Living on a student budget can be challenging at times. The good news is that there are lots of great part-time student jobs that can help you earn some extra money, make new friends and build your employment skills.
How to find work life balance as an international student
But it’s important to find the right work life balance, that is, the balance between your study and work commitments and other important things, like rest, fun and spending time with friends. Here are our top tips for maintaining a healthy work life balance as an international student in Australia.
Establish a routine
Developing and maintaining a regular schedule is an important part of a healthy work life balance. Not only does it allow you to feel more organised, but it can help you with your time management by ensuring you allocate your time appropriately.
Start a diary or planner so that you can structure your days, weeks or months in a way that suits you. Plan out your study and work times, including your shifts, classes, exam blocks and due dates. Don’t forget your work life balance, though, and make sure you set aside some time for yourself. There are many online options and apps if you prefer not to carry around a planner.
Set boundaries
Committing to more than you can handle is common. However, it is important to understand that it is ok to say no sometimes to protect your work life balance. Study should be your main priority, so when you can’t fit everything in through planning and time management, learning to say no to other commitments can benefit you in the long run.
It is also crucial to ensure clear communication at work. Part-time student jobs can usually be flexible, so your manager should be able to fit your work hours around your lectures, classes and study times if you provide them with those details. It is also important to advise your manager well in advance if you will need time off for study blocks, assignments or exam periods.
Take care of yourself
Staying healthy both physically and mentally is important to maintaining a good work life balance.
Ensure you are eating plenty of nutritious foods so that your body is getting the nutrients needed for energy, immunity and to feel good. Read our tips for healthy eating.
If you find the pressures of study and work are building up, recognise this feeling and act early to prevent burnout. Check out our de-stress tips to help you through the tough times.
Figure out what makes you feel good
Doing the things that make us feel good is also an important part of a work life balance and is essential to keeping ourselves happy and mentally healthy.
Make a list of all the things you currently do, such as study, your part-time student job, socialising, exercise, and hobbies. Also, add to the list all the things you enjoy doing but haven’t done in a long time. For each activity, think about how important it is and how it makes you feel. Once you’ve figured out what activities make you feel good, you can look at how you can make changes to your time management to fit more of those things around the activities that are important. Don’t forget to add time for these into your diary or planner!
Always remember the bigger picture
If you start feeling overwhelmed, remind yourself why you are doing this. Focus on your goals and make sure you reward yourself when you achieve a milestone – big or small.
Working on a positive mindset is another way to keep sight of the ‘bigger picture’.
Keep positive by making a vision board or a special section in your diary where you display your goals and the journey you need to take to achieve them. When you feel down, referring to your vision board (or diary section) can help you re-focus on the important things.
Finally, know that there is help available if you need it
A poor work life balance is one of many things that can lead to stress and burnout.
Sometimes, all it takes is having a conversation with someone you trust, like a friend, family member or colleague. Whether you talk through your feelings or connect to take your mind off things, this can be a great starting point.
You may decide to also speak with a health professional, such as a GP or psychologist.
Check-in with your workplace and your university or college student support services. Together, you can devise a plan to help you cope better with the demands of study and work, such as approving additional time off, reducing your responsibilities or giving you extra time to complete assignments.
Or you could download an app to help manage your stress with tools, activities, and support services.
Staying in Australia to work?
Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) helps pay for medical costs for international workers and visitors during their stay in Australia. Our OVHC policies, excluding Value Visitors Cover, meet the Australian Government requirements for adequate health insurance (visa condition 8501) for the Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) and Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485).