Here is another question frequently asked by prospective international students wishing to come to Australia for future studies.
- Are part time jobs available in Australia/Sydney/Melbourne for international students?
- Are these part time jobs enough for making a decent living and covering all living expenses?
- Would I be able to pay off my tuition fees by working part time?
- Can I get a job to work in my own field/profession?
https://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/global/live-in-australia/living-costs
So let us deal with all these questions one by one.
1. Are part time jobs available in Australia/Sydney/Melbourne for international students?
Yes, there are plenty of part time jobs available for international students in Australia, especially the major cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide etc. I haven't lived in a small town but I am sure there must be lots of part time jobs in small towns too.
The first place to find a job are two websites, seek.com.au and mycareer.com.au
However, the above two websites mostly advertise professional jobs and do not have blue collar jobs listed on them.
The big super market companies, fast food chains, gas stations like the following:
1. Coles
2. Woolsworth
3. KFC
4. MacDonald
5. Opporto
6. Pizza Hut
7. Domino's
8. Nandos
9. Hungry Jacks
10. BP
11. Shell
12. Caltex
13. Bunnings Ware House
14. Harvey Norman
15. Domain
16. Bing Lee
17. Myer
18. David Jones
19. JBHifi
20. Greater Union
21. FedEx Kinkos
22. Bob Jayne T-Marts
23. Borders Book stores
24. Dymock Book stores
26. Boost Juice Bars
27. Krispy Kreme | Coffee and Doughnuts
28. Fitness First Australia
29. Clive Peters
30. Hoyts
31. Aldi
27. Krispy Kreme | Coffee and Doughnuts
28. Fitness First Australia
29. Clive Peters
30. Hoyts
31. Aldi
etc are some of the few places where you can get a part time blue collar jobs. Apart from the above mentioned established businesses, there are a plethora of Indian/Turkish/Thai/Chinese/Japanese restaurants where you can get work.
You should be able to easily make around $1000 per month which would cover your expenses. Getting a job at first is not easy because most new arrivals from the Asian countries don't know how to make a resume, prepare for the interviews and give the right answers to all the tricky questions of the interviews. I will make another post on that issue later on. So that answers question number 1.
2. Are these part time jobs enough for making a decent living and covering all living expenses?
As already mentioned, yes, working part time will cover your monthly expenses very easily and you will be able to balance your studies.
3. Would I be able to pay off my tuition fees by working part time?
The simple, honest and straight forward answer is a BIG NO!. You cannot make your tuition fees from simply working 20 hours per week. However, you might be able to do that during the vacations in which you are allowed full time work.
There are two academic semesters every year in Australia. From Feb to June and from August to Nov.
You get one month worth of vacations between June and August and almost 3 months worth of vacations between Nov and Feb.
You can work full time during these vacations. By working full time you can earn around $4000 in one month but the tuition fees per semester for four subjects these days is around $10,000.
So you will not be able to make the tuition fees for your semester which starts in August as there is only one month to available for full time work.
However, you have a good chance of making your tuition fees by working full time three months for the semester which starts in Feb.
All this depends whether your employer is willing to give you full time work or not. Towards the end of your semester, you should start looking for full time work.
So this brings us to the end of question number three.
4. Can I get a job to work in my own field/profession?
If you have valid experience and skills to match the requirements of the Australian work force, then, you surely can get a part time job in your own field.
For example, those who are from IT backgrounds can easily bag a part time job (provided there is one), if they have a certification plus some relevant experience. Plus not to forget how you make your resume and how you present yourself in the interview.
But if you are coming straight out from the university with no relevant work experience or certifications, you will have a hard time convincing employers to employ you. You can also show your projects and assignments as work experience. Any thing practical can be shown as work experience. Good marks and grades only help you when you can actually translate your academic experience into valuable and profitable expertise for your employer.
But finding an employer who wants to employ you for 20 hours per week is a little bit difficult since most professional jobs require full time work which is not allowed to international students. But keep searching and you might get one.
Hope all questions have been answered.
Kind Regards
There are two academic semesters every year in Australia. From Feb to June and from August to Nov.
You get one month worth of vacations between June and August and almost 3 months worth of vacations between Nov and Feb.
You can work full time during these vacations. By working full time you can earn around $4000 in one month but the tuition fees per semester for four subjects these days is around $10,000.
So you will not be able to make the tuition fees for your semester which starts in August as there is only one month to available for full time work.
However, you have a good chance of making your tuition fees by working full time three months for the semester which starts in Feb.
All this depends whether your employer is willing to give you full time work or not. Towards the end of your semester, you should start looking for full time work.
So this brings us to the end of question number three.
4. Can I get a job to work in my own field/profession?
If you have valid experience and skills to match the requirements of the Australian work force, then, you surely can get a part time job in your own field.
For example, those who are from IT backgrounds can easily bag a part time job (provided there is one), if they have a certification plus some relevant experience. Plus not to forget how you make your resume and how you present yourself in the interview.
But if you are coming straight out from the university with no relevant work experience or certifications, you will have a hard time convincing employers to employ you. You can also show your projects and assignments as work experience. Any thing practical can be shown as work experience. Good marks and grades only help you when you can actually translate your academic experience into valuable and profitable expertise for your employer.
But finding an employer who wants to employ you for 20 hours per week is a little bit difficult since most professional jobs require full time work which is not allowed to international students. But keep searching and you might get one.
Hope all questions have been answered.
Kind Regards
Junaid
Migration Agent Registration Number: NO LONGER REGISTERED AGENT
