The top 8 jobs for students while studying in Australia

For many students, working while studying is an important part of the Australian study experience. A part-time or casual job can help you earn an income while building practical experience, developing new skills, and meeting people from around the world. For international students, it can also provide exposure to Australian workplace culture and a chance to build confidence and local connections.

Studying should still be a higher priority, so the key is finding work that fits around your study commitments. With the right balance, working while studying can complement your education while help you prepare for life after graduation. 

In this blog, we will explain the top 8 jobs for students, where you can find jobs, and work hours and rights.

The top 8 jobs for students

1. Hospitality 

What are hospitality jobs?

Hospitality jobs provide services to create positive experiences for guests and customers. They can be found across hotels, restaurants, cafes, tourism businesses, events and catering businesses. 

Hospitality roles offer flexible shifts that can fit around your study schedule. By working with customers in a busy environment, you can strengthen your communication, teamwork, problem-solving and time-management skills. The average wage for a hospitality worker in Australia is around AU$30 an hour.

What are the main responsibilities?

You may be responsible for customer service, managing bookings and reservations, coordinating events, supervising teams, overseeing food and beverage services, managing guest experiences, handling complaints professionally, and supporting day-to-day business operations.

What are the roles?

Common hospitality roles include:

• Barista and other cafe staff

• Restaurant team member 

• Food and beverage attendant

• Kitchen staff

• Hotel receptionist / front desk agent

• Housekeeping attendant

• Catering staff

2. Retail

What are retail jobs?

Retail jobs are roles that involve selling products and providing services directly to customers, usually in stores, shopping centres, supermarkets, online stores and other retail businesses.

Retail is accessible for students because many businesses offer casual and part-time roles, while experience can also provide a pathway towards management positions. Retailers often need additional staff during busy periods such as weekends and holiday seasons. The average wage for a sales assistant is around AU$32 per hour.

What are the main responsibilities?

You may be responsible for helping customers choose products, processing sales and returns, handling enquiries, replenishing stock, putting up product displays and cleaning the store.

What are the roles?

Retail roles include:

• Retail sales assistant 

• Cashier 

• Stock / inventory assistant

• Store manager

• Customer service representative

  
  

3. Administration and Customer Service 

What are administration and customer service jobs?

Administration and customer service roles help organisations run smoothly while providing support to customers. These jobs are found across a wide range of industries, including education, healthcare, finance, government, retail and professional services.

With more businesses becoming international and requiring support throughout the day and evening, there will be a variety of shifts to choose from to fit within your study schedule. Administration and customer service jobs can give you experience using workplace technology, communicating professionally and working as part of a team. An average wage for an administration assistant is around $30 per hour and a customer service agent is around AU$34 per hour.

What are the main responsibilities?

Administration roles usually involve organising information, coordinating schedules, preparing documents, maintaining records, processing data and supporting daily business operations. 

Customer service roles are more focused on communicating with customers, responding to enquiries, resolving issues, processing requests and creating positive customer experiences. 

What are the roles?

Common roles include:

• Administration assistant

• Receptionist

• Office assistant

• Data entry officer

• Customer service representative

4. Events and promotional work

What are events and promotional jobs?

Events and promotional jobs involve helping organisations plan, promote and deliver events, campaigns and brand experiences. Due to this type of work being mostly casual or project-based, you can pick up shifts around your study schedule. Event work can also expose you to different workplaces and help you develop confidence, customer service skills, and experience working with diverse groups of people. An average wage of an event staff is around AU$33 per hour.

What are the main responsibilities?

Your responsibilities can include supporting event set-up and delivery, engaging with customers, promoting products, managing registrations and enquiries, distributing promotional material, event coordination and collecting customer feedback.

What are the roles?

Roles can include:

• Event staff member

• Brand ambassador

• Promotional staff member

• Usher

• Ticketing assistant

5. Tutoring

What is a tutor?

A tutor supports students with their learning, understanding and academic progress, either individually or in small groups. Tutors may work in schools, universities, tutoring centres, community organisations or provide private lessons.

The advantage of tutoring is that you can set your schedule, negotiate your pay rate and choose to tutor face to face or online. You get to apply your subject knowledge, practise your communication, presentation and critical thinking skills. 

You can apply to become a tutor through sites such as LearnMate, job search websites and your university job board. The average wage of a tutor is over AU$40 an hour.

What are the main responsibilities?

A tutor's main responsibilities include explaining concepts and course material, providing learning support based on a student's study goals, reviewing work, providing feedback and tracking progress.

6. Jobs on campus

You can check your education provider's careers portal or job board or speak with a career advisor about any work opportunities within the college or university. On-campus jobs can be convenient because your workplace and place of study are connected. 

On campus roles can include:

• Student ambassador

• Tutor

• Library assistant

• Administration assistant

• Receptionist

• Hospitality team member

7. Freelancing 

Freelancing is a way of working independently, where you provide your skills or services to clients on a project, contract or short-term basis, rather than working as a permanent employee of one organisation.

Freelancing can be a flexible way to earn an income while building experience in an area that interests you. Depending on your skills, you could take on projects in graphic design, content writing, photography, video editing, social media support, web development and translation.

Freelance work will give you greater control over when you work, the projects you accept, while helping you build a portfolio and professional network. You need to be self-motivated, organised, and confident managing your own workload. Strong communication, time management, adaptability, problem-solving skills are important along with the ability to multitask.

You can find this type of work on sites such as Airtasker, Fiverr, Freelancer and Upwork. The average wage for a freelancer is over AU$26 per hour.

8. Food delivery

Food delivery work involves collecting food and drink orders from restaurants, cafés or other food businesses and delivering them to customers. It is very flexible as you get to choose your working hours. You'll need to be reliable, organised, and comfortable navigating your local area, with good time management and customer service skills. 

Explore food delivery platforms in your area such as Uber Eats and DoorDash, and check their requirements before signing up. If you don’t have a car to deliver food, you can use a bicycle, motor scooter or motorbike. Wages can vary from $18 to $28 per hour, depending on the platform. 

Where can I find student jobs?

1. Use online job platforms

Major job websites such as Seek, Indeed, Jora and LinkedIn Jobs advertise casual, part-time, internship and entry-level opportunities across Australia. There are also student-specific websites such as Student Job Board and Student Edge. 

2. Check your education provider's career services

Careers teams and student job boards may advertise opportunities. They can help you with your resume, cover letter, job interview skills and connect you with job opportunities through careers fairs, industry events and network. 

3. Government initiatives

You can have a look at government initiatives dedicated to helping students find work, and preparing them for their career through coaching services, practical workshops and networking events. For example, in Adelaide, the Job Shop connects businesses with students looking for their first job in Adelaide. In Melbourne, the Study Melbourne's International Student Careers Fair connect international students and recent graduates with valuable resources, including employers, industry experts, professional bodies and employment support services.

Work hours and rights

International students can work up to 48 hours per fortnight during the school semester and unlimited hours during scheduled holiday breaks. However, work rights can vary, so always check the conditions that apply to your visa through the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs.

In Australia, employees (including visa holders) are protected by workplace laws covering minimum pay, working hours, leave, payslips, safety and fair treatment.

If you ever experience unfair treatment, please tell someone about it such as your education provider's student support services. For more information about your work rights, visit the Fair Work Ombudsman.

At Kaplan International College Adelaide, our College Services team can connect you with career support. Read our essential career guide for ways to become job-ready and strategies to find your first job.