How to find part-time work in Australia in 2026

The Fair Work Commission set the Australian minimum wage at AUD 26.44 per hour from 1 July 2026, a 6% increase on the previous cycle. For an international student working within the student visa limit, that represents additional income covering a significant share of monthly expenses in any capital city in the country.

The Australian market is receptive to international students, but an efficient search depends on understanding the rules before you start applying. Students who arrive without an active Tax File Number, without knowing which sectors are open to foreigners, or with a CV in the wrong format take longer to land that first job. This updated guide covers the visa hours rules, where to look for openings, which sectors to enter first and how to prepare an application.

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What the Subclass 500 allows in working hours

The Australian student visa, the Subclass 500, imposes a limit of 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session. Every form of paid work counts towards that total: casual shifts, formal positions, work under an ABN.

There are two scenarios where the limit disappears:

• - Official school holidays: no hours restriction. Many students use that period for extra shifts in hospitality or farm work during harvest.
• - Postgraduate research: research master's and doctoral students sit outside the 48-hour limit, regardless of the time of year.

One detail that causes confusion: the fortnight always starts on a Monday and covers the following 14 days. Unused hours in one fortnight do not carry over to the next. Working before the course has started, even with an approved visa and physical presence in the country, is prohibited.

The rules for work for international students in Australia also extend to dependants and partners who came on the main visa, with conditions that vary according to the level of the course.

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Sectors that hire the most international students

Not every sector is equally open to someone without Australian experience who has been in the country only a few months. Hospitality, retail and logistics are the three pillars of part-time work for students.

Hospitality and food service: cafés, restaurants and fast food chains hold a large share of the openings available to candidates without an Australian track record. Melbourne has the highest density of independent cafés in the country. The most accessible positions are barista, cashier and floor staff.

Retail: supermarkets, shopping centres and chain stores hire in fast cycles and are more tolerant of developing English. Large chains have structured selection processes for international students.

Logistics and delivery: accelerated growth post-pandemic. Delivery platforms are open to anyone with a vehicle or bicycle, with shift flexibility that suits variable class schedules.

Care and health: the aged care and disability support sector has high demand in 2026, pays above the national minimum and accepts candidates with basic certification obtained in a matter of weeks.

The Australian job market in 2026 has chronic shortages in health, logistics and construction, the three sectors most open to international students who arrive with the right certifications.

The exchange in Australia connects the choice of course and city with the sectors where the market absorbs students at each point in the year, giving clearer progression to students who want to work from the first month.

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Where to look for part-time openings

Australia has a well-structured job platform ecosystem. The most useful ones by type of vacancy:

• - SEEK: the country's main platform. The "part-time" filter combined with "no experience required" returns hundreds of results in any capital city.
• - Indeed: aggregates vacancies from multiple company sites. Useful for comparing a city's market and finding listings from employers who do not post on SEEK.
• - Jora and Adzuna: complement SEEK with listings from smaller employers who prefer lower-cost platforms.
• - LinkedIn: more relevant for office, marketing and technology positions.
• - Gumtree: local listings for farm work, babysitting and domestic services.

Beyond the digital platforms, it is worth activating the in-person network: WhatsApp groups from the English school and community centres are relevant channels, since many hospitality openings are filled through referrals before they are ever published.

English is the foundation for accessing those networks. The study and work in Australia programme connects students to the vacancy ecosystem from the initial planning stage.

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Certifications that improve your chances

Some positions require certifications the student can obtain shortly after arrival, on courses lasting one to three days.

Tax File Number (TFN): not a certification, but the mandatory first step. Without the TFN, no formal employer can hire legally. The application is made online through the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) website and the number arrives within 28 days.

RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol): mandatory for working in bars, restaurants serving alcohol and events. The course takes around a day and is valid at state level.

Food Safety Certificate: required in professional kitchens and food service. It can be completed online in a day.

Blue Card (Queensland): to work with children and young people in the state of Queensland, the Blue Card for exchange students in Australia takes an average of 28 days to process. Planning ahead avoids delaying the start of work.

Having the RSA and Food Safety Certificate in hand before sending the first hospitality applications raises the interview callback rate.

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How to build an Australian CV

The Australian CV is leaner than the European one and differs in important ways from the format used in Portuguese-speaking countries.

The CV for working in Australia leaves out photo, date of birth and references in the first version handed to a recruiter. The standard model includes:

• - Professional summary: a 2 to 3 line paragraph at the top, replacing the objective.
• - No photo: photos are not common practice and can be read as inappropriate.
• - References: do not include them in the document. The line "References available upon request" is enough.
• - Two pages maximum: for someone starting out, one page is the standard.

Application response rates improve when the CV follows the local format. Australian employers receive hundreds of CVs and a non-standard format increases the chance of being screened out.

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Which city offers the most part-time openings

Sydney and Melbourne concentrate the largest volume of vacancies, but smaller cities have a higher density of opportunities per capita in specific sectors. A quick comparison:

• - Sydney: the highest average pay in the country. Retail, hospitality and corporate services are the biggest part-time employers.
• - Melbourne: the highest concentration of independent cafés, with a steady flow of hospitality openings all year round.
• - Brisbane and Gold Coast: accelerated growth in tourism and events. Good openings for students without Australian experience.
• - Perth: higher salaries in mining and logistics, though access requires specific qualifications.

Working in Australia in cities outside the major centres can be more advantageous for students who want a lower cost of living without giving up good opportunities in hospitality and retail.

The curation behind studying and working in Australia considers the city and the sector of interest from the initial planning stage, avoiding the common situation of arriving at a destination with little demand for the student's profile.

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Frequently asked questions about part-time work in Australia

Can I work before my course starts in Australia? No. The Subclass 500 prohibits working before the course has officially started. That restriction applies even if the visa is already approved and the student is already physically in the country. The start of classes is the reference date for work rights to take effect.

What happens if I exceed 48 hours per fortnight? Exceeding the limit is a breach of a visa condition, with progressive consequences:

• - A formal warning from the Department of Home Affairs in isolated cases.
• - Visa cancellation in repeat cases.

Employers who regularly hire international students usually monitor hours alongside the worker to protect both parties.

Do I need to file a tax return in Australia? Yes. The Australian financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June. Anyone who worked during that period must file a tax return by 31 October. Tax refunds are common for those who worked with tax withheld at source through the year.

Can I work in any Australian state on the same visa? Yes. The student visa allows work in any state; the restriction is always on hours, never on geographic location. Note: some certifications such as the RSA are valid at state level and need to be redone if the student moves state.

How many hours can I work during school holidays? During the official school holidays of the institution where the student is enrolled, the 48-hour fortnightly limit does not apply. It is possible to work full time or take extra shifts with no hours restriction for the duration of the break.

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Be Easy: boutique exchange consultancy

Be Easy supports students who want to build a real international trajectory, combining an English course, part-time work and career planning in one coherent project. If you want to organise that experience with support from choosing the city through to landing that first job, we have the right curation for each profile, with a dedicated senior consultant at every stage. Contact us to receive specialised senior consultancy!