Settling into a new university in a new country is a big step that may be expensive. One of the things you will have to consider is the amount of money you will bring with you when you first come to South Australia;
How you will bring that money into the country and what you will do with your money once you have arrived in South Australia. Your first month at university may be your most expensive month because you will need to pay for your textbooks and program equipment (This could cost between $A100 and $A500 depending on your program).
Also if you choose to move into private rental accommodation, you could be asked to pay up to 4 weeks rent in advance plus a bond (which is security against you causing damage to the property). The bond is usually equal to 2 or 4 weeks rent. (The bond is returned to you when you leave the property as long as you have not caused any damage to the property). The following guide may assist you in deciding how much money to bring with you so that you can establish yourself at the University with the least amount of worry:
Cash $A 1000
Travellers cheques and/or International ATM access $A2,500.
An important fact to remember is that a cheque (or banker's draft) may not be the most useful way of bringing money into the country. International cheques (or banker's drafts) can take up to 6 weeks to be cleared by a bank in Australia. This means that you may not be able to use these funds for the first 6 weeks of your stay in South Australia. You will have better access to your money if you can arrange with your bank to bring some funds in Australian dollars or travellers cheques and have other funds available through international automatic teller machine access.
Once you arrive in Australia the next important step is to open a bank account as soon as possible. A bank account makes it easy and safe for you to deposit and withdraw money whenever and wherever you want. The staff of International Student Services can assist you with opening a bank account at the bank of your choice.
I prefer three banks in South Australia which helps lot of international students.
Commonwealth Bank,
ANZ and
Bank SA.
Most of the University students prefer Bank SA, because it gives Visa facility in all the cards. You can use that card as debit card for paying all online transaction and telephonic banking.
Commonwealth is one of the biggest bank in Australia and my personal opinion is to start your account in Commonwealth, because more ATM and net bank is really fast comparing to other banks in South Australia.
If you want to sent or receive money from India, ANZ is best way to do that. They charge very less for international transaction comparing to other banks in South Australia.
It is very important that you discuss with your parents (or who ever is providing you with financial support) the most reliable way for you to regularly receive funds while you are living in South Australia. Before you leave home it is important that you make sure that the money you receive from home, while you are studying in Australia, is enough to pay for your tuition costs and your living costs.
If you are granted Work Rights after you start studying, it will be possible for you to look for part-time employment. However, there is no guarantee that you will find work as soon as possible you arrived South Australia or, if you do find work, that you will be able to cope with work without your study suffering.
- Contributed by Hari, Former Student, UniSA
Hari finished his Masters Computer and Information Science (LMCP) from University of South Australa and currently employed with Oasis, Wollongong, NSW. He is one of those students who ended up getting a job offer even before he finished his degree. He can be reached by hari.jaganathan [at] gmail.com
I think it is safe for students to book the temporary accommodation arranged by the university for the first week or ten initial days.
