Can You Work While Studying English in Australia? A Guide for Students

Between accommodation, living expenses, travel and tuition, the cost of studying English in Australia can quickly add up, which begs the question: can you work while you study here?

In a lot of cases you can, but there might be conditions. It all comes down to how long you’re studying for and the type of visa you hold. So let’s dive a little deeper…

Study and visas

There are lots of different ways to study English in Australia. Some people might opt for a short course while holidaying here, others might take a course as part of a year-long working holiday, and for others still, studying English is more intensive and perhaps a prerequisite to further study or work.

Your reason for being in Australia and studying English, along with the length of time that study will take often determines the type of visa you hold.

And in turn, that visa determines whether you can work while studying and how much work you are allowed to do. So let’s look at the different visa options for studying and the work that they permit.

Different visa types

A number of different visas allow you to study English in Australia, but most only accommodate short courses of up to about 10-14 weeks.

For longer periods of study beyond that, a student visa is required. Meanwhile, only three of those visa types allow you to also work while studying.

Visa that allow you to work and study

The visas that allow you to work and study while in Australia are the:

• Student Visa
• The Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462) and Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417)
• Workplace Training or Development Visa

Each has strict conditions attached, including both study and working limits, so let’s break it down.

Student visas

When most people think of studying in Australia, attention turns to the Student Visa.

This visa allows you to come to Australia specifically for the purposes of study, whether that’s primary school, high school or higher education.

The Student Visa accommodates study of up to five years, and also permits you to work up to 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session.

You can learn more about Student Visas and the conditions attached here.

Student Visa snapshot

• Study: Up to five years
• Work: Up to 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session

Work and Holiday Visa and Working Holiday Visa

The Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462) and Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) allow for short periods of English study while you are on a working holiday in Australia.

These visas are designed to allow you to fund an extended holiday through short-term work, but also permit study of up to four months.

Working Holiday Visa Snapshots

• Study: Up to four months
• Work: Short-term, full-time for up to 12 months

Training Visa

While the Training Visa (subclass 407) allows you to both work and study while in Australia, it’s slightly different to other visas in that you must be sponsored, nominated or invited in order to be eligible.

This visa allows you to take part in workplace-based training or professional development in Australia for up to two years and during this time, you can work if it is related to your course of study or training.

Training Visa snapshot

• Study: Up to two years by invitation, sponsorship or nomination
• Work: In a field related to your course of study or training

Visas that do NOT allow you to work while studying

A number of further visa types allow you to study short English courses in Australia but do not allow you to work.

These include some Visitor Visas, and the Student Guardian Visa.

Visitor visas that allow you to study English in Australia for up to three months are the:

• Visitor Visa (subclass 600)
• Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601)
• eVisitor (subclass 651)

Meanwhile, the Student Guardian Visa allows you to study for up to 20 hours a week for no more than three months.

You can learn more about the different visa types that allow you to study English in Australia including the conditions attached here or search English courses to suit your needs here.