In this blog, We are going to share our regular knowledge exchange session about “Studying and living in Australia” by May Khine Moe Htet.
We do knowledge exchange sessions for our openfor.co/fellowship community members regularly. We did the following knowledge exchange session On Sep 1st 2021, 6:30-7:30PM JST time. Check out for event details in this ink.
This blog covers the following topics
Speaker, May Khine Moe Htet Profile
Top 10 Australian Universities
Australian Universities and Colleges Application Process
May Khine’s Universities and Colleges Application Process
Finding internships and work experiences in Australia as an International Student
Australian Weather condition
Australian Transportation
Australian Animals
FAQ from Webinar Attendees
Please check out for more details in the following video or in the following blog.
1.Speaker, May Khine Moe Htet Profile
Banking and Finance Student from Monash University
Experienced in participating in consulting competitions and volunteering activities.
Founder of Myanmar Student Association club at her university.
Working as a Business Development Assistant at Openfor.co.
1.Top 10 Australian Universities
Here are the top 10 universities in Australia and the asterisked ones are the group of 8 member universities. They are Australia's leading research-intensive universities. Most of the universities are named after the location while Monash University is named after engineer, military leader and public administrator Sir John Monash. May Khine joined Monash university.
2.Australian Universities and Colleges Application Process
This is the general college and universities application process. If you have finished Grade 11( Government School’s Matriculation Examination) or IGCSE O Level, you have to join Foundations Year/ College first before joining university. If you finished IGCSE A Level, you can join university directly. But you must be at least 17 years old to join an Australian university.
3.May Khine’s Universities and Colleges Application Process
May Khine mentioned in this slide how she joined Monash university. She finished Grade 11 in Yangon and later attended Trinity College Foundations Program in Melbourne. In order to join Trinity Foundations Program, an applicant must have at least an average mark of 65 and above in the Matriculation Examination(Grade 11 Marks) and have satisfied English Test scores. For the English test, you can use the IELTS score or take the Trinity College English test. Once you pass Trinity Foundation College with an average of 80, you can join any university in Australia. For May Khine, she chose Monash University’s double degree in Accounting and Banking & Finance program.
4.Finding internships and work experiences in Australia as an International Student
In Australia, it is really hard to find internships and jobs as international students in comparison to Australian citizens. There are two main hurdles, one is lack of experience another not being a citizen or PR. If you are a Burmese student, it is harder because we generally do not have the environment to gain internship and part-time experiences while studying in Myanmar so there is nothing to write on a resume. Most jobs require job experiences and PR or citizenship. For lack of experience, we can fill up somehow by volunteering, joining university clubs or hospitality jobs. But we cannot do anything about PR and Citizenship requirements. Minimum wage in Australia is $20.33 per hour (as of July 1st 2021) while the average meal costs around $12 to $15. For international students, the working limit is 20 hours per week. As Australia is going through nationwide lockdowns at the moment, the Australian government is giving financial aid to those who lost their jobs during the pandemic.
5. Australian Weather
May Khine lives in Melbourne and she commented on Australia’s weather.
Malbourne’s weather is fickle, always changing unexpectedly from being sunny to rainy within a day. It is almost impossible to use an umbrella there due to the strong zephyr when the rain comes. Hence, Australians usually use their raincoat to protect themselves from the harsh weather. In the winter, it can be very cool in the morning and it can be very hot in the afternoon. Winter is not always cold for every part of Australia. For example, Australians in Brisbane can go through the winter with just shorts while Melbournians are experiencing chilly winters.
6.Australian Transportation
Major transportation systems in the City are trams, trains and buses. Myki cards are used for all three types of transportation systems. Trams and trains are most recommended as they are always on time while the bus is not. Bicycling is also a common way to commute but it can be dangerous because you have to cycle right beside the car lane.
Myki cards can easily be topped up at tram stops and train stations except the bus stations. So make sure the cards are always topped up and tapped on and off whenever you use them because it is quite common for the officers to come and check whether you have paid or not. Travelling with an in-vaild myki card or not tapping properly can get you fined which is around $200. All the undergraduate students including international students, teenagers below the age of 18 and older people above the age 60 are eligible for concession cards i.e eligible for discounted travelling fees.
7.Australian Animals
Australia is one of the countries that is rich in biodiveristy. Australians’ care for their animals and environment is known throughout the world after the bush fire accident in early 2020. Therefore, people need to be aware of the animals that can appear suddenly if they are planning to visit Australia. One commonly found bird in Australia is Magpies. They are bigger and more aggressive than crows and they like to attack people. Seagulls are found in both the oceanside and in the city in Australia. They are also quite aggressive like Magpies and they like to snatch away food. Sudden visits of spiders are the norm in Australia and the sizes vary. Australia is well known for its Koalas and Kangaroos. Koalas can be seen at the zoo but most of the time, you will find them sleeping. Kangaroos have more free way to move around and you are likely to see Kangaroos on the highway.
8.FAQ from Webinar Attendees
Q1: Do you have any plan to apply for citizenship and how can you do it?
Ans : You need to get enough points to be eligible for a Permanent Residency. Another way to get PR is when you marry an Australian. Right now I don’t have any plans to get citizenship.
Q2: Why did you choose Monash University?
Ans: I chose Monash University mainly because of my brother who studied in Monash University. I had plans to transfer to University of Melbourne after my 1st year as University of Melbourne and Monash University are the top 2 universities in Melbourne. However, I enjoyed my time at Monash and how it has more assessments during the semester. Thus, I stayed in Monash. However, if you are interested in business, I’d recommend the University of Melbourne because it is more prestigious and if you are interested in Engineering or Medicine, I’d say Monash is a better choice..
Q3: What is dating life in Australia?
Ans: Living together is quite common and many couples live together. Dating is the same as in other countries and people still use Tinder for finding partners.
Q4: Do you throw a party or prom at the end of a semester?
Ans: Yes, parties are very common in university and you will see parties invitations for orientation and end of exam celebrations.
Q5: What’s about Australian Accents?
Ans: Australian Accents are quite different from American English and they use slang quite a lot. But it is not a problem in university.
Q6: Are you in Yangon or Australia?
Ans: I’m in Yangon now.
Q7: When will you go back?
Ans: I cannot go back now because the borders are closed now. We are all waiting for the border to reopen.
Q8: Do you need to get vaccinated to go back?
Ans: Yes, everyone in Australia needs to be vaccinated including foreigners travelling to Australia.
Feel Free to Comment if you have any questions!
If you have any questions about Internships and Work Experiences in Australia as an international student, or if you are curious about the application procedure at Australian schools and universities, feel free to comment below. We will try to reply to your questions by asking as much as possible. If you have any webinar title you like to hear from, comment below too.
We only open this knowledge exchange session to our openfor.co/fellowship fellowship members for their interest titles by inviting relevant speakers. If you like to join our openfor.co/fellowship community, please check out our social Media Openfor.co/fellowship social media pages Facebook , Linkedin and youtube.