Even now, Australia is the first choice of Nepali students for higher education studies. Australia is attracting many foreign students because of the possibility to study the subject of your choice, the opportunity to work while studying and the possibility of easily advancing your career even after completing your studies. But is it the only possibility in Australia? Is it easy to take advantage of this opportunity?

There are also challenges in Australia for new students. The Opera House, Darling Harbor and the beauty of the seashore are not the only things here .  The burden of millions of study fees to be paid to the university semester after semester, not getting a room to live, not getting a job on time, not being able to earn as much as expected and not being able to mingle culturally is also a problem . And there is also the situation of having to deal with mental health problems that may occur due to less opportunities to meet regularly with family and friends. 

According to the latest figures from the Australian Government's Department of Education, there are currently 723,000 international students studying in Australia. In which the number of Nepali students is 57 thousand 48. Nepalis are still third in the number of international students in Australia. According to statistics, Nepali students have contributed 4.1 billion to the Australian economy in the last financial year.

We have tried to explain 4 topics that must be understood by Nepali students and parents coming to Australia for study.  

1. The problem of getting a room 

The Australian government announced a decision to reduce the number of immigrants a few months ago. The growing housing problem was responsible for this decision. According to the data of the year 2023, out of 3 lakh 28 thousand international students enrolled in Australia, only 1 lakh 30 thousand had student accommodation. Which is provided by the government and university . Apart from this, students have to search for room rent individually.

Australia is looking for jobs for renting a room, information including past details of the person renting the room . Therefore, it is not so easy for foreign students to rent a room for studies recently. On the other hand, newly arrived students are not preferred for landlords. That has also made the problem more complicated. Although there are tens of thousands of Nepalis who have built their own houses in Australia, they do not rent their houses, so it is difficult for Nepali students to get rent in Nepalese houses. Therefore, it is advisable for students coming for higher education to prepare their accommodation in advance.

2. Work problem

Australia now  The unemployment rate is 4.3 percent. However, it is not easy for recently arrived international students to get a job. On the one hand, there is a problem because most of the people who come from Nepal do not have any work experience and do not know about the nature of work and working style. Even if they apply for a job, they fail to get a job because they are not aware of the interview style and field of work. On the other hand, because students can work only 48 hours in two weeks, employers prefer employees who can work full-time. 

Mainly, new students work in cleaning, restaurants and cafes, but due to experience and not understanding the rules here, they are forced to work for a small salary. Aged care (caring for the elderly) is the preferred position of most of the students, but it costs about 1000 dollars to train for it, although there is no guarantee of getting a job after the training.  Those working in the field of student counseling and migration advise new students to come to Australia only after learning the skills required by the workforce. 

3. Expensive education fees

Education fees in Australia are very expensive compared to Nepal. According to the statistics, the students who come to study higher education in the university here have to pay a minimum of 20 thousand dollars (about 18 lakh rupees) to 50 thousand dollars (about 46 lakh rupees) annually. It is impossible for students who come for higher education to work 48 hours for two weeks and collect all the expenses here. This not only gives mental stress to the students who come here, but also puts more financial burden on the parents in Nepal. 

Globally rising prices have also affected Australia. Even if you get a room rent, now you have to pay a minimum of 150 to 200 dollars per week for a room, and other additional expenses have also increased a lot . Australia currently has a minimum wage of $24.95 per hour. If a student can work 48 hours a fortnight, they can earn up to around $1200 . In which they can earn up to 1000 dollars by deducting government tax . Due to the dwindling job opportunities after covid, there is no guarantee that you can always get a fixed-term job in two weeks.  

The Australian government has recently been very strict on employees who work more than the prescribed rules and who work in cash (cash) and businesses who work in cash. Because of this, there is no possibility of earning more by working more than the prescribed . Therefore, educational consultants suggest that the student will be financially comfortable by paying at least one year's tuition fees.