International Students

English Proficiency Testing

Many international students do not realise that they must sit an English Proficiency Test, most commonly IELTS, to be eligible for many graduate/summer vacation positions.

Please ensure that you book your IELTS test well in advance of the graduate/summer vacation recruitment season. Generally speaking most companies want a minimum of 7.0 across all sections of the academic/general IELTS. It is your responsibility to find out what the requirements are well in advance of the closing dates by checking the website of the company you are interested in working for.

The University’s Centre for English Teaching administers IELTS exams, for further information please contact the Centre for English Teaching.

Graduate (temporary) Visa - 485 Visa

Although the CEO cannot give specific advice on migration and visa issues, there have been some major changes to the General Skilled Migration Program including a new visa (Visa 485) from September 2007. This visa allows overseas students who do not meet the criteria for a permanent General Skilled Migration visa to remain in Australia for 18 months to gain skilled work experience or improve their English language skills, which also means a greater chance of improving their employment outcomes once leaving University.Visit DIAC for more information on this visa.

Job Search In Australia

Immigration regulations
Graduate Careers Australia has comprehensive information for international students related to visas, job search and much more
IELTS Testing is essential to students applying for Graduate and Summer Vacation Programs for many graduate employers in Australia. You will need to have sat a test within the last 12 months of applying to meet these requirements. It is important that you book in early for these tests. The Centre for English Teaching at the University is a registered provider of the IELTS test.

Communication skills

Research shows that this is the single most important factor for your Australian job search success! This means being able to communicate well in English with stakeholders ranging from customers and fellow staff to senior managers, and includes both written and verbal communication skills. Places to improve your English communication skills:

ESL Business News - Follow along with the script while listening to the podcast and learn to understand and pronounce business English and to understand and discuss important business topics.
Australian Discussion Groups-run by The Sydney University Volunteers Association (tel: 9563 6010)
Community Colleges NSW - A not-for-profit association which runs short courses in written and spoken English e.g. 'Improve your English Communication - Non-Native Speakers'
Workshops for English Language and Learning (W.E.L.L.)
The Centre For English Teaching - Courses in General English and Business English.

Involvement in a university club or society is highly desired by graduate recruiters as it points to the development of skills such as teamwork, leadership and initiative. In addition, some clubs may help support your job search eg. The Sydney University Chinese Student's Association (SUCSA) organises seminars on immigration and job opportunities. Sometimes employers seeking certain nationalities will contact the relevant society to advertise their job opportunities. Visit the University Clubs and Societies for a full listing and the business school's own Clubs and Societies Program.

Another related factor is cultural understanding. In the Australian workplace this usually means "direct communication". For more information:

Expectations of the Australian Workplace

Gaining Local Experience -Work Experience, Voluntary Work

Another factor to assist in gaining employment is to have local work experience. Many international students seek "Internships". Internships are difficult even for local students to pursue here so an extra effort has to go in to this process. Things you can do:

Companies advertise vacation work and part-time vacancies -check out the Careers Centre vacation work section and the CEOs Jobs and Work Experience. Be aware that most of these positions target penultimate year local students
There are companies that arrange placements for a fee. See Jobs and Work Experience for more information
Contact your Consulate or relevant Chamber of Commerce e.g. Australian Chinese Business Council so that you can research and approach organisations which operate both in your country of origin and here in Australia
The University's Casual Employment Service specialises in helping students find casual and part-time work during their studies and during University vacations
Study and Work is an agency, which along with local students, services the niche market of international students
There are a number of voluntary opportunities worth pursuing, please refer to Jobs and Work Experience for a detailed list of organisations
Excellent resource: "Land That Job in Australia: Successful Job-hunting for Migrants" (2005) by Dr Jim Bright & Karen Bright, Paperback. Australia (ISBN 0-9757560-0-1) Now in the Careers Centre library

In the case of Australian graduate recruitment activities, you will find that many employers are looking to recruit local students or students who have already attained permanent residency status. However you may approach employers directly to enquire about eligibility.

Increasingly local multi-nationals are looking to recruit international students to train here and then work in their home country offices, and these positions will be advertised at Jobs and Work Experience and our eNewsletters. Remember that contract work and temporary positions can be a way to gain local experience whilst looking for a career job.

Job Search Overseas

The Business School's Careers office will be developing recruitment events for major international employers, particularly from South East Asia who are looking to recruit both our international students on their return home and local students .

Useful links to overseas online job databases:

Chinese Job Sites

In addition, most corporate organisations offer helpful information for job seekers on their websites.

Increasingly large organisations are looking to recruit international students and initially have them work here in Australia before returning to their home country to work for their organisation. Although not many organisations participate in this practice, there is a definite growth in these types of opportunities as the workforce becomes increasingly globalised.

Check out the suggested websites on this Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office presentation

Jobs in Japan

Japanese students - BEO Recruitment: On return from Australia, BEO will seek to place students into appropriate employment opportunities in Japan. This is a free support service to current Japanese students and recent graduates studying in Economics and Business. For more information go to: BEO (English) or BEO (Japanese)

Job Search Advice From Asian Employers

Jobs in China

According to CPA Australia

The 'Big 4' employers (Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young and PwC) recruit over 1,000 new staff each year and they prefer candidates with overseas education and professional qualifications
In the Financial sector there is a huge demand for qualified accountants as many of the Chinese banks/insurance companies are either listed on overseas stock markets or have an institutional investor from overseas
There are around 1,400 domestically listed companies who will be in need of overseas qualified accountants due to the new accounting standards, which all listed companies are required to adopt.

Deloitte China

Deloitte has 8,200 people in ten offices including Beijing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Suzhou and Tianjin. They are serving more than 800 MNCs and their affiliated companies in mainland China. Deliotte provide a full range of audit, accounting, tax, management consulting and corporate advisory services and work closely with offices in China, across Asia-Pacific and around the world to provide clients of every size with local experience and international expertise.

If you are considering working for Deloitte in China read some of their frequently asked questions on recruitment.

Jobs in Malaysia