Finding a part-time job as an international student is very doable — you just need to know where to look and how to present yourself.

Work Rights for Students

On a student visa (subclass 500), you can work:

• Up to 48 hours per fortnight during semester
• Unlimited hours during scheduled breaks

⚠️ Always check your specific visa conditions on VEVO.

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Where to Find Jobs

Best Platforms

• Seek.com.au — Australia's biggest job board
• Indeed.com.au — Good for casual/part-time roles
• Jora — Aggregates listings from multiple sites
• LinkedIn — Better for internships and office roles

In-Person Approaches

Many hospitality and retail jobs aren't advertised. Try:

• Walking into cafes/restaurants with your resume
• Checking notice boards at shopping centres
• Asking at your university's career centre

Resume Tips

Keep It Simple

Australian resumes are typically 1-2 pages. Include:

1. Contact details — Name, phone, email (no photo needed)
2. Summary — 2-3 sentences about who you are
3. Work experience — Most recent first
4. Education — Your current degree
5. Skills — Languages, software, certifications

What to Emphasize

• Customer service experience
• Teamwork and communication
• Reliability and punctuality
• Right to work in Australia

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Quick tip: Tailor your resume for each job. If applying to a cafe, highlight any food handling or customer service experience. Good luck!

What the jobs actually pay

Casual roles include a 25 percent loading in place of leave entitlements. As a rough guide for 2026, adult casual rates sit around:

Sector	Typical casual rate (AUD/hr)	Weekend and public holiday
Fast food (level 1)	30-32	Saturday +25%, Sunday +50%
Hospitality (food and beverage attendant)	32-34	Saturday +25%, Sunday +50%
Retail (level 1)	32-34	Saturday +25%, Sunday +75%
Cleaning	34-37	Higher evening and weekend loadings
Tutoring (private)	35-60	Set your own rate
Aged care and disability support	35-40	Significant weekend loadings

If you are being offered a flat 20 to 25 dollars an hour cash with no payslip, that is underpayment. It is common and it is illegal, and you can recover the difference through the Fair Work Ombudsman even if you are on a temporary visa.

Where the jobs really come from

Roughly speaking, the split for first jobs looks like this:

1. Walk-ins with a printed resume - still the single most effective method for cafes, restaurants and small retail. Go on a Tuesday or Wednesday between 2pm and 4pm, ask for the manager by name, be brief.
2. Referrals from classmates and housemates - tell everyone you are looking. Most hospitality hiring never gets advertised.
3. Job boards - Seek, Indeed and Jora for structured roles; Sidekicker and Jora for shift work.
4. University job boards and campus employers - libraries, labs, student services, orientation crews. These pay well and understand study schedules.
5. Sector-specific - aged care and disability providers advertise constantly and will train you; a Certificate III and a police check open a lot of doors.

Certificates that pay for themselves

• RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) - required for any venue serving alcohol. Around 50 to 120 dollars depending on state, done in a day.
• Food Safety Handler - often free online, frequently requested.
• White Card - construction site entry, about 100 dollars.
• Barista short course - not legally required but Melbourne and Sydney venues expect real skill.
• First Aid - essential for childcare, disability and many campus roles.

A one-page resume structure that works

NAME
Suburb, State | 04XX XXX XXX | you@email.com

SUMMARY (2 lines)
Availability, right to work, what you are looking for.

AVAILABILITY
Mon-Fri after 3pm, all day Sat-Sun. Right to work: student visa, 48 hrs/fortnight.

EXPERIENCE
Role | Employer | City, Country | Dates
- Action verb + task + number ("Served 150+ customers per shift")

EDUCATION
Degree, University, expected completion

CERTIFICATIONS
RSA, Food Safety, First Aid

SKILLS
POS systems, languages spoken, cash handling

Put availability near the top. Managers filter on availability before anything else, and international students who state clear weekend availability get called first.

What to say in a 60-second walk-in

"Hi, I'm [name], I'm studying at [uni] nearby. I'm looking for casual work and I'm free weekends and weekday evenings. I've got my RSA and I've worked in [X]. Is the manager around, or can I leave my resume?"

Your rights from day one

• You must receive a payslip within one working day of being paid.
• Superannuation is payable on all your earnings.
• Unpaid "trial shifts" longer than a brief demonstration are illegal - a full unpaid shift is not a trial.
• Your visa work limit does not reduce your workplace rights. The Fair Work Ombudsman has an explicit assurance protocol with Home Affairs for students reporting exploitation.