If you are considering to study abroad in 2023, then Australia should be on top of you list. And no, we are not just saying it in a cliché, but there are 9 important reasons behind it.
So, in this article, we are talking about the Top 9 reasons to study in Australia in 2023 and what it means for the international students.
Let’s discuss them!
1. Unlimited work hours
International students are currently allowed to work unlimited work hours in Australia.
There are no restrictions on the amount of hours you can do while studying until 30th June 2023.
After 30th June 2023, the work restrictions for international students will come back into force. Which students could be once again limited to 40 hours per fortnight work limit.
But while the option is available, why not take full advantage of those work hours. It’s very rare that this sort of opportunity comes. No other country has unrestricted work hours for international students.
We compared Australia with top destinations for international students: Canada, UK, USA for work hours; check the difference among all of them here.
2. Increase in post-study work visa timeframes
The Australian government will increase the post-study work visa for international students studying in the areas of verified skill shortages.
Currently, international students doing a Bachelor’s degree get a Post Study work visa for 2 years, Masters students 3 years and PhD students 4 years respectively.
But as per the update, it will increase from two years to four years for select Bachelor’s degrees, from three years to five years for select Master’s degrees and from four years to six years for select PhDs.
We are expecting more details on this increase in timeframes soon.
3. Increase in skilled migration cap
The Australian Government has increased the skilled migration cap for the financial year 2022-23.
Previously it was 160,000 places, but it has been increased to 195,000 for this financial year.
It means more visa holders who are eligible under the skilled migration program can apply for permanent residence.
4. Low unemployment rate
Australia has recorded one of the lowest unemployment rates even during the dark days of the pandemic.
Currently, the unemployment rate is at 3.5% (August 2022), one of the lowest in recent history.
Low unemployment in the country is significant for international students as it means they can easily find part-time jobs in Australia while studying.
5. High wages
Australia has the highest minimum wages in the world (Graph below: Minimum Wages (Source: Statista)
From the 1st July 2022, it is $21.38 per hour.
And the recent study also shows that Australians are the richest people in the world. (See the graph below)
So, what it means for international students is that they can earn decent wages even doing part-time jobs in Australia.
Another huge plus with the low unemployment rate.
6. New government focus on longer term migration
New Labour government (which was elected in May 2022 during the federal election) is focused on long term migration rather than short term migration. More details here.
As mentioned by the Education minister, only 16% of international students stay back in Australia after their studies compared to 27% in Canada.
That means the Australian Government is keen to change that and make more students stay longer in the country.
And provide pathways for workers on temporary visas to stay longer, or transition to permanent visas and international students are likely to benefit from it.
7. Fully Funded Scholarships
Many Australian institutions and the government are offering fully-funded scholarships to international students.
Some of the popular ones include
Australia Awards,
Deakin Vice Chancellor’s International Scholarship
Monash International Leadership Scholarship
UTS Vice-Chancellor’s International Undergraduate Scholarship
Vice-Chancellor’s Social Champion Scholarship
You can check more fully-funded scholarships on our website here.
8. Government incentives
Some states governments like Western Australia are also giving incentives to international students to entice international students to study with them.
These incentives will provide
$1,500 for up to 2,500 eligible students to offset accommodation expenses while studying full-time in WA in Semester 2, 2022; and
ISEB – $1,500 for up to 2,000 eligible international students to offset fees when undertaking an approved ELICOS course in Western Australia.
And if you are willing to study in a regional Western Australia with Tafe Western Australian, then you can get $5000 for studying, working and living there. More details here.
9. Most Liveable and Best Student Cities
Many Australian cities usually ranks well in the Global Liveability Index.
As per the Global Liveability Index 2022, many Australian cities make it to the Top 50 liveable cities in the world.
Here is a quick list of the most liveable cities in Australia with their world ranks in 2022:
Melbourne – 10th
Brisbane – 27th
Adelaide – 30th
Perth – 32nd
Also, as per the QS Best Student Cities for 2023, many Australian cities ranks in the Top 100. Here Australian cities with their ranks:
Melbourne – 5th
Sydney – 9th
Brisbane – 24th
Adelaide – 31st
Perth – 34th
Canberra – 35th
Gold Coast – 93rd
So, these are our Top 9 reasons to study in Australia 2023. What’s yours? Leave a comment or reach us via DM here.
Some of you might have received the email that looks something like this from Optus:
Or else you must have heard about the recent news about Optus data breach and might be wondering what that is and how it affects you as an international student.
And more importantly, what can you do about it?
So in this article, we are going to give insights into what is the whole saga about Optus Data Breach, and what does Optus Data Breach mean for international students?
What is Optus Data Breach?
On 22nd September 2022, Optus revealed that they have been subject to a massive data breach with exposing personal data of nearly 10 million customers.
The attacker who identified himself as “Optusdata” in an online forum asked for $1 million in cryptocurrencies in ransom or else threatening to release the data on the dark web.
But later this attacker seems to have a “change of heart”, and apologies for the trouble it caused to Optus and its customers.
This was not before he claimed to have released the data of 10,000 customers on the dark web already.
What data is believed to be stolen?
Some of the data that has been stolen include:
Name of the customers
Their Date of Birth
Their Phone Numbers
Their Email address
Their Home Addresses
Many customers are believed to have their ID details stolen as well including:
Passport Details
Driving License Details
Medicare Details
It is obviously very concerning for everyone as so much personal data has been relieved that it can be used for multiple crimes and other illegal activities like terrorism, identity theft, frauds etc.
Imagine a whole amount of loan taken under your name when you are not even aware of it. And this is just one scenario.
Steps international students can take?
Here are a few things that you can do to help protect yourself from this data breach:
Immediately change your email passwords and use double authentication, if available.
Notify any financial institution like banks or lenders about it if data has been breached. Change your bank account details. Ask for a new card. Change PIN.
Report to the relevant providers if something suspicious happens on your account.
Ask to put extra measures like putting a special secret code with other important institutions like your insurance company, telco providers etc.
Notify your university about the data breach as well, so they can assist and know if anyone tries to use your personal information.
Don’t click on emails that look suspicious or spammy, especially if it seems to be coming from Optus. Make sure to check the email address before clicking or replying.
If you are getting calls from some organisations to pay bills or fines, don’t reply and disconnect immediately. You can call back the organisation to confirm if they are really after a payment from you
If your ID has been revealed during the breach, then you can apply to renew the ID document. (We explain that below)
What assistance is available from Optus and the Australian and State governments?
Optus would have emailed you by now if your data has been breached. We suggest you check your inbox (or spam folder) just to confirm it.
The email would have notified you if your data has been breached and if your personal ID like passport details or driving license number has been compromised.
Optus has also announced that it will give access to a 12-month subscription to the Equifax Protect, credit monitoring and identity protection service.
Assistance for your Driving License change
As it is likely that you might have given a Driving License as your ID when signing up for Optus and if that’s compromised, then you should apply to get a new one.
Many states have come to help with issuing new licenses to the affected customers whose Driving License might have been compromised and providing free replacement to all those whose license was compromised.
You can check the details on how you can change it from each of these states here:
You can check more details about it on the Optus website as well.
Assistance for your Passport change
It has also been announced that Optus will pay the fee for the renewal of any Australian passport holders.
But it won’t help international students as they don’t carry Australian passports and most of them might have given their Passport as their ID to Optus.
In that case, you might need to speak to your local consulate office in Australia from your home country and discuss how you can replace the passport.
We also suggest you reach out to Optus to reimburse any costs involved in changing the passport.
Assistance for your Medicare change
Some students who might have access to Medicare and got their Medicare accessed in the breach, can apply to renew the medicare card through mygov account.
Complaints
If your data has been breached, and you wish to raise a complaint about privacy, then you can make it with Optus.
You can also lodge a complaint with the Telecommunication Ombudsman if you can’t resolve the issue with Optus here.
Many international students are usually aware of the work restrictions on a student visa when studying in Australia.
But there are still some common questions about work restrictions like
“How many hours can an international student work in Australia?”
“Can a student work unlimited hours in Australia on a student visa?”
“Until when international students are allowed to work unlimited hours in Australia?”
So, in this article, we are going to discuss everything about work hours restrictions for international students in Australia.
Before we get started, here is a quick cheat sheet of the changes that are coming into effect from 1st July 2023.
Can International Students Work Along with Their Studies in Australia?
The cost of studying abroad is significant. The benefits of working while studying are numerous, and international students studying in Australia are usually permitted to work on their student visas.
During the academic year, students with a valid student visa are permitted to work 40 48 hours fortnight (every two weeks), and they are allowed to work an unlimited number of hours during breaks.
This is done to guarantee that students may maximise their earnings while they are not in school while still focusing on their academics when their study is in progress.
How Many Hours Can Students Work During Their Study in Australia?
In the past, International Students could only work up to 40 hours per fortnight (every 2 weeks) when their study is in progress.
But since the new update from the Department of Education, international students can work up to 48 hours per fortnight from 1st July 2023. There is exception to this as students working in aged care sector can continue working unlimited hours until 31st December 2023.
There are many international students that might think they have unlimited work hours. But, this is not completely true. Usually, students can only work unlimited hours during their official study vacations.
International students studying Masters by research and Doctorate programs can work unlimited hours even when their study is in progress.
Students studying with the Australia Awards scholarship or Defence students are also required to follow the 48 hours per fortnight work limitations during their studies and unlimited work hours during their official school holidays.
But the Australian government has offered a temporary easing of working hours due to worker shortages. As a result, students are now permitted to work more than 48 hours every two weeks until 30th June 2023.
Can Students Work Unlimited Hours In Australia?
From 1st July 2023, with a valid student visa, international students in Australia are allowed to work up to 48 hours per fortnight (or 24 hours every week) while courses are in session. There are no limitations on how many hours they can work during officially recognised school breaks.
However, as per the new update in the budget 2023 announced on May 9th 2023, international students already working in the aged care sector on 9th May 2023 can continue to work unrestricted hours until 31st December 2023.
To avoid confusion about the work week, in Australia, the work week starts from Monday and ends on the next Sunday.
But currently, these work restrictions have been lifted which means students can continue to work unlimited hours until 30th June 2023.
Until When International Students Can Work Unlimited Hours In Australia?
To help with the labour shortages, the restrictions on student work hours on visa have been temporarily relaxed. These relaxed rules for unlimited work hours will expire on June 30, 2023.
All current students, new student arrivals, and secondary candidates (arriving along with students) are permitted to work over 40 hours per week in any industry until June 30, 2023.
A student visa holder’s ability to work will be limited to a 48 hours per fortnight after June 30, 2023 (except students working in the aged care sector, as noted above) as the Australian government wants students to prioritise getting a high-quality Australian education and credential.
International students must ensure that they are informed of any changes to visa requirements, including work restrictions and hours.
Can International Students Come And Work In Australia Before Their Course Commencement?
Australian government relaxed rules regarding students commencing work before their course commencement during the pandemic period. Students were allowed to come before the start of their course and start working even before the course commencement.
But since last update from the Department of Home Affairs, there is no mention regarding this on their website and students are advised to confirm this change regarding starting work before course commencement with their university, agent or the department.
Students can check their visa conditions also to see if they can or can’t commence work before the course commencement.
But after 30th June 2023, as the restrictions on work hours will be back, students can only commence work after the start of their official study period.
In the past, students were not allowed to begin working until after their studies had begun, and they were allowed to arrive in Australia up to 90 days prior to the commencement of their degree.
Can Students Work After Completing Their Studies in Australia?
Students who are studying in the major city areas, i.e. Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, can get up to two-year post-study visa work.
Students studying in regional areas can obtain a three to four year post-study work visa, allowing them to remain in Australia after their graduation.
But the new suggested changes by the government mean there will be additional time for post study work visas for international students studying in the areas of verified skills shortages.
Students completing eligible qualifications and in high demand occupations will be able to apply for additional 2 years of post study work visas. You can read more details about these eligible qualifications here.
Apart from that, you can also keep an eye on the website of the Department of Home Affairs for further details on this.
How Many Hours Can My Dependent Family Member Work on My Student Visa in Australia?
Currently, the dependent family members of the student visa holders (subclass 500) can work unlimited hours until 30th June 2023.
Usually, the dependents of some student visa holders are required to follow the work hours restrictions as well.
However, if you are studying a Master’s degree (by coursework or research) or Doctorate degree in Australia, then your dependents are allowed to work unlimited hours even when your study is in session.
Dependents of the students studying other courses (than the listed above) will need to abide by 48 hours per fortnight work restrictions after 30th June 2023.
Can International Students Work Unlimited Hours During Holidays?
Yes, international students are allowed to work unlimited hours during their official holiday or term break.
Sometimes employers may ask you to provide a letter regarding your official term break while studying on a student visa.
In that case, you can ask your university or school to provide you with a letter or certificate for official school term break.
How Many Hours Can International Students Work in Australia After 30th June 2023?
As per the latest news update from the Department of Home Affairs, international students can only work 48 hours per fortnight after 30th June 2023 (except students working in the aged care sector, as noted above).
It means the work restrictions for new and existing student visa holders will restart from 1st July 2023.
International students visa holders are expected to abide by these work restrictions during their study period.
What Happens if Students Work More Than 48 Hours per Fortnight After 30th June 2023?
International students (except students working in the aged care sector, as noted above) will be required to follow the 48 hours per fortnight work limits after 30th June 2023.
Any students working more than the work restrictions will be in a breach of their student visa conditions. It can also lead to the cancellation of the visa.
So, we recommend that you always abide by the student visa work restrictions.
Can International Students Work 40 Hours?
Until 30th June 2023, international students can work more than 40 hours per week on a student visa in Australia.
After 1st July 2023, if international students work 40 hours in a week, then they must ensure that they are not in breach of their 48 hours per fortnight work restrictions in the fortnight.
It is a student’s duty to keep regular account for how many hours they are working in a fortnight.
Why Australian Government is Bringing Back the Work Restriction For International Students?
In January 2022, Australian government announced unlimited work hours for international students in Australia to address the labour shortages due to pandemic.
Since then the slow economic growth and opening of Australia’s international borders has helped to reduce the labour market shortages. And government wants to also make sure that student focus on getting a quality Australian education and qualifications.
While student visa holders can work during their study and holiday period, the main aim of the student visa is to get a high quality education.
So Australian government has decided to bring the work limitation of 48 hours per fortnight for international studenyts from 1st July 2023.
Comparing Work Hours For International Students in Australia, Canada, UK And USA
Now let’s look at the comparison of work hours for international students in some of the most popular study abroad destinations.
Australia
While classes remain on, international students in Australia with a valid student visa are permitted to work up to 40 hours per fortnight, with no restrictions on how many hours they can work during officially recognised school holidays.
There are no such restrictions on the level of study when it comes to work hours for international students in Australia. The student visa holder dependents can also have work rights as mentioned above.
Students can also work as a self-employed person like Uber Eats in Australia.
United Kingdom (UK)
In the UK, during the academic year, you are permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per week with a student visa for full-time degree-level study. There is a weekly cap of 20 hours for any work—whether it is paid or unpaid—done for one or more organisations.
If you are studying qualifications below degree level, then you can work only 10 hours per week during study term.
There are also restrictions on type of work like you can’t be self-employed or engage in any business activity and many others.
Canada
International students in Canada can work 20 hours a week during their study term. During scheduled study breaks, students are allowed to work more than 20 hours per week. Although students in Canada are allowed to work as self-employed people.
If you work more than that, then you are in breach of the terms of your study permit. If you do this, you risk losing your student status and risk having future requests for a study or work visa denied. You could even be asked to leave the nation.
United States of America (USA)
International students who are enrolled for full-time studies and holding F-1 status in the USA, are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week during study period and up to 40 hours during vacations.
Students who hold a valid F-1 status cannot be employed off-campus without meeting eligibility requirements and obtaining official authorisation. International students also need to agree that the position they are taking on campus doesn’t replace a job for the US resident.
There are more terms and conditions on what students can and can’t do in the US when they are on their student visa. You can read more details here.
Overall Summary of Work Hours in Australia
Here is a quick summary of work hours for international students in Australia before and after 1st July 2023:
Timeframes
When The Course Is In Session
When The Course Isn’t In Session
Until 30th June 2023
Unlimited work hours
Unlimited work hours
After 1st July 2023
48 hours per fortnight
Unlimited work hours
So, this is what you need to know about student work hours in Australia. If you want to know more about work in Australia for international students, then you should check this guide here.
Let’s be honest, studying abroad can be an expensive affair.
But thankfully, there are fully funded scholarships in Australia that can help you cover all of your tuition fee expenses. And some of them even go beyond that and cover your living expenses, health insurance, travel airfares as well.
So, if this sounds interesting, then read on as we are covering Top fully funded scholarships in Australia for international students
1. Australia Awards
Australia Awards is the Australian government’s prestigious fully-funded scholarship that is offered to exceptional students from developing nations to study in Australia.
Australia Awards scholarship covers not only the tuition fee, but it also covers airfares, living costs, Overseas Students Health Cover and any allied expenses related to the studies.
In order to be eligible for this scholarship, students must have an exceptional academic background, should be a citizen of the participating country and return to their home country after completing the course. To learn about the other eligibility criteria and application process, check the link below.
🏫 Organisation offering – Australian Government
📖 Study Levels – All (Certificates to PhD level)
💰 What’s covered:
Tuition Fee – 100%
Airfares
Living costs
OSHC
Allied Expenses
✅ Eligible Countries: Participating countries only
Research Training Program (RTP) is another Australian government fully-funded scholarship that students can apply to study in Australia.
As the name suggests, this scholarship is for research-based training programs and is limited to research-oriented Masters and Doctorate programs only.
RTP scholarship provides a tuition fee offset for the course, and it matches the fee charged by the institution. In addition to that, OSHC expenses are covered and provide living stipends as well for the successful applicants.
🏫 Organisation offering – Australian Government
📖 Study Levels – Postgraduate (research based only) – 2 years Masters and 3 years PhD
💰 What’s covered:
Tuition fee offset
Overseas Students Health Cover
Living Stipends
Allowances related to the ancillary cost of research degrees.
3. Deakin Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship
Deakin University’s Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship covers up to 100% of the tuition fee for international students.
International students who are planning to apply for this scholarship should meet the eligibility criteria of at least 85% average score in the previous studies along with meeting other requirements to study at Deakin University.
Those students who successfully get this scholarship will be required to participate in the Vice-Chancellor’s Professional Excellence Program.
🏫 Organisation offering – Deakin University
📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate & Postgraduate coursework
💰 What’s covered:
Tuition Fee – Up to 100%
Priority on-campus accommodation (at student’s own expense)
Another Deakin Universities’s scholarship that is fully funded for the international students who are coming from India only.
This scholarship covers 100% of the tuition fee for Indian students who are based in Indian and planning to study at Deakin University.
Applicants for this scholarship must be Indian citizens with a valid Indian Passport residing in India at the time of application and also meet the academic eligibility criteria (i.e. 85% overall in Year 12 scores of CBSE / ICSE / State Board; OR 80% in Undergraduate Degree).
Again, the successful applicants will be required to participate in the Vice-Chancellor’s Professional Excellence Program.
🏫 Organisation offering – Deakin University
📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate & Postgraduate coursework
💰 What’s covered:
Tuition Fee – 100%
Priority on-campus accommodation (at student’s own expense)
5. International Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship – 100%
This 100% scholarship from Deakin University provides students from certain South Asian countries with the opportunity to study the undergraduate or postgraduate course in university.
Students are expected to meet the eligibility criteria, including academic requirements like 85% scores in Year 12 or 80% scores in the undergraduate degree and other criteria for studying at Deakin University.
Successful students will be required to participate in the Vice-Chancellor’s Professional Excellence Program.
🏫 Organisation offering – Deakin University
📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate & Postgraduate coursework
💰 What’s covered:
Tuition Fee – 100%
Priority on-campus accommodation (at student’s own expense)
Also known as Sir John Monash Fee Scholarship, this scholarship from Monash University covers 100% of the tuition fee for the successful students.
International students from any country are eligible to apply, and the applicants will be selected on the basis of high academic achievements, an application statement and their potential of becoming Monash ambassador.
🏫 Organisation offering – Monash University
📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate & Postgraduate coursework
8. Monash International Tuition Scholarship (MITS)
Another fully funded scholarship offered by the Monash University that covers the tuition fee and single Overseas Student Health Cover policy.
This scholarship is only available for students undertaking research-based Masters and Doctorate degrees at the university.
International students from anywhere around the globe are encouraged to apply for this scholarship, with students expected to meet Monash university’s selection criteria and minimum English language requirements.
🏫 Organisation offering – Monash University
📖 Study Levels – Research Doctorate & Research Masters degrees
9. UTS Vice-Chancellor’s International Undergraduate Scholarship
University of Technology, Sydney is offering 100% scholarship to the students enrolling their undergraduate programs in Sydney.
This scholarship is covering 100% of the tuition fees for the duration of the course for prospective undergraduate students.
Like most other fully funded scholarships in Australia, this scholarship is also offered to international students with excellent academic backgrounds.
🏫 Organisation offering – University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
The University of Melbourne has a fully funded scholarship for the high-achieving students undertaking graduate research at the university.
The scholarship is only available for students of Master by Research and Research oriented Doctorate degrees.
This scholarship does not only remit 100% tuition fee but covers general living cost, living expenses and single Overseas Students Health Cover as well.
🏫 Organisation offering – The University of Melbourne
11. JCU Vice Chancellor’s International Student Scholarship
James Cook University’s Vice Chancellor’s International Student Scholarship provides international students up to $40,000 per year for the minimum course duration.
In effect, this could possibly cover all the tuition fees as the fees for some courses like MBA are less than $40,000 per year.
Application for this scholarship is through invitation only to students who are applying to study for eligible courses at the university with at least an 85% score in previous studies.
🏫 Organisation offering – James Cook University
📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate & Postgraduate coursework
University of Canberra is providing an opportunity to international students who don’t have the resources to study overseas and demonstrate a commitment to social engagement, sustainability and reducing inequalities with a fully funded scholarships.
Applications are encouraged from the students:
live in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa and South Asia.
don’t otherwise have the resources to finance international study.
do not have access to other significant scholarships e.g. Australia Awards
This scholarship provides up to $50,000 per year to the successful applicants which covers your tuition fee for the course and other expenses.
The applications are assessed by the university based on research potential and academic merit.
🏫 Organisation offering – University of Canberra
📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses
Australian National University Research Scholarships are available for high achieving local and international students who are conducting research in line with university’s strategic direction. As this scholarship is merit based, students must have achieved H1 or H2 equivalent in their previous studies.
🏫 Organisation offering – Australian National University
📖 Study Levels – Research Master’s degree or Doctoral degree
If you are not eligible to get the above 100% scholarships, don’t lose heart as there are plenty of other scholarships available for international students. Some of the other popular ones are:
If you are planning to work in Australia, you will need either a TFN or an ABN or maybe both.
As an international student, it is very important to understand the difference when working with TFN and ABN.
In this article, we are going to be discussing the difference between ABN vs TFN.
What is TFN?
“TFN” stands for Tax File Number. It is a 9-digit number that identifies you as an employee and a taxpayer in Australia.
Anyone who wants to work in Australia will need to have a TFN. It is a unique number for everyone, and you only get it once in your lifetime.
Learn how to apply for your TFN here
What is an ABN?
“ABN” is an abbreviation for “Australian Business Number.” It is an 11-digit number that identifies you as a business in Australia.
Every business operating in Australia must have an ABN. You can work as a sole trader using ABN as well.
Learn how to apply for your ABN here:
ABN vs TFN
1. Employment Status
When you are working with TFN, you’d have to sign a contract that signifies you as an employee of the business.
If you are operating under an ABN, either as a contractor, freelancer, self-employed, or gig-economy worker, you will be considered a self-employed business in Australia.
2. Pay
With TFN, the employer pays you salary or wages every week or every fortnight, which usually goes directly into your bank account.
As an ABN holder, you don’t get paid a salary or wages. You will have to create your own invoice and send it to the business, and they will pay your invoice.
With an ABN, you get paid based on the contract of agreement you have with the business.
3. Taxes
When working under TFN, your employer deducts taxes from your salary before it gets paid into your bank account.
And at the end of the financial year, you receive a payment summary in MyGov that includes the amount of money the employer paid you during the financial year and the amount of taxes deducted from your salary.
This information in MyGov will help you with your tax return. Here’s a tax return guide for international students in Australia:
For ABN holders, the businesses you work with will pay you the invoice in full. They don’t deduct any taxes from that, and if your business is registered for GST, you will have to charge that to your customers.
So, you are required to pay and manage your own taxes when working with an ABN.
4. Superannuation
When you are working under TFN, your employer is responsible for paying you superannuation, which is added to your wages and salary.
At the moment, it is 10.5% of your salary and that goes directly into your superannuation fund account.
If you are working with ABN, you do not get any superannuation paid by the businesses you work with. However, as an ABN holder, you can contribute money to your own superannuation.
5. Insurance
If you are working under a TFN arrangement, your employer will cover you for work cover and personal indemnity insurance.
They have to pay an insurance premium for having you work with them. It is to make sure that you are covered for any accident or any other personal indemnity issues that might occur at the workplace.
However, with an ABN, you are responsible for getting your own insurance, whether it is work cover insurance, or personal indemnity insurance or any other relevant insurance..
6. Leave
If you are working as a casual employee, there is no leave entitlement for you, which means there is no annual leave or sick leave. But if you are working on a part-time or full-time basis, you are entitled to annual and sick leave.
If you are working with an ABN, you are your own boss, so there are no holiday entitlements for you.
Can you work with ABN and TFN at the same time?
One of the very common questions among international students is, Can I work on both ABN and TFN at the same time?
The answer is Yes!
Let’s explain that using this example:
James, an international student, came to Australia with a student visa and got a part-time job in a local restaurant as a kitchen hand.
Due to the restrictions on his visa, he got 40 hours per fortnight and he and his boss signed a contract.
Now he works as an employee with TFN, and he gets paid based on the hours he works.
His boss has to deduct taxes from his salary, pay him superannuation, and give him annual leave or sick leave, insurance, and other entitlements as well.
Now let’s say due to the pandemic, James lost a few work hours in the restaurant, so he decided to become an Uber Eats delivery person.
When doing Uber Eats, he is not an employee of Uber Eats, but rather you work as a delivery partner with them.
So basically, he is running his own business as he chooses his own work hours and does deliveries when it suits him.
James is now working part-time with a restaurant, and he is self-employed as a partner with Uber Eats.
There is no superannuation paid by Uber Eats and there are no taxes deducted from his payments. He also doesn’t have any leave entitlements or insurances either.
He can work on both ABN and TFN at the same time, but no more than hours allowed on his student visa.
Sham Contracting
It is very important to understand the difference between working with an ABN or TFN because some employers may ask you to get an ABN when you should be working as an employee on a TFN.
That is known as Sham contracting.
A Sham contract is when an employee tries to disguise an employment relationship as an independent contracting arrangement.
Some employers try to do that so that they won’t have to worry about your taxes, superannuation, insurance, annual or sick leave, and other entitlements.
Food is one of the biggest expenses after accommodation in Australia, and over the last few months the cost of living has been rising rather high.
In this article we are going to talk about some key money-saving tips on grocery bills in Australia.
1. Sign Up for Loyalty Programs
There are four major supermarkets in Australia
Woolworths
Coles
IGA
ALDI
Woolworths and Coles being the most popular supermarket.
If you are going to shop at one of these supermarkets, which is either Woolworths or Coles, it makes sense for you to sign up for their loyalty program.
Most popular supermarket loyalty cards:
Woolworths – Everyday Rewards
Coles – Flybuys.
Once you sign up for these loyalty programs, every time you scan your loyalty cards when shopping you get some points, and once you have collected a certain number of points, you get some rewards back.
For example, if you are shopping at Coles and you scan loyalty card regularly and get around 2000 points while shopping, you can get up to $10 back as a reward.
It may not seem like a lot, but if you are shopping there anyway, then it just makes sense that you save some money by signing up for these loyalty programs.
Plus, they usually send some special deals and offers for people who sign up for these loyalty programs.
And again, these programs are free to sign up for, so the question is: Why Not?
2. Wait For Weekly Specials
All the major supermarkets in Australia always release their weekly specials.
Every week they come up with new bargains, discounts, deals, and offers.
If you are planning to buy things, it might be worthwhile for you to go through these weekly catalogs. If the item you really want to buy is not available this week, the chances are that it might be available in next week’s special.
It makes perfect sense to wait for those weekly specials and then plan your shopping accordingly.
Most of us prefer to buy branded items, but when it comes to certain items like sugar, salt or cleaning products, it makes sense to buy some generic brands or home brands.
These home brands or generic brands pretty much have the same quality product but just cheaper than branded ones.
The only difference is that they are made by the supermarket and are usually packed in very basic packaging, and they turn out to be cheaper than the branded products in many items.
If you are thinking well, the quality can be an issue, then consider that these supermarkets won’t be able to sell things that are not consumable or are dangerous to consume.
So it can be said that these home brands or generic brands are safe to use.
They’re just cheaper because they may use lower quality ingredients as compared to the very expensive high-quality branded products.
4. Use Gift Cards Instead of Cash
Instead of cash, you can look for some discounted gift cards.
If you are a member of certain organisations like RACV, Optus, AGL etc., they may have some special deals for buying these gift cards.
For example, being a member of RACV insurance entitles you to a 4% discount on Woolworths gift cards.
In essence, you can buy these gift cards and then use them instead of cash to do your grocery shopping, saving you 4%.
There are services like CashRewards and ShopBack, which are basically cash back services that give you cash back on your gift card purchases as well.
These cash backs can range from 2% to 5%, and they occasionally have special offers.
Signing up for these services is free, and if you sign up using these services for cashback or rewards for the first time, then you can get some referral bonus as well.
Make sure to follow all the steps in the apps to get a referral bonus.
5. Shop In The Evening Time
If you can go shopping in the evening instead of morning, that would be great.
The reason is that some fresh produce and bakery items usually get discounted at this time of the day, that you usually won’t see in the morning.
The thing is, supermarkets need to clear some of these items by the end of the day because they are not as fresh as they were in the morning, so they’ve to put some special prices in order to clear these items out.
If you’re not fussy about the highest quality possible, then these clearance items are pretty good to eat as well.
6. Look For The Clearance Section
Some supermarkets have started creating specific aisles for clearance items.
Before you shop around, make sure you look for this clearance section and see if any item you really want to buy is available there.
If you’re not sure, you can ask one of the team members if they have a specific clearance section in the supermarket.
7. Check out Ozbargain regularly
You should definitely sign up and check this website, ozbargain.com.au
This is one of the most popular websites for finding deals in Australia. We check not only for grocery shopping, but for other shopping items as well.
They usually have information on what the weekly specials are and some specific specials available from online retailers as well.
Just a word of caution, the website is very addictive as you will keep checking it regularly for deals.
8. Make a shopping list before going grocery shopping
Create a shopping list before heading to the supermarket.
It will not only save you time for your shopping, but also will help in staying focused on what you need to buy, rather than just choosing random items on the shelves.
You can download shopping list apps on your phone or generally, supermarket apps have inbuilt shopping lists as well.
9. Check your fridge and pantry before heading shopping
There are chances that some items are just hidden behind other items or available in your pantry or in the fridge, so you don’t need to buy them again.
10. Don’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach
Going for the grocery shopping with an empty stomach is a very bad thing.
As you tend to buy more items than you need when going on an empty stomach. Usually you will end up buying more snacks than actual ingredients as well.
11. Bring your own bag from home
If you’re going to buy bags from the supermarket, it will cost you some extra dollars.
Bringing your own bag is not only an environment friendly act, but also pocket friendly as well.
12. If possible, buy in bulk
If you’re living in shared accommodation, it might be worthwhile for you to buy in bulk rather than buy single items, because sometimes buying in bulk means saving you additional money.
If you are living in Australia and you do your grocery shopping on a weekly, monthly or whatever basis, we would love to hear from you as well.
What other tips do you have for others to save some money on their grocery bill?
