If you’re looking to earn some extra income as a student Adelaide to fund your studies and sponsor your quality of life, perhaps a part time job is the solution. Besides funding your living expenses, you’ll also get to interact with the local community and make new friends. 

However, student life can be very hectic – you’ll need to attend classes and study for exams, while juggling your social life, so you need to find a student job that’s flexible enough to fit around your uni schedule. Here are some tips to prepare you to find a part time student job in Adelaide and Melbourne.

Things to Know Before Finding a Part Time Student Job in Adelaide

Employment Laws: International students on a valid student visa are allowed to work up to 48 hours fortnightly during term time to ensure you can manage both school and work. During the holiday period between semesters, there are no restrictions on working hours. 

Tax File Number: you’ll need an Australian Tax File Number (TFN), which is how you’ll pay tax to the government. You can visit the Australian Taxation Office’s website to apply for a TFN. 

You’ll need to prepare the following information when applying for your TFN: 

• Your country of residence
• Your legal name, which should match your passport
• Any other names you may be known by
• Passport number
• Date of birth
• Your current postal address
• Contact details

For international students, you can only apply for the TFN while in Australia. 

Bank Account: Businesses will only hire you if you have a bank account, so they can directly credit your pay there. You can approach any bank to set up your account. Read more on the top banks to open a student account. 

Updated CV: Most, if not all businesses will request your resume. Keep it about 2 pages long, and include your:

1. Name and contact details
2. Education
3. Professional job experience, if any
4. Other relevant skills and qualifications

How to Find Casual Jobs for International Students in Adelaide

Whether online or offline, it’s important to put yourself out there to introduce yourself to businesses. 

The internet is a good starting point to look for part time jobs. Job boards such as SEEK have hundreds of listings that connect you with prospective employers looking out for casual workers or student workers. 

Otherwise, there’s the traditional way of walking into stores or businesses and handing store owners your resume. Brick-and-mortar businesses may sometimes advertise job openings at their storefront, and you might have some luck dropping by their stores and giving your CV to a manager. 

Sometimes, your university might also have openings for part time jobs. By taking up work at your university, you get to save time and money on commute, while knowing your university and other students better. 

Popular Adelaide Student Jobs

Retail: You’ll generally be assisting customers with their purchases, ensuring the storefront is presentable, and working the cash register with other assistants. The working hours are generally flexible, though it depends on the business’ manpower needed. Some businesses even offer store or staff discounts for employees!

Waitressing: Waiters in Adelaide generally work flexible shifts as well, though you’ll also be assigned shifts depending on the business’ manpower needs. As a waiter, your multitasking skills will be put to the test – you’ll need to juggle between taking orders, serving food to customers, and clean tables after customers leave.  As an added perk, some restaurants offer free or discounted meals as a staff benefit, which means you’ll save on food expenses! 

Event Helpers/Event Assistants: Event assistants have a wide range of duties. This includes assisting with the setup and take down of events, greeting and assisting event attendees, or addressing any problems that may arise during the event. The duties will change depending on the type of event. However, unlike other jobs which offer more stability, the work in the events industry tends to be on a project basis, which means you need to constantly be on the looking for events that need helpers. The good thing is that you’ll be exposed to a wider variety of work that helps you grow.