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100% Fully Funded Scholarships in Australia for International Students

(100%) Fully Funded Scholarships in Australia for International Students

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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

Learn more about the Australia Awards scholarship here. 

2. Research Training Program

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.

✅ Eligible Countries: All countries

Learn more about the Research Training Program scholarship here. 

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)

✅ Eligible Countries: All countries

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

4. Deakin Vice-Chancellor’s Meritorious 100% Scholarship

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)

✅ Eligible Countries: India

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

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)

✅ Eligible Countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

6. Vice-Chancellor Scholarship

La Trobe university is also offering fully funded scholarships to the international students from India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

The students will be selected based on their academic grades and other academic achievements, extracurricular activities and social activities.

Students must meet the scholarship terms and conditions at all times and failure to do so will result in withdrawal of the scholarship.

🏫 Organisation offering – LaTrobe University

📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate & Postgraduate coursework

💰 What’s covered:

  • Tuition Fee – 100%

✅ Eligible Countries: India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam

India and Sri Lanka students – Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

Vietnam students – Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

7. Monash International Leadership Scholarship

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

💰 What’s covered:

  • Tuition Fee – 100%

✅ Eligible Countries: All countries 

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

Do you know the entry requirements to study in Australia? If not, check this article.

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

💰 What’s covered:

  • Tuition Fee – 100%
  • Single OSHC expenses 

✅ Eligible Countries: All countries 

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

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)

📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate programs only

💰 What’s covered:

  • Tuition Fee – 100%

✅ Eligible Countries: All countries 

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

10. Graduate Research Scholarships

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

📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate coursework only

💰 What’s covered:

  • Tuition Fee Remission – 100%
  • General allowances – Up to $34,400 per year
  • Relocation grant – $3000 (International)
  • Single Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

✅ Eligible Countries: All countries 

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

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

💰 What’s covered:

  • Up to $40,000 per year

✅ Eligible Countries: All countries 

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

12. Abedian Foundation Master of Architecture Scholarship

Bond University offers this fully funded scholarship to students from any country studying the Master of Architecture program at the university.

This scholarship is given on the academic merits basis and covers a 100% tuition fee funded jointly by the Abedian Foundation and Bond University.

🏫 Organisation offering – Bond University

📖 Study Levels – Postgraduate course (Master of Architecture program only)

💰 What’s covered:

  • Tuition Fee – 100%

✅ Eligible Countries: All countries 

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

13. UNE International Postgraduate Research Award (IPRA)

The University of New England’s International Postgraduate Research Award provides a fully funded scholarship to research-based postgraduate students.

This scholarship covers the tuition fee, single Overseas Students Health Cover and annual stipends as well.

The applications are assessed by the university based on research potential and academic merit. 

🏫 Organisation offering – The University of New England

📖 Study Levels – Research Master’s degree or Doctoral degree

💰 What’s covered:

  • Tuition Fee – 100%
  • Single OSHC
  • Annual Stipend – $29,864.00 (approx).

✅ Eligible Countries: All countries 

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

14. Vice-Chancellor’s Social Champion Scholarship

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

💰 What’s covered:

  • Tuition Fee – 100%
  • On-campus accommodation
  • $10,000 AUD yearly financial allowance
  • Other expenses in the first year

✅ Eligible Countries: All countries 

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

15. ANU University Research Scholarships

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

💰 What’s covered:

  • Total value – $34000
  • Travel and Removal allowances
  • Thesis allowance
  • Dependant Child allowance
  • Paid medical, maternity and parental leave

✅ Eligible Countries: All countries 

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

16. Maitri Scholarship

Maitri Scholarship is an Australian government initiative to promote bilateral ties with India.

High achieving international students from India can apply for this scholarship from the year 2024.

Successful students will be required to participate in the Vice-Chancellor’s Professional Excellence Program.

🏫 Organisation offering – Australian Government

📖 Study Levels – Research Master’s degree or Doctoral degree

💰 What’s covered:

  • Significant financial contribution toward tuition fee
  • One-off establishment fee
  • Airfare, Visa, Passport, Travel Insurance
  • Overseas Students Health Cover
  • Temporary Accommodation
  • Monthly stipend
  • Funding for professional development

✅ Eligible Countries: India

Learn more about the application process and deadlines here

Other Scholarships

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:

Don’t miss out and read our tips on how to apply for scholarships in Australia as an international student. 



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Difference explained ABN vs TFN - featured

Difference explained: ABN vs TFN

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Difference explained: ABN vs TFN

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.

To find out more about your work rights in Australia, you can visit the Fair Work Australia website.

We also have a detailed article on how to avoid exploitation at work in Australia, you can read it here. 



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Epic money-saving tips for students on grocery bills in Australia 

12 Epic Money-Saving Tips on Grocery Bills in Australia 

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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.

Check our popular guide on student discounts in Australia here

3. Buy Generics or Home Brands

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.

Sign up for Shop Back here :

https://app.shopback.com/zKZrSeoc9qb 

Sign up for Cash Rewards here:

https://bit.ly/3BkXFay

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.

Read 60+ money saving tips for students here

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?



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Complete Guide How to choose an education agent to study in Australia

Complete Guide: How to choose an education agent to study in Australia?

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How to choose an education agent to study in Australia

If you are planning to study in Australia, one thing that you have to consider is whether you want to apply for your educational institute by yourself or you want to apply through an education agent.

If you are self-assured and know exactly what you’re doing – for example, you know which university or institute you want to apply to, which course you want to study and how to apply for your student visa online – then you can complete the entire process on your own.

But if you’re not sure about any of this, then it’s a good idea to consult an education agent who can guide you through the whole process.

As per the latest data available from the Department of Education, in 2018, around 75% of the student enrollments were made by education agents. 

So you can understand how important education agents are in Australia’s international education system.

In this article we are discussing everything you need to know about how to choose an education agent to study in Australia. We are covering details about:

  • What services do they provide, and what can’t they do?
  • The benefits of using their services.
  • The drawbacks of using them
  • How to choose the right education agent.

🔍 Services provided by Education Agents

Education Agents can provide multiple services to international students.

They can give you lots of information regarding study options, the universities you can choose from and other relevant information regarding studies.

Apart from studies, they also provide good information regarding life in Australia.

For example, helping you find accommodation, finding a job, what kind of insurance can you apply for, etc.

They can also help you apply for the institution of your choice and if you decide to apply for a scholarship, they can also help you with that.

Unless they are a registered migration agent, they can’t really apply for your student visa. However, they can assist you in applying for your student visa with a help of registered migration agent. Many education agents usually have tie-ups with various migration agencies for these purposes. 

In Australia, if an education agent is not a registered migration agent, they cannot apply for your visa. However, the same cannot be said when your education agent is overseas.

✅ Benefits of using education agents

Let’s look at some benefits of using educational agents.

1.Expert Advice

Many educational agents usually have excellent knowledge of the Australian education system. They most likely have worked with hundreds of other students before you.

Sometimes you may not know about the local areas or various study options that you can actually choose from. Educational agents can help you with that.

2. Choosing The Right Course 

A good educational consultant would usually understand the students’ personal interests and their needs before suggesting any course to them.

That’s another benefit of using them, as they can provide you with the right information about the right courses and the right institutions that meet your requirements and career.

3.Special Offers and Deals

Consider these educational agents as wholesalers. From time to time, universities, and educational institutes in Australia can give some special offers to these educational consultants.

They can actually get exclusive offers and can pass this on to their customers in the form of saving some money for them. So you could benefit from that as well.

4. Completing Application Forms

Completing the application form can be really challenging for some students and there could be confusion about what should I write in this column or what should I write in that box.

Educational consultants can actually help you to complete these application forms easily without much hassle.

5. Visa Application 

A lot of educational consultants actually work with lots of registered migration agents to lodge your visa applications. And it’s usually a part of the services they offer to international students. 

As a result, many people will benefit from this and avoid the hassle of applying for the visa on their own.

6. Support Services 

Lots of educational consultants do not only have offices overseas, they also have offices in Australia as well.

This can be extremely beneficial to many international students, especially when they’re looking for support regarding jobs, accommodation, and many other things.

❌ Drawbacks of using education agents

1. Biased Opinions 

As we know, most education agents make their money through the commissions they get from the educational institutes.

How much money they get will depend on the contract that they have with the educational institute. 

To give you an idea, they could earn anywhere from 5% to 30% of the school fees you paid to your Australian educational provider.

Some education agents will actually direct you only to the place where they’re getting the highest commission, rather than the one that benefits your career.

2. Limited Choices 

It is a requirement that every institution in Australia must have a contract in place with every educational agent.

Some education agents don’t have a contract with many institutions, so what happens is that they won’t recommend you to certain colleges or institutions because they don’t have those options available for you.

In that regard, when it comes to choosing the right course, sometimes you may have very limited options to choose from.

3. Incorrect Applications

There could be a chance that some education agent don’t know what they’re doing and they could be incorrectly completing your applications.

It means that you could be getting a refusal from the Department of Home Affairs for your student visa, which will obviously have a devastating effect on your career.

Now the question is: how can you choose the right education agent?

🤔 How to choose an education agent to study in Australia?

These are some of the factors we suggest you consider when choosing an education agent to study in Australia: 

1.Do Your Research Properly

As we mentioned earlier, every institution must have an agreement in place with an education agent.

Regardless of the country they are in, they must have an agreement in place with the institute that you’re planning to study at.

We suggest you check the website of the education provider to ensure they have an agreement in place with the institution.

For example, if you are planning to study at the University of Melbourne, go to their website and look for the list of agents on their website. By law, they should have a list of all the approved education consultants, whether they are in Australia or overseas.

It’s also a good idea to do research through your friends and other people who have gone through the process before you.

You can ask your family or your friends – or you can ask someone who’s actually studying in Australia – if they have any recommendations for good education agents that they can refer you to.

2. Consult Multiple Agents

Rather than relying on information from one education agent, it is advisable to actually meet a few education agents before choosing the right one for you.

You can easily look up education agents around your area through any search engine or even through social media platforms.

3. Ask Questions 

As education agents are there to help and serve you for study in Australia, it is very important that you ask them questions.

You should also ask them about the fees that they’re going to charge you, so you can compare the fees charged by other agents in your area as well.

You can also ask them questions like: “Are they a registered migration agent or are they just educational consultants” or  “What’s their success rate?” etc.

It’s important that you never pay the school fees to your agent or in their name. You should pay them to your education provider. Good education agents will guide you on how to arrange to pay your fees. 

4. Thoroughly Read The Documents

Before signing any agreement with education agents, make sure you read all the documents and terms and conditions carefully and if you are unsure, you can always ask someone else to read through those documents for you.

Never sign a document before reading it and understanding it well. 

5. Keep A Written Record

We highly suggest that you get everything in writing. If you’re getting some information, it’s always good to get it in an email or in any other written format which could help you save yourself if anything goes wrong.

6. No Guarantee of Permanent Residency (PR)

No educational consultant or educational agent can guarantee that you will be able to obtain permanent residency after completing your studies in Australia.

So this is our guide on how to choose an education agent to study in Australia.

In a nutshell, a good, reliable education agent can always save your time, effort, money, and headaches.



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11 things to do before leaving Australia “for good” - featured

11 important things to do before leaving Australia “for good”

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11 things to do before leaving Australia “for good”

Many international students decide to leave Australia after completing their studies.

As per the recent information by Education Minister, Jason Clare, only 16% of international students stay back after completing their studies in Australia.

So in this article we are going to discuss 10 important things to do before leaving Australia as an international student.

1. File Your Tax Return 📄

The Australian financial year runs from the 1st of July to 30th of June, with the last day of filing the tax returns by the 31st of October each year.

There are chances that you might not be leaving Australia within this time frame.

We highly recommend that you do your tax return before leaving, even though it might not be within the timeframe for doing your tax return for the financial year.

You can do it with the help of a tax agents like Taxback.com, or you can do it yourself by using a tax form available on this website www.ato.gov.au

2. Claim Superannuation 💰

While working in Australia, your employer would have most likely paid you superannuation, which is currently 10.5% of your gross salary or wages.

Over the years, you might have accumulated a significant amount of money in your superannuation fund account. Usually, you are not allowed to use this money until you retire or leave the country permanently.

If you are leaving Australia for good, then you can certainly claim this money back.

You can only claim this money after you have left Australia, so we highly recommend that you collect all the documents that you need to lodge this application when you are overseas.

You can use the services of tax agents like Taxback.com for getting your superannuation as well.

If you want to know more about how superannuation works, then check out our YouTube video.

3. Get Your Rental Deposit Back 🏡

When you rent a property in Australia, you are required to pay a rental deposit, also known as a bond, which is claimable once your lease is over.

It is important to let your landlord know nice and early before leaving.

Also, when leaving the property, make sure it’s nice and tidy and there are no damages to the property, as your landlord can take money out of your bond if the property is damaged.

However, if everything is good, you are entitled to get a full refund of your bond money.

It is also important that you cancel or transfer your lease and make sure you pay off all the bills, like your utility bills and card bills.

4. Pick Up Your Certificates 📖

After you’ve completed your degree, it’s important to pick up your certificate and other relevant documents from your university or institution.

There have been cases where some international students forgot to pick up their certificate before leaving Australia.

In those cases, students had to contact their university to send it to them in their home country, which obviously costs them money due to shipping costs.

So it’s important you pick up your certificates from your school before leaving Australia.

5. Close Your Bank Accounts 🏦

While living and working in Australia, there are chances that you have opened a bank account or perhaps multiple bank accounts.

If you have multiple bank accounts, we certainly suggest you close a few before leaving      Australia and keep at least one open where you can get your money for your tax refund and superannuation as well.

We don’t suggest you close all your bank accounts at the time of leaving Australia, but we suggest you close them all after receiving your tax refund and superannuation.

It is much easier to get money directly into your bank account than to have a cheque sent to your overseas address.

It might be a good idea for you to drop by one of the bank branches or call your bank when you’re ready to close your account.

We also suggest you close your account because of the monthly fees you may have to pay after completing your studies.

If you’re no longer a student, the bank starts charging you a monthly fee to keep an account with them, so to avoid that sort of fee, we highly suggest you close the account, but wait until you get your tax refund and superannuation money back.

6. Transfer your money 💸

Before closing your bank accounts, you might like to transfer your money to overseas bank accounts. 

We don’t recommend that you carry all the money in cash when travelling back home, but rather find a way to send it before you arrive.

Most of the countries might have limits on how much cash you can bring into the country without declaring and paying custom duties.

So find better alternative services for transferring your money to your overseas bank account.

Usually banks have pretty poor exchange rates, so many students like to use other transfer services like Wise, etc.

7. Ask For References 😀

If you are working in Australia, we recommend you get a letter of reference or recommendation from your current employer, which can certainly help you a lot in getting a job in your home country.

If you have a good reputation with your teachers or trainers, we highly recommend that you get a letter of reference from them as well, as this will be great for your career.

8. Sell Your Unwanted Stuff 🛌

Even if you study in Australia for a couple of years, chances are that you will collect a lot of unwanted items.

We highly recommend you find things you don’t really need and start selling them ahead of time. You can sell them or give away for free on websites such as Facebook’s marketplace or Gumtree.

We strongly advise you to sell any unwanted or heavy items that you cannot take with you. If you are in a rush to leave, then you can arrange with your local council for furniture disposal. 

We don’t recommend you leave your furniture or other belongings in the property or on the nature strip outside your house, as you can get a fine from the council or the landlord can deduct money from the bond.

9. Shipping Things Back Home 🚢

After selling your unwanted items, it’s time for you to start thinking of how you can send the things you need or want to bring with you to your home country.

If you have many things that you have to take back to your home, then it’s a good idea to look for the cheapest freight company.

You can send those items by sea or air, but shipping by sea is usually much cheaper. It takes much longer for items to arrive in your home country if you are using the sea freight option.

So do your research and look for a freight company you can trust to deliver your items safely to your home country. We suggest you ask for recommendations in the facebook groups.

10. Travel Around Australia 🛫

Before you return home, make sure you visit the Australian destinations on your bucket list that you were unable to visit earlier.

Australia is a beautiful country and it has its own special landscape, so we highly recommend you travel around Australia and tick off items on your bucket list before leaving.

Most students drive around the east coast or west coast of Australia, and if you would like to explore both places, that would be great.

You can check our special article on Australia’s most popular pink lakes that you should visit.

11. Say Goodbye To Friends 👋

It is important to acknowledge the contributions that people have made to your life in Australia.

We know it’s very heartbreaking to leave your friends, but make sure you say a proper goodbye to your friends before leaving Australia.

You can organize a barbecue and have your friends come over to your place or eat out with them. 

So these are the 10 things we suggest you do before leaving Australia. There are many other things that you need to do before leaving Australia, so we suggest you download this checklist. This checklist will help you check more things you need to do before leaving Australia.



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9 Most Common Resume Mistakes To Avoid In Australia - featured

9 Most Common Student Resume Mistakes To Avoid In Australia

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A resume is one of the most important documents for any job application.

Most recruiters and employers receive thousands of resumes each day for job applications. And every single applicant tries their best to stand out.

But still we notice that many students don’t pay attention to these common student resume mistakes when submitting their job applications. 

So in this article, we are going to talk about the 9 most common resume mistakes to avoid in Australia.

1. Typos and Grammatical Errors 

The majority of international students in Australia are from non-English-speaking countries, and while many students are confident in their English levels, there is always the possibility of some minor errors or mistakes in their resume. 

We have seen local students who are well versed in English language making these mistakes as well.

The best way to avoid grammar and spelling errors is to proofread your resume before sending it for any job application. Make sure you read every single line in your resume and check it thoroughly. 

If you are not confident enough, you should get someone else to proofread your resume for you before submitting it for any job application.

If you need help, you can ask your tutors or support staff team in your university or institution.

2. Not Customising Your Resume

Most students, when they apply for jobs these days, use ready-made resume templates for their job applications.

That is perfectly fine as a starting point, but many students use this same resume for every job application.

That is certainly the wrong thing to do. 

If you are really serious about getting a job, you should be customising your resume for each job application.

This is important because these days, resumes are not first read by human beings; they are usually first read by automated machines and software, and if your resume passes the test by the software or machine, then it gets passed to the Human Resource Manager.

It is critical to understand that your resume must be tailored to the job advertisement you see on the website.

We recommend that you read the job advertisement thoroughly, go through some of the keywords that are in the job advertisement, and make sure you customise your resume based on those keywords.

That would certainly give you an edge over other applicants. 

Highlight the keywords in the job advertisement and include them in your resume

3. Including Unnecessary Information

Your resume should not be more than 2 or 3 pages. In those 2 or 3 pages, you want to highlight the best things possible on your resume.

Try to avoid any unnecessary information that is not relevant to the job you are applying for.

For example, if you have already completed graduation, then you don’t need to include information about your Year 8 or Year 10 information.

And when it comes to adding experience to your resume, add only experiences that are applicable to the job application.

For example, if you are applying for an IT job, then including all of your previous experience in hospitality jobs might not be a big help.

If you don’t have any experience in the IT industry, then you might include the most recent experience in the hospitality industry.

Try to look for some volunteer or internship opportunities, so you can include relevant work experiences.

4. Wrong Sequence of Information

Most students already know that they should always include their experience first in their resume, followed by their educational background and other information.

One of the things you should always keep in mind when it comes to experience is that you should always consider what type of job you are applying for.

For example, you might be applying for a job as a graduate accountant, and your recent job experience might be working as a cashier at McDonald’s, while you also did an internship last year at an accounting firm.

In this case, you should highlight your internship experience even though it might not be your most recent work experience, as long as it is relevant to the job application.

That experience should be listed first in your experience section, and you can include your McDonald’s experience after that.

That sequence of information is very important when applying for a job.

5. Ignoring Volunteer or Unpaid Work

As an international student in Australia, it is very difficult to get a job right away in your own industry or field.

One of the mistakes that students make in their resume is that they might have done some unpaid work or volunteer work in Australia, but they do not include that in their resume.

Volunteering could include helping the local charity or the local football club, or any of the other volunteer work that you have done in Australia. It is always good to include that in your resume.

Not only does it demonstrate that you are a person who loves to help the community, but it also shows your ability to work with teams, your communication skills, and many other soft skills.

So, when it comes to unpaid work or volunteering, it is highly recommended that you include it in your resume; Australian employers love to see it, especially if you have no work experience at all.

And if you are looking for some volunteer work, then we suggest you check websites like Seek Volunteer and Go Volunteer.

6. Not Having a Visually Appealing Resume

Many international students don’t pay attention to their resume aesthetic, that is, the layout, spacing, font, or colours in their resume.

There are plenty of applications available for you to create your resume for free. You can also download a free resume template from our website here.

We make sure our resume templates stand out in terms of aesthetics, and they are visually appealing as well.

Before you submit any resume for any job application, make sure it follows the basic formatting standards.

In a standard Australian Resume, you do not need to include your photos or personal information; your culture, your religion, the country you come from, your gender, etc.

If you make your resume stand out visually, that would definitely give you an edge over other job applicants.

7. Providing Wrong Contact Information

This is one of the biggest sins you can commit on your resume, that is, providing wrong contact details on your resume.

It is very important to provide your contact details on the resume. Your contact details usually include:

  • Your postal address
  • Your phone number
  • Your email address
  • LinkedIn profile URL (optional)
  • Your website (optional)

If any of the contact details you are providing on your resume is wrong or outdated, then it could mean that you might miss out on the job.

Imagine an employer picking up the phone to call you for an interview to only find out that the number is wrong, it might put them off contacting you as they might consider it a very negligent act on your part. 

So, make sure to check your contact details before submitting your resume for any job application. 

8. Not Providing Any Data or Statistics

Gone are the days when employers will accept any generic resumes for the job applications. 

These days you need to stand out among thousands of job applications.

Including specific numerical data or statistics or results you achieved in your previous jobs are going to make a clear statement about yourself as an applicant.

So let’s say you worked in the hospitality job as a supervisor, and you want to include some recognition from that job role in your resume.

In that case, you can use some specific quantified data or numbers like “I helped to increase the restaurant sales by 15% by introducing Instagram influencers into our social media strategy”.  

You can talk about statistics or numbers regarding customer satisfaction rates, sales, profit, cost savings, etc. 

9. Not Including Academic Achievements

It is quite fair to say that students who just completed their graduation recently will not have a ton of experience on their resume.

The good thing is that employers and recruiters know that too.

So while there might not be many work-related achievements on the resume, it is critical to include any academic achievements in the resume. Which is often underestimated by many students. 

Academic achievements could include:

  • High grades
  • Specific subject achievements
  • Certificates of recognition from school or teachers
  • Testimonials or reference letters from lecturers or tutors
  • Group project achievements
  • Other academic achievements

Summary

In the summary, we can conclude that doing any of the common student resume mistakes we discussed above could mean getting rejected for your job applications.

So, our suggestion is to pay attention to these mistakes, and before you submit your resume for any job application, proofread it and check that you are not making these mistakes.



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