Studying in Australia

Hi there!

I'm a Canadian student who will be doing one year abroad in Australia. I've been looking at Macquarie University in Sydney, but I'd like everyone's take on the different cities they've lived in/travelled to (other options include Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Perth). I'm outdoorsy and am excited about going somewhere WARM finally (need to escape the Ottawa climate).

A few questions about Australia.

1. I hold dual citizenship with Canada and the UK. Will I be able to work while studying in Sydney? What kind of documentation would I need for this?

2. What's the Sydney climate like Sept-May? I don't have asthma so I don't mind dry heats, but I'd like to know if it's windy/rainy/sunny/stormy most of the time. I know Australia's also known to receive torandoes.

3. As a student, would I need to pay for my own medical insurance?

4. Any tips for studying there, good restaurants, grocery stores, sites, etc

5. What is the public transportation like in Sydney and how are the fares?


Thanks so much!

Hello,

I have only been here for 3 weeks, but here is what I have learnt so far.

You can work up to 20 hours a week if you are a full time student. You apply for the student visa in Canada, but cannot apply for the working Visa until you actually START your classes! (Yes, I know it is annoying). You then have to also file for a Tax file number or a large part of your pay check will go to the government.

You can apply for your work visa online, with your favourite credit card, because it costs $60. and once you have that you can file for a tax file number for free online!

With my university it included medical insurance. I would check with your school.

The weather is HOT here. (at least for now) everyone is wearing shorts, cotton pants or dresses! Hardly anyone wears jeans in the summer (which is now) it does get a little chillier in the evening, but not much. I am told that the winter months are colder, but have yet to experience them first hand.

The grocery stores here are expensive, so is food. a bottle of pop in Canada that would cost 1.75 is 2.60 here. The main grocery stores on the Gold Coast are Coles and Woolworths. that I have seen.
Oh and they still have Kmart here.

One thing to be aware of is that things close EARLY here. the stores, malls etc. close at 5:00pm! Thursdays they are open till 9:00pm.

Oh and you can get a free student bank account. I haven't checked this out for sure, but apparently Bank of Nova Scotia and WestPac (first bank in Oz) have an agreement for easy money transfer. so you may want to open a Scotia bank account. I have Royal and an ANZ account and they are not compatible. :0(

This is all that I have learnt so far. Hope it helps.
Lux Mihi