International students in Australia frequently search for part-time jobs to supplement their income as they can assist in covering living expenses and provide financial flexibility for leisure activities, but while the idea of getting a part-time job in Australia to earn a nice paycheck sounds promising, finding one that matches the skill set of the student and managing the work, study, and personal life can become difficult.
This article aims to help international students in Australia find the best part-time work by highlighting jobs that offer high compensation with minimal to no prior experience. So, learn about the various part-time jobs available for international students in Australia while discovering effective methods to find them and understanding the accompanying conditions.
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List of Part-Time Jobs in Australia for International Students
On-campus jobs:
- Library Assistant: A library assistant is responsible for supporting the librarian and other staff members of a library. They perform administrative duties, maintain the circulation desk area, and answer the queries of the customers.
- Lab Assistant: The lab assistant performs various tasks under the guidance of the lab manager or project coordinator. The tasks include managing & maintaining the study materials, guiding visitors, running errands, and ensuring a clean & safe environment during and after lab tests.
- Campus Tour Guide: Universities often hire campus tour guides as a part of their Visitor Center, who represent the culture of the campus, and often serve as student recruiters at university events. Tour guides also handle phone and email inquiries, campus visit registration, and greeting university guests.
- Resident Assistant: The resident assistant is responsible for facilitating a positive, inclusive living and learning environment within the residence halls by working directly with students, inspecting the health and wellness of residents, conducting door-to-door communications, and advertising programs.
- Canteen Assistant: Canteens on university premises often hire assistants who can help them provide a high-quality canteen service to students and staff. The duties of canteen assistants include preparing ingredients, taking and serving orders, and storing the goods while maintaining high hygiene standards.
- Campus Ambassador: Campus ambassadors, employed by brands hoping to make their presence, are responsible for building a network of students and teachers and organizing events & workshops to promote the products or services while gathering and addressing incoming inquiries from potential customers.
- Tech support: Universities can require technical support for operating electronic instruments and maintaining seamless network connections throughout their premises. If the students come from a technical background and the work aligns with their studies, they can request a part-time job as tech support to the administration.
Off-campus jobs:
- Barista: Barista is a popular choice for a part-time job among international students in Australia due to its shallow learning curve and less challenging and demanding nature than other part-time jobs. A barista has to serve food & beverages quickly and efficiently, meeting the quality standards set by the employers.
- Bartender: While similar to a barista, a bartender requires significantly more knowledge about the drinks and beverages. Additionally, employers expect bartenders to conduct themselves with a more elegant and professional demeanor that aligns with the establishment and its atmosphere.
While having excellent technique in handling equipment and presenting drinks, a bartender must behave proactively and maintain an exemplary attitude with every kind of guest. Familiarity with bar culture is a must, as is excellent conversational ability. Due to this demanding nature, bartenders usually receive higher hourly wages than others.
- Babysitter: If you have previous experience handling younger siblings or kids, you can apply for a babysitting job. For infants and younger babies, the job usually requires you to feed, change diapers, and bathe them, and if they are older, you might need to drive them to school and back and help them with homework.
- Private Tutor: As a private tutor, you are responsible for creating study plans for the students, comprehending the problem, and helping to improve their grades. Private tutors need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of students and teach them accordingly.
- Waiter/Waitress: There are always vacancies for waiters and waitresses in local diners or restaurants in Australia. While the primary job of the waiters and waitresses is to serve food and drinks to customers, they must also maintain hygiene around the table, take payments, check condiments and tabletop supplies, and handle other needs of customers. Hence, the waiter/waitress acts as the face of the establishment to ensure a high-quality customer experience.
- Delivery Driver: If you know the routes around the city and have good driving and navigation skills, you can also work as a delivery driver for restaurants, warehouses, and post offices.
- Salesperson: Salespersons are invaluable for driving sales and revenue in a product-based business. They must possess excellent communication skills, a knack for taking on challenges, and a customer and sales-focused drive.
- Retail Assistant: A retail assistant’s role revolves around handling payment for the retail/grocery/department store, restocking shelves, cleaning the premises, and providing a pleasant experience to the customer.
- Ride Sharing Driver: If you own a vehicle in Australia, you can join the ridesharing market by signing up with different service providers and apps like Uber, Ola, Didi, Shebah, and GoCatch. As an on-demand driver, you will pick up passengers from their pickup locations and drop them at their destination, but since the third-party app handles all the transactions, they take some commission each time for a ride trip.
- Personal Trainer: A part-time job as a personal trainer is perfect for students who are conscious of their health and fitness and wish to instill such values in others. Personal trainers can use their knowledge and expertise to create a training plan and exercise routines that suit their clients best. They can do their job on-site or remotely using video calls, which makes it convenient for the trainers and clients.
- Home Care Aide: As a home care aide, you will be responsible for providing support to the elderly, ill, or/and disabled, and are required to prepare meals, administer medications, bathe & dress, tidy & clean, provide companionship with emotional support, and assist with mobility around the home or in social outings.
- Cleaner: Students with prior cleaning experience, knowledge of cleaning principles and safe chemical handling, and customer service skills can apply for a cleaner position, as this job offers competitive pay with the most flexibility in work hours among all other part-time jobs. A typical role of a cleaner is to vacuum, mop, and sweep places like floors, lifts & stairwells, wipe glass doors, balustrades & windows, and clean parking lots, bathrooms, pools & surrounding areas.
- Internships: Students can also search for internships as part-time options in their respective fields of study. It might not have high pay compared to other jobs, but as the job is related to the study, it helps to gain workplace experience and knowledge for future full-time jobs.
Eligibility Criteria for Part-Time Jobs for International Students
Before searching for part-time jobs in Australia as an International Student, there are some criteria that students may want to check, as failing to comply with these rules can get their application rejected.
- Valid Student visa: Students need to have a valid Australian Student Visa of subclass 500 such that the visa would remain valid for the duration of the part-time job.
- A Full-Time Study Program: Students applying for a part-time job must have full-time enrollment in an Australian government-approved academic program.
- Minimum attendance at university: Most universities have established a minimum attendance requirement of 75% for students who wish to apply for part-time jobs. If they are already employed in one, they may be obligated to quit immediately.
- WWCC or Blue Card: If you are applying for part-time jobs in Australia that involve working with children in childcare, education, sports, cultural activities, or foster care, a Blue Card or Working with Children Check (WWCC) is mandatory. Getting one is relatively simple, which requires a criminal record check and a review of reportable workplace misconduct.
Laws Regarding Part-Time Jobs for International Students in Australia
- Same Rights: International students are entitled to the same workplace rights and protections as their Australian counterparts, with employers required to provide fair opportunities and create a diverse work environment of openness and acceptance that can benefit both the employees and the organization.
- Minimum Wage: The Australian government has set a minimum wage of AUD 21.38 per hour for adults, regardless of their origin. However, different minimum wages apply for respective age groups if workers are under 21.
- Tax: Similarly to Australian citizens, international students in Australia must also pay taxes on their income, including income tax and other relevant levies.
- Payslip: Employers must provide a payslip to their employees no later than a day after getting paid, even for part-time jobs.
- Work Limit: From 1st July 2023, international students with Australian visas of subclass 500 are restricted to 48 hours of work a fortnight or 15 days while their course is in session.
- No Work Restrictions: Extended breaks or vacations allow for the temporary suspension of work limitations and other restrictions, which gives students the option to shift to full-time or continue as usual.
- Fair Work Ombudsman: International students can contact the Fair Work Ombudsman if they encounter any trouble during their part-time job without the risk of losing their visa.
How To Find Part-Time Jobs in Australia
- Job portals: Job portals are the first choice for students to find part-time jobs. Some of the best job portals highly in use are Seek, Adzuna, and Glassdoor.
- Social media: Social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn have job openings from different firms and organizations. Students can create a social profile to connect with potential employers through these social media sites.
- Networking: Participating in various workshops, conferences, boot camps, and other events can help students meet new people with similar fields of interest who can help them land desirable part-time jobs.
- Freelancing Sites: Freelancing sites like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr provide a great way to find part-time jobs.
- Local businesses: Students can search for local businesses near their university or residence and inquire if they are hiring part-time employees.
- References from the University: Consulting with the university department can make finding part-time jobs easy and less hassle for students. Be clear about the working hours while showing commitment to balancing the job and the study.
- University Alumni: Seniors who previously did part-time jobs can provide valuable insights into finding one in the area. Therefore, students facing difficulty in their job search should seek support from experienced seniors.
Conclusion
A part-time job is an excellent way for international students to earn extra cash using their free time from study. During their span in Australia, part-time jobs not only ease their financial burden but also let students gain workplace experience, increase their knowledge base outside their field of study, and understand the local people, their culture, and their problems.
But finding a suitable part-time job with a reasonable hourly wage, easy-to-acquire skill sets, and a flexible work hour is difficult. Furthermore, Australia has different laws regarding part-time jobs in their respective fields, which require comprehensive research. Yet, if students get proper guidance, they can have a lot of high-paying part-time jobs to choose from, some of which require minimal to no prior work experience.
This blog discusses a wide range of part-time jobs available in Australia for international students while sharing tips on effortlessly locating them. However, individuals can still encounter difficulties in their endeavors, and to address this, highly qualified consultants at AusStudies with years of expertise offer services to help students find their perfect part-time jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many part-time jobs are available in Australia, but finding one best suited for you can be challenging.
International students with an Australian Student Visa of subclass 500 can work at most 20 hours per week.
In-demand part-time jobs in Australia include aged care, cleaners, retail assistants, waiters and waitresses, and supply chain staff.
The highest-paid part-time jobs for international students in Australia include personal trainer, bartender, private tutor, barista, and home care aide.
If international students apply for a restricted job role, they might get away with just a warning. However, if the students continue to do the job without heeding the warning, they may face legal action.
It depends on the individual’s preference, skillset, past work experience, and field of study.