16 Best Jobs for International Students in Australia + How Much Money You Can Earn
For international students contemplating their journey to Australia, understanding the employment landscape is crucial for both financial planning and career development.
The Australian job market uniquely positions international students to gain valuable experience across many different industries while earning competitive wages. Recent changes to work regulations have made Australia even more attractive for international students, with the current framework designed to support both study commitments and financial needs.
Whether you’re planning to cover living expenses, gain industry experience, or build a foundation for post-study work opportunities, understanding your options is the first step toward making informed decisions about your Australian study and work commitments.
Visa Regulations and Work Rights
Understanding your work rights with the Student Visa (Subclass 500) is fundamental for international students in Australia. Let’s break down every aspect you need to know:
Detailed Work Rights for the Student Visa
- During your study time, you may work up to 48 hours per fortnight (2 weeks)
- Work restrictions apply as soon as your course commences
- Paid and unpaid work both count toward the limit
- Students pursuing master’s by research or doctoral degrees may have unlimited work rights
- Special Circumstances:
- Unlimited work hours in the tourism and hospitality sector
- Professional placements required by your course don’t count toward work limits
- Volunteer work may not count if it benefits a community or non-profit (check in with your immigration lawyer or agent if your specific voluntary work counts or not)
- Note: you cannot start work until your course officially begins
Documentation and Legal Requirements
International students in Australia are entitled to the same workplace rights and protections as Australian workers, including:
- Fair pay and working conditions
- Safe working environment
- Protection against discrimination
- Right to join unions
- Access to superannuation
Here are the most important documents you need to have:
- Your valid Student Visa (Subclass 500)
- Tax File Number (TFN) and/or Australian Business Number (ABN)
- If you want to learn more about these and how they work, you can check out our post about TFN and ABN numbers here.
- Local bank account
Top Part-Time Jobs for International Students
Let’s explore each job sector in detail to help you make an informed decision about which opportunity best suits your skills, schedule, and career goals.
Hospitality Industry
The hospitality sector focuses on providing comfort, enjoyment, and memorable meals to guests. It includes restaurants, cafes, catering services, food trucks, and hotel dining. Customer satisfaction is the main goal, with businesses offering great service, tasty food, and personalized experiences. In most cases, no experience is required for entry-level hospitality positions, and there’s always high demand, making this field a good working opportunity for all international students.
An added benefit of working in this field is you get the opportunity to learn real, practical skills for later in life, including coffee making, cooking, food prep and many more. Even if you never do it professionally, there are many tricks that can make your life easier and cooking more enjoyable. And if all else fails, you can at least impress your friends with your fancy new tricks!
Café and Restaurant Work
Barista Positions
- Entry salary: $25-30/hour
- Advanced barista: $32-38/hour
- Required certifications: Barista training (costs $100-200)
- Career progression: Head barista, café management
- Peak seasons: Year-round, busier during holidays
Wait Staff
- Base rate: $24-28/hour
- With penalties: Up to $40/hour on weekends
- Tips: $20-50 per shift (venue dependent)
- Skills needed: English proficiency, customer service
- Physical demands: Standing for long periods
- Best venues: High-end restaurants, busy cafés
Kitchen Hands
- Starting rate: $24-27/hour
- Evening rates: $28-32/hour
- Required: Food safety certification
- Advancement: Cook positions, kitchen management
- Physical demands: High
- Additional benefits: Usually includes meals
Retail Sector
The retail sector includes businesses that sell products or services directly to customers. It is a key part of the global economy, driving buying habits and shaping market trends. This sector covers various formats like physical stores, supermarkets, department stores, and specialty shops. As with hospitality, there’s always a high demand for new workers, making this a relatively easy field of work to get into. A main requirement here is customer service and a positive demeanor, so if this sounds like something you’re good at, you can consider the below positions.
Department Stores
Sales Assistant
- Base rate: $24-26/hour
- Commission opportunities in some stores
- Regular hours available
- Staff discounts: 15-50%
- Career path: Supervisor, department manager
- Peak seasons: Christmas, End of Financial Year
Specialty Retail
Fashion Retail
- Pay rate: $25-28/hour
- Commission: 2-5% on sales
- Flexible scheduling
- Fashion industry experience
- Staff clothing allowances
- Visual merchandising skills valuable
Electronics/Technology
- Higher base rate: $26-30/hour
- Product knowledge training provided
- Commission structure
- Technical aptitude required
- Career progression opportunities
Education Support and Tutoring
Helping students succeed with personalized support, subject help, and learning strategies designed for their needs. Education support can include any subject, ranging from University courses like business or science, or personal interest subjects, like languages, or even guitar, piano or football. If there’s a topic you know a lot about, you can consider this route. You don’t need any formal teaching qualifications, only a positive attitude and someone that needs your help.
This kind of work can also be very personally rewarding, as you’ll get to see someone’s improvement as a result of your help, and you might even make some good friends this way, so it’s certainly worth considering.
Unlike the above roles, educational help can be a job you can do online and on your own terms, so if you value flexibility and setting your own schedule, this might be for you. Remember, however, that this might not be a very steady source of income, so many students opt for this as a second or additional job.
Private Tutoring
Academic Subjects
- Rates: $30-50/hour
- Online tutoring: $25-40/hour
- Group sessions: $20-25/hour per student
- Subject areas: Mathematics, Sciences, English
- Platform options: Private, agency, online
Language Teaching
- IELTS preparation: $35-55/hour
- Conversational language: $30-45/hour
- Online platforms: $25-40/hour
- Group classes: $200-300/week
- Cultural exchange opportunities
Delivery Services
Delivery services are a rapidly growing job sector, as a result of increased online shopping and food deliveries all across the country (and the world). Many students appreciate the flexibility and relative ease of this job, as the main requirement is a form of transport (bike, scooter, car, etc) and time. As this is demand-based work, there are naturally calmer and busier periods, so consider if these suit your schedule.
Food Delivery
Platform-based work
- UberEats/Deliveroo: $25-35/hour
- Peak times: Evening/weekends
- Vehicle requirements
- Insurance considerations
- Flexible scheduling
- Instant payment options
Courier Services
Package Delivery
- Base rate: $26-32/hour
- Vehicle allowance
- Regular routes available
- Physical requirements
- Security clearance needed
Cleaning Services
Cleaning services involve maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in residential, commercial, or industrial spaces. Professionals in this field perform tasks such as dusting, vacuuming, mopping, sanitizing surfaces, and organizing spaces to ensure a clean and safe environment. This is an entry level position where experience is often not required, only a positive attitude and the ability to learn quickly.
Depending on the employer’s needs, you might either have a stable working schedule, or work casually based on demand and requirements each day.
Commercial Cleaning
Office Cleaning
- Early morning/evening shifts
- $25-30/hour base rate
- Team environment
- Regular, reliable work
- Training provided
- Career progression to supervisor
Hotel Housekeeping
- $26-32/hour
- Room quotas
- Physical demands
- Year-round work
- Training provided
- Peak holiday seasons
Administrative Roles
Administrative work includes a wide range of tasks aimed at ensuring the smooth operation of an organization. It involves managing daily activities, coordinating schedules, and optimizing workflows to maintain efficiency. Key responsibilities include supporting executives, handling employee relations, overseeing recruitment and training, managing office spaces, and ensuring compliance with policies and regulations.
Administrative roles often focus on organization, communication, and problem-solving, with tasks such as document management, financial tracking, project coordination, and visitor facilitation. These roles are essential for maintaining structure and productivity within a workplace.
Office Support
Data Entry
- $25-28/hour
- Air-conditioned environment
- Computer skills required
- Regular business hours
- Professional experience
- Career development
Front Desk
- $26-30/hour
- Customer service focus
- Professional environment
- Language skills valuable
- Career networking
- Business attire required
Campus Employment
Campus employment refers to job opportunities available to students within their university or college environment. These roles are designed to provide financial support, professional experience, and skill development while accommodating academic schedules. Opportunities range from part-time positions, such as library assistants or event staff, to specialized roles like research or teaching assistantships.
Many universities also offer work-study programs for students eligible for financial aid, as well as leadership roles within student organizations.
Library Assistant
- $26-30/hour
- Flexible with studies
- Quiet environment
- Research skills development
- Networking opportunities
Research Assistant
- $30-35/hour
- Academic experience
- Field-specific work
- Publication opportunities
- Professional references
Factors to Consider When Choosing
- Schedule Compatibility (Course timetable, assignment periods, exam schedules)
- Skill Development
- Future career alignment
- Financial Aspects (Hourly rate, additional benefits, transport costs)
- Reference potential
Salary Expectations and Earning Potential
When working as a student in Australia, it’s very important you understand the underlying structure of wages, benefits, and associated costs. As you earn a wage, you can’t forget about your tax obligations, even as a temporary student. Paying taxes, however, also offers some benefits, such as access to Australia’s superannuation (retirement fund). If you want to learn more about superannuation, we’ve got a detailed post about superannuation here.
Here’s a breakdown:
Current Wage Structure (2025)
Basic Wage Frameworks
- National Minimum Wage: $24.10/hour
Remember you can only work part-time as a student, which is usually calculated as up to 48 hours per fortnight. This means that on minimum wage, you can earn $1,156.8/2 weeks, or $578.4/week. Remeber this is the minimum if you work minimum wage for 48 hours. If you make more per hour, this can be higher!
Maximum Earning Scenarios
Standard 48-Hour Fortnight
Basic Retail/Hospitality Mix
- Weekday Hours (32): $964
- Weekend Hours (16): $482
- Monthly Potential: $2,892
Tax Implications
- Tax-Free Threshold: $18,200
- Tax Rates:
- 0-$18,200: Nil
- $18,201-$45,000: 16%
Let’s calculate the basic example of a hospitality mix from above.
$2,892 (monthly) x 12 = $34,704
- First $18,200:
- Tax = $0
- Income from $18,201 to $34,704:
- This is 34,704−18,200=16,504.
- Tax on this portion: 16,504×0.16=2,640.64
Total tax payment: $2,640.64
Total money in your pocket: $32,063.36
Superannuation
- Current Rate: 11%
- Eligibility: Earn $450+/month
Tips for Finding Employment
Securing the right job in Australia requires a strategic and well-planned approach. We have a very detailed post on job searching in Australia that you can check out here, but beyond general employment advice, a great resource you should look into are specialised student job platforms. These platforms allow you to look for employment, internships and other earning opportunities that are catered to students, meaning they’re more flexible on schedules and working hours. Here are a few such platforms you can check out:
GradConnection: This page highlights over 1200 graduate job and internship opportunities in Australia, including 12-week programs in fields like mechatronics, civil/structural engineering, and logistics/supply chain, with flexible start dates and options for international students. It also promotes features like job alerts, career advice, and networking opportunities, alongside events like “Meet the Recruiter” sessions and initiatives such as Amazon WoW.
StudentEdge: Student Edge is Australia’s largest member-based organisation for high school, TAFE, VET, and university students, offering discounts, job listings, paid surveys, competitions, and study resources to make student life easier and more affordable. Founded in 2003 by students, it provides a range of benefits, including the latest news, exclusive deals, and free online competitions.
Uni Hubs: these are student hub pages individual to each university, here’s one at Queensland University (QUT), and this one’s at University of Newcastle. After some searching it seems that not all universities provide this sort of incentive, so you may wish to take this into consideration when planning your studies.
We’ve also got a detailed post on the best tips to get a job in Australia here.
Conclusion
Working while studying in Australia offers international students valuable opportunities for both financial support and professional development. With careful planning and understanding of work rights, visa regulations, and available opportunities, you can successfully balance your academic life with part-time employment.
Remember that your primary focus should remain on your studies, and work should complement rather than compromise your educational goals. Whether you’re serving coffee in a busy café, tutoring fellow students, or working in retail, each role provides unique learning experiences and contributes to your professional growth in Australia’s diverse workplace culture.
Good luck—you’ve got this!
