emmal

Please help!!!

I am a qualified teacher over here in England, working in KS2. I have decided when I go to Australia I would like a slight change, therefore I have decided to work with younger children and qualify as a early childhood teacher. I have found a number of courses which are of interest to me that will only take a year to complete in queensland universities. However after some research through university websites I have realised I will be classed as an international student as I am not an Australian citizen, looking at the prices of the courses set for international students I will be unable to afford the costs, however as a domestic student prices are quite reasonable. Does anyone know if there is anything I can have overlooked that will cut the prices or if I just have to become realistic and realise another year of studying is not an available option.

Emma - living in hope

Ozzidoc

You will be considered an international student.

Could you get a job as a teacher, and have your new job pay for part-time study? Just a thought.

JAJ

Why not migrate to Australia based on your existing job (if you qualify). Then you pay domestic fees.

One year study is not enough to get permanent residence and even after years there are lots of extra requirements.

emmal

I am applying under my current job and expect to recieve my visa just before christmas all being well. However I have read that you have to have received citizenship to be classed as a domestic student, which will take a few years.

CarlaA

I am pretty sure that it is *not* correct that you need to be a citizen to be a domestic student if you have PR. My understanding is that the only difference between a student with PR and a student who is a citizen is that the PR holder has no access to a cheap government student loan. See, for example,
http://www.usyd.edu.au/fstudent/unde...ts/index.shtml
Why not contact the university you are interested in and ask them for a definitive answer? It may well be the case that you must have the PR first before you can be enrolled on to the course as a domestic student (perhaps that may mess up the timing for you?). You may have to labour the point that you will be applying as a PR holder even though you aren't one at the moment (uni admin staff can get confused by these visa issues too and if they get it into their head that you are in the UK they may just make the wrong assumptions).
FInally, if you are looking at a taught masters or a post-graduate certificate or post-grad diploma, in NSW (don't know about Queensland) individual universities have a lot of control over the pricing of these (rather than the government), and so there may be variations between one uni and another.
Don't give up!

JAJ

You read wrong, in that case.

PRs are classed as domestic students too. The difference for Australian citizens is that they can access fee discount and deferral schemes, PRs cannot.

Rudi

Yep - I second this. I am studying teaching at the moment. As a PR I was considered a domestic student. I had to pay my fees upfront and did not get any discount - they were around $400 - $500 per course I think (12 courses = a degree in my case). Now I am a citizen I get the choice of deferring payment of this full fee and paying it back once I reach a particular earning threshold (bit like the rules for student loans in the UK) or having a discount for paying up front.

Hope that helps

Rudi
x

Geordie George

I am also studying (full time, although nothing to do with teaching) and as a PR visa holder only have to pay domestic rate fees, not international. I cannot access any kind of fee help (Commenwealth Assistance) on a PR visa, nor can I pay in installments. To prove PR, I just had to take a copy of my passport when I enrolled, so they could see the original of my visa.

Rudi

As far as I know the Commonwealth Assistance bit is available to PR's. However, it depends what course you are on. I am doing a Master of Teaching and my place is Commonwealth Supported. I am a citizen now, but when I applied and started the course I was only PR.

Rudi

Geordie George

Like I said, I'm not doing teaching. It's a bugger that I'm not eligible for that; some help with fees would be most welcome (they're the best part of $4,500 per semester, for three semesters! Ouch). Still, should get a wee bit cheaper when VSU kicks in!

walla

Shouldn't you be studying?

Geordie George

Cheeky mare! I'm at work at the moment and you know that I don't do work. About to head off though; I have a database to build. Catch you later, tater.

Welshie

I'm an international student (nursing) and it's expensive! Even my son (age 4) is classed as one and I have to pay his schooling fees too when he starts in January! I'll be applying for residency in about a year and a half when my degree is nearly done! Most of my savings are going on schooling, but we love it here and its so worth it.

Rudi

Yep - if you are not here on a PR visa then you have to pay the full amount, but for PR visa holders it's pretty much the same as citizens, except for the slight advantages I wrote about.

Poor you!

Rudi

seang

yes Commonwealth Assistance is available to PR's. However you are not certain of getting it. Infact I am not sure if even citizens are certain of it. If you dont get it you are paying more or less the same rates as international students. However it is still available to PR's. Even if course administrators or your point of contact in the Uni's say it is not you should keep checking. Sometimes they themselves are abit confused about PR and interanational students differences.