Embarking on a journey to study in Australia is an exciting chapter filled with opportunities for personal growth, academic achievement, and cultural discovery. As an international student, preparing for this transformative experience is about more than packing your bags—it's about laying the foundation for a successful and enriching time abroad. Understanding the key aspects of adapting to a new environment and embracing this adventure will help you start your journey with confidence and ease. Let’s explore how to make the most of this exciting step forward.
Visa
Have you organised your health insurance? Do you have visa issues? Applying for your visa can sometimes be a lengthier process as you will need to apply with the appropriate documents, that will then be processed.
Explore visa options here →For more information on how to apply →Health Insurance
As an international student you must obtain “Overseas Student Health Cover” (OSHC) which includes basic medical cover. This is only offered by government approved insurance companies below:
Communications
Have you researched or organised your phone and/or internet plan?
Phone and Internet
The biggest providers in Australia are:
Vodafone
Optus
The advantages of using major broadbands in Australia are coverage and speed. If you wish to travel around in Australia this may be something to consider – some areas have no coverage and others are only available to one provider. Smaller companies such as catchconnect and lycamobile sometimes have cheaper rates and will use the networks of larger providers.
Transport
Airport Pickup
Make your travel to Australia as relaxing as possible by organising pick-up from the Airport. You may consider an Uber, a taxi, or request the services of one of our mentors (linked here).
Public Transport
In most larger Australian cities, there is a combination of light rail, trams, buses, and trains.
Larger cities in Australia have transportation cards on which you can load credit, which allow you to use public transport. In some areas, you cannot pay for the transport fare by cash. Below are the names of the transport cards in some major cities. The websites are linked to the transport card names.
Sydney
Melbourne
Brisbane
Perth
Canberra
Accommodation
University accommodation is convenient and makes it easier to make friends, but is not necessarily cost-efficient and sometimes sacrifices privacy. It is a good idea to find temporary accommodation to search potential places which you like.
You may decide to stay at a place for a few weeks to familiarize yourself with the area, reduce stress and possibly save some money. Another option could be to use our mentoring service to view accommodation with information from locals while you are still in your home country.
Temporary
Wotif
Airbnb
Homestay
Long-term
Gumtree
Flatmates
Banking
You will need to have an amount of money for initial expenses such as food or the bond for your long-term accommodation.
Australian Major banks have student bank accounts available that offer zero monthly fees, access to ATMs etc. When making your choice, consider the ATMs available around your university campus. You can start opening the bank account while still overseas using the temporary accommodation address (check with your host whether you can use the address) and it is a good idea to pick up the card personally at the bank branch upon arrival. You will need to bring two official photo ID documents with you.
Money Transfer
Exchanging currencies for money can be expensive. Consider using international money transfer services such as xe or torfx rather than international bank transfers as you might get a far better exchange rate with zero transferring fee. You should plan to transfer money less frequently whatever method you may decide on to save money.
Health and Safety
Use sun protection as the sun is quite strong (sunscreen, sunglasses, T-shirt, hat etc.)
Swim in between the red and yellow flags at the beach (these are the safest water conditions and is where lifeguards will be).
If you get bitten by something, do not touch the wound, try to take a photo of what you got bitten by so that the poison can be identified.
If you decide to travel around Australia or go hiking, bring a first aid kit with pressure bandages and plenty of water.
Culture and Customs
Some things you need to know: