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Managing work/study balance

UTS College programs are fast-track in nature with only short holidays, so a focus on study is important. If you would like to get a part-time job, make sure that your work arrangements don’t interfere with your study commitments.

Permission to work (for international students)

As an international student, your student visa comes with limited work rights. You are not permitted to work until you have started your program. You can work up to 40 hours every two weeks while your program is in session.

For more information on your work rights visit the Department of Home Affairs website and the official Australian Government website for advice on working while studying in Australia.

You can work an unlimited number of hours during scheduled program breaks. Review our important dates page to plan your part time job schedule in advance.

Your rights as an employee, Fair Work

Students, including those on student visas, have the same workplace rights as all other workers in Australia. The Fair Work Ombudsman provides free advice and support to all workers; helping you to understand your rights, including pay and conditions, visa matters and help with other workplace issues. More information can be found at the Fair Work Ombudsman website.

UTS College recommends that you always record the hours you have worked in your part-time job. The Fair Work Ombudsman provides the Record My Hours app to assist you in doing this.

Tips for finding a job

UTS College regularly conduct Careers Workshops, covering topics such as:

  • How can I search for a job?
  • How can I improve my resume?
  • Learn useful tips on how to succeed at an interview. 
 

For information on when the next workshops are being held, see the listing of the upcoming workshops in Canvas. Once you are a student at UTS, you can access the UTS Career Hub.

Support or resources to help you find a job

The most popular job search providers are Seek, Indeed, Adzuna and CareerOne. Ethical Jobs is the best place to look for not-for-profit work. If you are seeking hospitality work, take your resume in to the venue.

Employment essentials

In Australia, there are a number of things that you will need to do when you start working.

In order to work in Australia, you will need to obtain a Tax File Number (TFN) from the Australian Tax Office website. Please note, your TFN is valuable. Don’t share it with friends and don’t provide it on the internet when applying for work. Keep it secure.

In Australia, most income including salary or wages is paid directly into your bank account. If you need to set up a bank account or talk to a bank manager, there are several banks located close to UTS College:

For further information, see Opening a Bank Account.

Superannuation (or 'super') is a form of saving for retirement in Australia. When you visit and work in Australia, your employer may be required to make super contributions to a super fund on your behalf. You can usually choose your own super fund.

These super contributions must be at least 9.5% of your ordinary earnings and you need to be:

  • 18 years old or over
  • paid $450 or more (before tax) in a month.

If you’re under 18 years old, you must meet the above conditions and work more than 30 hours per week to be entitled to super contributions.

Note, your employer is not required to make super contributions if you’re paid to do work of a private or domestic nature for 30 hours or less each week.

When you leave Australia, you may be eligible to claim that super back as a departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP). There are requirements you will need to meet to claim your DASP and your DASP is taxed before you receive it. For more information, go to the Australian Tax Office website.

If you're enrolled to study in Australia in a program that lasts for six months or more, you may be regarded as an Australian resident for tax purposes. For more information go to the Australian Tax Office website.

The ATO has a range of videos to help students understand and meet their tax and superannuation obligations, go to the Australian Tax Office website.

Where to get help if something goes wrong at work

If something goes wrong at work, you can contact the: