The International Students’ Handbook: Living and Studying in Australia

269 Pages·2009·3.25 MB·English

by  Danny Ong

The
international
Students’
Handbook
Danny Ong frst came to Australia in 2002 as an international student from
Singapore. He completed his Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) with a thesis on
Study-Work-Life Balance of International Students in Australia. He also holds a
Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)/Bachelor of Business (Management) degree from
Monash University.
Danny is a former President of the Monash University International Students
Association. He has consulted with governments, universities and professional
organisations, and presents at conferences regarding the experience and welfare
of international students.
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The
international
Students’
Handbook
Danny Ong
UNSW
PRESS
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Living and
Studying in
Australia
A UNSW Press book
Published by
University of New South Wales Press Ltd
University of New South Wales
Sydney NSW 2052
AUSTRALIA
www.unswpress.com.au
© Danny Ong 2009
First published 2009
This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the
purpose of private study, research, criticism or review,
as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be
reproduced by any process without written permission.
Inquiries should be addressed to the publisher.
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Author: Ong, Danny Ming Kiat.
Title: The international students’ handbook: living and
studying in Australia/Danny Ong.
ISBN: 978 1 92141 075 8 (pbk.)
Notes: Include index.
Bibliography.
Subjects: Foreign study – Australia.
Students, Foreign – Education (Higher) – Australia.
Students, Foreign – Australia – Life skills guides.
Dewey Number: 370.1160994
Design Di Quick
Printer KHL, Singapore
This book is printed on paper using fbre supplied from
plantation or sustainably managed forests.
All reasonable efforts were taken to obtain permission
to use copyright material reproduced in this book, but in
some cases copyright holders could not be traced. The
author welcomes information in this regard.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the advice and
information in this book is true and accurate at the time
of going to press. However, neither the publisher nor the
author can accept any legal responsibility or liability for
any errors or omissions that may be made.
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Acknowledgments vii
Foreword by Richard Larkins AO ix
Introduction: Understand your options 1
1 First decisions 5
Consider your options 5
Factors in your decision 8
Assessing your fnancial situation 11
2 Making the right choice 17
Deciding on a suitable course 17
Finding out about universities 19
Choosing your university 24
3 Securing your education in Australia 51
How to apply 51
Securing your entry into Australia 56
4 Getting to know Australia 58
General information about Australia 59
Your rights in Australia 60
Legislation relevant to international students 63
Australian society and culture 67
5 Starting your new life in Australia 71
Coming to Australia 71
Budgeting in Australia 76
Staying in Australia 80
Local travel 98
Shopping in Australia 109
Banking in Australia 113
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contents
Mobile phones in Australia 116
Looking after your health in Australia 119
Keeping safe in Australia 121
Maintaining your links with home 128
6 About your university 132
Australian universities 132
Key university polices 137
The structure of your university education 142
Knowing your university’s facilities 147
7 Maximising your student experience 152
Managing parental expectations 153
University orientation 159
University learning strategies 160
Maximising your study-work-life balance 184
8 The benefts of working and volunteering 189
Experience counts 190
Why work? 194
Paid work during university 196
Volunteer work during university 211
Unpaid work experience 217
9 The ugly side of studying overseas 219
Seeing a counsellor 220
Problems you may face in Australia 221
Seeking help 239
10 Finishing your overseas journey 243
Evaluate your options 243
Your graduation ceremony 245
Preparing to move 246
Becoming an alumnus 248
Seeking professional employment 252
Applying for Permanent Residency (PR) 254
A fnal word 256
Index 257
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I want to dedicate this book to my parents because
without them I would not have had the opportunity
to study in Australia in the frst place. Their under-
standing and dedicated emotional and fnancial support
throughout my university days were the source of my
inspiration and desire to help other international stu-
dents in Australia.
Secondly, I express my utmost gratitude to my
fancée, Ellyana Cendana, for her continual support and
understanding during our diffcult times.
I also want to thank Robin Derricourt from Univ-
ersity of New South Wales Press for providing me with
the opportunity to write this book, and his patience
and continual support throughout. Special thanks to
Suzanne Eggins, who edited and contributed to this
book.
Many thanks to my proofreaders, Keith Loy, Christie
Lai and Paul Azarias, who did a great job at very short
notice.
Sincere thanks to all the international students who
shared their experiences and advice as case studies for
the book.
I would like to acknowledge the advocacy provided
by Professor Richard Larkins for all international
students in Australia. In addition, he has been a keen
vii
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acknowledgments
supporter of my efforts and research to secure a positive study experience for
international students.
I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to Danielle Hartridge for inspiring
me to become involved in international student affairs and for her dedication
to the welfare of international students for more than a decade.
Finally, a special thanks to all the dedicated international student support
staff in every Australian university. Without everyone’s efforts and support,
many international students would not be able to complete their overseas
education in an enriching and fulflling manner.
viii THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ HANDBOOK
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There has been a long and positive history of inter-
national student education in Australia, commencing
with the Colombo Plan that brought many students
from South East Asia, particularly Malaysia, Singapore,
Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong in the three
decades to the 1980s. By and large, the experiences of
these students were very positive and these alumni built
strong links between their countries and Australia.
The last two decades have seen a second wave of
international students coming to Australian universities.
The enormous growth in the number of such students is
unequalled around the world. The predominant countries
of origin have altered from those under the Colombo
Plan and the nature of the relationship has also changed.
Although there are still a large number of students from
the traditional South East Asian countries, many of
them children of Colombo Plan students, the People’s
Republic of China and India are now the countries of
origin of the two largest groups of international students.
Rather than coming on scholarships, the vast majority
of these students pay full fees. Indeed income from
international students is now a signifcant source of
revenue for Australia’s universities.
The majority of these students have very positive
experiences and surveys generally show high levels of
satisfaction. However, many hazards await students, and
ix
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Foreword
the universities and the relevant government authorities have shown a varying
ability to address these optimally. Issues such as fnding suitable accommodation,
health care including mental health care, homesickness, the costs of living and
travel, and the safety of students are all signifcant concerns.
The very large number of students in a small group of disciplines and the
large numbers of students coming from mainland China can make it diffcult
for the students to have a truly ‘Australian’ experience. Their lecturers often
come from other countries and their accents may be diffcult for non-English
speaking background students with otherwise adequate English skills to
understand. The large number of students and high student-to-staff ratios may
make it diffcult for students to get the individual attention and extra tuition
they may require. And cultural issues or shyness may prevent them from asking
for help.
There is no question that international students have greatly enriched our
universities in many ways. Most campuses are wonderful examples of thriving
multicultural environments. Moreover, many students choose on completion
of their studies to stay in Australia and help to address our shortage of skilled
migrants. More international students are undertaking research higher degrees
and bringing intellectual capital as well as building research links back to their
home countries. But there are stresses for the students, for the universities and
sometimes for the communities in which they live.
Danny Ong brings personal experience and his own research to illuminate
these important issues. He and many other very capable international student
leaders have demonstrated their appreciation of their Australian experience, but
have also maturely demonstrated shortcomings and ways in which universities
and governments could do better. Our international students are a wonderful
resource and we would all do well to heed the messages in this important book.
Richard Larkins AO
Vice-Chancellor and President, Monash University
x THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS HANDBOOK
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