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“Your 2025 Part Time Job Playbook”

If you’ve just landed in Victoria and need cash for rent, flat whites and the Great Ocean Road—all without blowing your student-visa limit—here’s the streamlined plan. Below you’ll find the 48-hour rule in plain English, then a punch-list for the three part-time niches that hire international students fastest: aged-care support, hospitality, and on-campus roles. Everything is mapped to the certificate or licence recruiters ask for, the going pay rates, and the job boards where real shifts appear every day.

1 | Know (and respect) the 48-hour cap

From 1 July 2023 the work limit for most Student (500) visa holders rose from 40 to 48 hours per fortnight during teaching periods; it’s still unlimited in official breaks minister.homeaffairs.gov.auDepartment of Home Affairs Website. Break the rule and you risk visa cancellation, so treat the cap like a budget: two six-hour café shifts plus an eight-hour Saturday aged-care shift already hits A$800+ before tax—well inside the limit, and perfectly legal under the National Minimum Wage (A$24.10 p/h from 1 July 2024) Fair Work Ombudsman.

Pro setup: apply online for your Tax File Number the moment you have an Aussie address Australian Taxation Office, then install Fair Work’s free Record My Hours app so every minute worked is logged if pay issues pop up later Fair Work Ombudsman.

2 | Aged-Care Support – your “cert ticket”

What you need Fast facts CHC33021 Cert III in Individual Support (or Cert IV Ageing Support)120 hours of supervised placement, 6–9 months full-time; Free TAFE for eligible visas Victoria University, Australia Victorian Skills Gateway National Police Check~A$50, 24–48 h through Victoria Police Victoria Police Aged-Care Worker Screening (rolling out nationally)Process mirrors the NDIS check; fee TBA Australian Taxation Office First-Aid + Manual-Handling$120–160 via Red Cross / St John

Pay: Casual careers start around A$30–35 p/h, jumping to $45+ on weekends under the Aged-Care Award 2025 Fair Work Calculator.
Boards that work: SEEK → filter “Aged Care PCA casual VIC” Department of Home Affairs Website; government My Aged Care Careers portal Australian Taxation Office; and Study Melbourne’s Career Catalyst internships each semester Study Melbourne.

CV hack: open with your placement tally—“Completed 120 hours dementia & ADL care at BlueCross Chelsea”—so recruiters know you can start solo night shifts.

3 | Hospitality – fastest first job

Licences first

  • RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) – mandatory before you pour wine in Victoria; four-hour VCGLR course, ≈ A$65 liquorportal.vcglr.vic.gov.au.

  • Food-Safety Level 1 – a bonus for kitchen-hand ads (cheap e-learning; add to LinkedIn).

Typical pay: A$27–33 p/h casual, with +25 % Saturday and +50 % Sunday loadings under the Restaurant Award Fair Work CalculatorFair Work Ombudsman.

Where gigs appear

Platform Edge SEEK “RSA” filter – >200 listings across Melbourne CBD & suburbs SeekAttach RSA PDF + an availability grid Sidekicker – app for single-day café/stadium shifts sidekicker.com Keep profile at 100 %; first three shifts lock in a rating#HospoJobsMelbourne Insta/FB Indie cafés post same-day roles

Remember: no employer can offer under the $24.10 minimum, licence or not Fair Work Ombudsman.

4 | On-Campus Roles – study-proof income

Universities pay A$38–48 p/h, pause rosters in exam weeks, and love hiring their own students.

UniPortalCommon gigsMelbourneLibrary HR board for Student Library Assistants & exam invigilators LibraryShelving, help-deskMonash“Jobs for Students” via Career Connect sidekicker.comReception, research-assistant poolsAny Vic campusEquity officePeer-tutoring & note-taking (disability services)

Boost your chances: polish your résumé and interview style via Career Catalyst webinars; uni recruiters often sit on the panels Study Melbourne.

5 | Pay-slip & scam safety

  • Every slip must list ABN, hours, gross, tax & super—missing fields breach the Fair Work Act; screenshot each one Fair Work Ombudsman.

  • Never pay “training fees” up front—legit cafés and aged-care homes train free.

  • Underpaid? Call Fair Work Infoline 13 13 94 (interpreters available) Fair Work Ombudsman.

6 | One-page prep checklist

  • Cert III/IV letter of enrollment or transcript

  • RSA PDF saved to phone + printout

  • National Police Check email

  • TFN + Aussie bank account

  • Two local refs (placement supervisor counts)

  • 1-page Aussie-style résumé

TL;DR

Stick to 48 hrs/fortnight, get your Cert III/IV or RSA before you apply, and harvest shifts from SEEK, Sidekicker and your uni’s job board. Line up those documents now and you’ll move from “keen to work” to “shift confirmed” before your myki auto-top-up triggers. Good luck—and may your first pay-slip hit before the next tram rolls in.

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“New in Victoria: The 2025 Ultimate International Student Survival Guide”

Before You Leave Home

Paperwork to lock in

  • Student visa grant notice and Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) confirmation—print a copy and save PDFs on your phone.

  • Book the 365-day International Student Travel Pass online; the pass will be ready for pickup when you land and saves about A$1,072 a year on myki fares Public Transport Victoria.

  • Bookmark the Study Melbourne Hub address—17 Hardware Lane, Melbourne CBD—for free legal, work-rights and housing help as soon as you arrive Study MelbourneStudy Melbourne.

The First 72 Hours

Task WhyWhere/How Buy a local SIM Australian numbers are needed for banking & Uni portals Telstra/Optus kiosks in Arrivals; activate with passport Open a bank account Pay rent & receive wages Bring passport + CoE to any major bank branch Apply for a Tax File Number (TFN)Avoid higher tax withholding Free online via ATO in <15 min Australian Taxation Office Pick up your myki & Travel PassUnlimited tram/bus/train travel statewide PTV Hub at Southern Cross Station Drop in to Study Melbourne Hub Free Wi-Fi, maps, legal & job clinics17 Hardware Lane; open Mon-Fri 9-5 Study Melbourne

Getting Around Victoria

  • Metro daily cap: you’ll never pay more than A$11 full fare or $5.50 concession per day on trams, trains or buses in Melbourne (2025 price list) Public Transport Victoria.

  • Regional fare cap: any V/Line trip—from Geelong to Bendigo—costs max $3.80 concession per day under the 2024 statewide scheme Public Transport Victoria.

  • Tip: Register your myki online so you can pause the card if it’s lost and auto-top-up from your bank.

Finding (and Keeping) a Home

  1. Short-term landing pad: Uni halls or purpose-built student housing let you sign 6- or 12-month leases; try the accommodation quiz on Study Melbourne to match budget vs location Study Melbourne.

  2. Know your legal shield: International students have exactly the same rights as any Victorian renter under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997; Tenants Victoria’s “International Students” page explains bonds, sub-letting and how to spot rental scams Tenants Victoria.

  3. Trouble with a landlord? Save emails/photos and, if talks fail, apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). The Study Melbourne Hub’s International Student Employment & Accommodation Legal Service (ISEALS) can coach you through the process for free Study Melbourne.

Work & Money

Your legal basics

Tax & super

  • Lodge a tax return each July; most students here >6 months are “Australian residents for tax purposes,” which means lower rates Australian Taxation Office.

  • Leaving Australia after study? Reclaim your compulsory super through the Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP) portal.

Staying Healthy & Safe

NeedHow it worksGP visitPay (~A$70) then claim back with your OSHC app or at an insurer branch Oshc StudentsMental healthheadspace Melbourne (youth 12-25) offers free or low-cost counselling—yes, international students are welcome headspace.org.auAmbulance coverOSHC doesn’t cover the A$1,200+ call-out fee; an Ambulance Victoria membership is ~A$50 per year ambulance.vic.gov.auScam alertsStudy Melbourne posts live warnings on tuition-fee and phone scams; read the checklist and share with friends Study MelbourneStudy Melbourne

Building Community & Career

  • Career Catalyst pairs you with Victorian employers for paid internships, interview coaching and networking—applications open each semester Study Melbourne.

  • Volunteer Victoria lists flexible roles (festivals, museums) that build local references and friendship circles.

  • Follow Study Melbourne’s events calendar for free barbecue nights, beach clean-ups and industry hackathons.

Upskill for Free

Victoria’s Free TAFE program now funds 80+ certificates in areas like Cyber Security and Community Services (eligibility depends on your visa) Victorian Skills Gateway. Even if you don’t qualify for fee-free places, short community courses (e.g., barista skills, coding bootcamps) often run at student rates.

Weekend Adventures on a Student Budget

DestinationTransport cost (concession)HighlightGeelong & Surf Coast< $3.80 return with regional capFree seaside shuttle to Torquay Surf MuseumDaylesford spa country< $3.80Mineral springs & Sunday marketMornington Peninsula Hot SpringsTrain+bus combo under daily metro capSunset dip included

Pack lunch, carry your student ID and you can see half the state for the price of two lattes.

Emergency & Helpline Numbers

  • Triple Zero (000) – Police, Fire, Ambulance

  • Study Melbourne Hub – 1800 056 449

  • Fair Work Infoline – 13 13 94

  • Tenants Victoria – 1800 015 510

  • headspace (mental health) – 1800 650 890

Moving countries is big, but Victoria’s student-friendly infrastructure—discount passes, rent-rights support and free career programs—shrinks the learning curve fast. Keep this guide handy, follow the linked sources for updates, and enjoy discovering why Melbourne keeps topping the “world’s most liveable” charts. Welcome to your new home!

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