Live in Australia

How to buy Laptop in Australia

2009-06-29T06:14:00.001-07:00

If you planning to come here (Australia) and I you don't have laptop back in your country then please buy your laptop in Australia. There are numerous advantage in doing this and I strongly recommend you to buy your new laptop in Australia. This article will help you to understand the reason behind my point and you will definitely think again before buying your laptop back in home land.

Laptop Service: If your laptop crashes, or some fault in your hardware you need to spend more then what you are expecting. Servicing any electronic items is really expensive and you will end up in paying $100 plus each time. Same time I don't think any warranty covered in Australia if you have bought your laptop in other country.

Buy Local: The reason behind my point is to put you in hassle free situation. If you buy laptop in Australia you get your warranty and you can even extend your warranty for few 100 dollars. This process will put you in hassle free situation and more over they will fix your laptop straight way if there is any issue. I am one among few people who had issues with my laptop and they fixed my laptop in 3 days without any cost.

More options: You will definitely have more options when you buy your laptop in Australia. There are few online sites and more electronic show rooms which will help you to pick up right laptop for you.

Piracy:Australia is not big fan of pirate software, so its better to buy original software which will be included in your starter pack. So better get original software and make use of it .

Below links will help you to compare laptop prices:

MyShopping

PriceSpy

GetPrice

You can find local reviews in the below sites:

CNET

ZDNET

How to find full time job in Australia

2009-06-28T23:31:00.000-07:00

Most of us struggling to find full time job after completing our course or after we migrate to Australia but this article will help you to find full time job as quick as possible. I have outlined few tips to overcome this issue and offcourse will help you to plan your career path.

Build your resume: As we all know Resume and Cover letter is the first gateway to sell you in the job market, so spend more time in preparing your resume and cover letter. If you have confusion in preparing resume please refer to my pervious post “How to write killing resume ” which will help you to prepare resume and cover letter.

Meet the consultant: After preparing your resume meet as much consultant you can, this helps you to increase your job network and I am sure you will get a call from them in a month. Consultant / Job agencies main job is to find best people for there client and they always looking for talent candidate. Below link will give you most of the consultants address, phone number and contact details.

http://www.seek.com.au/profiles/recruiter/

Apply directly to company: Most of the companies have their own separate HR website, so apply through them. Make sure you are uploading the right resume and make sure you update your skill set if you complete any certification. Remember Keywords are very important because most of the website will filter resume according to keywords.

Permanent residency issue: One of the biggest blocker in finding full time job is PR status, but if you have 100% skill set and if you convince your company most of the company will offer you a job. Only 10% of people offered job without PR or TR but when you look those people they would have convinced their employee in interview. I am one among them who convince my employee and I was offer a job before I completed my course. Don’t be afraid to tell your job agency that you’re not holding PR but make sure you tell that you got all the skill set they asked for.

Prepare for your interview: Interview is another major blocker for few people but here are the tips to overcome that blocker.
1) Communication is very important, So sell yourself by communicating well and make sure you highlight all the skill sets you got which is related to job requirement.
2) Understand the job requirement and make sure you give live example for each requirement. 3) Don’t get caught in surprises, be prepared for technical and HR round. Most of us fail in technical so better be prepared for that.
4) Know your employer, before going to interview read as much you can and know about the employer you have applied and make sure you know what their core values are.
5) Do a mock interview at home and try to analysis your positive and negative side.
6) Talk good things about your previous employer and try to talk more about team work.
7) Always remember its WE not I, so make sure you don’t show to employer as if your one man army.

Feedback: Even If you failed in Interview make sure you get your feedback and try to change yourself in future.

What to pack?

2009-06-24T06:31:00.000-07:00

In next few weeks my brother will land in Australia for his higher studies in Melbourne. Few weeks before he asked me about pre-departure preparation and his main question is about- “what to pack”. I was literally trying to recalling my old days and unfortunately I cannot remember anything except few clothes. Then I realized that I should put an article about “What to Pack” and I thought of listing what you need exactly. My list will be really practical and I am not going to give you fancier list like agencies. I have divided this section into 4 different categories and each category will have separate list.

1. Official documents
2. Clothes
3. Kitchen, toiletries and medicines
4. Electronic items and Stationery.

1. Official documents: Make sure you do this first after visa stamped in your passport, its very important that you bring your official documents for study and other personal information documents which you need during your studies in Australia. Make sure you take multiple photo copies of the below list and take them along with originals. I strongly advice you leave 2 copies with your parents back at home which will make list easy even if you lose it. If you have time please attest all the documents from notary public.

· Passport (check that your passport is valid for the total duration of your study program in Australia)
· Offer letter, Acceptance letter, Confirmation of Enrolment Letter (eCoE) and any other formal documentation sent to you from your institution (eg. Scholarship letter etc.)
· Documents outlining your academic history which may include your transcripts, educational and work qualifications, reference letters and course outlines if you hope to gain credit for your previous study.
· Formal identification papers (eg. Birth Certificate, Proof of Citizenship, valid drivers license and credit cards)
· Medical and immunisation records (in English if possible)
· Receipts of valuable new goods
· Legal documents which you may need in Australia.
· Certified copies of your passport (put a copy in your luggage)
· A valid Drivers License and/or an International Drivers License if you think you will be driving in Australia.
· Experience certificate from your pervious employee (if any).
· Any certification related to your degree or job ( e.g. C++, Java, etc)
· Bank loan offer letter.
· IELTS mark sheet.
· Passport size photo ( At least 24 – Its expensive in Australia and same time you need that)
· Books in DVD ( Please remember this step, it will save lot of weight)

2. Clothes: Australian weather is bit nicer in summer and bit cold especially May – September. I recommend you to pack sensibly keeping in mind that you are going to face all different season. Remember university culture is totally different and you can go to university with just t-shirt and jeans.

List: Jeans, T-shirts, Formal wear, Suit, under garments, belts, shorts, hangers, thermal wear, jumpers (sweater), gloves, shoes (formal and casual), socks, polish, handkerchief , towels, toilet foot wear

Other items: Pillow covers, bed spread, locks and keys, and traveler pillow.

3. Kitchen, toiletries and medicines: I know you might think its funny that I have listed kitchen, toiletries, and medicines but everything is expensive in Australia. Until you get your part time job you need to make sure that you reduce your spending as much as you can. That was the reason I have included Kitchen, toiletries and medicines here.

Kitchen list: Plates (Buy Microwaveable) , Glasses, electric or pressure cooker, storage container, knives, chopping board, spoons and forks, instant noodles (very important), instant rice mix (very important), cooking bowl and pan (Important).

Toiletries: Deodorant spray, perfume ( for girls), tooth brushes, tooth pastes, moisture cream, shaving cream, oil, shaving machine, razors, face wash, lip guard, combs, sunscreen lotion, room refresher, detergents and any other item in your list.

Medicines: Before you buy any medicines you visit your family doctor and get a prescription of medicines that you take (If you have any chronic illness or breathing problem or other ailments). You can also take tablets or syrups for common ailments like cold, cough, indigestion etc as per your requirement (duration of your stay, how susceptible you are to getting ill etc). Remember at all times that its wise to get a prescription for all the medicines that you bring.

List: Cold and Cough tablets, Flu tablets, If you are using lens please bring at least 2 pairs, If you are using glass please bring at least 2 pairs, any allergy tablets, and any other item which I missed.

4. Electronic items and stationery: For electronic goods first check voltage information and match with Australian voltage but in most case you will be fine. If you already got your electronic items then its fine but don’t buy any new items before you start to Australia. I recommend you to buy any electronic items in Australia as it covers warranty and everything. Remember fixing electronic goods in Australia is bit pain and expensive, so if you planned to buy new laptops, IPod, Mp3, etc, better buy in Australia. I will write a post about buying laptop in Australia which will help you to plan yourself.

List: Mobile, Laptop ( if you already got ), Alarm clock (if necessary), rechargeable batteries, Camera, International adaptor plug , calculator, software CD, watch and any other item you need..

Stationery: Staplers and pins, pens and pencils, sharpeners, erasers, scales, bell pins, sticky notes, note books, highlighters, and any other item you need.

Note: This is just my list and of course I must have missed something important, I am writing this post @ 1.00 Am midnight so I might miss something for sure J. Please post your comments, this will help me to improve and I will surly post any new article which you are after.

How to find accommodation in Australia Part one

2009-06-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

Finding initial Accommodation is one of the worst experiences I had when I first landed Australia. But things changed a lot now, you can find accommodation in less then 15 days if you do it in proper way or if you approach the right person or through right website. Ok! Here is the information which will be useful for everyone who reads this blog. First you need to ask yourself where are you going to stay and how much you want spend on accommodation.

Know your Suburb: First decide where you want to stay, I strongly suggest to find a better suburb near your university. To know more about the suburbs near your university use Google maps, then do a research about suburbs near your university. Living near university is big advantage, basically you can save money by walking to university or you can spend time in campus for long time or you can access university library any time.

Know your budget: This is another very important step you have to complete before start searching accommodation. Lot of students thinks that you can get cheaper accommodation but I will suggest everyone to find good place rather then cheaper place. Keep your budget clear for first few months because first few months is really crucial in your life in Australia. In normal suburb you can find share accommodation for 150 Dollars a week (min), if you get any offer below that please verify everything.

Network: After you finalize everything you are ready for big question - “How to find accommodation”. As I said in my early post “How to find part time job in a month” you need to network with people living in Australia. Develop contact - friends, family, social networking sites like face book, orkut, Hi5 and people in associations - anyone who might help get information about accommodation. Post your questions in social networking sites, and ask your friends or family who live in Australia. 80% of people will always answer your questions and at the same time you can even see people looking to share there own accommodation.

Sharing an apartment or house with a flatmate can be a good option and it may be less expensive as you can also share the rent and save more money. This is a very important part of your experience because you could make great friends or some times you find hard living with new people. When you are looking for a place to share with others, it is important to ask who else will be sharing the place with you. There are a number of ways you can find a share house or find a flatmate in Australia.

Below are some options:

Look for Pin board in University: Some students post ads on the pin boards at each institution campus advertising either a spare room to rent or that they are looking for a flatmate. This can be a good option as your flatmate would be a student at your university and the accommodation is usually close to the campus.

Look for dedicated websites: There are some websites dedicated to finding flatmates in Australia, here are some you might like to look at:
1. Easy Roommates
2. Flatmates
3. Gumtree
4. Real estate
5. Domain

How to apply for Australian driving licence

2009-06-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

Lot of students asked me whether it’s important to hold Australian driving licence when they are pursuing there degree. I strongly recommend to get your driving licence, as you don’t want to carry your passport every where and at the same time chances of getting part time job increases.

If you are international student or permanent visa holder and hold current driving licence from other country for more then 3 year, then you are eligible to apply for driving licence. It’s a simple process and hardly will it take 15 days to get your driving licence based on your state transportation board and number of years you are driving.

Step one: Find your state authority and get the initial information, you can even call them and speak to them. If you want more details on state authority please use the below links.

State/Territory - Contact Details
New South Wales (NSW) See: Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA)
Victoria (VIC) See: Vic roads
Queensland (QLD) See: Licensing & registration
South Australia (SA) See: Welcome to Transport SA
Western Australia (WA) See: Licensing services
Tasmania (TAS) See: Transport - TAS
Australian Capital Territory (ACT) See: Road transport information management
Northern Territory (NT) See: Driver licensing

Step two: Apply for written test using above link and pass the test. You can find lot of online resource related to driving written test in Google. I will suggest you to look for NRMA, and RAA website and other forums were they normally publish sample question papers.

Step three: Book for the actual road test using above links, fees vary from different states and even procedures vary from different states. Make sure you read everything and make sure you practice before you go to your test. If you pass the test you will be provided with driving licence straight away.

How to get part time job in a month

2009-06-21T05:49:00.001-07:00

As I promised in the last post, here is the article about Part time job in a month. There are times in our lives where we need to look for part time job to look after our living expenses, course fee, and even for small holiday plan. International students always have confusion about getting part time in Australia, if you follow the below methodology you will find part time job at least in one month or so. Remember this is just my experience and I am sharing this experience with every one through this blog to help you.

Networking: Richard Bolles once said "He or she who gets hired is not necessarily the one who can do that job best, but the one who knows the most about how to get hired." “Networking” is one of the simple ways to find part time job in Australia. If you have attitude of giving then you will get back the same from others. Most of international students will find part time job through personal contact. Study conducted by SEEK reveled that 40% of part time jobs are filled without advertised in Newspapers, job portal or other sources. Develop contact - friends, family, neighbors, college alumni, people in associations - anyone who might help generate information and job leads. Job networking sited like Workplace is one the best place to start, you will find lot of information about networking.

Apply in Person: Leave your hesitation, move around and find the job - this is the simple way to find part time job. Applying for job in person is little bit different from applying online. You should be prepared for interview or sometime be ready for trial shift as well. Make sure you got your resume handy, dress neat and tidy, take your pen, and communicate strongly with the employer. After few days do a follow-up call and make sure you let the employer you are still interested in that position. If you have confusion in preparing resume refer my pervious post “How to write killer resume”, this article will help you to prepare your resume.

Apply Online: There are numerous websites where you can apply online, but make sure you do your home work before applying. First understand what the requirements are and then create your resume, due to increase in number of applicants most of the employers using automated system to screen your resume. Secondly make sure you got all the relevant information about your pervious employment (if any), Address, Education information, driving license number, your pervious pay, and how many days and hours you are available. Below are the few companies you can start with:

Petrol stations:
1. BP
2. Shell
3. Caltex
4. WoolWorths

Super Market and Shopping stores:

1. WoolWorths
2. Coles
3. K-Mart
4. Big-W
5. Harisscarfe
7. Target

Food and Pizza:

1. KFC
2. Hungry Jacks
3. McDonalds
4. Redrooster
5. Subway
6. Dominos
7. Pizza hut
8. Pizza Heaven

Mobile and Electronic stores:
1. 3 Mobile
2. Telstra
3. Optus
4. Vodofone
5. JB HI-FI
6. Harvey Norman
7. Dick Smith
8. Bunnings warehouse

News Paper: News paper is another source to find part time jobs, it always worth spending around 3 dollars a week to find the job you are after. Most the part time jobs will be advertised in newspaper rather then web portal. If you want to know the list of newspaper in your state, please refer to the following link. Make sure you look for classification section and buy newspaper regularly, but sometimes you can find daily newspaper in your university library as well.

Job Advertisement sites: This is the last option but very power full option to search part time job. Lot of well recognized companies will advertise the vacancy in online job portal. I have written an article about “5 best job search portal in Australia” which will give you more information about different portal and different ways to find part time job.

Few Tips:
1) Make sure you got your resume handy.
2) Stay focused , don’t loose hope on yourself.
3) Employers always look for people who have good communication and good personal skills.
4) Be familiar with transportation, this will help you to find the better place to apply for job.
5) Something is better then nothing. Take the first chance and try to improve with your experience.
6) Driving skills always help you with some part time job like pizza driver, courier service and much more.
7) Don’t ever work more then 20 hours or without TFN/ABN. If you want to know how to apply for TFN refer to my article here
Ok now you are ready for big hunt; All the best. Please post your comment which will help us to give more information.

5 best job search portal in Australia

2009-06-20T07:48:00.001-07:00

Finding job in Australia is a bit tough but if you have right attitude and good career planning then you can easily find the job. Career planning is essential to achieve success in your chosen career. Whether you are aiming to be a bookkeeper in a small business or the finance director of a multi-national corporation, you must know in which direction you are headed and what is required of you to achieve your goal. There are many ways to find job in Australia; I have given you few best web portal which will help you to find job in Australia.

Seek: One of the ASX Company which currently hosts two third of all online ads and approximately 200,000 job ads posted in any given month. Seek is also involved in job requirement training and development business in Australia and NZ. You will find all different kinds of jobs which includes from Cleaners to Senior Executives. You can create your own account and add your personal information in Seek. If you register in Seek JobMail, you will get all jobs relevant to your career path to your Email.

Web site: http://www.seek.com.au/

MyCareer: MyCareer story started in back office of “The Age” Newspaper in 1999 at Melbourne. Now with more then 100 team members employed in 5 different states, MyCareer is another best portal for job search. MyCareer aims to deliver service to job seekers and employee with 7 main methodology – Simple, Quality, Reach, Heritage, Speed, value, and Genuine. MyCareer has exclusive partnership with The Age, SMH, Farifax company, Yahoo 7 and more, which means job ads will reach all over Australia with lots of different network.

Web Site: http://www.mycareer.com.au/

CareerOne: CareerOne is part of news digital media started in back 1999 using technology and development team CareerOne stands out as one of the best job search portal in Australia. Biggest advantage with CareerOne is job hunters can search the website by newspaper, recruiter, industry, employer or geographic location and then add key words to target their search even more. Few services like Resume creation, Job emails, News letter and training will surly help you to find the best job.

Web Site: http://www.careerone.com.au/

JobSearch: JobSearch is one of the largest free online jobs website. JobSearch is totally funded by Australian government to assist job seekers and to connect employers with quality staffs. JobSearch has a range of features to help you search for a job, including: free registration for all Australians seeking work , jobs across all industries and regions of Australia, your own personal page, where you can create a job match profile, upload your resume and use our instant job list to find jobs based on your skills and experience , and links to employment assistance and information for all job seekers.

Web Site: http://www.jobsearch.gov.au/

AllJobs: AllJobs is one of my favorite job portal which integrates 5 different website to one site. AllJobs does not directly advertise job listings. However, all advertisement from below websites is listed together as one job search.

Website: http://www.alljobs.com.au/

Hope this information will help you, in few days I will publish another article about finding part time jobs in 15 days.

How to write killing resume

2009-06-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

In olden days fancy and colorful resume always standout as a winner but due to technology improvement, new job portals, and recruiters database plays major role. This article will give you some guidelines to create your killer resume.

Before start typing your resume, you should start thinking that your resume is going to be your marketing document and gateway for your career success.
First impression is always best impression, so try to bring all your important information first. Let’s start thinking fresh and leave all our old fashion formats (name, age, martial status, and more details listed in the top). With my own experience I recommend that your header should include your name, address and contact details.
Recruiter’s normally spend only 2 minutes to decide that resume goes to pile or not, so better start with most recent jobs (if experienced) or most important course work related to job requirement (if graduate).
Try to match your personal and attitude skills with job requirement; Australian companies always value people with good personal and attitude skills.
Technology and keyword database changed the way of searching job, do your home work and try to list all the keywords related to your position and make sure you include them in your resume.
Sell yourself using your photograph in your resume, this move will make your resume as a person not just another paper.
Cover letter also place major role so when it comes to a cover letter for your resume, the trick is to adapt the letter to the employer and the job.

If you want to know how to create cover letter visit my previous post on “How to create covering letter”. More details on resume visit JobAccess

How to write covering letter:

2009-06-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

In Australia a large amount of jobs advertised in job sites requires covering letter. This article is to help you to write your own covering letter and to give some guidelines about what should cover and what shouldn’t be inculded. Covering letter known as a short, concise, and lays out exactly what you are looking for and why you are qualified. It should give the recruiter a reason to call you. Few employers seriously consider a resume that is not accompanied by a cover letter; thus, a dynamically written cover letter needs to be part of your job-search strategy because covering letter is one of your gateways to successful job hunt.

Following are some specific recommendations.

Keep it simple and clear: Don’t go for fancy design from Microsoft word, keep it simple and be clear in what you are looking for and why you are qualified for this role.

Cover the requirement: Try to give brief example about your pervious experience which was covered in employer requirement. Make sure you highlight those points in your resume, or there is no point of explaining them in your cover letter.

Making style count and spelling checks: Covering letter needs to be inviting to the readers, so always make sure you proof read your cover letter and don't be afraid to use spell check. "I excell in many areas" or " I am called a perfectionist because when I do something if it is not perfect I will redo the hole thing" are good examples.

Keep it professional: Covering letter is not a place for your personal stuff, so be mindful of the language you use in cover letter. Below are few points you need to note down while writing your covering letter

Don’t be too pushy.
Don’t come across as a desperado.
Don’t use negative statements.
Don’t waffle.
Don’t overuse the word ‘I’. Add a touch of variety to your cover letter by starting your paragraphs off in different ways.
Don’t reveal too much.
Don’t use too many big words.
Don’t be fake. Never ever lie, embellish the truth or pretend to be someone you’re not in your cover letter.

Sample Cover Letter

How to apply for Tax file number

2009-06-19T03:33:00.000-07:00

International students are entitled to work maximum of 20 hours per week during semester and no limit in semester break. In order to work in Australia you need to obtain Tax File Number (TFN). Obtaining TFN should be your first process after you land in Australia and its very important to obtain TFN before you start working. You are only issued one in your lifetime and it is used to file tax reports and important government documents. Australia is very strict in visa rules and regulations, so I strongly recommend not working in Australia without TFN and even working for cash-in-hand is illegal.

What is TFN?
I hope it’s common in most country that if you work, you are required to file your tax return. In Australia TFN is used to track your tax return and even government can track how many hours you are working. As I said early it’s a unique number which you cannot change for life time and its very important to keep your address and personal information up-to-date.

How to Apply?
There are different ways to apply TFN number but I have given you most convenient and easy way.

Apply Online: Australian Taxation Office made our life really easy; you can apply for TFN within 15 minutes sitting before your laptop but you need to be in Australia at the time you apply. Please visit ATO website for more information.

Apply by Phone: You can apply by calling ATO office (Phone number provided in ATO website) and it won’t take more then 20 minutes but make sure you have all necessary documents which I mentioned below.

Documents Required: Make sure you got your passport, your house address and you must be authorized to work by DIAC (Department of Immigration and Citizenship), Valid overseas visa, enrolment details, and you must present in Australia while the time you lodge your application.

How long it will take? It will take 10 working days to get your TFN number.

5 best bank accounts for international students in Australia

2009-06-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

International students or recent migrants always have confusion to choose best transaction account for banking service; this article will help people to move on right track. Below few banks offers best transaction account with no monthly fee or less monthly fee which means you are going to save at least AUD $ 80 an year.
1) Bank west – Hero Transaction account: If you like to earn a high of 2.5 p.a interest on your everyday fund then Hero Transaction account is one for you. The Hero Transaction Account gives you all the benefits of a bank account for day-to-day banking needs - allowing you immediate access to your everyday funds with phone, online banking and cheque book access, whilst paying you high interest at rates that usually only apply to term deposit or savings accounts. Main features includes no monthly fees, Bank west MasterCard debit card access (which means you can use your own money for online purchasing), unlimited electronic transfer with bank west and much more. For more details please visit Bankwest

2) NAB – Students banking: One of best for all full time students who can enjoy the benefits of unlimited use of Internet banking, Telephone banking, EFTPOS, ATM’s, Branch access without paying any monthly fees. Other catchy point that NAB Visa Debit card included, so you can use your own money to make purchases wherever Visa is accepted. You'll get the convenience and security of Visa, and four card colours to choose from. Normally most the banks in Australia won’t let you keep your minimum balance as zero but you can open your bank account with just one dollar with NAB students banking account and there is no minimum balance for this account. For more details please visit NAB

3) SUNCROP Bank – Everyday Options: If you are looking for more flexible, multiple high interest sub account to manage your bills, holidays, and university fees then you should go for Suncrop Everyday options account. In this account interest are calculated daily and paid monthly and there is no monthly fee, regardless of how many sub accounts you open . Cool thing about this account is that you can design our own Visa debit card which will include your own picture. For more details please visit SUNCROP

4) ANZ - Access Advantage: One of the biggest banks in Australia came with new transaction account which will catch the eye of customers who needs constant access to their savings accounts for little fees. As a result, the ANZ bank created the ANZ Access Advantage through which for a small payment of $5 per month customers can have unlimited access to their ANZ savings accounts. As other banks listed on the top ANZ Customers can access their ANZ savings accounts through multiple avenues including ANZ branches, ANZ ATMs, cheques, EFTPOS, ANZ Internet Banking and ANZ Phone Banking, thereby making the ANZ Access Advantage ideal for those who require multiple transactions per month. What's Interesting with the ANZ Access Advantage account? ANZ bank customers can opt to have any image they chose on their card for one-off fee of $15. This means that customers can have their favorite photo or design to personalize their savings accounts card. For more details please visit ANZ

5) St.George Freedom transaction account: If you are someone who want to be able to access your money as often as you like, however you like without having to think twice. You like the certainty of a flat monthly fee as well as the added convenience and security of a Visa Debit Card then st.George Complete Freedom Account with a Visa Debit Card may be for you. With the Express Freedom Account, an Visa Debit Card will be issued on the spot at any branch; use it immediately for things like online purchases or shopping overseas. A low, flat monthly account fee and pay-for-what-you-use services can help you to save on fees. More details visit St.George Bank

5 ways to save money

2009-06-18T05:43:00.000-07:00

Lets keep this one simple and clean - just a bunch of relatively easy ways to save money. As you incorporate more and more of these tips into your life, the savings add up and it wouldn’t surprise me if you could save thousands over the course of a year.It will take a little work on your part but those thousands of dollars in savings are what helped us get out of debt earlier, kept us out of debt for several years and will hopefully help us pay off our recent auto loan soon as well.The secret to saving?

FOCUSED EMOTION: The secret to saving money is to make it a priority, and that is done ONLY when you get some healthy anger or fear and then focus that emotion on your personal decisions. Harnessing that emotion will make you move yourself to the top of your creditor list. Then ask yourself, "Which bill is the most important? After tithing, who should I pay first this month?" The answer is YOU! Until you pay God first, then yourself, then everyone and everything else, you will never save money. Ignore whats others think: Talk about feeling like you are on an island! Just wait until fellow graduates and friends hear about your one-bedroom apartment within biking distance of your new job. Are you nuts? You have a college degree! It’s time to buy that big house in the suburbs, or that upscale condo downtown, and finally upgrade that beater you’ve been driving throughout school. Ignore this advice. Develop some thick skin, and stick to your plan. In a few years, you will be the one laughing–all the way to the bank!

Move slowly: While it is important to get an early jump on investing, only do so when you are on solid financial footing. Also wait until you have a full understanding of the investment vehicle and the various options. Don’t start a huge investment because it just sounds sexy. Don’t put all of your 401(k) money in international equities because your friends “investment guy” said it was a smart move. Only move on to the next step when you think it is a smart move.

Make a list before going shopping: They call it impulse buying for a reason. Humans simply have a very tough time resisting the temptation to purchase extras while shopping. Without a list you will buy items that you simply do not need. Even worse is when your forget to purchase the actual item you came to the store for in the first place. If you plan on cooking at home, pre-plan a rough menu and make a list before you go grocery shopping. Getting all that you need in one trip can help avoid another unnecessary trip and temptation.

Avoid ATM fees: Be aware of the ATM withdrawal fees charged by your bank. While some banks waive fees for all ATM transactions on any ATM machine, most don’t. So be sure to use only those ATM machines where your bank will not charge the fees, or withdraw directly at your bank.

Pay your bills on time and avoid late fees: Get organized about your regular bills. If possible, automate the payments. Most utilities and other recurring bills can be set to be charged to a credit card or deducted from a checking account these days. Also, many banks offer free bill pay programs. So there really is no excuse for forgetting to pay a bill on time and forking out the late fees. Say, by chance you do forget a bill, if you are a first time offender, call the company and request politely to waive the late fees, and more likely than not, they will oblige.

4 Reasons why study in Australia

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Study in Australia:
Our study in Australia is our own experience in Australia and advice on all things related to International studies, migration, visa, and much more. The section includes a brief outline about the country itself, lifestyle and culture, different kind of qualifications available in Australian Universities along with the basic eligibility factors, the student visa applications and financial aspects of study abroad in Australia.

Why Australia?
When most of people think about Australia, our imagination naturally end up with natural wonderland of beautiful beaches, crystal blue waters, amazing ancient rock formations and 16 world heritage, Kangaroos, Kolas, and pristine rainforests. However on the other side Australia offers best education and new start for lot of international students.

1. “Australia” Growing Destination: Australia is rapidly growing as one of the most popular destinations for international student to attend. As per Australian Education International total enrolments in Australian courses delivered onshore and offshore number is around 580 000. Around 460 000 of these enrolments are onshore (in Australia) and around 120 000 offshore (where the Australian institution has a campus in the student’s home country). Australian’s international education enrolment numbers have increased by 78 per cent over the five years to 2007. Australia is now the world’s third most popular English-speaking destination for international students, and the fifth most popular overall. Students from China constituted the largest group, making up 22 per cent of all international students. This was followed by India (14 per cent) and the Republic of Korea (7 per cent). The top 10 nationalities accounted for approximately 69 per cent of all international students in Australia: China, India, Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, USA, and Brazil.

2. “Australia” – Globally Recognised: As I said above more then 580,000 international students were enrolled at an Australian education institution this year. All the Australian education qualifications are included under one national system which is called as Australian Qualification Framework (AQF).Which means you graduate, your qualification will be recognized by international employers and leading education institutions around the world. The AQF links school, vocational and university qualifications, making it easier to progress to the next AQF level anywhere in Australia. Australia even has a system to recognise your qualifications from other countries. The Australian Government organisation, National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR) helps Australian institutions to recognise qualifications from overseas, allowing for recognition of your previous studies.

3. “Australia” - safe and multicultural society: When I arrived first time in Australia I was stuck by the different culture, friendliness, and hospitality of the people. Its petty much like Home away from home as you can see lot of people from your own country. You can even check settlement report using the below following link which indicates the settlement of different people in Australia. Australia is a very safe country compared with almost anywhere in the world. Political unrest is limited in Australia, crime rates are low and strict gun control laws provide a safe environment.

4. “Australia: – Work while studying: Students with valid student visa can work for up to 20 hours per week while school is in session, and there is no limit on the number of hours an international student can work during recognized school vacations. Family members accompanying the international student (spouse and children) have the same work rights – 20 hours per week. For those students obtaining a graduate degree, like a masters degree, their family can work unlimited hours. For more information on working rights visit IMMI

About Us

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Connect Aus goal is to enable students to pursue their dreams of seeing the world and improving their education experience in Australia. We want to help students in every way imaginable to make them successful in their international education endeavors. So live the dream, and come celebrate as we start our first year stronger and better!

As international education continues to boom especially in Australia, we are committed to offer the best resources, information, services, and products for international students in Australia. On this site, you will find information on international student Accommodation, Part time jobs information, Visa information, international calling cards, travel and other useful information to help get students prepared for their time abroad. All of our publications and online resources are made available free of charge and we intend to keep it that way.
Connect Aus simple mission: to produce guides and websites that make it easy for people to find the right school, college or university to pursue educational opportunities for themselves or their families. We believe in the fundamental importance of education as a way to expand opportunities and help people grow as human beings. We want to be the best in the world at helping people find the course that is right for them, whatever stage they are in life.