Looking for a job
While there are many benefits to working while you study, there are two things you must do:
- Check your visa status to ensure you are eligible to work whilst studying.
- Make sure you have enough time to balance your studies, your job and your well-being.
Finding a job
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:
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.
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. 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. 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. Consider volunteering and internships to help you gain experience and build your professional network. These not only give you a ‘feel good’ boost in assisting others, but both have the potential to lead you into paid work while you study. At UNE Armidale, we have many Student Clubs and Societies that also help maintain connections for work and friends. Please see here for: UNELife Clubs and SocietiesPlease have a look at these steps to increase your career employability:
Important 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, you will need to contact us for a 'Work Entitlement Letter' for your employer. Please also 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.
