"Building the Business Model" or "broadening Our International Perspectives"? Staff Positioning on the Values of Hosting International Students in the Australian School Sector

This article focuses on school staff' perspectives about the value of international students, using data from interviews with 51 teachers, school leaders and international student support officers across eight schools in Australia. The positioning of international students by the interviewees shows how hosting this cohort can assist to boost schools' symbolic positioning in international education formed by labelling the school as 'culturally diverse', 'inclusive', 'international' and 'global'. But there seems to be a gap between symbolic positioning on the one hand and the capitalization of international students on the other hand as valuable resources to realise the internationalisation of schools. The article provides insights into the perceived values of international students and the barriers to achieving these potential benefits.