The experience of a student goes far beyond that just a class. Being a student in Australia might suck. You can’t work properly, you have to pay a tuition fee on a regular basis, and all these student-duties-that-need-to-be-done.
But – being a student goes far beyond those school duties. You have to look at it from the other perspective. You’ve left your proper life behind you, left your job, your friends and families in your country of origin and came to Australia. The reasons may vary but there is one common thing for everyone – to experience Australia in the best possible way.
1. Freaking expensive
Well, first of all, life in Australia is freaking expensive, that’s the first thing to get used to on. You will spend a fortune on your accommodation, studies and all the living costs in general. There is not much you can do about it – the quicker you get use to on it, the better for you.
But – at the same time as it’s expensive you can also earn some bucks quite easily. The minimum wage is $18 AUD per hour which makes it doable to live a good life.
2. Busy life
Sydney is a huge city. The accumulation of the people is just enormous – living here means living in a constant run. Most of the people have got the impression that this never stops. As you need to earn enough money for your living, tuition fees, plus attend the classes at school, maybe to maintain some friendships, there is not much left of the free time.
But – from time to time is good to go outside of the city life, take a trip to nature and slow down and enjoy that moment. You will find all these stunning places that Australia offers you.
3. Looking for a job sucks
We are sorry to tell you but at the beginning, it can get really harsh. Many people have a high expectations for great jobs. But as an international student and limited working rights (meaning 40h/per 2 weeks) unfortunately, lowers your chances to be hired as a specialist as you might work in your home country. You can easily run out of your savings when it comes to living in Australia and you will be forced to look for a job as a waiter, dishwasher, cleaning lady, babysitter and so on (and feel lucky to have these kinds of the jobs!).
We don’t see anything wrong about these jobs, but for some people, it might be shocking to change their profession from for example a marketing strategist to a waiter and starting from a lower position all over again.
But – take it as a starting point, this is a place of a million chances and if you are patient enough you should constantly work towards your dreams.
4. Don’t expect a fancy accommodation
As we’ve mentioned above the cost of accommodation is really high. For students living in Australia is easier to share the house to save some money rather than renting on their own. Which for someone can mean so much fun and party all the time but for others it can be a nightmare. At the same time you can find the best roommates in the world and become besties, but also what can happen is that you will have to share the house with someone who you would probably never speak to.
But – you never know, your chances to find a good place to stay are still high and c’mon, where else you have this opportunity to live that close to the ocean?
5. Tuition fee
Not enough that you’ve already paid the rent and you’ve left less than half of your salary, but anytime you’ve got the feeling that you can save some money and keep it away – here it comes – the strike of the tuition fee. Every 3 months or so it slowly sneaks into your wallet and takes away your hard-earned savings.
But – even though sometimes the student’s life can suck, it’s part of the life lesson you will get only over here.
6. Far away from your family
Coming to Australia most of the time means to move to the other side of the globe. And this will mean also that you will be far away from your family and friends. It will take you some time to save money for the trip back to see them and family visits will be probably reduced to a once a year or two. Especially at the beginning you will feel homesick and it will take some time to get used to it.
But – if you give it a chance, you won’t believe it how this can change your life and you will get the whole new perspective. You will find your new friends here who will become your family. Also, the life in Australia is so contagious that you might not want to leave anymore and live somewhere else again.
Little note at the end
We don’t want to scare you or discourage you, but sometimes it’s better to be prepared. Honestly, many people come over here to start a new life, experience something new, explore new places and cultures. But this actually means starting from a scratch, building your life, social circle from the very bottom. All depends on the expectancies of the person, which may vary from person to person.
We’ve all been there, starting from the very low, but – hey mate – this is Australia and everything is possible. You just have to be tough and patient, work hard for the dreams you have.
But – at the end of the day, you have to realize one thing. You are living in Australia, in one of the most beautiful countries, with great opportunities and it would be a shame not to enjoy it in the proper way. Problems on the side, have fun and live it to the fullest!
Do you have similar experience? Write us a comment below.
If you need any help or support, please let us know!
