Bis research paper number 128 The wider benefits of international higher education in the uk

 
Case study: I56 
Interviewee 56 was a successful medical doctor in Colombia in his mid 30s working in 
intensive care, but felt he wanted a career change so that he could help a larger number 
of people than those he directly aided in hospital. Working in health policy or planning 
could enable him to help develop its national healthcare system. He saw that Europe had 
better expertise than the US in this area and gained a place on a joint LSE and London 
School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine course. He managed to win a Chevening 
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The Wider Benefits of International Higher Education in the UK 
Case study: I56 
Scholarship and a local scholarship.
Initially he left his wife and 2 year old daughter behind but then brought them to London. 
They could not afford the small flat he had initially rented moved out to a single room in 
Wanstead, sharing a toilet, bathroom and kitchen – a massive shock after living as a 
professional in Bogota. He found the tube fares too expensive to ride the whole way into 
central London, resulting in a 1.5 hour commute. They could only afford ‘Tesco value’ 
food because paying for his daughter to attend nursery decimated his original budget. 
His (nurse) wife had reasonable English and eventually found some work. Stretching the 
money, living a ‘low-quality’ life generally, was much harder than he had expected. 
Despite this, wanting to make the most of the course, he took all 14 options although 
only 8 were examined, and also did some paid research work. This left little time for a 
social life. 
I56 now looks back on the hardships and the experiences as invaluable as a learning 
exercise, gaining lots of new personal skills he’d not previously learnt as a doctor. He 
also found the multicultural nature of London and his fellow students very eye-opening. 
Back in Colombia he worked initially again as an A&E doctor but by a somewhat 
circuitous route obtained a Ministry job – to which his UK experience was a passport. He 
was able to articulate how the NHS, NICE and other UK health system elements worked, 
of which his US-educated colleagues knew little. This was invaluable in reviewing 
Colombian healthcare options.