I think that I do not have to discuss here whether it is desirable to
travel to Australia or not, because the answer is obvious. My question is about something different, which is rather important for foreigne
rs than for locals. So, why to study in Australia or why not? What are the implications for a student? And m
ost imp
ortant, how to get through the studies and get away with some things? :o)
Firstly, money money money and hmm maybe MONEY!!!! That is what you should first think about. It is rather sad, but what can you do? According to your financial position you can decide what to study. So, cheap college for international students (vocational) cca A$4000 per 6 months, cheap college for international students (english) cca A$250 per week, TAFE (mix in
ternational and local students) cca A$12000 per year and university - undergraduate cca A$20000 - 35
000 per year. So, now you can see what I meant before.
Secondly, you have to think about th
e purpose of your arrival. Do I want to focus on studies and work just to be able to support myself? Or, do I want to work and go to school just because of my visa?
If you want to focus on studies I recommend TAFE or university, because cheap colleges have terrible education (from my own experience). It is bec
ause they know that most of the students go there just because of visa (surprisingly you can find a few exceptions hehe) and therefore you can really get away with lots of things. What I have noticed the attendance is quite flexible (but it is getting stricter!!!), many teachers do not give a damn and late submission of assessments is fine and overall the 'discipline' is pretty loose.
If you are serious about your education better go to TAFE or uni. That is what I did after spending over a year in the colleges. I am not sure how TAFE works exactly, but I would say that it will be
something in between of colleges and uni. I attend Macquarie University in Sydney and I am absolutely happy. Maybe it is because I do what I love. Universities around the world have similar systems such as years, semesters, units, exams etc. However, if I compare a Czech and Aussie uni I have to say that the Aussie is much more difficult and demanding. It is not just because of the foreign language but also the semester is divided in weeks and we have to study week by week. In Czech I would say that we do not do much first 3/4 of the semester and than last month we stuff our heads with all the study materials for the examination period. Unfortunately, after all exams are finished, I did have terrible headaches and forgot everything - ge
t it fast, loose it fast :o). So, in Aussie unis I would say that you can not really get away with stuff. If you want to have good grades work hard otherwise just try to pass and that is it.
By the law international students can work only 20 hours per week while studying and any hours while on holiday. To be honest, I do not know anybody who works just 20 hours!!! Usually people work around 30-70 hours per week. I know, working 70 hours and more is crazy, but believe me there are many people who do it. As you can see, you can also go around the law with the working hours. Either your employer is happy with your performance and is willing to pay the extra hours in cash or you can have 2-4 jobs and work just a few hours in each:o). I said 2-4 jobs because I think that having more jobs and school is impossible!
So, from my own experience Australia is one of the best countries in the world to live. The only thing for international students is that if you want to be successful in what you do just put your head down and do it. If you can not handle it, well there is only one option - go home.
What is your experience??? Or, if your are local, what do you think???
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