We have already told you about the things you should do and expect before you even hop on the plane and study in Australia. But guess what, there are no mental preparations that can get you ready for the deluge of expenses when getting your degree from the Land Down Under. Australia is home to some of the best universities in the world and will totally make your effort and money worth it. But on the flip side, it is quite costly to study here.
But that doesn’t mean you should be discouraged, as there are work arounds to circumvent these huge expenditures. You only need a handful of creativity and a dose of self-discipline. Let us show you the ways.
This perhaps is the most underrated weapon in the arsenal of money-saving ideas. Your school ID is the hall pass for the many pricey products and services in Australia such as retail stores, movie theaters, museums, and restaurants. You may inquire your student activities office for any student discounts and perks your ID can take advantage of.
And before you make purchases on clothes, food, concert tickets, or just about anything, you may ask first if you can avail of any discounts for being a student. Asking won’t hurt. Worst case scenario, they will say no. Otherwise, you get a great deal. Also, you may join Student Club, which will further maximize your ID and further broaden your access to student discounts.
When strolling or jogging around town, you may take on a lookout for closing sales on groceries and food shops and take of note of them. Some of these stores hold clearance sales during evening where they sell products that are about to go out of date on insanely marked down prices. Food items like seafood, fresh produce, vegetables, fruits, bread, and dairy products are usually the ones getting slashed.
They may still be days from getting expired, but it helps to take note of the expiration dates before purchasing and avoid those that are already too close to their due, especially when it comes to dairies. And make sure you consume them before such dates. Going through a bout of diarrhea as a tradeoff for saving five dollars on your food expense is not worth it.
And since we are on the topic of food already…
Have you ever opened your fridge and found that you only have a disparate of food ingredients such as bananas, apples, chicken breast, and peanut butter that it is next to impossible to come up with a decent meal? A group of entrepreneurs and web designers probably go through the same episode every day and cooked up (hah!) a brilliant culinary innovation: Supercook.
Supercook is a website where you can input whatever ingredients you have in your fridge or cupboard and it will come up with recipes that involve those what you have. The website does this by scanning other legit recipe websites such as AllRecipes, Food.com, and Martha Stewart, among others (you can create two meals from the above ingredients, by the way). This is a great way to maximize what you have, be adventurous with your meals, and stop throwing food because you think they have no use.
If saving money won’t cut it, earning it will doubtlessly do. Working while studying definitely pays off, not only monetarily, but in terms of creativity and learning new things. But working hard isn’t enough, working smart is the way to do it.
When you enrolled in Australia, you will be given specific amounts of weeks available for holidays, so be sure to inquire on your school for the maximum number of weeks available for your course, as these are the days when you are allowed to work for as many hours as you prefer. Also, take your holidays on schedules when there is the most work available so you may earn as much as you can. These may vary depending on your industry or job. You may ask your superiors or coworkers for such days. They’d be happy that somebody is eager to fill in on these peak days.
But all work and no play can make your student life exhausting and arduous. You need to go out and have fun as well. And yes, that also costs money. But that doesn’t mean you cannot cut the expenses. Australia is filled with events and venues you can enjoy without making you weep on your empty wallet. You just need to take an effort in looking for them.
Some of these include museums, art galleries, and cultural institutes. These venues are cheap and even free to visit, and you may learn a thing or two about art and history, too. If staring at paintings and relics aren’t your thing, you may go for botanical gardens, parks, zoos, and precincts (not the place where the cops hangout) with your friends to chill, relax, play ball, or even have barbecues.
Sometimes, a couple of barbecues and trips to the zoo will never do. You want your night outs the way you do it back at home: with friends, alcohol, and dim lights. But going to bars and clubs will make you bleed money (possibly more than what you can earn), no matter in which city you are living. Your workaround? International student nights.
If you have one in your school, better ask for the date(s) and take note of it. It is the time when beer and other alcohols’ prices are getting slashed. Go with your friends or make new ones. If you have more company with you, the less you tend to drink, therefore the more you save.
If you are not living half a mile from your school, you should try biking instead of commuting. It is fun, gets you to school quickly, lets you avoid traffic jams, needs no fuel, and helps you burn calories. But we know, bicycles are very expensive. So owning one is already out of the questions.
It’s a good thing bike sharing websites like SpinLister lets you rent a bike to try for a couple of days before you can return it and rent another one if you get the hang of it. This creates a good opportunity for you to try it out around your city, town, or campus before you invest in your own bike. And when you are already have the money, you can buy a second-hand one through Craigslist.
Aside from being a haven for migrants and expatriates, Australia is also a prime destination for students from around the globe. And it only makes sense, the country cradles some of the best universities in the world, plus a whole lot of other perks and advantages.
But we have to admit, the life of a foreign student here is never straightforward. It is laden with surprises (“We can drink tap water here?!), disappointments (“I thought it’s always beach season here.”), and culture shocks (“I volunteered to take the wheel aaand it’s right-hand drive!”). But fear not. We have gathered the things every aspiring foreign learner needs to know before if they want to set foot here and get their precious degree from the Land Down Under.
The Student visa (subclass 500) allows you to come and stay here in Australia to study full-time until your course is finished. However, you need first to be accepted in a recognised education institution in the country before you may apply for the visa. And a forewarning: it can be expensive.
We understand, you miss mom and dad, and your BFF needs to see that tropical henna you got, but consuming your entire day communicating and updating people from home is a no-no. Australia is teeming with people, places, and things to be discovered.
So go outside, meet people, join clubs, create your network, eat Aussie food, and explore the places. Australia is a free-market place of (purely legal) activities. You can update your family and friends under five minutes (that’s what social media is for), then get out. It’s an exciting world out there. Within these are hidden opportunities you may never find again when you get back to your country. So don’t waste time. Carpe diem!
And since you are already out...
We know, we know. A few days in Australia, especially in bigger cities, brings out the inner child from people. What with the cool atmosphere and the quirky architectures and… is that a living statue? Better take a picture with it!
Despite the ultra-low crime rate, some pick pockets still roam in the crowds here. So be alert, ditch the souvenir t-shirt and the digital camera hanging on your neck, and stop zoning out. You don’t want to have that precious allowance be a goner.
And speaking of allowance…
Australia fosters independence and resourcefulness among its youth, which is why it gives foreign students the opportunity to work while studying. However, you can only start working once your course has commenced. You will be allowed to work for 40 hours per fortnight (fortnight = 2 weeks) if your course is in session. If not, you can work for as long as you want. Employment that is a registered part of your course won’t be part of this 40 hour-limit. So yes, you will have a lot of options coming.
Most likely than not, you have a bank account in your country. Get this, withdrawing them here in Oz can get you ridiculous amount of fees. Opening a bank account can be more practical, especially if you want to be employed and earn some side cash. Not to mention, some banks here offer considerable interest rates, all while saving you from a lot of banking fees.
Back home, getting a D on your card means you have to rethink your life of partying and skipping classes, probably while having a drink or two. Here in Oz, receiving a D means your hard work paid off and it’s a reason to be happy, probably while also having a drink or two (there is always a reason to drink, doesn't it).
A grade of D means “Distinction,” and is equivalent to an A in other countries. Other grades include (in descending order) C or Cr for Credit, P for Pass, PC for Pass Conceded, and N for Fail, which are respectively equivalent for B, C, C-, D, and F. Anything higher than D is HD, for High Distinction.
Students from the United States and Canada will come here during June expecting to see a lot of sun and warm weather, thus bringing only their loosest clothes and sandals. And alas! They are greeted by a chilly winter.
If you are from the northern hemisphere, anticipate Australia’s seasons to be a complete reversal. The warmest months are from December to February (during summer) while the coldest are June to August (winter season). And this gets more complicated depending on wherever you are in the country. Likewise, never rely too much on the weather forecast. Be ready for anything.
If you just landed here and excited to see the Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, and Ayers Rock within your first year (they sure would look great in a single Instagram collage), then we need to tell you to quit that fantasy.
Most people live here all their lives and never visited all of them. Because Australia is huge, and there’s no way to exaggerate it. It takes a lot of money and time to visit these one by one. Unless you have lots of disposable income, then it would be possible. Slightly.
Unlike in the United States, Canada, or much of Europe, Australians still hold on to their coins. They never relegate them to be just stuck between cushions and be forgotten. That’s because the one and two Australian dollar denominations are still in form of loose change.
And what can these coins buy? A liter of gasoline (AU$1.28), a kilo of potatoes (AU$3.14), a liter of whole milk (AU$1.38), a kilo of apples (AU$4.00), or a piece of bread for a day for two people (AU$2.22). Losing these metal currency means wasting the money that can buy you everyday things.
With globalization ramping up, the boundaries that kept us confined to a single place is slowly being eroded. We learn the ways and means of people from other countries, we rock the clothing and fashion of those from other side of the planet, and we cook and/or eat cuisines totally alien in our land.
It goes the same with education. Completing your study on your homeland is cost-efficient, but hugely missing the academic opportunities being offered by other nations. With over 22,000 courses offered by 1,100 institutions, Australia is the third most popular international student destination in the world. The number of these students are expected to rise by 30% more in the next seven years. Take advantage of these revolution by bringing your schooling here.
So why study in Australia? We rounded up the reasons for you.
The excellence in education maintained by schools and universities in the country are commendable. Since a significant part of the economy’s driving factor is coming from students, the government is taking extraordinary effort in overseeing the education sector.
The country’s universities are among the best and most innovative in the world. Of the world’s top universities, seven hailed from here, speaking highly of the country’s position in the global scale as far as education is concerned. This top of the notch schooling also hugely contributed to Australia’s thriving economy by producing skilled and knowledgeable professionals. Some of them responsible to the game-changing innovations that the entire world relies to right now (check them here and here).
The Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) is a national system designed and administered by the Australian Government's Department of Industry to regulate and determine the standards for educational qualifications in Australia. The framework is formulated around ten levels of descriptive criteria, with formal qualifications adjusted to the appropriate levels.
The AQF insures consistency of qualification titles across the country represent the same high standards of education.
Australia is home to the best research facilities in the world, including state of the laboratories and expansive libraries. It also one of the fastest to adopt new technologies and innovation in the field of academics and research.
And it doesn’t end there after you graduate. The country provides research opportunities to eligible professionals who intend to advance their careers by gaining more knowledge in their chosen field. There are restrictions, though. As this opportunity if offered only to people with highly competitive and excellent track record.
Perhaps the most beaming quality of the country. Australia is home to a secure, multicultural, amiable, and harmonious society. Over the years, it has attracted students from different parts of the world like Asia, Europe, Africa, and the United States. As a country build by migration, it still continues to accept people; regardless of race, religion, or political view; to contribute to its ever-growing and diverse society.
As a student, you will always fit it. You will be surrounded by other foreigners like you who will treat you as family.
Australia’s economy is driven by various sector, especially by the service, mining, telecommunications, agriculture, banking, and manufacturing industries. This translates to a huge variety of employment opportunities to would-be gradates. Not to mention, it’s one of the largest mixed economies in the world, and is still thriving.
It currently a member of the APEC, G20, OECD and WTO. And is under free trade agreement with ASEAN, Canada, Chile, China, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and the United States. This ensure that the economy running efficiently and in constant need of workers and professionals to supply its ever-growing workforce.
The fast-paced lifestyle in United Kingdom and Japan might be frenetic, energy-charged, and exciting, but as a student, this would result to a lot of stress, loss of focus, and absence of structure in your life. Australia, on the other hand is known for its relaxed lifestyle.
A laid back (but necessarily lazy) lifestyle is conducive to learning since you can save all your energy to concentrate on your studies. Not to mention, a relaxed life lets you have a more flexible schedule, freedom to choose your extra-curricular activities, and focus more on your earning opportunities and/or employment to further support your studies.