This Fact Sheet provides an overview of the minimum employment rights of international students who live and work in Victoria.
Yes, international students have the same minimum rights and protections under the law as resident workers. That means that you are entitled to the same pay and minimum conditions of employment as resident workers.
The only difference is that, as an international student, you must be mindful of the limit on the number of hours that you can work while your course is in session.
Before you start working for a person or a business, it is important that you understand what type of worker you will be. The two main types of worker are called employee and independent contractor. You are either one or the other – you can’t be both.
Employees generally work for an employer who controls:
Employees are entitled to minimum pay and other conditions.
Independent contractors, instead, run their own business. They have an ABN (Australian Business Number) and they get paid after they issue an invoice for the services they have provided. They generally use their own tools and equipment to get the job done. See JobWatch’s ‘Independent Contracting Traps’ Fact Sheet for more information.
You could also be a volunteer in a not-for-profit organisation (e.g. a charity), which means you have agreed to do some work for free (without getting paid). Or you could be on a vocational placement, which involves doing work as a requirement of your course. You will not be paid for that vocational placement.
For more information about work rights for international students, download the full Fact Sheet.
If you would like to make an appointment for free and confidential legal advice about your work rights with the International Students Employment and Accommodation Legal Service, please contact the Study Melbourne Student Centre by calling 1800 056 449 or emailing info@studymelbourne.vic.gov.au.
Copyright © 2024 All Rights Reserved
JobWatch acknowledges and is grateful for the financial and other support it has received from our supporters.
JobWatch acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we are located and where we conduct our business. We pay our respects to ancestors, and Elders, past, present and emerging.