You must have the correct visa to work in Australia. Only people with Working Holiday, Work and Holiday or Student visas may work while they are in Australia. On a Student visa, you can work for a maximum of 40 hours per fortnight. You cannot work at all if you are on a Visitor visa.
Visit the Department of Home Affairs website to check your visa conditions.
What do you need to start work?
To get a job, you need to apply for a tax file number at Australian Taxation Office so that you and your employer can pay tax.
Please be aware that no matter what visa you are on, you should not work without a tax file number and without your employment being registered with the ATO and you and the employer paying tax.
You will also need a bank account so your employer can pay you. Jobs that pay cash, are often not 100% legal and you need to be very careful that you are a registered employee and being treated fairly and legally. See the details below about workplace rights. If you’re unsure, come talk to us.
Finding work
All UEC students are welcome to come to job club. In job club, you will learn how to write a resume, where to look for job vacancies, practice what to say at job interviews, discuss experiences relating to applying for work or to your work experiences. For more details and how to sign up for job club, please ask at reception.
A great place to look for work is on the website. This is the biggest job search website in Australia and it offers a special service for international students in Sydney. When you go to the website enter #NSWJobsConnect into the search field and you will see a list of jobs that has been checked by StudyNSW, the government organisation that supports international education in the state of NSW. One of the most common ways that students find jobs is by talking to one another and on social media. There are many groups on social media platforms where international students share information, including jobs. Of course, the groups are changing all the time so the best way to find them is by talking to other UEC students.
Workplace rights
All workers, including Student Visa and Working Holiday Visa holders have a broad range of rights under Australia’s laws. UEC does not have any lawyers who can give legal advise, but we can help you understand your rights as they are explained on Australian government websites and we can help connect you with services to support you if needed. If you feel you are not being treated fairly, by an employer, please come to reception and talk to student services.
Most important is to know that Australia has a lot of laws to protect employees and they apply to every worker. A very important website is the FairWork Australia website. It has lots of information explaining your rights and the obligations of employers. Sometimes, employers aren’t sure about the specific rights and obligations of non-Australia workers, including Student and Working Holiday visa holders. For details of your work rights according to your visa, please visit the government website. The Fair Work Ombudsman Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) provides information on pay rates, shift calculations, leave arrangements and notice and redundancy entitlements.
