International students studying full time can work up to 20 hours a week on a casual basis during course time and full time during vacation periods. Some institutions offer a job placement service. Students should ensure that they have sufficient funds to support themselves should they be unable to find work. If work is available students need to obtain a tax file number from the Australian Government. Under certain circumstances dependents of students are permitted to work.
Working holiday or visitors visas enable people to study English language, recreational and other such courses for up to three months. For longer courses they must apply for a student visa.
On completion of their course, if international students wish to stay longer they must apply to extend their visa. There is no limit to the number of courses that students from gazetted countries can undertake in Australia. Students from non gazetted countries can stay only for a cumulative period of two years.
In certain circumstances students can, on completion of an award course, apply from within Australia for a change of status to their visa.
Australia's high level of commitment to the internationalisation of education and training is reflected in the range of scholarships available to international students to study in Australia.
The scholarships, awarded for academic excellence and on specific criteria, are usually for study at university at undergraduate and postgraduate level or Technical and Further Education colleges.
The Australian Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs offers the following scholarships to international students:
The Australian Agency for International Development offers the Australian Development Scholarship for international students to study at Australian universities and TAFE colleges. ADS scholarships enable international students from developing countries to gain knowledge and skills which will help the development of their home country when they return. Australian universities offer a range of postgraduate scholarships to international students predominantly targeting doctoral and masters degrees by research. The course of study and financial support is determined by the university. You should contact the relevant university to obtain further information on the scholarships available.
More information is available from the Australian Education Centres, AIEF Offices or Australian diplomatic missions.
Many private and public organisations offer cadetships which cover study costs. Cadetships have the advantage of assisting students in networking with industry professionals in their chosen area.
A cadetship involves an organisation sponsoring an individual to undertake a mixture of full or part time study and part or full time employment with the organisation providing the sponsorship.
The Association of Commonwealth Universities Scholarships Guide for Commonwealth Postgraduate Students lists scholarships offered by governments, Rotary International, the World Bank, World Health Organisation, Asian Development Bank, United Nations, Rockefeller Foundation and other organisations.
Information on scholarships, grants and awards is available from the Australian Education Centres or Australian diplomatic missions. Students can also contact the relevant education institutions for scholarship information.
There are a number of organisations offering scholarships for international study. Rotary Foundation, for example, offers Ambassadorial Scholarships each year for study around the world. It is up to individual students to investigate all possible funding sources.
Students taking undergraduate courses may find it difficult to obtain financial assistance. It may be possible for students to arrange sponsorships privately in their home countries.