Catching the tram to Coventry: Balancing care and international student recruitment in Hong Kong

In July 2017 I climbed onto the Coventry University tram in Hong Kong together with several of the University’s international student recruitment staff. It was one of two trams covered in the Coventry University logo and advertising opportunities to study at a “top UK University”. That evening it was the venue for a pre-departure meeting for their international students, with pizza and staff on hand to answer any important questions they may have had prior to leaving for the UK. Such an attempt was an effort not only to create a sense of care for the students, but also to highlight the dynamism of the University – and brand – which were literally on the move. However, there was more to it that this alone. This was the culmination of week were competition for students had been fierce, and there had been a wave of international student recruitment events throughout Hong Kong following the release of the results of the Diploma of Secondary Education. This paper analyses these dynamics contrasting the desire for care for students, alongside a need to ensure enrolments within a highly marketized higher education system which often relies on successful international student recruitment.