Having a wholesome international experience will include working part-time in Australia. This is great if you would like to make some money to cover your living expenses during your studies. Your student visa allows you to work 40 hours a fortnight during the semesters and fulltime during the semester breaks. Here are some things you need to know about getting into part time work when you arrive in Australia:

1. Most of our students get part-time work in fields such as; Hospitality, Retail, Cleaning companies/ cleaning jobs, Aged care, Disability, Security sectors etc. (you are not limited to these only). Once you identify the field of part-time work you want to get into, next step is to,

2. Enrol into a part time course to get Australian part-time work qualification.

3. Apply for a Tax File Number (TFN): A TFN is not required immediately, however, your employer will need it when you start your first job. 

4. Apply for a Police clearance check. Google how to do this or visit a police station close to you and they will advise you on how to go about it.

5. Create job alerts on the online job search platforms such as Indeed, Seek, Gumtree, Jora, Job search, CareerOne, Randstad etc. Search these on google.

6. Resume and cover letter: Ensure that you seek help to create a resume/CV and cover letter from your education institution career services that is up to Australian standards. Ensure to tailor and update both according to the job you are applying for. 

7. Applications: List down various companies you are looking at finding work. For example, Coles, Woolworths, Aged-care facilities, Restaurants, Community organisations, cleaning companies etc. And then go to their websites and check whether they are hiring or requesting for expressions of interests, in that case make the application online. Sometimes they might have nothing on their websites and if they don’t, be proactive, call or visit the business and present confidently. Say something like this,

   At the reception… “Hi my name is Racheal, can I please speak to the manager…. Hi my name is Racheal, I am an international student from Kenya and I am looking for some part time work. I was wondering whether you have anything going at the moment. I have experience in Kitchen hand and cleaning, I am currently doing or I have a qualification in an aged-care/disability course…”

I worked in an aged-care facility as a personal care worker and a community support for aged residents who I grew to adore, it was not the most glamorous job but I enjoyed it a lot. I always had enough money for my upkeep and to go on holidays. Which also obviously took off the financial burden of my parents. It gave me a great sense of independence and responsibility and satisfaction. So if this is your kind of gig, get in to it ;-). And as always, I wish you all the best with it.