Lifestage1 (Evaluation & Pre- Departure):

• To find the correct agent to find Top Universities (CRICOS Code) Universities in Australia and the appropriate course/city as per requirement.
• Preparation for IELTS exam (Academic) through IDP or British Council.
• Research for best Education loan, mortgage formalities, best interest rates, flaws in education loan, its disbursement & repayment options, Insurance policies.
• We can share guidance for Overall information pre-departure services, connecting with Alumni, Finding temporary accommodation through classified sites like or contacts through agencies/alumni or real estate websites, Foreign Exchange, Air ticket booking advice, packing bags. All small details before travelling for first time.
• Students would have to pay some bond money/at least 2 weeks rent in advance to book the accommodation like at backpackers or any studio apartments unless the owner/landlord knows the person and ready to accept bond money in person once you arrive in Australia.
• Guidance for scholarship options from home country &/or in Australia
• Guidance for creating SOP (Statement of Purpose), Sponsorship affidavit and other student visa requirements.Student visa fee is approx AUD$550 and it has to be paid by credit card only.
• Student Visa 573 is advisable to be lodged by an education agent. Visa processing time is around 1 month if all documents are appropriate. For e.g. SOP, Visa forms, Medical tests with DIAC Approved clinic. Medical tests include eye tests, basic CBC counts, HIV test, Tuberculosis test, Chest X-Ray and declaration form. We can guide in details if required.Most important thing for Visa processing is to show enough liquid funding (Like cash, Gold, Fixed Deposits with letters from Banks) etc. We can share detailed guidance about how to show liquid funding and what documents can be shared with the visa department and how should be its format.

Lifestage2 (Settling In New Country & University):

• • Reach to the temporary accommodation and relax for at least for couple of days to get the fresh breeze of a new country rather than rushing for settling.

• • Checking Mobile prepaid/postpaid subscriber. Any student offers, Cheap International calling cards or sim cards (Optus, Telstra, Lycra etc…)
  • Opening a student bank account with Commonwealth bank or ANZ bank with minimum balance say (AUD $ 500)
  • Creating Tax File Number (TFN) at ATO site. It is required for any employment in Australia during studies and also for filing IT returns at the end of the financial year.
  • Check for Translink, Centerlink prepaid card for all kinds of Transports within Australia like Train, Buses, Metro, and Ferry etc. which are handled by one entity like Translink in Queensland. It’s a prepaid card where you need to top up either from Translink vendors like 7/11, University, Translink offices etc… Students will be charged at concessional rates.
  • Check Gumtree.com.au (Most useful classified site) in Australia for any service/buying-selling second hand stuff, temporary/permanent accommodation etc.

• Make sure to attend University’s orientation ceremony and attend networking seminars, Uni Parties etc. which gives a chance to meet many people from many countries, religions, multicultural etc.It would open gates for new friendships, future roommates at permanent accommodation.
• University would offer around 16 subjects from which students would have to select 4 subjects/semester based on their requirements and according to the time table.
• Contact real estate agencies, flat share/room share advertisers from gumtree.com, rental studio apartments etc. to find permanent accommodation and once it is acquired then update the address everywhere. The rent per week varies from $100 – $250 on average across Australia. It varies based on the locality and the city. For e.g. CBD location in Sydney which is the most expensive city in Australia or a place near to sea face can cost you around $250 while a place which is in outskirts or shared by many people will cost you from $100-$150. If the room is shared the facilities get shared which reduces the rent while an individual separate room would cost more.
• Precautions to be taken while choosing an accommodation are like it must be near to the University/TAFE, and near to job location so student should not waste physical efforts and money for travelling, also to check if roommates should not have any illicit/illegal habits which can put them in trouble. So initially it’s advisable to live with the people to whom you know from some known reference or people who have migrated from you own city/country/culture to whom you can trust more. I don’t say that people from other ethnicity/country/race/culture are bad or risky to live with but it’s safer until you know people in person and spend considerable time with them in university or through jobs or socially.

Lifestage3 (University Life & Networking):

• • Get accustomed with the culture, language (with Australian slang like eh? Arvo, Mate, How are you going and (Not doing), what have been up to (Instead of how are you?)
  • Get accustomed with the Australian standards of teaching, serious actions against Plagiarism compare to other countries, less time in classroom but more focus on practical assignments & Case studies.

• • To enroll in regular planned events at University as extra-curricular activities like Language exchange, Business school events, Fund Raising activities, Business Plan competitions, Student committees etc.
  • Check for student clubs, Sport activities (Soccer, Footy (Australian football/Rugby), and Lawn Tennis, Internal sports events, Gymnasium facility, Food courts and discount offers for students.
  • Check for medical facilities, Religion specific activities, and Prayer rooms or nearest temples, Churches, Masjid etc.

• Dress code of University if any, Libraries, Car/Bike parking areas, Child Care for married female students, Internet facilities (Wireless internet access areas at campus) , student stationary shops, Smoking Zones (May liable to pay fines in case break the rules).
• Networking is the most important aspect of the foreigner to settle down in new country, culture, people etc. All above activities open gates for meeting new people.

Lifestage4 (Part Time Jobs):

• To secure a Part time job during studies is almost mandatory for the international students studying any course in Australian university.
• Visa subclass 573 allows working 20 hrs/week during classes/university in progress and indefinitely during the holidays.
• It is expected that International students should not cross the limitation of 20hrs/week during their university time such that work load due to Part time jobs should not impact their ability to study hard. Their primary motive to land in Aussie land should be to gain higher level knowledge and score in the subjects and not to earn numerously through any job.
• Students are allowed to work part time just to cover their daily/weekly expenses like House rent, Food, and Transport & Utilities etc. Rest of the expenses should be covered through their parents, their home government or through student loans they have acquired.
• The kind of Part time jobs students can expect are in Restaurants, Fast Food chains, Grocery stores, convenient stores like Coles, Woolworths & 7-11, Paid Volunteers at Tourist destinations, Theme parks, Game Park-Zones, Bakeries, Night clubs, Cleaning jobs, telemarketing or field marketing, market research jobs, and very few office jobs but yes some people get that based on their skills. The CV/Resume of the students should not be more than one page and they should only put the relevant details /experience for the kind of job they are looking for. They should target the job and make their resume accordingly. For e.g. to put any hospitality, fast food, cooking or restaurant experience if they are looking for restaurant jobs. If they put their professional experience and study details then they would lose more opportunities as employers would feel candidates are overqualified for the job and they would not stay on that job for longer.
• Some of the jobs like working in liquor shops, Night clubs, and driving jobs need a various kind of licenses like RSA license and State approved driving license respectively.
• International students should not expect a high profile/white collar/Superior jobs like banking jobs, industry jobs during studies especially when they are on student visa. Australian resident/citizen students might get such jobs during their studies based on the requirement.
• To reiterate, motive of working part time should be just to cover the regular expenses and not to earn money for leisure activities. It’s recommended to get a job where students don’t need to put mental efforts which they can reserve for their studies and on other side it’s definitely an amazing experience of working in totally different territory than your skills. It teaches valuable lessons in your life.
• Average wage rates across Australia varies from $15-$22 /hour on average which turns out to be $300 – $450 /week which is more than enough to cover weekly regular expenses and save some money for emergency & leisure.The mode of payment is mostly through bank account,so having Australian bank account for international students is mandatory

Lifestage 5 (Leisure, Travelling & Night Life):

• • Although the main focus in foreign land should stay on studies but participating in leisure activities, travelling during holidays and of course Night life.

• • International students earn on average $300/week out of which they spend $200 on other activities and their basic expenses. As saving rest of the money for emergency is important likewise enjoying the life within limits of course is at most important this enriches the brain and whole body for accepting tougher challenges lying ahead.
  • Students need to understand their limits & responsibilities when they indulge themselves in leisure activities when they are not on their homeland with their own people. One small mistake can spoil their whole life in terms of career and/or life. For e.g. Police arrest for any illegal act due to unawareness or over smartness like drink & drive, messing up with local girls, indulging in drugs/narcotics mafia, Rave parties, physical abuse of girls by local spoiled Aussie youngsters/teenagers etc. In short it’s advisable to abstain from any activity which can lead to severe repercussions.
  • It’s advisable to stay in group whenever going for house parties, night clubs, travelling across Australia or for any adventurous cum leisure activities. It could be anything depending upon the choice of the person. Group doesn’t necessarily to be people from your country or culture; they could be your university friends, house mates or any family. It’s just that they should be trustworthy and in your regular contact so you all can handle any situation if something goes wrong rather than facing issues alone.

• Liquor rates ($8 to $25) per beer/ vodka shot, whisky peg etc.
• Students should carry their identity card, age proof etc. while visiting such places though they should take care of their passport and shouldn’t lose it. Also they should follow the dress code (Western) while visiting night clubs on weekends or nights (before 1 AM midnight)
• Visit Travel In Oz for Detailed information about travelling, places to travel, how to plan, and best facilities during travel, etc. ticket rates, and modes of transport etc.Would be shared on Travel page.

Lifestage 6 (Exams & Graduation):

• • Exams are the most important factor in the international student’s life in Australia.
  • In South Asian culture, Semester and Final exams judge the academic overall capacity of the students while in Australian universities they give value to all assessments throughout the semester like every assessment/assignment will have some percentage weightage. The assignment would be the case studies, PowerPoint presentations of a group or individual project/activity, Oral assessments, written assignments, and exams. Although the exams would have maximum weightage but other activities will also contribute considerably. Some of the subjects like Mathematics, Accounting, and Finance related subjects would have only exams.It differs from subject to subject. Most of the exams are still paper & pencil tests pattern organized in a classroom under supervision. English level expectation is very high in Australian universities for scoring high marks.
  • All assignments need to be original and if a student use a reference from any book or article then student needs to mention the reference at the end of the assignment. Copying someone’s work from any source i.e. “Plagiarism” is considered as a big crime in Australian culture. So students should abstain themselves from ding such activities. If they caught they might have to go through severe repercussions like expelling from university or failing the subject and credits for that which would lead to a bad remarks on the final transcript.
  • As mentioned previously students would have to choose 4 subjects per semester depends on their curriculum and course length. In some circumstances with the approval of a dean students can opt for more or less than 4 subjects per semester. Passing percentage in Australian universities is 50%. 75% to 85% is considered as Distinction and above 85% is a higher distinction. Students fail to achieve at least 50% would be considered as Fail. There are options of revaluation of the exam papers once results are out but most of the times results can’t be reversed.
  • Failing in subjects would cause whole repayment of a course fee (For e.g. $2500-$300)/ Subject which would be an extra burden to the international students who generally are in financial crisis. So it is always advisable to pass/score in all subject in first attempt by having complete focus on studies rather than other activities. Failures will be mentioned on a final Transcript issues by the university. Only exception is if the subject is a last subject to obtain a degree. In that case university offers one more chance to pass it without any fee. If student fails in that attempt then students will have to extend their student visa and pay full amount for that subject again.
  • Australian professors and universities provide all amenities and support to the students to exceed academically and even after all that if they fail then it’s because they are either not compatible for the Australian standards of studies or they don’t pay enough attention toward studies as required.
  • Once all subjects, assignments, Projects are completed and passed irrespective of a duration, students become eligible for enrolling for next graduation ceremony. University organizes twice in a Calendar year, i.e. in June & December (Before the Spring & Christmas holidays).

• Graduation ceremony is a most important milestone and an accomplishment for a journey of international student in student life. Dean of the University generally awards graduation documents like Degree certificate, academic transcript and degree completion letter.
• Dress code for graduation ceremony is black gown and a black specialized cap. University allows family members to attend graduation ceremony hence if international students wish to bring their family in Australia for tourism then this could be the perfect time. University doesn’t charge anything for attending this ceremony however clothes need to be rented out for ceremony from the vendor university suggests at the venue (Generally a big auditorium).

Lifestage 7 (Post Graduation Job Hunt):

• • It’s a fact that many international students who come to study in Australia use studies as a pathway for working in ever booming Australian economy/industry and later to settle down in Australia as a permanent migrant. This is specifically applicable to the students from South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Sri Lanka etc. and at some extent from Western European countries like United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain & Italy etc.
  • There are plenty of students who go back to their home countries or some other countries for their future job prospects either due to ineligibility to the further Australian visa to stay and work or by choice of working in their own country/somewhere depends on the situation like family reasons or better job prospects than Australia. In Many cases students arrive in Australia as an exchange students for a semester or for just a better version of education standard than their own country/or to stay away from their family for some years/Exploring new country etc. at same price. For e.g. Students from United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand (Basically Rich & developed countries)
  • Universities do provide job hunt support post-graduation but students shouldn’t rely on this as its more for the local student and in case international students hold any long term work visa. Universities don’t help student with any visa processing.
  • International students can’t expect to get the job on their student visa, they need to have substantial work visa which allows full time work across Australia or any particular state. More details can be found on Migrate To Oz
  • Many international students opt for 2 calendar years (16 Credits/Subjects) such that they will be eligible for 18 months Temporary graduate visa which takes at least 6 months for processing hence students get (6 Months Bridging + 18 Months Temporary Graduate visa = 24 months) visa to work full time across Australia in any field. There will be multiple options available post two years to extend the visa. More details can be found on Migrate To Oz
  • To gain a good job post graduations students should move or be in a cities like Sydney & Melbourne as 70%-80% jobs are accumulated in these two cities only. Also they should make good connections through networking or social events during their studies.
  • More information about How to search and get a job in Australia can be found on
    Work In Oz

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