Australia stands third in the list of the most-chosen studying abroad destinations for international students. A country of refined culture, pleasant weather and an excellent political environment make students love the island nation. Although the cost of education is considerably lower in the country than in the US or UK. That is why most international students look for part-time jobs in Australia to sustain their daily expenses.
Talking about part-time jobs in Australia, there are tons of opportunities lying in the open. Australian student visas allow students to earn their living by running errands or working in firms.
However, some hard-and-fast rules determine the hours of work that students do. If you are looking to study abroad in Australia, then you should know these beforehand.
Keep reading this blog to know more about it. Plus, you can also discover what the most popular part-time jobs for students in Australia are.
Regarding Permitted Work Hours On Student Visa
Work hour rules, according to the Australian student visa, vary from time to time. Overseas students coming to Australia for studying must ensure that:
- Their work hours are capped upto 40 hours a fortnight. This rule goes during the entire university semester study periods.
- A fortnight is 14 days, starting from any Monday and ending up on the second upcoming Sunday.
- For holidays and vacations, the period has no upper limits.
- Students cannot start working in any agency unless they start their higher study courses.
In these 14 days, students can spread out their working hours according to their convenience.
It means that if you work 25 hours in the first week, you have just 15 hours left for the second. You must remember that you cannot breach the time going beyond it.
To elaborate, you can work for 10 hours in the next week, but never 16 hours. Breaching this rule won’t bring happy results for you and may even lead to visa cancellation. That is why you should always be aware of your working hours.
Available Part-Time Jobs For Students
Australia presents a wide variety of work opportunities for international students. If you are looking for how to find part-time job in Australia, then have a look at these options –
The Retail Industry
Different markets, malls, supermarkets and stores hire students for various job roles. You can be working in a small store, a chain of stores or a multi-storied departmental store. It all depends on your real-time skills and smartness.
The Hospitality Industry
There are various part-time job options in the cinemas, movie halls, bars and restaurants. You can also find job offerings from hotels, motels, food stores and sporting venues. The job you get in any of these will depend on your attitude and behavioural skills.
The Service Industry
Customer service companies open up exciting job vacancies for foreign students in the country. You can get a job in supermarkets, call centres, telemarketing companies, sales companies, warehouses, and fuel stations. Your attributes are highly beneficial for these companies to run smoothly.
Even beyond these, there are various departments where students can work. It is all about your personal choices because the availability never ceases.
The 5 Most Popular Part-Time Jobs To Choose
There are ample job options for students in the country across various sectors. Most of them require different types of skills and working capabilities. None of them asks for specialization, so that is a bonus for freshers and undergraduates.
Here are the top five most-chosen part-time jobs –

Working as a Waiter
This is by far the most chosen and the most popular one for students with good communication skills. If you have a good attitude and a warm personality, you can apply to any restaurant or cafe.
However, remember that waiters can take calls from customers or the one who serves drinks and foods. It all depends on what options the particular restaurant, cafe or food counter has in store for you.
Furthermore, you can also work as a kitchen assistant or dishwasher.
Average Wage: Around $20 AUD an hour.
Working as a Cleaner
Working as a cleaner will not require any distinct levels of communication. Also, you can have flexible work hours, which is a good thing to have for students.
Talking about employers, you can get hired by any cleaning company in the city. You can look for viable options in private homes, hotels, restaurants and other places too. Working as a cleaner usually gets the job done for students as it pays nice money.
Average Wage: Anything between $18-25 AUD per hour.
Working as a Transporter
Basically, your job will be to help the transporting personnel in transporting goods and other items. We recommend working as a removalist only if you are okay to do physical work.
Your job can be working in a supermarket, any appliance or a furniture store. You can also work for any house-shifting packers and movers company.
Note that while some companies might not ask you for a driving license, some might ask. So, before you choose the company, make sure that you know what their requirements are.
Average Wage: Usually hangs between $18-25 AUD for an hour.
Working as a Delivery Man
This is one of the best options you can go for, especially for students with a driving license. All you need to have is a motorcycle which may or may not is provided by your company.
If the company does not provide them, you can rent them too. Or, for short-distance routes, you can hire bicycles even.
You can find a job in any local eCommerce store, restaurants, cafes and other places.
Before recommending this part-time job option, we suggest you have a fair idea about your city’s map. Spend some time knowing the traffic rules and street rules.
Also, having some good communication skills in English will be a bonus. It is because you might need to talk with someone to find a particular delivery location.
Average Wage: Expect something between $18-25 AUD per hour. Night shift charges might vary in some cases.
Working as a Customer Care Executive
Every company has a customer care department that takes care of grievances, feedback or solves issues. Many companies offer part-time jobs for students in Australia as customer care representatives or executives.
This industry usually stays in high demand all around the year. If you can prove that your communication skills are pretty good, then this is the job.
There are no particular companies or types of companies, as all companies have their customer care departments.
Average Wage: Can go up to $25-30 AUD per hour.
Must Read: How Can Students Use Internet To Earn An Income?
Even beyond these, there are several part-time jobs in Australia that offer handsome amounts of money. However, these were the most chosen and also the most popular fields chosen by international students. You can choose from any of these, looking at what suits your preferences the best.