step 1

Decide why

You no doubt know about the range of first class Universities and Colleges on offer in Australia, but if your heart is set on studying overseas, it’s a good idea to establish exactly what you want to get out of the experience from the get go.

Do you want to complete your qualifications abroad, or are you just looking to spend 12 months away? Make sure you consider whether or not you’ll be able to live away from home and your established support networks while going through what will at times, be a stressful, but rewarding experience.

For most people, the lure of overseas study can be traced back to one of the following motives:

  1. Language and culture: you’re looking to immerse yourself in an entirely new cultural setting, or to quickly and effectively learn a new language, or languages.
  2. New faces: you’ve left school and are looking to spread your wings and find new friends and like-minded people in a new setting.
  3. Resume booster: You’re looking to learn at an institution that specialises in a particular discipline, and improve the clout your resume carries.

 

step 2

Decide where

Your next step is a little trickier. With the world as your oyster, you’ll need to do some proper thinking about exactly where you’d like to study.

Would you prefer to study in either the UK or America, where the language barrier is non-existent? Or are Japan, Hong Kong or other South-East Asian countries more your style, so you can stay relatively close to home?

A great place to start is at The Australian Government’s Student Information Gateway website. Flip through the most popular overseas study destinations for Aussies, and check out information on Costs, Accommodation, Visas and Work & Internships for each region.

step 3

Decide how

One of the factors that may also play a part in where you end up jetting off to, rucksack in hand, is how much your foreign education will cost.

This will depend on multiple factors, such as how long you plan to stay, whether you’ll be able to work while you study, and what sort of lifestyle you plan to lead outside the classroom.

  1. Scholarships

    A student should know never to look a gift horse in the mouth, so if your results make you eligible for an overseas study scholarship, you owe it to yourself to explore your options.

    There are multiple programs out there to help students achieve their foreign study dreams, such as the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan, Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships, of JASON (Joint Academic Scholarship Online Network).

    Find out more

  2. Make your money work harder

    If you’re looking to finance your own overseas study sojourn, it makes sense to ensure that as your balance grows, you take advantage of an account that rewards your good savings habits with high interest and fee-friendly everyday banking.

    The Greater Bank Life Saver Account is designed to give those under 25 a fair go – as long as your balance grows, you’ll earn bonus interest, meaning you can start planning your departure sooner.

    Check out our Life Saver Account

step 4

Essential knowledge

Once you’ve chosen a point on the map, and you’re ready to head off, make sure you’re all set from a travel point of view.

Make sure your passport and visa are up to date, and will be for the duration of your absence.

If you’re still able to receive Centrelink payments while you’re away, make sure you’ll be able to access this money from where you plan to be.

Finally, listen to your mum & dad’s nagging and take out some sort of travel insurance to cover you on the road, and keep one eye on the Australian Government’s Smartraveller website in case local conditions change.