Working and student visa conditions

A Visa allows you to work in Australia, however there are conditions:

• You can only work after you have started your course.
• You can work up 20 hours a week, this includes volunteer work as well as paid work. However if you are doing work experience or if it related to your course, it does not count

You can work as many hours as you want when you are on holiday or when you are not doing your course


Tax returns

If you are working you should obtain a Tax File Number (TFN) from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). You may also need a TFN to get a bank account. To apply,a  print out a form at the ATO website or fill in one at an Australia Post office. You will need to give your name, current address and date of birth. You may also need
to supply your arrival date, current overseas passport (with current entry permit), and proof of enrolment, which would be a student card or the Confirmation of Enrolment issued by your institution. If you are going to work in Australia you will have to lodge a tax return either yourself or by a tax agent. If you complete one yourself e-tax is the most efficient way to get a refund. Usually up to 14 days. You can download e-tax from the ATO website. If you are having difficulties with your tax return, need some help or want some advice call the ATO on 13 2861, or go to www.ato.gov.au.


Finding work

The internet is a good starting point, there are range of websites available. For example careerone.com.au, has a huge amount of jobs listed in range of different areas. Simply type in the industry(s) you want work in, what time of work (part time, casual etc) and the location that your looking for. Newspapers have jobs listed but you can aspect a lot of people looking at these. Asking friends about work they might know of. Many people get jobs through other people or connections simply by word of mouth. If your looking for work in Retail or Hospitality often, in the bigger cities, shops, restaurants, cafes etc will have jobs advertised on their window. Your institution also, most likely will have a range of work available that can set up the right study/work ratio.

When you apply for jobs online or at the location itself you will need to have prepared a Resume or a Curriculum Vitae (C.V). This will include your name, contact details, address, education, training, work history and referees. Employers will only scan your C.V so remember to make it stand out on the page. Your name is very important, have that first in a large size, followed by your contact details including your address, phone number and your visa status. Make sure before each section to put a heading e.g - EDUCATION…WORK HISTORY. Next you can write down your education and skills. After this you will want to put your work history, most recent jobs first. For each job, put write down the position you held, who you worked for, for how long, and some of the duties that you had to do. Try and write down two referees. Referees are usually previous employers of yours who can be contacted to talk about your performance at your previous job.


Interview

If you get an interview remember to prepare well. Write down some of the common questions you think they will ask you, such as - Why do you want this job? Or why should we hire you for this position? Write down some answers that you may give. You don’t need to memorise what you wrote for the interview but at least when you go through this process you will be thinking about ways in which you can answers questions.