Work in Australia

There is a minimum wage in Australia, which gets updated each year on 1st July.

Currently, the national minimum wage is $772.60 per week, for a 38 hour week, or $20.33 per hour.

But apart from this standard national minimum wage, there is a separate minimum wage for each industry and job in Australia.

Unfortunately, many international students don’t know some of these laws and rules and they get exploited at work.

So went to Fair work Australia website, checked every possible award rates for the most popular part-time and casual jobs that our international student community do in Australia.

In this article, we are going to look at the current pay rates in Australia for some of the most popular casual & part-time jobs.

Before we look at the pay rates, here are few points to keep in mind:

• These rates are correct as on 30th March 2022.
• Although, these pay rates gets updated only once or twice a year but If you want the updated rates, please check Fairwork Australia.
• These rates are for the lowest grade of employment
• All these rates are for the employees aged above 21 years of age.
• Some of the positions has been selected for specific industries but these positions could be available in other industries under different award rate, so please make sure to check your award rate as per your agreement with your employer.

Fast food cashier pay rate

Under Fast Food Industry Award (MA000003), Level 1 fast food cashiers are paid $22.33 per hour (for full-time and part-time employees) and $27.91 per hour (for casuals).

Security guard pay rate

Under the Security Services Award, Level 1 security officers are paid $22.84 per hour (for full-time and part-time employees) and $28.55 per hour (for casuals).

Cleaner pay rate

Under the Cleaning Services Award (MA000022), Level 1 cleaners are paid $21.71 per hour (for full-time), $24.97 per hour (for part-time) and $27.14 per hour (for casuals).

Food and beverage attendant pay rate

Under the Restaurant Industry Award (MA000119), Level 1 food and beverage attendants are paid $20.92 per hour (for full-time and part-time employees) and $26.15 per hour (for casuals).

Aged care worker pay rate

Under the Aged Care Award (MA000018), Level 1 aged care workers are paid $21.62 per hour (for full-time and part-time employees) $27.03 per hour (for casuals).

Event staff pay rate

Under the Amusement, Events and Recreation Award (MA000080), Introductory level are $20.33 per hour (for full-time and part-time employees) $25.41 per hour (for casuals).

Labourer pay rate

Under the Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020), Level 1 (CW/ECW 1) (level a) General Labourer working in Construction industry are paid $28.13 (for casuals).

Retail assistant pay rate

Under the General Retail Industry Award (MA000004), Level 1 retail assistants are paid $22.33 per hour (for full-time and part-time employees) $27.14 per hour (for casuals).

Removalist pay rate

Under the Road Transport and Distribution Award (MA000038), Grade 1 employees are paid $21.53 per hour (for full-time and part-time employees) $26.91per hour (for casuals).

Receptionist pay rate

Under the Clerks – Private Sector Award (MA000002), Level 1 employees are paid $21.62 per hour (for full-time and part-time employees) $27.03 per hour (for casuals).

If you are unsure about your pay rate and would like to check it, here is a step-by-step guide on how to check your pay rate correctly in Australia:

Students have a unique relationship with money. You know that by concentrating on your studies you’ll eventually be able to earn a good living, but in the meantime you find yourself in a state of financial purgatory, looking to simply get by while completing your studies.

With a career beckoning in the near future, the work you do in the interim tends to be casual.

The team at Student Job Board are experts at connecting students with casual work, which is why we’ve teamed up with them to bring you a rundown of the best casual jobs down under.

What are the best casual jobs for students in Australia?

1.Hospitality

Working at a pub, bar or restaurant is almost a rite of passage for students in Australia. The hospitality industry relies heavily on the country’s student population on both sides of the bar!

Minimal training is needed to work as a bartender, barista, waiter or kitchen hand, and these hospitality jobs offer the sort of flexible work hours ideal for scheduling around your studies.

2.Tutoring

Are you a seasoned student with an impressive academic record? Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge with others? If the answers are yes and yes, tutoring might be for you!

Tutoring allows you to more or less set your own hours, and if you are capable of teaching specialised or high-demand material, you can charge a rather nice rate for the pleasure.

Private tutoring can also be offered over the internet, increasing the pool of students you teach and making it the most flexible of earning options.

3.Admin/ data entry

Let’s face it – the words ‘admin’ and ‘data entry’ aren’t the most exciting in the English language. That said, these words represent widely available, well-paid work that can offer a student valuable insight into the world of business or their field of study.

If you have good computer skills and an eye for detail this work can prove to be a nice money spinner, and could even be completed remotely. Some data entry work is paid at a piece rate rather than an hourly rate, so speed and accuracy are critical.

4.Social media management

You might be a highly skilled professional without even knowing it. If you’re part of the current university population, chances are you’re also part of the first generation that only knows aworld with social media.

Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok might be second nature to you, but the same can’t be said for those who are a little older. This means social media and digital marketing jobs can represent a huge opportunity for university students in Australia, as brands attempt to grab the attention of you and your peers.

5.Casual labour

Are you physically fit? Do you like to work with your hands? Casual labour is in constant demand in Australia, with tradespeople, local governments, construction companies and
farmers needing a steady supply of help.

The emergence of the gig economy has also opened up a world of opportunities for students who aren’t afraid of hard work, as you can offer up your services on a marketplace and spend your spare time mowing lawns, moving furniture or offering handyman services.

6.Cleaning

Over the past couple of years, as the world has become far more aware of the importance of sanitation, cleaning is one of those rare industries that has seen an explosion of work. Because cleaning is often tackled after hours, you can fit this work around your studies while enjoying a healthy penalty rate!

There can also be a sense of accomplishment that comes with cleaning – it’s one of those jobs where you can see the impact of your work and get real satisfaction from it.

7.Writing/ editing

Have you ever stopped to think how the entire internet – including what you’re looking at right now – has to be written and edited? If you’re someone who loves the written word, you could get paid to contribute your own content to the World Wide Web!

With every self-respecting brand now selling through a website, publishing a blog, posting on social media and sending out marketing emails, the opportunities for writing work have never been greater!

8.Pet care

When you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. If that love is for animals, why not get paid for hanging out with them? Pets need to be walked, groomed, fed and generally taken care of, and offering any one of these services can prove incredibly fulfilling work, in terms of both your heart and your wallet.

9.Babysitting

Perhaps you love little critters that are decidedly less furry, in which case childcare might be the casual job for you! If you boast years of experience guiding younger siblings through life or have a history of helping friends and family with their kids, babysitting can be a nice earner that might not feel like work at all.

This job will mostly take place over weekends and during that awkward late afternoon gap between the end of the school day and the workday, which is where your flexible university timetable comes in.

The hourly rate generally hovers around minimum wage, though you can command a higher number depending on the nature and timing of the work.

10. Film extra

Why watch TV when you could be on TV? If you’re a born performer, getting a gig as an extra can be a fascinating, exciting and surprisingly profitable move. While you won’t be the star of the show – in fact, it’s usually your job to be the opposite – you will gain insight into the inner workings of the entertainment industry and get paid to be on screen.

The well-established Australian screen industry is in constant need of extras, though you should be aware that this work often comes up at short notice, and can involve long days of filming; though that may not matter to those with stars in their eyes!

As a uni student looking for work, you should feel a real sense of freedom. You can treat your university years as a time to experiment with work – to try different things and see what you like, to gather experience and experiences, and to have fun earning that bit of extra cash. By taking on any one of the jobs mentioned above, you’ll be able to do all that and more.

About Student JobBoard

Student Job Board is Australia’s dedicated job site for university students. Specialising in casual, part-time and holiday work, Student Job Board offers a wide variety of job types across many sectors. We can help you find employment that is not only flexible for your studies but is also complimentary to your chosen career path.

Visit www.studentjobboard.com.au

Many international students are unaware about the hidden jobs in Australia.

When we asked our audience on our Instagram page, the results weren’t surprising for us as you can majority of them never heard about this term at all.

So in this article, we are going to give a comprehensive guide on hidden jobs in Australia, where to find them and some key tips to take away when applying for these jobs.

What is a hidden job market?

While most of the people will turn to online portals like seek, indeed, adzuna in hope of a job in Australia, there are many jobs that are not advertised on these portals or anywhere at all.

It is believed that around 70% of the jobs that are not advertised anywhere in Australia.

So, the jobs that are not available online or in print media or in other published source is know as hidden jobs.

How it works?

If you work in company and they need to fill a job opening, they might ask you (internal staff) first if they can refer someone to the job opening.

Once refered, this person will go through resume check, reference check and interview process as normally.

And if they are hired, then they filled up a position without business ever needing to advertise this job anywhere.

Benefit of these hidden jobs

So what are the benefits of not advertising these jobs and keeping them hidden

For businesses:

• Saves time and efforts – The whole recruitment process including advertising, selecting and interviewing takes heaps of time and efforts for a business. Without needing to go through this whole process with many candidates saves ton of time and efforts
• Money – And time means money in business. So business end up saving money as well. There is a cost pout ads on the platforms and cost of recruiters etc. that can be saved by the business when hiring people through these methods.
• Reliable candidate – Most of the time business will end up getting a reliable candidate as the existing staff will refer the right candidates. You wouldn’t want to refer wring people for the job ( you know that you might be risking your on jobs doing that).

For staff:

• Referral bonus – Some businesses do have referral bonuses for the staff who refer right candidates. So, they can score some cash while refering their friends and family.
• Working with friends – Also, the staff can get to work with their friends and family members which can be fun.

For candidates:

• Less hassle – People who get the jobs via hidden channels usually have to worry less than traditional job applications as the employers already have some info about them through existing staff.
• More chances to get a job – There is a very good chance that you will end up getting a job if you are refered by someone who are already working there.

How to find these hidden jobs

There are different approaches or ways you can take to find these hidden jobs. Here are our top picks:

1. Networking – You might have heard about this word somewhere else also.

Networking is all about building relationships, interacting with others, exchanging information. It can be done in face to face meetings or in virtual environment (online) as well.

As most of these hidden jobs are referrals by existing staff of the business, so it is vital for you to know these staff members in order to score these jobs. The way you get know these people are through your network.

So the question is where can I meet these people and network?

Here are some common places where you can network with others

• Industry associations events
• Student associations events
• Local councils events
• University Alumni networks
• Facebook groups

1. Cold calling or messaging – You should try to send an email or messages to the key recruiting team members of the businesses you are interested to work for. This could be regarding a coffee catch up or reaching out to sew if there are possible opportunities for job openings in the business.
2. Social media – LinkedIn is the most important social network when it comes to professional networking. You should connect with people in your industry on the platform. Here is a quick tip, when sending a connection request on LinkedIn, send a personalised message asking for a possible coffee catch up. (See example below)
3. Volunteering – You can do some good deed by helping others in need when doing volunteering, but it will be even better for your career. You can build your network and work experience as well while volunteering.
4. Sign up for company newsletters – If you want to work for a company and we suggest you to sign up for their newsletter. Some of these businesses actually send the job openings in these newsletters. You will also get to know the other updates in these businesses as well.

Tips on finding these hidden jobs

Here are some tips you can takeaway from this article:

• Network effectively – Start learning on how to network effectively with others. You should be trying to build your network in Australia. Going out, meeting new people and building new relationships can help you score these jobs.
• Work on LinkedIn Profile – LinkedIn Profile is a must if you are serious about getting jobs in Australia. You need to polish it up making sure you cover all the details are up to date and have the right profile picture.
• Research effectively on companies you want to work for – Go to the company’s website, research about them on their social media and ASX if the company is listed there. You need to get as much information about the company and its people working there. Luckily, most of this research these days can be done from the comfort of your couch.
• Work on your communication – While still looking for jobs, the key thing you want to do is work on your communication. It will also help you to build your confidence as well. You can do this by taking some short courses on websites like Udemy and some of them are available for Free on YouTube as well.
• Be presentable – You can work on yourself to be more presentable with your clothes and body language. We know your physical appearance will not be part of any recruitment process, but it is good idea to come across more professional in your approach. And as the saying goes, the first impression is the last impression.

If you are unsure about what type of emails you should be sending for networking and interview follow ups, we have got the templates for that. Click here to get those templates.

Remember – Not every job is advertised.

International students looking to work in the farms or agriculture industry can be eligible for a total of up to $2,430 bonus cash payments.

In this article, we are covering information on what exactly this $2,430 bonus is and how international students can get this bonus.

What is this $2430 bonus?

Victorian government is giving bonus to work in the local farms.

Basically, shortage of farm workers in Victoria and across Australia due to border restrictions.

Usually, workers from Pacific Islands and backpackers do this farm work.

Job seekers who take up a seasonal harvest job on a Victorian farm on or after Wednesday 17 February 2021 can apply for a Seasonal Harvest Sign-on Bonus.

The $2,430 bonus is paid in two instalments:

• First Bonus: $810, after 10 days’ work within a 30-day period
• Second Bonus: $1,620, after an additional 30 days’ work within a 90-day period

International students can work more than 40 hours per fortnight if they are working in farming/agriculture industry.

Especially if your classes are running online, then you should consider this opportunity to score extra bonus on top of your salary.

It is definitely not an easy work as it requires physical efforts but nearly $300 per week for 8 weeks of work on top of your salary is a pretty sweet deal.

More information on the seasonal bonus can be found here.

Job duties in farms

Some of the common job duties in the farms includes:

• fruit picking in the field
• packing & preparing the fruit in sheds
• pruning and thinning fruit trees
• driving forklifts, tractors, and other machinery.

Minimum Wage

In the farming sector, you can earn an hourly wage or a piecework rate. It is based on Horticulture Award

Hourly wage

• $19.84 for an adult full-time employee
• $24.80 for an adult casual employee.

Piecework rate

It is based on the amount you have picked, packed, pruned or made.

This rate has to allow the ‘average competent employee’ to earn at least 15 per cent more per hour than the relevant minimum hourly rate

Eligibility for this bonus

To be eligible for the bonus you must:

• have work rights in Australia
• be working on a farm that produces fruit, dried fruit, vegetables, olives, nuts or wine grapes
• be working on-farm in picking, packing and harvesting activities, including operating harvest machinery
• start work on a Victorian farm on or after 17 February 2021
• not be employed under the Pacific Labour Scheme or Seasonal Worker Programme.

What do you need to apply?

These are some of the documents required to apply for this sign-in bonus

• Payslips
• Timesheets
• Name and contact details of your employer
• The addresses of the farm sites you worked at.

How to get a harvest Job?

You can register your interest to work in the farms here.

Victorian government has a dedicated website to find work in local farms.

You will also get free training to understand the nature of work on the farms. Most of this training is done online.

You can register for free training here.

Relocation assistance

On top of victorian government bonus, there is additional assistance available if you are moving to work in the remote farming industry.

Relocation assistance will be available for people to move and take up jobs in agriculture, including harvest work. This financial assistance can help you cover your costs of travel and accommodation expenses.

The eligible international job seekers including international students can claim a reimbursement of up to $2,000.

To search harvest trail work, check this government website.

Eligibility

To eligible for relocation assistance, you must:

• be at least 18 years of age
• relocate within Australia to a regional, remote or Harvest Area
• take up a short-term agricultural work including harvest work placements through a HTS provider
• work for at least 6 weeks and at least 120 hours in agricultural work.

For more information on this relocation package, check the Australian government website here.

If you are looking for work in Australia, then we suggest you check our guide on finding work here.

Finding a job as an international student in Australia is never an easy task.

Whether it’s your first part-time job or a job after your graduation.

So in this article, we are going to give you top 9 tips on how to get a professional job after graduation in Australia.

1. Prepare your Resume and Cover Letter

It goes without saying that Resume and Cover Letter are the most important documents in your job applications.

And obviously your resume and cover letter has to be top notch in order to have any chance of scoring a job in Australia.

There are some key things you need to keep in mind when writing your Resume or Cover Letter.

If you don’t know how to write your resume or cover letter, we’ve got plenty of information regarding that on our website.

We also got a free resume and cover letter template as well. You can download and customise it as per your needs.

2. Be ready to fail

Now you might be wondering why are we talking about failing.

Well it’s very important for you to be psychologically prepared when applying for jobs and be rejected. It is quite certain that you might not be able to score your professional job straight away after graduation.

So here to illustrate this better, here is an example of a friend of mine. He finished his Bachelor’s Degree in IT and although he applied for many jobs he was getting tons of rejections in most of them.

It wasn’t until year and a half after completing his graduation he managed to score a job. While in this year and a half he did his best to make sure that he was learning, updating and being mentally ready and prepared to go out every single time and look for job.

Once he scored his first professional job, his career really had a great boost and now he’s earning six figure salary and very successful in his career.

So this tip is a very critical for you that you must be able to persist these rejections and failures.

It can be a frustrating journey but you have to continue to persevere.

3. Work on your soft skills

So you already have completed your graduation and have got some skills and knowledge for your industry. But, it’s equally important for you to have these soft skills which includes things like:

• communication
• teamwork
• leadership
• critical thinking
• decision making
• and many more

The company’s recruiters understand that you may not have that much knowledge or work experience as a fresh graduate but they surely want to see that if you have some soft skills that you can bring to the table when you applying for the very first professional job.

There are plenty of free courses available that you can take in order to improve your communication skills and other soft skills.

It will be even better if you can improve these soft skills while you are still studying.

So when choosing a university, make sure to ask if they have any programs for students that can be helpful for the employment in Australia.

4. Grow your Network

It is a fact that many jobs in Australia don’t even get advertised and as many of them come through the referrals or through the network of existing employees.

Basically if you know someone in the company, you have a very good chance to score a job in that business as long as you meet the criteria and you have the skills and knowledge to do it.

So, it’s important for you to start looking at how you can grow your network. You can certainly attend some networking events that are organised by your university or institute.

We highly recommend you that you should print out your own business cards especially after your graduation and go and attend these networking events and try to build a relationship with the people coming to those events.

It certainly take a while to get used to these networking events but once you get used to it, it can help you to grow your network.

5. Polish up your social accounts

Apart from the networking sessions, it’s important that you have a strong online presence as well.

Majority of the the recruiters these days look up to your social media accounts. One of the most popular social media network when it comes to professionals is Linkedin and having a Linkedin account for any graduate is a must.

If you already have a LinkedIn account, then you should definitely look at polishing it up. Many students have ended up getting jobs through LinkedIn.

Apart from LInkedIn, other social media accounts which includes facebook and instagram or other accounts, you need to be very careful in what you are putting on those accounts as well.

As recruiters might end up finding you through those social media accounts and if you got some personal content that you think you shouldn’t be there then we highly recommend you to tidy it up.

6. Be a volunteer

It’s always good idea to help people. We don’t suggest you to do volunteering only for the sake of getting a job.

But if you can get some volunteer experience that can be a great thing for your career. There are specific platforms available for finding volunteering positions in Australia and most of the charity organisations (like Salvation Army, Vinnies, Red Cross) look for some volunteers all year round.

So you should try to reach out to these organisations or you can check a platform like Go volunteer or Seek volunteer.

7. Find an internship

Internships can be paid or sometimes unpaid as well.

Before completing your degree, you should try to reach out to your university to see if they have any internship opportunities available for the graduates.

Sometimes there are opportunities available for graduates in companies that have partnership with your universities. So the first step is to find those opportunities if they are available.

If not, then many businesses in Australia post their internship opportunities on their websites. You need to keep an eye out on any internship opportunities available in your industry. Check on Seek and company websites for these opportunities.

If you like some specific organisation, then reach out to them to see if they have any internship opportunities. There is no harm in trying.

Once you do end up getting an internship opportunity, try to make the best use out of it. So that you might end up getting you a full-time position.

As there are chances that some of these organisations will actually hire their own interns after their completion of internship.

8. Contact recruitment agencies

There is a reason why the recruitment agency services exist.

Sometimes you have to reach out to these agencies in order to help you score a professional job. They can certainly help you to touch up your resume, your cover letter and get you ready for these job interviews as well.

Usually these are paid services and you may have to invest some money in this. There are plenty of recruitment agencies in Australia in order to get you a professional job like:

• Michael Page
• Hudson
• Addeco

You might not need these recruitment agency services if you already scored the job before that but it’s something to consider as well.

9. Be innovative and creative

You will be competing against thousands of other graduates for the same job you’re applying for.

So it’s important to standout from the crowd and be innovative and creative when you’re applying for the jobs.

So let’s take an example here, let’s say you are working in a restaurant and you have just completed your Master’s degree in marketing.

You can actually help out the restaurant you work in by setting up their digital marketing, social media accounts, marketing campaigns etc. This can help you and your career in long run.

Remember, it’s not only about taking but giving as well.

Think from other person’s perspective who’s probably going to hire you. So you might have to go out of your way in order to help some businesses and that can certainly boost up your career.

The mantra here is “Think out of the box”

If you can provide some value to some other businesses or individuals or may be sending your resume in a different way than most of the other candidates might do.

So these were some tips we wanted to discuss with you in regards to finding a job after your graduation in Australia. Let us know in the comments if you find any specific tip useful or you might have some other tips to share.