangor University reveal both similarities and differences compared with existing literature. The significant roles Chinese parents play in their children's education in the UK and labour market experience are highlighted. Adequate employment, underemployment and unemployment all exist among the Chinese graduates in this research. It can be seen that although the degrees from UK universities are still seen as 'a knocking brick' when looking for jobs in China, the halo of the overseas returnees has faded in recent years. As a result, the things of great importance are the knowledge, skills, capabilities, and performance of the graduates, not just the UK educational background and the certificates from UK universities.
This study makes theoretical contributions by developing a framework for analysing employment situations and involving more measures of underemployment in a single research. It also makes a methodological contribution by using qualitative research methods to reveal deep and rich contextual insights into the labour market experience of Chinese graduates from UK universities. It also provides implications for policy-makers and practitioners.