is there any international students here?
i would like to ask for some information about studying and working in australia...
like:
how much is the living cost
is it difficult to find a job
or something like that...

thanks before....

Unfortunately we haven't had many international students posting here. Mostly people so far have come asking questions about defacto visas and working visas.

The nice thing though once a topic is brought up, people find the site in Google looking for that topic.

As to whether Australia is expensive or not, I suppose it depends on where you are coming from. If you are coming from Europe, you might find it a little cheaper. If you are coming from Asia, you will find it more expensive to live (except for maybe Japan).

Most universities have job boards where you can find part time work. I know many Chinese students for example find work in Chinese take away shops. Many Indian students drive taxis.

The economic downturn might have affected the market for casual work as some Australians might also be interested in those kinds of jobs.

Also like any country it is more expensive to live in the bigger cities. Do you have any idea which city you will be going to?

__________________
Please post your visa application details in the visa timeline threads - Skilled visa applications Spouse/Defacto applications

Here is a prospective international student) Hello everybody)
I am considering applying for a Master Program at the University of Queensland in 2010. My specialty is Civil engineering.

You can find usefull information concerning living costs on the Australian universities web sites.

Hi there .I am from India coming to Queensland univ of Tech for the July 2009 intake .I am from India.I am gonna study Master of Business..

Hey there--i know this thread has been a bit "dead" for a while, but as a former international student, i thought i should give my two cents: (i was in melbourne)

Living costs: i lived very comfortably on $1,200 a month (rent, utilities, the works) but i did not live on my own so i shared utilities, rent, etc. Depends how you want to live and where.

International student cover (medibank): under 400$ for the year. You have to get it as part of your visa condition and trust me its worth it. Most i ever paid for a doctors visit was $4, free emergency care once too.

Finding a job: plenty of jobs out there in cafe's, restaurants, shops--you just have to do your research and even walk into places and ask, resume ready. Remember you are only allowed to work 20 hours a week AFTER you have gotten your work permit and tax file number from immi WHICH IS NOT given to you when you get your visa. You have to pay for it too. You can claim your tax back when you leave the country using your file number.

Housing: do your research before you go and remember--christmas time, june and july is the busiest time for housing because that is when all the other students are doing the same. Don't be afraid to get out of the city, especially mebourne. Just go on a website like google maps and check how close your address is to a train station and the city centre, and your uni of course. Don't fall for housing scams--get an apartment yourself through an estate agent, simple.

Stuff for your apartment/house: places like Ikea, big W, but also remeber to check out the salvation army and brotherhood of St Lawrence in melbourne. Second hand but you can get some good desks, coffee tables etc while you wait to have the money to live better. Besides, you're a student! Look around your house before you leave home--make a list of what you need. Look out for sales either online or in newspapers.

Public Transport: melbourne is fantastic for this and easy. It's pretty cheap--heres a tip, if you are riding the city loop before class and wont get out for another 4+ hours, ask for a "city saver" at the counter. It's $2.80, good for one trip but its cheaper than getting a daily or a wasted 2 hour ticket.

Food: awesome. enough said. Look out for pub meals and places that do a parma and a pot for under 10$. The Albion in melbourne is worth checking out.

Coffee: students rejoice, its good, and its cheap.

Nightlife/going out/social scene: awesome in melbourne, i really liked going to Fitzroy.

Sports: its australia--dont worry, seriously, youll get what you want.

Last bit of advice--mingle with the other cultures. Dont be one of those international students that seeks out your own and no one else. You are going to be in australia for a few years, so live like an aussie for a while and enjoy it.

Great post elkitten, telling it how it is and what life is all about eking out a living as a student regardless of whether you're an international one or not.

heehee thanks wanderer!

I think one of the big problems with students moving out of home/country is that they expect to live in a place like their parents house and hence stretch themselves beyond their means. They dont think about having to clean their swanky place or about the inevtiable beer stains on furniture, red wine spills on rugs that they will get from the house parties they plan to throw.

I lived in a house where the bathroom and shower were outside and where the linolium wasnt glued down to the ground and the patterns out of focus. I got most of my furniture at the brotherhood for 80$ (total). But you know what? all my friends loved coming to our place because it was lived in, put together comfortably, and it did its job as a house. My low cost living style meant i had money to go out, money to make really good food at home, and money to spare.

Anyway, i have loads of time on my hands lately, so if anyone has any other questions or topics of interest under this thread, let me know =)

Yeah, great post elkitten. I think the problem is some students try to get by on a lot less and they work too much to try and recover their education costs.

There has been a lot criticism recently on so called PR factories where people just go to a school so they can live in a Australia permanently and the students complain about education standards at those colleges.

Yes, it is a problem that the government needs to address. If students want a good education they should stick to the main institutions that have been around for hundreds of years.

__________________
Please post your visa application details in the visa timeline threads - Skilled visa applications Spouse/Defacto applications

^ agreed.

The thing is too, most students dont realize that once you finish uni, you can apply for another visa, costs less than $300 last time i checked, you apply onshore within six months of graduating (that date is not the ceremony date, but the date on the letter they send you congratulating you on finishing your degree) and it gives you a whole year and a half to get work experience in australia.

That's a whole year and a half to try and get sponsored, to apply for a PR, etc etc. The only reason i didnt do it is because my bf and i were going to try and live in canada and i missed the boat for the graduate visa since i was offshore.

Getting by on a lot less, or trying to, is true as well as people living beyond their means. I knew a girl who (illegally) worked 4 jobs to put herself through uni there. I think its a student's responsibility to do their research and make sure they can afford to live in australia and have time to study.

Sure the government needs to address the issue, but, at the same time--why would you waste so much time studying at a crummy uni? weigh up the options--doesn't matter what uni you go to, you can still apply for a PR eventually.

Its definitly a big financial commitment to go to uni in australia, but the problem with complaining about the PR factories is that you are basically saying: i only came to australia and am only studying to live here, make that easier for me!

There are plenty of ways to cut your education costs--scholarships, doing a year at a uni in your country that is partnered with an australian uni...student loans.

It's all about doing your research, i can't stress that enough =)

me also thinking about applying to ANU/Sydney/Melbourne this winter.
I am interested in Bachelors in EE. Can somebody guide me on scholarships? I have pretty decent records(not awesome). How feasible is leaving with a scholarship?