Where to Hunt For Student Part-Time Jobs in Australia?
More than 35% of all jobs are part-time jobs in Australia. Students in Australia quite often supplement their finances by taking up a part-time job. If you are interested in it as well, this blog will help you in your part-time job search, so that you can find the best job that fits you in Australia.
What is a student part-time job?
A student part-time job is one, where students can work not as a full-time employee, but for only a fraction of the whole day. As per norms set by the Australian government, a student can work up to 20 hours a week. Because the employers know about the limitations of a student life, students mainly get hired on the weekends or late shifts of the day, when they are free. One gets paid on an hourly basis.
Why one should try a part-time job?
Working in a part-time job, gives a student the best opportunity to know the city in and out. The social circle extends beyond the university and one gets to learn a lot from diverse personalities of people one meets on the way. It is much more than a source of income, as it helps you get a practical perspective of a business establishment from the inside. While many international students consider it as one of the best ways to blend into the city culture, for others – it helps them stay grounded and focus on their interpersonal skills.
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
–Confucius
How & where to find part-time job openings?
Starting with a quick online search for part-time opportunities around your locality is a wise choice. Most of the jobs found online are well suited for those who are qualified enough for specific jobs, be part-time or full-time. A brief first hand idea from Shahraiz, an international student from Pakistan, in the video below will help you with key tips to start your job search.
However, it’s better to try out different jobs and find what suits you best by experience, than invest too much time in your search for the perfect job. Let’s explore the avenues of part-time job one by one.
On-campus part-time jobs
There are a lot of opportunities on the Uni campus itself, where you can land yourself a part time job and save on both commuting time & money. Look out for your University online employment center or employment office for openings. You can also talk to the student affairs representative to know about the recruitment calendar and get pointers for part-time job positions in the University.
Students at the Queensland University of Technology can visit the QUT Careerhub for latest updates on jobs available in the University.
Source: Screenshot of QUT CareerHub portal
Similarly, students at The University of Melbourne should register under Students@Work program. The recruitment center at The University of Sydney serves as one common platform for all openings at the University. A few companies also use these portals to reach out to students for part-time openings at their organizations.
Take note of these points…
- Do register and login to the University job portal for an effective search
- On campus jobs are best suited for full-time students, and hence are always in high demand.
- You must check for openings regularly and be well acquainted with the recruitment calendar of your University.
- Do keep in touch with student affairs representatives for heads-up information about possible openings in the near future.
Off-campus part-time jobs
Compared to on-campus jobs, off-campus part-time jobs have more availability and a wide range of options to choose from. We will now help you search for jobs near you through online portals, newspaper classifieds, referrals, in-person visits and social media groups. We will also discuss how to make the best use of these methods to find your part-time job for you.
In-person enquiry
This is one of the biggest sources of part-time job openings, where one would need to visit the stores in person across a shopping strip and enquire for part-time openings. You should search for part-time jobs at retail stores near your university or close to your residence. This will help you save on any additional expense of traveling to the workplace. You should also visit the local popular tour operators for openings for tour guides. Give them a call, in case they are not located in your locality or city, but offer tours for tourists in your city.
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
–Confucius
Take note of these points while looking for jobs in stores…
- Do carry multiple copies of your 1-page resume and request the store manager to keep one copy for openings in the near future.
- You must mention your phone number and e-mail id on your resume.
- Be well-dressed while approaching the store manager.
- Be prepared with a 1-2 liner introduction while enquiring for open positions at various stores.
- You can effectively find jobs like waiter/waitress, dishwasher, sales staff, cleaner, etc. through this approach.
Online job portals
A good share of part-time job openings for students is available on online job portals. All you need to do is to create an account & use their search page to find a part-time job of your choice. One must make use of advanced search filter options to fine-tune your search results. Here are a few, that can help you get started on your online search…
This is the best website for you to find part-time jobs in Australia. A lot of small vendors post for jobs on this website and you can get very useful local job openings in your locality.
2. Seek.com.au
Image source: Seek.com.au advanced search screenshot
Seek.com.au is the top job website in Australia with the largest number of job listings, however, most of them do require some related qualifications to apply for the job. Set the advanced search options on Seek.com.au as shown in the screenshot above. Most students earn anywhere between $14 to $25 per hour in their part time jobs.
This is a platform created in collaboration with all universities across Australia, which hosts all information regarding part-time and full-time jobs for students. Most likely your university is already a part of this network. Check out this explainer video as to how a student at the University of Western Australia (UWA) can utilize Careerhub.com.au to find part-time jobs.
4. Careerone.com.au (or Adzuna.com.au)
Adzuna.com.au also lists most of the job vacancies from Careerone.com.au. Do look out for special mention for University students (highlighted in the screenshot below) in these part-time job descriptions, as the chances of converting these job interviews will be higher.
5. Spotjobs.com
Spotjobs.com specialize in entry level positions and are quite effective when it comes to part-time job search for students.
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
–Confucius
6. Other part-time job portals
A few more websites which can help you in your job search are…
You can also check out the career section of popular employers around you directly on their website.
Newspaper Job Classifieds
Students who follow local newspaper can search for part time jobs closer to your locality. A different category of employers do advertise for openings regularly here.
Hostel Job Boards
Most of the students and backpackers stay in hostels across Australia. Most hostels have a notice board or job board with all vacancies pinned up. Check them regularly if you are looking out for part-time opportunities in your locality.
Referrals
Word of mouth is a great tool in marketing as well as in referring someone. The best part about getting referred is that you skip ‘the search effort’ which saves a lot of your time. You also edge out most of the competition from other part time job seekers. So my best advice would be to make some friends & acquaintances with senior students & recent pass out students of your university.
Watch this video with real life experience about finding part time work in Australia for backpackers and students alike.
Facebook groups and expat portals
You need to use your skills for social media to benefit from it. Let me tell you how, you can actually search on Facebook using the words ‘Part time job groups in Australia’ which will show the search result of groups to join. One such link I searched on Facebook is ‘Casual/Part Time job Newsfeed Victoria, Australia’. If you are from Melbourne, you can join this group and follow updates to land you a suitable part-time job.
Online Freelance Work Platforms
Even after all these options before you still get a gut instinct that you don’t like any of this option. Don’t worry, we still got a lifesaver. You can also look for freelancing work online, which don’t require you to travel anywhere. The top 5 pick of elite websites for searching freelancing work are…
If you are exceptionally good with your academics, you can also be a ghost writer as part of our team of experts. Check out with our online chat representatives for the latest openings for academic experts at ExpertAssignmentHelp.com.
If you have already executed most of the steps above for searching your part-time job, it’s time to hit the streets and start meeting prospective employers. Be patient with your approach and you will surely taste success. We wish you all the best with your job hunting and do share with us any useful tip, which we missed out in the comments below.
Related Read: How Much Can a Student Earn In Australia (Quora.com)
