Finding casual work as a student: shifts that fit around study
5 min read
The information below is provided as a general guide-only. We make no representations about its accuracy, completeness or suitability for your particular circumstances. We recommend checking the information for yourself and where appropriate, obtaining independent professional advice before making any decision or taking any action based on the below.
The best student job is one you can walk to between classes, that rosters around your timetable, and that does not need a resume you have not got yet. Independent local businesses are exactly that, and they are hiring all year, not just in the summer rush.
Roles that suit a timetable
- Cafes: early mornings and weekends, which leaves weekdays free. Barista skills are learnable on the job at many places.
- Bars and pubs: evenings and weekends, better penalty rates, 18 and over with an RSA.
- Retail and supermarkets: late-night trading and weekend shifts; night fill is popular with students because it never clashes with class.
- Cleaning: early or late, often a fixed weekly block, very reliable hours.
- Delivery: evenings, needs a licence and often your own vehicle.
Search by where you actually are
Set your search to your campus suburb or your share house, not the CBD, and keep the radius small. A twenty-minute walk is a shift you can pick up between lectures; a forty-minute bus ride is one you will start skipping. Every ad on My Local Jobs shows the distance from your suburb.
Availability is your resume
Fill in your availability grid to match your timetable and update it every semester. Owners see it on your application, and a student who can reliably do Saturday and Sunday is worth more to a cafe than someone with experience who cannot. Read how to apply without a resume for the three-line intro that works.
Exam periods
Tell your employer as early as you know. Offer to swap shifts or take fewer rather than none, and block those weeks out in your availability so shift offers stop for a bit. Employers rehire the students who manage this well; they drop the ones who go quiet.
International students
Student visas carry a work-hours limit during study periods and the number has changed more than once. Do not rely on a figure from a forum: check your conditions on the Department of Home Affairs student visa page and keep your own record of hours worked. You also need a tax file number and you are entitled to the same award pay and super as anyone else; see the first job checklist.
Common questions
What casual jobs are good for students?
Cafe and restaurant shifts, bar work if you are over 18 with an RSA, retail and supermarket roles with evening and weekend hours, cleaning, and delivery driving. All of these roster around availability rather than fixed office hours.
How many hours can international students work?
Student visas carry a work limit during study periods that changes from time to time. Check your current visa conditions on the Department of Home Affairs site rather than relying on a number you read elsewhere.
How do I handle exams?
Tell your employer early, offer to swap shifts rather than drop them, and update your availability on your profile so you are not offered shifts you cannot do.
Do students get paid less?
Pay is set by the award for your job and your age, not by whether you study. Under many awards, workers under 21 are paid junior rates that step up with age.