Arrival in Australia

Your plane will probably arrive at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport.  From the airport, you may choose to travel by taxi or by train (generally cheaper) to Sydney city. 

Living in Sydney

Sydney is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city equal to any of the world’s major cities. As well as being Australia’s largest city, Sydney offers a lifestyle that is exciting and diverse.  Sydney is on Australia's eastern seaboard and offers a coastline of magnificent beaches.  Sydney is a cosmopolitan city offering large supermarkets and shopping centres, churches of various denominations, a recreation theme park, national parks and natural rainforests, a botanical garden, movie theatres, an entertainment centre, ten-pin bowling alleys, golfing greens, social clubs and discos and much more. It is a city that is open 24 hours a day combining the best of Australia's casual lifestyle with everything that makes it a truly international city.

Australia ’s population is multi-cultural, which means that there are numerous migrant organisations that welcome newly-arrived international visitors.
Back to Top

Climate 

Australia is well-known for its temperate climate.  Sydney has a beautiful, sunny coastal climate with winter temperatures averaging 18 degrees celsius and a summer temperature averaging between 28 – 30 degrees celsius.  That doesn’t mean you come without a coat and some warm clothes, as there are occasions when the temperature falls to a low 8 degrees celsius in Sydney with some parts of New South Wales having temperatures of 0 degrees or –0 degrees.  Of course, if you wish to go skiing in the winter months, then you do need to bring warm clothing.
Back to Top

Recreation and Sport 

Sydney region offers a variety of sporting and recreational activities.  These include swimming, golf, tennis, sailing, scuba diving, tennis, horse riding, abseiling, hang-gliding, bush walking, soccer, rugby, boating, cricket, fishing, archery – the list is endless.  A five-hour trip takes you to the magnificent Australian ski slopes where you can ski to your heart's content in winter.  For those who prefer the warmth in winter, a trip to Queensland’s well-known tourist attractions can also provide endless hours of fun.

Around Sydney there are numerous venues for picnics, sightseeing and – in nearby animal parks – you can feed kangaroos, pat koalas and watch wombats.  Beautiful, colourful parrots;  white cockatoos;  pink and grey galahs are plentiful in the region.  Sydney has its own Botanical Gardens located right next to our magnificent  Sydney Harbour and Opera House.
Back to Top

  Cost of living

Before starting studying and arriving in Australia, it is a good idea to prepare a budget.  This will help you when you arrive in Australia and need to pay for accommodation, travel, food and other expenses (in addition to tuition fees).
You must have enough money to cover all living expenses before you leave your home country.  Whilst you may have the right to work in Australia (depending on your visa conditions), you cannot assume that you will earn enough money through working in Australia to meet your tuition fees or living expenses. 
The table below is an approximate guide to the costs of living in Australia.  They do not include the costs of telephone calls (including mobiles) or internet connections or tuition fees.  Exact costs will vary depending on what your living arrangements will be, where you choose to live, inflation and currency fluctuations. 

Remember to estimate further costs for any spouse that may be travelling with you or dependent child.  Any school-aged dependants travelling with you will be required to pay full tuition fees at a private or government school in Australia.
Back to Top

Accommodation 

Accommodation is available by renting a home unit, town house, villa or a free-standing house.  A free-standing house normally has a fenced garden with lawns surrounding the house – ideal for families with children.  These homes/villas/units/houses can be rented with one to four bedrooms and normally include a kitchen, bathroom, internal toilet, lounge room (salon) and eating area (dining room). 

The average costs of renting these types of premises in the Sydney area ranges from $120.00 to $350.00 per week.  Electricity and telephone usage are additional costs.  Students can choose to share accommodation. 
For your convenience, details of the following Real Estate Agents may list properties for rent in the Bankstown area:

Back to Top

Course Details 

A number of our courses have pre-requisites which you must have if you wish to enrol in those courses.  For example, our Diploma level courses require you to have the equivalent of Year 12 level Australian schooling (e.g., Higher School Certificate).
Back to Top

English Language  

International students who wish to study in Australia must obviously speak English.  If English is not your first language, you may be required to be tested in your English language proficiency or enrol in an English language course with our affiliated college, the English Academy.  Your score must be to the IELTS level of 5.5 or TOEFL level of 550 English standard if you are from an Assessment Level 3, 4 or 5 country.  Testing is available in your country.

If you wish to study English in Australia, contact us to find out more about English courses offered through our affiliated provider, Inter-Continental Colleges Pty Ltd.
Back to Top

Emphasis on Quality and Curriculum 

Our courses are all accredited by the Australian Government and by Australian Industry Training Advisory Bodies.  This gives students the assurance that the training received is of the highest quality and the curriculum being followed is relevant to, and endorsed by, the industry that the training is relevant to.

The College has already succeeded in training a number of its students to the level of international standards.  In independent examinations conducted throughout Australia and Asia by the Commercial Education Society of Australia, students have won nine prestigious international awards in various Information Technology courses since the College commenced operations in late 1994.  The College has recently had a student nominated for the NSW Vocational Student of the Year, 2000, for academic excellence in Information Technology.
Back to Top

Government Recognition 

The Illawarra Business College is registered as an RTO with Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).  Overseas students can be assured that their training is being conducted by an organisation that is on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). This means that The Illawarra Business College is registered to provide courses to people studying in Australia on student visas. 
Back to Top

Industry Recognition 

Our College is also recognised by industry as a provider of accredited training and as an independent examination centre with external organisations such as the Commercial Education Society of Australia, Monash University, and the Australian Federation of Travel Agents.   Endorsement by these bodies ensures that training provision and examinations are provided to the highest ethical standards.
Back to Top

Health Insurance 

It is a condition of a Student Visa that students maintain adequate health insurance for the duration of their visa.  Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) can assist students to meet the costs of medical and hospital care if needed in Australia. 
OSHC does not cover costs such as dental, optical, physiotherapy services or treatment of conditions existing prior to arrival in Australia. It is not general travel insurance, and will not cover the loss of personal items (eg. camera, laptop).
From 1 July 2010, student visa applicants must obtain OSHC for the proposed duration of their student visa; to facilitate this, OSHC for your total student visa duration must be purchased when accepting your offer of admission. Your electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (required for student visa application) cannot be issued until this payment is received. Information about this change has been posted on the DIAC website.
The College’s preferred OSHC provider is Australian Health Management, and the OSHC Fees are available on the AHM website:

It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that they maintain OSHC throughout their stay in Australia and that the OSHC coverage matches the actual dates of their student visa.  Further detailed information about OHSC is provided on the DIAC website (http://www.immi.gov.au/students/_pdf/oshc-faq.pdf) and the Department of Health and Ageing website (http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/privatehealth-consumers-overseascover.htm). 

Back to Top

Money and Banks 

Australian dollars are the only legal tender accepted in Australia.  Australia uses decimal currency with 100 cents in a dollar.  Bank notes are in $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 plus there are  5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1, $2 coins.  Money from other countries can be changed at our international airport, larger banks and major hotels.  Travelers cheques are easy to use if already in Australian dollars.  Automatic Teller Machines are readily available.
The most commonly accepted credit cards are Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners International.
Back to Top

Food 

Australia has a plentiful supply of food.  Our multicultural profile means that we have foods from countries all over the world, so you should have no trouble finding foods that you are used to in your country.  You will also have the opportunity of sampling food from many other cultures.
Back to Top

Working in Australia

As an overseas student, you can work part-time as a way of earning extra spending money whilst studying and living in Australia.  Remember that you must have enough money to support yourself before you leave your home country.
If you have been granted a student visa after 26 April 2008, you will automatically receive permission to work with your visa grant.
   
You are not allowed to work until you start your course and you can only work up to 20 hours a week while the course is in session (excluding any work undertaken as a registered component of your course) and you can work unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks. 

Click Here to request more information about studying at the
Illawarra Business College.

Before downloading and completing the Enrolment Form, prospective students should download and read the
Pre-Enrolment Information.

Or Click for our International Student Enrolment form
These forms are in PDF format and you will need Adobe Acrobat to read it.

Copyright 2009, The Illawarra Business College
A division of Focal Holdings Pty Ltd ABN 16 064 243 367 ACN 064 243 367