Temporary accommodation

The following is a list of budget-conscious hotels and hostels that you may like to contact for temporary accommodation upon your arrival in Melbourne. They are located within walking distance of the campus in Melbourne city centre.

Homestay

The Homestay experience helps visiting students absorb and understand Australian culture & customs while studying here. It is a cultural exchange between the local host (homestay) family and the visiting international student, who lives with the homestay family while studying in Australia

Australian Homestay Network (AHN) is Australia’s largest and most recognised homestay provider. http://www.homestaynetwork.org/

Renting

Renting a property is when you enter into an Agreement with a ‘Landlord’ to reside in a property; you can either live in a property as a single or share or have flatmates (perhaps other students). There are several websites you can look at for choosing a rental property:

Tenancy advice

Free tenancy advice is available from Tenants Victoria and the Housing VIC.

For your reference, here are some of the costs associated with living and studying in Australia.

Accommodation
Hostels and Guesthouses– $90 to $160 per week
Shared Rental– $90 to $200 per week
Homestay– $180 to $340 per week
Rental– $165 to $500 per week

Other living expenses

Groceries and eating out– $80 to $280 per week
Gas, electricity– $35 to $140 per week
Phone and Internet– $20 to $60 per week
Public transport– $10 to $40 per week
Entertainment– $60 to $160 per week

Minimum cost of living

The Department of Home Affairs has financial requirements you must meet in order to receive a student visa for Australia. From 1st February 2018 the 12-month living cost is:

If you would like to bring your children to Australia with you; it is an immigration policy that school-age dependants of international students undertake formal schooling while they are in Australia. School fees can range from $7,800 to $30,000. Find out more about education and childcare in Melbourne.

Overseas student health cover (OSHC)
International students undertaking formal studies in Australia, and their dependents (for example, spouses and children under 18 years old), must obtain OSHC. It provides cover for the costs of medical and hospital care which international students may need while in Australia.

OSHC is offered by certain insurers under a Deed of Agreement with the Department of Health to provide adequate health insurance to students at a reasonable cost. Only a small number of registered health insurers offer OSHC:

If you are a student visa holder, you and your dependent family members have permission to work included with your visa. You and your family members must not breach the work conditions that apply to your student visa.

Work rights allow you to work:

Please see the Department of Home Affairs website for further details.

Your workplace rights
All people working in Australia have basic rights and protections in the workplace, including minimum pay and conditions. Pay rates and workplace conditions are set by Australian law.The Fair Work Ombudsman makes sure that these rights are protected and enforced fairly under Australia’s workplace laws.

If you have questions about your pay and conditions while in Australia, you can contact the Fair Work Ombudsman for free help.

Visit fairwork.gov.au for information for visa holders and international students.

Students who undertake paid work will also need to apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) and complete an income tax return at the end of each financial year. For further information, please refer to the Australian Taxation Office.

Please visit the following websites for more information on about living, working and studying in Australia

Melbourne

Study in Australia http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/
The study in Australia site is owned by the Australian Government and has comprehensive current information on all aspects of studying in Australia including: Entry requirements; living costs and accommodation; student visa options; insurance; banking; working while studying; cost of living; student support; health cover; legislation and much more.

Life in Australia Book (translated versions) https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/life/aust/life-in-australia-book

We take your safety seriously, so we strongly advise you to read all the links below to be very well informed on all aspects of your safety prior to coming to Australia. The links below also cover insurance, phone, internet and banking. Students coming to Australia need to be aware of the very different conditions such as swimming at our beaches and swimming safety as well as becoming aware of sun safety.

If you have any difficulty assessing these links please advise the College to enable us to assist you.

For more information on this please visit:
www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/english/live-in-australia/health-and-safety

SUN AND WATER SAFETY
www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/english/live-in-australia/health-and-safety/sun-and-water
FIRE SAFETY:
www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/english/live-in-australia/health-and-safety/fire
EMERGENCY INFORMATION:
www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/english/live-in-australia/health-and-safety/emergencies
PERSONAL SAFETY:
www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/english/live-in-australia/health-and-safety/personal