Arrival information

Online, Armidale and Sydney based students can find their orientation information here.

Please ensure that once you have registered your account, that you enrol in the Online Orientation UNE101. The sessions are available for you to watch in your own time that cover important information for all new students.

When you first arrive in Australia, it’s essential you set-up an Australian contact number. When purchasing a SIM card, make sure your mobile phone isn’t locked to your current phone provider and is unlocked for international use. If your phone is unlocked, you can choose either a prepaid or plan option from one of Australia’s phone providers. Some examples of major providers are: Telstra and Optus.

You can open an Australian bank account when you arrive although many major banks have branches overseas, or the possibility to start an account before you arrive. The following are some of the major banks:

• ANZ
• Commonwealth Bank
• Greater Bank
• National Australia Bank
• Newcastle Permanent Building Society
• Rabobank
• Regional Australia Bank
• St George Bank
• Westpac Bank

When opening an Australian bank account, you will need to provide the following:

1. Photo ID (eg passport or driver’s licence);
2. Proof of University enrolment; and
3. Proof of Australian address (eg lease agreement)

Travelling to UNE Armidale

If you arrive in Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne, and are travelling to Armidale you can travel by plane or train (direct and connecting options available).

Train

• www.countrylink.info/
  From Sydney only

Plane

• www.qantas.com.au/
• https://flycorporate.com.au/

Remember, it may take a couple of hours to clear customs and immigration if you arrive when the airport is busy. So, when booking connecting flights, make sure you give yourself plenty of time.

Armidale Airport is seven kilometres from the city centre. You can catch a taxi cab from the airport to your accommodation.

View campus maps

You can see more  information about Travel and Accommodation here.

Travelling to UNE Sydney - Parramatta

Once you arrive at Sydney airport, the easiest way to get to UNE Sydney - Parramatta is by public transport.

To travel on most NSW public transport (buses, trains, ferries, light rail) you will need an Opal travel card. Opal cards are smartcard tickets that you keep, reload and reuse to pay for travel on public transport train, bus, ferry and light rail services. Opal cards are available at stations and newsagents.

You’ll be fined if you travel on public transport without a valid ticket. It might be worthwhile registering your Opal Card. If you misplace your card you may be eligible to apply for a replacement card. For more information on Opal cards, visit: opal.com.au

• For information on buses, trains and ferries, see transportnsw.info or call 131500
• Public transport (train and bus) will get you close to UNE Sydney.
• Parramatta train station (interchange) is a 5-minute walk (400 metres) from UNE Sydney.

If you need assistance when you land at Sydney airport you can head to the Study NSW International Student Welcome Desk. They have volunteers on hand to help students navigate from the airport to their destination.  You can find out more information at the International Student Welcome Desk page.

At the geographical centre and heart of global Sydney, Parramatta is a diverse marketplace of ideas and culture that offers a range of unparalleled opportunities for businesses, community and visitors.

Students who choose to study at UNE Sydney will have opportunities to network and explore career paths with Australia’s largest and leading companies. Parramatta offers easy access to countless restaurants, bars and clubs and retail outlets, the University also participates in various events within the local business community.

You can see more about life in Parramatta here

Costs and Child care subsidy

The Child Care Subsidy is the main way the Government assists families with their fees. It is:

• a single, means-tested subsidy
• generally paid directly to child care providers to be passed on to families

Eligibility

• Some basic requirements must be satisfied for an individual to be eligible to receive Child Care Subsidy for a child. These include:
  • the age of the child must be aged 13 or under and not attending
    secondary school,
  • the child meeting immunisation requirements
  • the individual, or their partner, meeting the residency requirements listed in the legislation.
  • In addition, to be eligible for Child Care Subsidy the individual must be liable to pay for care provided, the care must be delivered in Australia by an approved child care provider, and not be part of a compulsory education program.

Yarm Gwanga Preschool and Early Education Centre (UNE Armidale campus child care centre)

• Yarm Gwanga Homepage

Procedure for placing a child on the Yarm Gwanga waiting list:

• Proceed to the Yarm Gwanga webpage and complete the online waiting list application on the top right corner of the webpage. This will be forwarded to Yarm Gwanga and the online application will be approved and placed on the waiting list.
• The Yarm Gwanga webpage provides information on childcare at Yarm Gwanga
• If you provide further information you can email Yarm Gwanga and we will provide clarification and answers to any questions or queries.

Finding a job can be tricky (especially at the moment) so here is a guide to finding a job in Australia that you might find useful! There are some popular websites that will show current position vacancies throughout NSW. These are:

• Seek
• Indeed
• Jora
• Novoresume

If you would like help in writing a resume, our careers team can help. At UNE we also have a UNE Careers Toolkit available online that will assist you with resume and cover letter writing/information and applying for jobs. For more information please visit the Careers website.

Getting Work Experience

UNE has a number of ways to gain professional experience. At a tertiary level, this is called Work Placement or Work Integrated Learning. To see if your course has embedded, that is mandatory, placement, you need to look at your course study program and read the units and notes. Some courses, such as Education/Teaching will have practicum units, other courses will have a mandatory number of weeks that you need to complete in addition to your units and this will be listed on your Study Program.

UNE Employability & Careers has a a number of units that offer work placement, so if you course does not have mandatory practicum, you can look at the units WORK100, WORK300 and WORK500 as options.

Helping with research and Post graduate research programs

If you want to help with a research project as part of your course or to volunteer, please reach out to the academic administrative team in the faculty.

If you want further information about postgraduate research at UNE, look through the informative Higher Degree Research (HDR) website. Contact Research Services if you have any general questions.

Employment Information

International students can work up to 48 hours per fortnight during the study term and full-time (unlimited) hours during term breaks with an approved letter. Check the Australian Government Fair Work website to understand the Australian workplace rights.

If you earn money while in Australia, you are considered Australian residents for tax purposes. That means you must declare your income on a tax return. To declare your taxes, you must obtain a Tax File Number.

If you are an employee in Australia, you are entitled to receive 9.5% of your earnings from superannuation from your employer. The superannuation is a financial contribution towards a fund that you use when you retire, or you can also claim your super balance when you leave Australia. This contribution is in addition to your ordinary wage. Check the Australian Taxation Office website to learn about superannuation.