Many international students who come to study in Australia get to know about a new term they never hear of before “Daylight Saving”?
Does that mean we save the Daylight? or does it mean using solar panels to capture daylight in the summer days?
Well, none of that.
So in this article, we are explaining everything you need to know about Daylight Saving in Australia.
What is Daylight Saving?
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is advancing the clocks one hour forward during the summer months. The idea behind daylight saving is to enjoy one extra hour of daylight in the evenings.
It makes your day feeling longer and also helps to save the consumption of electricity and hence helping the planet a bit.
When did it first started?
The idea was first proposed by George Hudson, an astronomer from New Zealand in 1895.
However, it was first used by the residents of Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada in 1908.
Australia first observed its Daylight Saving Time (DST) in 1916. Although it wasn’t until 1967 when the practice of daylight saving became more regular after drought in Tasmania. Other states picked up the practice in 1970s.
It might be surprise for some that Australia is not the only country that observes daylight saving. There are 70 countries around the world that participate in the daylight saving.
Which states and territories recognise daylight savings in Australia?
In Australia, these states and territories recognise the daylight savings:
✔️ New South Wales
✔️ Victoria
✔️ Tasmania
✔️ South Australia
✔️ Australian Capital Territory
So if you are living in:
❌ Queensland
❌ Northern Territory
❌ Western Australia
You don’t need to worry about daylight saving except when travelling interstate or dealing with people from those states and territories with daylight savings.
When does Daylight saving start and end in Australia?
In Australia, Daylight saving start at 2 am on the first Sunday of October and ends at 2 am on the first Sunday of April.
In 2024-25, the daylight savings starts on 6th October 2024 at 2 am in Australia and end on Sunday, 6th April 2025 at 2.
In the table below, you can see the Daylight Savings start and end times for the next 3 years in Australia.
Year
Daylight Savings Starts
Daylight Savings Ends
2024 – 2025
October 6, 2024
April 6, 2025
2025 – 2026
October 5, 2025
April 5, 2026
2026 – 2027
October 4, 2026
April 4, 2027
What should I do for Daylight Saving changes?
If you are living in any of the states and territories in Australia where Daylight Savings are observed, then all you need to do is forward your clock by 1 hour on the first Sunday of October and move it backwards on the first Sunday of April.
You usually don’t need to change the time on your mobile devices as it is automatically changed by your mobile network provider.
You lose an hour of sleep when daylight saving starts, but you get it back when daylight saving ends.
If you are living in other parts of Australia that does not recognise daylight saving, then you don’t need to do anything. Life goes on for you as per normal except if you have to deal with people living in Daylight Savings time zones.
How to prepare yourself better for Daylight Savings changes?
But if you want to prepare yourself better for Daylight Savings changes, we suggest you:
Adjust your sleep cycle: Before the time changes, it will be great if you can adjust your time schedule for sleeping. For example, if you typically go to bed at 11 PM and get up at 6 AM, you can start going to bed 15 to 30 minutes earlier each night in the week leading up to the Daylight Saving changes.
Check the time for public transport: To avoid any possible work-related delays, it is best to check the local transport schedule to see if any changes have been made.
Plan your meal and exercise timings: You can start planning your meal schedules and exercise timings as well before the start of the Daylight savings.
Be patient: Last but not the least, Daylight Savings can disrupt your life patterns, but it will be only a few weeks before you start adjusting back to the new time. So don’t stress. Give yourself extra self-care time after the change to Daylight Saving timeframes.
Which countries observe Daylight Savings?
There area around 70 countries around the world that observe Daylight Savings including:
✔️ Australia
✔️ Brazil
✔️ Canada
✔️ Chile
✔️ Fiji
✔️ Mexico
✔️ New Zealand
✔️ United States
✔️ United Kingdom
✔️ Most Eurpoean Union
✔️ Some Middle Eastern Countries
What are the benefits of Daylight Savings?
Here are some benefits of having a Daylight Savings:
Energy savings: The benefit of observing a Daylight Savings is that it leads to energy savings. This is due to the fact that people tend to use less electricity due to the longer day hours. T
Longer evenings for outdoor activities: Daylight Savings gives people more time to spend outside in the evenings. It can be good for outdoor activities such as sports.
Great for Economy: As people tend to spend more time outdoors, it turns out that they spend more money, which helps the local economy.
What are the drawbacks of Daylight Savings?
Here are common drawbacks of having a Daylight Savings:
Disruption to sleep patterns: DST can cause disruption to sleep patterns, as people may have to wake up earlier and go to bed later than usual.
Negative impact on some businesses: Some businesses that tend to deal with people from different states or countries with different timezones may have impact on their operations.
Does the Daylight Savings affect your health?
Although, some reports do suggest that it can disrupt your sleeping pattern, food habits, appetite etc. temporarily.
There is no scientific evidence that it poses serious threats to your body. You might feel a bit tired due to lack of sleep when daylight saving starts. It can take some time for your body to adjust to the new timing as well.
What do you think about Daylight Saving? Do you like it or not? Give your thoughts in the comments below.
There are many benefits of studying abroad but it also comes with few challenges as an international student.
In this article, we’re going to discuss about the Top 11 challenges you might face as an international student in Australia and strategies on how to overcome them
We divide these challenges into three main categories:
Study related challenges
Work related challenges
Life related challenges
Studies related challenges
1. Differences between education system
When you are planning to study in any other country, it’s common that you will see some differences between the education system of the country and your home country.
This can create some sort of challenges for you as an international student in a new country.
So the challenges could be regarding understanding your homework, your assessment, exams understanding the concepts, the referencing or plagiarism.
Strategies:
If you are facing challenges in regards to your studies there is help available. Most of the universities or institutions in Australia have a really good support system available for those students who are finding it difficult to study the course or having a learning difficulty.
So if you are facing any difficulty in regards to your studies we suggest you to contact the support office from your educational institute. They can arrange additional help like tutorials or one on one sessions with study buddies that can help you to understand the concepts better.
We also suggest you to make sure that you attend all your lectures and tutorials without skipping them, so you understand the concepts better.
2. Understanding lectures or lecturers
Sometime it can be very difficult for an international students to understand their lecturers or trainers or tutors because of the language barrier or different accent.
Some students can get frustrated with that they don’t understand the concepts and study well so they plan to change their courses after a while.
Strategies:
After the lecture or the tutorial is over, go and speak to your lecturer or trainer or tutor. You can basically thank them for the lecture or the tutorial that you just attended and then ask them general questions regarding your studies. Usually, lecturers and tutors are very friendly in nature.
It is a good idea to speak to your lecturer or tutor regarding the industry you are studying in and it’s a good starting point for you to start networking with the right people in your industry.
Usually your lecturers or tutors are professionals in the industry in Australia so you can make your first contact in industry by approaching them.
Work related challenges
3 .Finding work
Finding work in Australia as an international student is a really difficult task and many international students face the same difficulty regarding finding work.
Strategies:
The best way to find the first work in Australia is through referrals. Referral is way of getting a recommendation by a friend or peer at their current or previous place of employment.
If you have someone who is already working in any industry and if they can refer you to the job, it is much easier to get a job. Our suggestion is to try to reach out to the people you already know in Australia and seek out some help from them.
If you don’t know anyone, then you would need to start networking with other people and try to find a job through referrals.
There are actually plenty of other ways of getting job as well. Check this video on 9 ways of finding work in Australia as an international student
4. Difference between workplace cultures
The other challenges you could face in regards to your work life is the difference in the work culture.
Obviously, the work culture in your country could be quite different to the one here in Australia. The way Australians like to work, schedule, etiquette and expectations might be different.
Again, understanding the language of your co-workers of your managers or even customers can be challenging for you at the beginning, especially if you don’t speak English well.
Strategies:
In regards to adjustment to the work culture and language, it will take few weeks and months but you will be able to get hold of the things and start understanding accent and language once you here for a while.
You can take short English course, watch English movies or share a house with native English speakers to improve your English skills.
You can also ask for help from your work colleagues or supervisors if you are not understanding something at work.
5. Exploitation at the workplace
Unfortunately, some international students do face exploitation at work in Australia. Although, it is illegal to exploit any worker in Australia but some businesses tend to exploit international students because of their visa limitations.
Strategies:
To deal with this sort of situation, we suggest you to check Fairwork Australia’s website. It is important that you understand your work rights even before you start working.
If you face exploitation at work, make sure to reach out to FairWork Australia as soon as possible as there is help available for international students.
Like finding a job, finding accommodation can be also bit challenging especially if you are planning to look for a cheaper accommodation.
Strategies:
To save money on rental costs, many international students choose to share accommodation with other people.
You can look for shared accommodation on various platforms like Gumtree, Facebook groups, flatmates etc.
There are plenty of other student specific platforms like Amber. Once you have decided which city you want to stay in, the next thing to do is find a home away from home! Amber provides thousands of accommodation options across the world! You will find homes right from student homes in Brisbane to student housing in Canberra. All the homes are updated with the newest Covid protocols and you can get your house hassle free!
7. Sharing house with others
Sometimes sharing a house with other people can be really difficult, especially if they don’t have same understanding like you. Obviously, every human being is different and everyone lives their life differently.
Some of the challenges could be regarding their cleaning style or the cooking style or partying in the house or the common areas usage issues.
Strategies:
To avoid that, we suggest you to communicate effectively and make rules from the beginning, so everyone knows what to do, what not to do from the beginning.
We also suggest to check this video on how to be a good housemate in a shared accommodation:
8. Australian etiquette and rules
Understanding the rules, regulations, systems, general manners, etiquette and Australian way of living life can be challenging to adapt for some students.
You will come across and work or live with local Australians. Dealing with them means you have to understand the accent or slang and sometime it can be a bit challenging to understand that.
Strategies:
We strongly recommend you to understand these rules, regulations and systems because the fines here are phenomenally high. If you breach any sort of law here you could be getting a huge penalty for that.
If you are not sure about the rules and regulations here in Australia, we suggest you to attend orientation that is provided by your educational institute. Usually they cover information regarding life in Australia in those orientation sessions.
If they don’t cover that in the orientation session, then you should also look for some information on their website or government websites or on our website as well.
9. Finding a Work-life balance
Another challenge that many international students face is to manage the study work life balance.
As a student, you will not only be studying but you will have to juggle between a part-time work and socialising with other people and managing all these three things at one time can be really really tough.
Strategies:
In order to overcome this situation, we suggest you to make a weekly planner or a to-do list that will help you to keep track of the things.
It will also help you to focus on the things that you need to complete each week. There are many apps available these days for productivity. P.S (We really love Notion.so for managing our time).
So, whether it is regarding meeting friends or your studies or work, you will know all the deadlines and every important thing to keep track and make plans for them. Period!
10. Feeling Home Sick
Homesickness is another common issue among international students. You will be away from your family and friends back home and most likely you’re going to miss them which is very common thing for any human being.
Strategies:
To overcome homesickness, we suggest you to make sure you stay in touch with your family and friends back home. Call them regularly and update them about your personal life here, how’s your life going and ask them as well what’s happening in their life.
Send them photos regularly and ask them to do the same. Social media is certainly a great way to keep connected with friends and family back home.
Again, there are plenty of other apps available to keep in touch with your family back home.
11. Settling in Australia
Last but not the least, one of the biggest challenge that many international students face in Australia is regarding settling here.
After studying here for a while, many international students love Australia so much that they want to settle here for good and want to call Australia as their home.
Although we know that the primary aim of the student visa is just to study here but some students become eligible to apply their permanent residency after their studies through Australia’s skill select program.
Strategies:
In regards to overcoming this challenge, we suggest you to make sure to choose your course by consulting with a registered migration agent who can help you with your future careers plans in regards to your study and settling in Australia.
We hope you find this information regarding 11 challenges that international students face here in Australia and some strategies on how to overcome them as well.
If you are an international student, we would love to hear from you on what sort of challenges are you facing or faced previously. Looking forward to your comments below.
As a student, every single dollar counts and saving money is the way to go in student life. So we complied a list of student discounts in Australia that will have to save money on your essentials and other activities.
Here is a list of various retailers, food outlets and other organisations giving student discounts in Australia. At the moment, there are 30 on the list, with more being added regularly. Before we get started though, here is a shameless plug from us:
OSA ISIC Card
The OSA International Student Identity Card (ISIC) allows students to get over 150,000 discounts on shopping, travel, and entertainment worldwide. A one-year ISIC virtual membership costs $30AUD but as we love you so much (you know we do, right? 😉 ) so we have got a better deal for you.
Our OSA ISIC costs $36 $29.90 (cheaper than original ISIC Card) and it includes ISIC Extra’s ( which is usually $11 extra). So for less than $2.50 per month, you will get to access standard ISIC deals but additionally, you will get student discounts on your favourite stores like JB Hi-Fi, McDonald’s, Coles, Pizza Hut, KFC and thousands of takeaway and dining options in Australia.
Apple is one of the most popular tech companies among students in Australia and they do have educational pricing (student discounts) available for students in Australia on most of their popular products like Macbooks, IMac, Ipad and iPhone etc.
Keep an eye on Apple’s special student offer at the start of the uni year, when they offer free headphones when buying a mac or ipad. We have covered the step by step guide on how you can save money on buying Apple products as a student here. (We are sure you will love reading ways to save more money on Apple products there).
2. JB Hi-Fi Student Discount
JB Hi-Fi is one of the most popular electronics store in Australia. They have a dedicated portal on their website for student discounts where you can select the discounted offers and range of other offers for laptops, phones etc. If just want to see all the deal available, then you can click here for that.
Btw, OSA ISIC members get 5% discount on their JB Hi-Fi gift cards. Check here.
3. Amazon Student Discount
In UK, US and some other countries, Amazon has a very generous student offer that include 6 month free trail and further 50% after the trail ends. But at the moment, there is no student discount for the prime membership for students in Australia. We will keep you up to date once the discount is available in Australia. You can check prime membership in Australia here.
4. Officeworks Student Discount
Officeworks provides low prices for all the study and work related stationary, furniture, electronics and pretty much everything you need for work and study. They also run special students discounts using their Back to school or Back to uni campaigns. You can check the all the student discounts and offers here.
5. Harvey Norman Student Discount
Another popular store for your electronics needs as a student is Harvey Norman. They also run promotions for student discounts at the start of the each school and uni semesters. So keep an eye on the special deals. You can visit the dedicated portal for students on their website.
You can further save money by stacking 4% off Harvey Norman eGift Cards if you become OSA ISIC member.
6. Lenovo Student Discount
Lenovo has great deals on student discounts. At times, the student discount can be up to 50% off the retail prices that includes laptops, desktops and accessories. You can check the Lenovo student discount on Lenovo’s website.
7. HP Student Discount
Another popular brand for the students and they have range of electronics on special deals and offers for the students using their dedicated education store here. You must have an edu email to access the student offers.
8. DJI Student Discount
We have a dedicated student discount for DJI products on our website. Get a 10% off on Mavic Mini and other DJI products here.
9. eBay Student Discount
EBay is known worldwide for their lowest prices but from time to time they also launch the exclusive discount codes for the students, where you can save further 10% to 15% off the items purchased on their platform.
10. Catch.com.au Student Discount
One of the biggest online retailers in Australia, catch.com.au sell everything you need, from electronics to groceries, and you can now save up to 15% when you signup here.
11. Huawei Student Discount
Huawei provides latest gadgets like smartphones, wearables, laptops and accessories at very competitive price. For a limited time, you can score up to 15% on various products using this here.
Fashion
12 Iconic Student Discount
Iconic is Australia’s favorite online fashion retailer. They offer a range of fashion clothing and accessories that suit the taste of students. They offer various student offers with up to 50% off regular prices here.
13. Boohoo Student Discount
Boohoo is a popular female fashion retailer with focus on youth fashion apparel and accessories. Unlock 55% off on dresses and shoes by clicking here.
14. Valleygirl Student Discount
Valleygirl focus on the newest trends, styles and looks you see on the catwalks and fashion magazines for the girls and the ladies. Save up to further 10% on your orders at Valleygirl. Check the Student Beans website for details.
15. Specsavers Student Discount
If you need contact lenses or glasses, then look no further than Specsavers. Unlock $100 off Glasses when you buy one pair from the $199 range and above at Specsavers.
You can also get 10% off on your contact lenses as well by clicking here.
16. Temt Student Discount
TEMT offers modern style for fashion savvy young women who value cutting edge design and know what they want. Unlock 10% student discount at TEMT by checking them on Student Beans website.
17. yd. Student Discount
yd. offer trendy, stylish yet affordable clothing for men. So if you are after a casualwear for parties or a formal dress for a work look no further than this popular youth brand in Australia. Get up to 75% off + additional 10% student discount when shopping at yd. through Student Beans.
Phone Plans
18. Telstra Student Discount
Telstra is considered to be the best phone networkin Australia. Telstra offer up to 10% student discount visa their website here. You must have a edu.au email address to access their student discount.
17. Optus Student Discount
Optus gives 10% off to the students via their students hub. You will need to validate your email and choose a plan using the link given above for exclusive student discounts and offers.
18. Vodafone Student Discount
Vodafone is very famous among student community in Australia due to it’s low prices and roaming offers. Vodafone offers not only discounts to the student on their sim plan but roaming and unlimited data pack options as well. Check them out here.
Entertainment
19. Hoyts Student Discount
Hoyts does not specifically provide discount to student anymore but from time to time they offer a generous discount on various websites like Scoopon and Groupon.
You can also get a $12.50 Hoyts standard tickets if you are using Optusperks app. Check more details here.
Hoyts has also introduced a single ticket pricing (one ticket price for all ages) and saver/super saver sessions that run 7 days a week than just Super Tuesdays.
If you are OSA ISIC member, then you can get $14.50 adult tickets and $11.50 child tickets here.
20. Village Cinema Student Discount
Like Hoyts Cinema’s, there are no student discounts available for students at Village Cinema’s as well but you can always use the Vrewards program and get a discounted tickets.
Also, if you are member of some organisations like RACV, then you can get the standard tickets starting at $9 per session for standard tickets
OSA ISIC members get a discount on Village Cinema tickets also. Adult tickets from $15.50
21. Strike Student Discount
Looking for some indoor fun with mates? Head to Strike and get a student discount with $8 bowling sessions from Monday to Thursday before 5pm here.
Strike offers various fun activities from bowling to laser tag, karaoke to Exitus escape rooms – there’s no shortage of fun at Strike’s 14 venues across Australia.
If you would like to get one complimentary FULL PRICED GAME (including shoe rental) for up to FOUR PEOPLE when another FULL PRICED GAME of equal or greater value is purchased, then OSA ISIC card is your best friend. Check the details here.
22. Holey Moley Mini Golf Student Discount
Holey Moley Golf Club – a cocktail bar, mini-golf course, work of art and all-out cool hub rolled into one brilliant venue. Get a $9 mini golf anytime before 5 pm from Monday to Thursday here.
Travel
23. OSA Students Flights & Hotels Discounts
Travelling is one the most popular activity among students. Whether, you are planning to travel interstate within Australia or overseas or just want to go back, we have got your back for that.
Check the latest discounts, offers and deals for student flights, hotels and car rentals from our website here.
24. Flight Centre
Get 10% off your selected airlines and travel with Flight Centre.
Make sure to grab your OSA ISIC card to access this special discount here.
Subscriptions
25. Spotify Student Discount
Spotify offer 1 month free trail to students and then a premium account for a discounted rates at $5.99 per month. You can access this offer from Spotify here.
26. Apple Music Student Discount
Apple has announced a free Apple TV+ plan with any Apple Music Student Plan along with 3 months trail and discounted offer at $5.99 per month. More details are here.
Food
27. Dominos Student Discount
Dominos Pizza needs no introduction, especially when you are a student. Their pizza’s are famous for any catch up with friends. Dominos offer generous discounts to students , you can get up to 33% off your orders when signing up here.
28. Grill’d Student Discount
Grill’d Burgers offer a free drink for students between Monday to Wednesday. You will need to join their reward program to get the Free drink here. They also give free chips after second visit, free drink after your 5th visit and your birthday for joining the relish reward program.
29. Uber Eats Student Discount
Uber Eats is probably one of the most favorite app for students in Australia to order food. Luckily, Uber Eats offer discount when you signup using the existing code/s from the current users. Get $10 off your first Uber Eats order of $20 or more using the link here.
If you want to drive with Uber Eats, then you can sign up here.
30. McDonald’s Student Discount
Some of the best student discounts can be found in McDonald’s app.
But if you want to get a one complimentary CHEESEBURGER when another CHEESEBURGER of equal or greater value is purchased, then check the deal here. (It goes without saying that it is a part of OSA ISIC Card).
31. KFC Student Discount
KFC launches various coupons during the year.
But our OSA ISIC card covers different KFC offers for various cities in Australia. For example, students in South Australia can get One complimentary TWISTER when another TWISTER of equal or greater value is purchased, One complimentary ORIGINAL RECIPE BURGER when another ORIGINAL RECIPE BURGER of equal or greater value is purchased and last but not the least One complimentary KRUSHER when another KRUSHER of equal or greater value is purchased. Details here.
But students in ACT, VIC and TAS gets the following KFC offer: One Complimentary upsize when any Burger Combo, Kentucky Nugget Combo, Original Tenderloins Combo or Twister Combo is purchased. Details here.
Softwares and cloud services
32. Microsoft Office 365
Students and educators at eligible institutions can sign up for Office 365 Education for free, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and now Microsoft Teams, plus additional classroom tools. Use your valid school email address to get started today here. Make sure your educational institute is eligible for this free access.
33. GitHub Student Developer Pack
This pack gives access to 12 months of free access to GitHub Pro, Partner offers (like 12 months Free Canva Pro + more) and GitHub Campus Expert training for qualified applicants. Check out the pack here.
34. Notion
Notion offers a free Personal Pro Plan for students and educators. This lets you collaborate with unlimited guests and gives you version history. Sign up with your school email address here.
35. JetBrains
Free Educational Licenses for students and educators. The license may be renewed free of charge as long as you are a student or a teacher. Apply here.
36. Other Student Discounts
There are many more discounts on items like health and fitness, fashion, tech, entertainment, food and travel, you can access through OSA ISIC Card. Get your card on overseasstudentsaustralia.com
So these are the top student discounts in Australia for international students. Which one are you looking for? We look forward to your comments below.
If you want to save more money as a student in Australia, then you will definitely want to read on for these 60+ amazing saving tips here.
As you are probably aware, COVID-19 (also known as Coronavirus), is affecting the life of millions of people around the globe. It is no exception that Australia is also affected by this virus and so are the lives of international students who are studying or planning to study in Australia.
In this article, we are analysing the impact of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) on international students and international education in Australia.
What’s the latest update in Australia?
As we know that this is a rapidly changing situation, we will try to keep you updated with the current situation in this section:
Our Government is supporting international students impacted by coronavirus and doing all we can to reduce the impact on your education pic.twitter.com/8HG78nXGK2
COVID-19 is part of a large family of coronavirus that causes illness from common cold to severe illnesses like SARS and MERS.
If you can recall 2003 SARS virus then you already have an idea of the Coronavirus as it belongs to the same family.
This new Coronavirus is spreading fast and has infected more than 135,000 people so far and nearly 5,000 people have lost their lives. WHO has now officially declared COVID-19 as a pandemic.
COVID-19 has not been identified in the humans in the past and there is no vaccination available to cure it yet.
Where did it start?
The virus is believed to have started in the seafood “wet market” in Wuhan city (Province Hubei) of China in December 2019.
It is also believed to have been transmitted from bats to some other animals to humans in the market. The exact cause of this virus has not been identified as yet.
What are the symptoms?
Usually the symptoms develop within 14 days of exposure to the virus. When you are infected with Coronavirus, you usually show flu-like symptoms like:
Fever
Dry cough
Sore throat
Shortness of breath
Body aches
Tiredness
Pneumonia
How to avoid Coronavirus?
The best way to avoid this virus is by maintaining high hygiene standards. Here are some suggestions for keeping yourself safe from this virus:
Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds (or enough for singing a happy birthday song twice while washing hand)
Use tissue when coughing or sneezing. If you don’t have tissue around then use a flexed elbow
Avoid touching your face, eyes, and nose
Avoid getting in close contact with the person who is showing flu-like symptoms
Clean and disinfect the objects and the surfaces
Wear masks only if you are sick or are caring for someone with respiratory symptoms
If you are feeling unwell, then stay home
Why is everyone so scared of this virus?
Some people do have this question in mind, why are so many countries and people nervous of this virus as it has lower mortality rate than some other viruses?
The main reason is that this virus is easily transmissible from one person to the other through respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing. Also, there is a possibility of air-borne transmission of this virus.
The other reason is that there is no vaccination available to cure this virus at the moment and there is an unknown fear factor about this virus about how severe it can get before it gets controlled.
Which countries are banned in Australia for travel?
So far, the Australian Government has banned the travellers from the following countries into Australia:
China
Iran
South Korea
Italy
But it is a rapidly changing situation so you may find more countries or continents listed here in the future.
If you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident then you can still come to Australia from these countries but anyone arriving after 15th March 2020 in Australia will need to quarantine themselves (self-isolation) for 14 days regardless of the country they are coming from or citizenship status.
What is Self-isolation?
Self-isolation is about staying away from a situations that can infect others. So basically to self-isolate, you will need to:
Stay home and avoid going out
if sharing house, separate yourself from others
Wear masks when other people are around
Avoid having visitors to your house
Use delivery services for food and other essential items
How does the coronavirus affect international students and education in Australia?
Obviously, Coronavirus is having a huge impact on many industries, including international education, in Australia.
If you are a student from the countries listed above, then you will need to wait in your home country until the travel ban is lifted. Even if your country is not listed among those that are currently banned by Australia and you are planning to come to Australia, we suggest keeping an eye on Australia’s Department of Health website.
There are other implications that include travelling to other countries from Australia. If you are planning to go overseas for your travel then you might have issues coming back to the country or you might have to quarantine yourself for 14 days or so. Australian Government’s official advice is to reconsider any non-essential travel overseas.
Not only Australia, but many other countries are introducing the entry or movement restrictions to reduce the spread of this virus. So even if Australia has not banned travel from your country. it is possible that your own country might restrict your travel movements. Since many countries are putting these restrictions, your airline might also cancel or alter your travel booking.
As a consequence of the virus, some universities or other educational institutions might reduce the number of courses offered to the students due to low enrolments. Also, there is a possibility that your classes or lectures might be cancelled or postponed or you might even need to study online for a while.
However, there is some positive news from the Department of Home Affairs for the international students working in the Australian supermarkets.
We’re helping Aussie supermarkets to keep essential items like toilet paper, tissues, rice and pasta on their shelves during the COVID-19 crisis. International students will now temporarily be able to work more hours. More details 👇 pic.twitter.com/PCLejRWOP6
International students working in the Australian supermarkets can work extra hours to help keep shelves stocked. If required, these measures can be expanded to other business sectors as well.
The restriction on international students working as nurses in Australia has also been lifted temporarily until further notice.
Where to get the help?
Health
If you are feeling unwell, please call your local GP before going there in person. If you don’t know your local GP practices, then you can google them.
Based on your explanation, your GP will advise the next steps or you can go to the emergency department of your local hospital as well.
As an international student, you will need to have OSHC insurance so we also suggest you to check the requirements with your OSHC provider. When contacting your provider, ask them about any costs related to the testing and if you need to be hospitalised due to Coronavirus.
We suggest you to keep an eye on Australia’s Department of Health website for the up-to-date information about COVID-19.
Study
In regards to your studies, please speak to the support office from your educational institute. They usually update students with any changes being made but we suggest you contact them if you face any issues with your health or studies.
You can check what your university is doing in response to COVID-19 here
Travel
In regards to your travel, it is important for you to keep an eye on the Department of Home Affairs’ website. Here is some more information for student visa holders from Department of Home Affairs
World Health Organisation – Keep yourself informed about the global pandemic at this time by following the updates from WHO
Department of Health – Australia’s official health website for health advice including any cleaning and hygenie protocols.
Department of Home Affairs – Immigration department website for any changes related to visas, travel and work restrictions etc.
Study in Australia – Official website for studying in Australia providing dedicated support services for overseas students.
Department of Education – Australia’s education website for education, skills and employment.
Smartraveller – Official travel advice issued by Australian Government for Australians but very useful website to keep an eye on the conditions for travelling overseas.
ABC News – Australia’s official national public broadcaster for news and stories around Australia.
Australia is known for its bushfires during the summer seasons (December to March) but since September last year, Australia has been battling against one of its deadliest bushfire crises, which already has claimed close to a billion wild animals, thousands of homes, and several human lives, and seems to be not over yet despite the valiant efforts by the firefighters and the local and federal government.
If you’re capable and willing to lend a helping hand, please find some of the ways to support the causes you most feel for, which have been organised by the categories and the area for your convenience. We are also covering some useful tips and guide regarding the Australian bushfire season.
Which areas are affected by these bushfires?
Although, the bushfires are going on pretty much in all states and territories in Australia this season, but there are 4 main states that are severely affected by this year’s bushfire season.
New South Wales – Mostly north coast, the mid-north coast and blue mountains area of the New South Wales state have been badly impacted by the bushfire season.
Victoria – In southern parts of the state Victoria is severely impacted by the bushfires, especially East Gippsland and High Country (including Alpine Region).
South Australia – Kangaroo Island has been badly damaged due to the fire and other areas including Adelaide Hills, Mount Lofty Ranges, etc.
Queensland – In Queensland, mostly southern-eastern, central, northern, and far northern Queensland including the Sunshine Coast region were affected by the blazes.
How to help the Australian bushfire victims, wildlife and firefighters?
There are many ways you can help as an international student in Australia during this bushfire crisis. However, we suggest you can help by:
donating some money to the various registered organisations
becoming a volunteer at one of the organisations that help bushfire victims and wildlife.
spreading the word via your social media accounts
If you can’t afford to pay for the Australian Bush fire appeals then you can help by becoming a volunteer at one of the organisation that supports bush fire victims.
Becoming a volunteer can actually help you in lots of ways, for example:
You can learn more about Australian slang and accent as you are likely to work with many locals. It will certainly help to boost your confidence as well.
You also get to meet people from all walks of life and it gives you a chance to network with like-minded people who are willing to help the community.
You represent your country and community in Australia and by helping people in need, you will help your community representation in Australia.
It looks good on your resume. Australian employers certainly appreciate community-minded employees.
If you would like to donate money
You can consider donating money to the following organisations:
While we are in the middle of the scorching summer and there is no end in sight for the bushfire season, here are few things we suggest to stay safe in Australia:
Download app and regularly check website from your state fire authority website – [NSW] [VIC] [QLD] [SA] [TAS] [ACT] [WA] [NT]
Understand the Fire Danger Rating and warning signs.
Wear masks and stay indoors if there is smoke outside.
Always follow and listen to official news and warnings only.
Final notes
Last but not least, some scammers are using the Australian bushfire as an opportunity to scam people and take advantage of this unfortunate situation. We suggest you always check the details of the organisation before you are going to donate.
We would also like to thank all the firefighters, volunteers and everyone involved in fighting these fires and helping the community in any possible way.
If you can help us by sharing this article with others, it will be really helpful. Thank you for help.
So you have landed to study in Australia but you don’t know anyone here. You don’t know how to get around and worried about making friends. So in this article, we are looking at 10 ways on how to make friends in Australia as an international student.
1. Making friends at University
As an international student studying in Australia, the first point of contact for you will be your educational institution. Whether you are studying in a university, TAFE or a private provider, there are usually many opportunities for making friends at all these institutions.
To make friends at your university, we suggest you attend your orientation. Now we explain a lot about orientation in detail here. But to give you a quick overview, orientation is a way of welcoming new students by Australian educational institutions.
Another way to make friends at uni is when your classes start you can observe the people in your lectures or tutorials and approach them for a drink or sharing notes or just having a meal.
You can also join student social clubs and participate in various activities organised by these clubs. Not only it gives you some experience in dealing with people from various backgrounds but also helps in making lifelong friends.
Also, attending special events organised by your institution is a good way to network and make friends. So whether it is a special lecture, guest speaker conference, workshop, seminar, etc, try to attend as many as you can.
2. Make friends at the workplace
One of another popular place for lots of international students to make friends in Australia is at their workplace.
It is quite a common culture for many workmates in Australia to mingle after work, especially for after-work drinks. But if you don’t drink, that’s fine too as you can ask your workmates to go for other activities like watching a movie, going bowling or a bite to eat.
Lots of workplaces even have a culture to encourage staff to do other activities which help to build team bonding like barbeques, playing sports, day trips and family activities etc.
3. Choose your accommodation wisely
Accommodation can be very critical for making new friends in Australia, so choose it wisely. While there are many types of student accommodations available for international students in Australia. You should choose the one that meets your budget, lifestyle and the one where you can make a few new friends.
Lots of international students choose backpacker hostels as their first accommodation before moving into other types of accommodations. It is not only cheaper to live rather than a hotel or private room but also an excellent way of meeting new people from other countries and cultures.
Apart from backpacker hostels, international students also live in managed student accommodations. These accommodations are specially designed to meet the needs of the students.
So these managed student accommodations have lots of other students from different parts of Australia and the world living under the same roof. If you decide to live in them, then don’t forget to attend all the social events organised by these facilities.
We also know that some students will not live with other students from their own culture or country, so they can make friends from other parts of the world and it can help them to improve their English as well.
4. Facebook and Whatsapp groups
Another way to make friends in Australia is through social media platforms. But we are specifically talking about Facebook and Whatsapp groups as these are indeed very popular networks for socialising in Australia.
There are many groups you can join and make friends with other group members online and attend all the events organised by the group admins or members. Alternatively, you can catch up with these people privately outside the group events too.
In case, you decide to meet a person in private, we suggest you meet them in public places like cafes, restaurants, etc to ensure your safety.
5. Attend local events
Most of the Australian cities and towns organise various food festivals, exhibitions, and other educational events during the year. Check all the local events happening in your area and visit them and make friends with locals there.
You can check all the events happening in your local community by visiting your local council’s website. We suggest you check this website for all the major events happening in each state and territory.
As Australia is one of the most diverse countries in the world, there are many cultural events that you can be a part of. So whether it is Chinese New Year, Indian Diwali Festival, Greek Festival or Spanish Fiesta, you can enjoy these cultural events and make new friends either by just attending or working at them.
These events are usually free to attend and they can be close to your neighbourhood so don’t need to travel far away from attending them.
6. Do volunteering when free
For some students it might seem like that volunteering is a time-consuming task and of course, it’s not paid work but it’s definitely done for a good cause. While volunteering, you will come across people who share the same common values of helping others.
You can do volunteering either by helping an elder, disabled person or you can join a local volunteer organisation. There are many ways you can help the local community in Australia.
It is also very much appreciated by locals and you can use the experience you gained at these volunteer events or jobs in your resumes too.
The volunteer organisations are always needing more helping hands. So don’t be shy! Go volunteer is also a very popular platform for finding volunteer work in Australia.
7. Play sports
Australians love their sports especially Australian Football (aka AFL), Cricket, Soccer, Hockey, Rugby and pretty much any sports you can think of. Playing sports will also mean that you will keep yourself healthy and fit.
Ideally, you can look for sports club in your local area by checking it on facebook groups or find it from your local council or a community center. Sometimes, a simple google search to find a sports club in your local area can also do wonders.
Alternatively, you can also join a gym as they regularly hold events and you can find a buddy to workout with and have a decent conversation as well. You will see familiar faces on a regular basis in the gym, so no harm in asking for a piece of quick advice or support to start a convo there.
8. Go to your place of worship
Believe it or not but religious places are not the only way to connect with God but also with other people who share the same belief as you do. So whether you are Christian (Church) Muslim (Mosque) Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh (Temple), Jewish (Synagogue) there are many religious worship places you can visit for praying and seek friendship there
You can always start by talking with religious leaders of the place about how you can connect with more people and attend the events organised by these places.
Usually, people attending these religious places are welcoming and if you are regularly attending these religious places, you can make more friends there.
9. Go to a local Library
If you love reading books, there is good news for you as there are plenty of libraries in Australia. Not only you can read the books in the library but also you can also find other readers who have a common interest in reading similar types of books.
If you already know about the layout of the library, then you can help others who are searching for books. Again, the libraries also organise tours, events and other activities, you can be a part of these groups for these activities for making friends.
10. Be part of the meetup groups and events
Australian cities are famous for organising lots of meetups. You can literally find many meet groups in each city. The best way to find these groups is by using online platforms like Meetup.com and Eventbrite.com.au.
These groups and events are organised by a host and you can also filter them by your specific interests. If you are confident in organising events, you can also create your own group or event on these platforms.
While lots of these groups and events are free to attend, some of them might cost you some dollars.
So there you have them all on how to make friends in Australia as an international student. We want to hear which method did you use to make new friends in Australia.
Where did it start?
How to avoid Coronavirus?
While we are in the middle of the scorching summer and there is no end in sight for the bushfire season, here are few things we suggest to stay safe in Australia:
So you have landed to study in Australia but you don’t know anyone here. You don’t know how to get around and worried about making friends. So in this article, we are looking at 10 ways on how to make friends in Australia as an international student.
