Before enrolling please read our website carefully and email info@sgsccinternational.edu.au should you need further information.
As an International Student, it is a condition of your student visa that you have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the entire duration of your stay in
OSHC gives you access to out of hospital and in hospital medical services to help you maintain your health
Peace of mind – accidents and illness do happen, with OSHC you are covered!
https://www.oshcworldcare.com.au/Default.aspx
Educover is an insurance product that has been designed for international students and visitors who are undertaking study in
Unfortunately accidents and illness can happen while you are in
Educover can give you the peace of mind in knowing that your medical or hospital costs will be looked after while you are in
https://www.oshcworldcare.com.au/educover/educover.aspx
Before leaving home it is a good idea to do as much research as possible about Australia and Sydney and perhaps even about the Rockdale area where SGSCC International is located. Here are a number of useful websites to help you with finding information about your stay in Sydney:
For information about New South Wales:
For information about Sydney:
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/
For information about Rockdale:
http://www.rockdale.nsw.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx
For information about studying in Australia:
http://studyinaustralia.gov.au/Sia/Splash2.aspx
http://www.neasaustralia.com/fst.html
In addition, it might be a good idea to think carefully about what you need to bring with you. Look at the weather information on our website to see what the weather is like during your stay in Sydney so that you can pack appropriate clothing. You might also like to think about bringing the following things with you:
• Copies of your passport, visa and airline ticket;
• A CV or résumé if you plan to look for work;
• Nice clothing for a job interview if you intend to look for work;
• A dictionary;
• A camera;
• USB stick to save files and photos on;
• A mobile phone (you should check that your phone works in Australia);
• Warm clothing, even in summer as it can get cool at night;
• Swimming gear as there are plenty of beaches to go to.
Apart from studying, living in Sydney will give you a great opportunity to explore the city and surrounding areas, maybe even travel to other parts of the country. The following websites will help you with planning your travel during or after your studies, as well as making the most of your weekends in and around Sydney:
For tourism information about Australia:
For Sydney tourism information:
http://www.sydneyaustralia.com/en/
For tourism information about NSW:
For tourism information about Queensland:
http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/index.cfm
For tourism information about the Northern Territory:
If you are living with a homestay family remember that they expect you to behave as part of their family not as a hotel guest. Australian families rarely have servants so you may have to do things that you are unused to doing at home. You will be expected to do small tasks around the house such as clearing plates from the table. You may also have to do your own washing using the facilities provided for you.
You may find the food that you are offered is different from the food you are used to but you should try everything. If you really don’t like the food discuss your problem with your homestay family or the college Homestay Coordinator.
Many Australian houses are not centrally heated in the winter so you might need extra bedding in order to keep warm. Please ask your home stay family about this. They may be able to provide blankets or doonas for you but you may have to buy them yourself. Please do not use small heaters and leave them on overnight as this can be dangerous.
Remember that your homestay family expects you to practise your English with them. They will be willing to help you and you can learn a lot from them both about the English language and the Australian lifestyle.
You may wish to find accommodation in a house or flat. It is quite common for young people in Australia to live in shared accommodation with their friends. In Sydney the cost of shared accommodation varies between AUD150 and AUD300 per week. You may be able to pay less if you share your apartment with a number of people, but many people will not find this comfortable.
If you are going to live in a shared flat or house you will also need to pay a returnable bond which is usually equivalent to four weeks’ rent. The bond is used to replace or repair any damage you might be responsible for during the time you live in the accommodation. If there is no damage the full amount will be returned to you when you leave your accommodation. Sometimes there is also a deposit for the security key. You get this back when you return the key when you move out. This can be up to AUD150.
There are several ways to find somewhere to live. One way is to check the advertisements in the city and local newspapers. The Sydney Morning Herald has advertisements for flats and share houses each week. If you have trouble understanding anything in the advertisements ask your teacher or your Homestay Coordinator to help you. You will probably need to telephone to make an appointment to meet the other people who live in the house. Another way to look for a flat is to search the following websites for shared accommodation:
http://www.domain.com.au/?s_rid=smh:topnav
http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=bhp&t=shr&cu
You can also visit a real estate agent to see if they have any suitable property for you to rent. In this case if you rent a place yourself you may have to find other people to share with you.
Finally you can ask your friends or make contact with students in other ELICOS colleges to see if anyone has a room they want to rent out.
There may be notices on the student noticeboard in the college for shared accommodation. If you want to advertise, get your advertisement signed by the receptionist – any advertisement not signed may be taken down. The college is not responsible for any accommodation advertised on a college noticeboard.
If you need a foreign exchange currency calculator to covert Australian dollars AUD into your own currency you can click here.
Sydney has a very pleasant climate. Temperatures rarely reach below 10◦C at night though in summer they can reach up to 40◦C during the day. The seasons are listed below:
Spring September - November
Summer December - February
Autumn March - May
Winter June - August
With the warmer temperatures beginning in late winter it may be a good idea to pack beach wear such as swimming costumes and beach towels as many students like to go to the beaches around Sydney during spring and summer. The temperatures can get a little cool in winter so it is always a good idea to pack warm clothing if you are coming during the winter months – even though temperatures during the day are often very pleasant.
Please refer to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s website for further information on the climate in Sydney and for today’s weather.
SGSCC International students in Australia typically spend about AUD250 to AUD400 a week on accommodation, food, clothing, entertainment, transport, international and domestic travel, telephone and incidental costs. The following chart is only a guide to help you understand the breakdown of costs.
Accommodation AUD150–AUD300 a week
Food AUD100–AUD200 a week
Public Transport AUD20– AUD50 a week
Entertainment/movies AUD18 per ticket (Tuesday night special price for only around AUD10)
While this is a realistic guide, it is important to remember that individual circumstances will vary by location, course and lifestyle. Some people spend a lot more than this, and others spend less. To live cheaply, you will have to share a room and cook for yourself.
We anticipate that international students will require approximately AUD12,000 for living expenses for each year.
If you need a foreign exchange currency calculator to covert Australian dollars AUD into your own currency you can click here.
SGSCC International understands the importance of going abroad to another country to study and the difficulties that students can sometimes encounter, especially during the first few weeks. That’s why all our staff are here to help you settle in to your new home and to make you feel a part of our family and community. SGSCC International can provide bilingual assistance in a range of languages: Chinese, Russian, Malay, Greek, Macedonian and Arabic.
Furthermore, at times students may have other problems that range from personal concerns to living and academic matters. SGSCC International has a qualified and experienced student counsellor to help students with any of these problems should they arise. The counsellor provides a confidential service to students who may wish to refer to someone who is not their friend, family, teacher or other staff.
Administration Centre and Student Orientation
| Postal Address |
: | Ground Floor, 81 Railway Street, Rockdale, NSW 2216, Australia |
| Telephone | : | + 612 9567 8499 or + 612 8065 4628 |
| Facsimile | : | + 612 9567 5911 |
| : | info@sgsccinternational.edu.au |