For the team at Universal English College, providing amazing service and support to our students is absolutely central to what we do and who we are! Your experience with UEC is about more than just study – we are here to support you with your whole experience during your enrolment.
We know this is not the same in many countries around the world, but in Australia, it’s normal and common and welcome when students talk to their teacher and ask for help or advice. Speaking to the teacher is also definitely the best first step if you want to ask for a change in lessons – like more or less grammar work or homework – or to change the level of your General English class.
Student services is available to help you with academic and personal matters. For anything from a holiday request to a question about insurance or tax or a payment, please come and talk to one of the lovely Student Services Officers at the reception desk. They can help you make an appointment to see one of the academic managers, arrange to change your enrolment, find a doctor who speaks your language or tell you a good place for a haircut or how to find a job. And so much more! If you’re not sure who to ask, come to reception and we’ll either help you or let you know who can help you and connect you with them.
Here are just a few of the things Student Services can help you with.
Course and enrolment advice
These are the most common support requests we get every day. Everything from where is my classroom, to changing your shift, to booking another course. You might need a new book for your class or want some support with learning. You might want some help from someone who speaks your language.
You may want to book a holiday or change your timetable from the morning to the evening. You will need to come see us and get permission.
Come to see us at reception and we can help you. Please note changes to your enrolment are not always possible because of your visa or due to availability and can take time to arrange.
Further study advice
Students who graduate from UEC have so many options for further study in Australia. Students have been graduating from UEC for 35 years, so we can provide you with more than 50 options of universities and colleges you can go onto study with when your English is at the right level.
You can discuss your options with our Student Service team and ask for the information on our pathway partners. We can even organise visits to some popular further study institutions or connect you with staff at those institutes to help you.
Student personal belongings
UEC Campus is a safe place and students and staff are very honest, but to keep the campus tidy and safe and avoid issues with lost property we ask all students to keep all belongings with them at all times and to avoid bringing overly valuable possessions to campus. Please note that while we take all care, UEC does not accept any responsibility for any loss, accident or mishap with student’s property.
UEC has minimal space for storage on campus and can’t store student’s property. If you are moving or arriving and need to bring your luggage to school while you are in class, we may be able to hold it for you during your lessons, but please check in advance.
When you find something on campus that does not belong to you, please bring it to reception. We will keep it in a safe place until we find the owner. If you have lost an item, please check at reception as we might have it waiting for you.
Legal services
Students occasionally want legal advice in relation to an accommodation, employment, personal or even immigration matters. Legal advice in Australia is usually very expensive, but there are some services that are free or at a minimal cost.
For further information go to Legal Aid New South Wales.
Additionally, free legal services are available for international students at Redfern Legal Centre. For more information please visit their website.
List of useful numbers and website addresses
There are so any things that students ask us for help with that we can’t list them all in this handbook. Often, we can’t provide the support needed ourselves, but we can connect you with someone who can. We always provide referrals to these services free of any charge.
Below is a list of some of the most common services we get request for and the numbers we give. If what you want or need isn’t in this list or if you want help making contact with one of these services, please come talk to us at Reception.
| Emergency – fire, police, ambulance | 000 | www.triplezero.gov.au |
| Police Assistance Number (non-emergency) | 131 444 | www.police.nsw.gov.au |
| Translation and Interpreter Services | 13 14 50 | www.tisnational.gov.au |
| UEC phone number – weekday daytime | +61 2 9283 1088 | www.uec.edu.au |
| Allianz Care OSHC Support (within Australia) | 136 742 | www.allianzcare.com.au |
| Allianz Care OSHC Support (outside Australia) | +61 7 3305 8841 | www.allianzcare.com.au |
| Allianz Care 24/7 Emergency Helpine – within Australia | 1800 029 900 | www.allianzcare.com.au |
| 24/7 Health Advice - Health Direct (within Australia) | 1800 022 222 | www.healthdirect.gov.au |
| Mental Health Line | 1800 011 511 | www.health.nsw.gov.au |
| Lifeline (telephone counselling) | 13 11 14 | www.lifeline.org.au |
| Beyond Blue Counselling (Support for Anxiety, Depression and Mental Health) | 1300 22 4636 | www.beyondblue.org.au |
| Australian Home Affairs (within Australia) | 131 881 | www.homeaffairs.gov.au |
| Australian Home Affairs (outside Australia) | +61 2 6196 0196 | www.homeaffairs.gov.au |
| Public Transport - Opal Customer Care | 13 67 25 | www.opal.com.au |
| Australian Post Office | 13 76 78 | www.auspost.com.au |
| Victims of Crime | 1800 633 063 | www.victimsservices.justice.nsw.gov.au |
| 1800 Respect | 1800 737 732 | www.1800respect.org.au |
| Pregnancy Support Line | 1300 139 313 | www.pregnancycounselling.com.au |
| Housing Support | 1800 152 152 | www.facs.nsw.gov.au/housing |
| Drug & Alcohol Counselling | 1800 888 236 | www.directline.org.au |
| Poisons Information | 13 11 26 | www.austin.org.au/poisons |
| Tax File Number | 131 881 | www.ato.gov.au |
| Australian Fairwork (understanding work rights) | 13 13 94 | www.fairwork.gov.au |
| Justice of the Peace | 8688 0500 | www.jp.nsw.gov.au |
| Legal Help | 1300 888 529 | www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au |
| International Student Ombudsman | 1300 362 072 | www.ombudsman.gov.au |
