Extracts from the study on mainland Chinese students in Ireland
On the language barrier
"Many [language] students, especially those from Fujian province, have borrowed a lot of money for coming to Ireland. Usually their parents borrowed about 130,000 yuan and gave this money to agencies for getting everything done for their children going abroad. After these students arrived at Ireland, therefore, the first thing for them to do was not to learn English but to clear debt. They work extremely hard and share a room with five or six other people. In this situation they simply don't have any time for study. Plus they shared room with their countrymen and always spoke local dialect to each other. So they had little chance to practice English at home."
On lack of knowledge about rights
"We kept two cats in the flat we hired when we first came to Ireland. Our landlord kicked us out soon after he knew it. We became homeless and walked about in the street. We spent two nights in an internet cafe, one night in the airport and one night in a hotel with a cost of €120."
Source:Mainland Chinese Students and Immigrants in Ireland and their Engagement with Christianity, the Churches and Irish Society, by Dr Richard O'Leary and Dr Lan Li (2008)