What next? Pathways to staying in Australia after your English course

There are many interrogantes about what path to follow after you have finished your English course. For example, “Should I just go back to my country immediately? but hang on…. “Everything went so fast that I am just starting to feel settled in this new country and now it is time to leave?” 

And this is the reality, after 6 or 8 months in Australia, many students can feel that it was not enough time to adapt, learn english and enjoy the country.

Well, in this article we will show you the possible paths you could take in case you decide to continue your student life in Australia. 

The most common way is to apply for an extension of the study visa through an education agency to assess the best options for you and there is nothing wrong with this. However, what we want to show in this article is that you can do your own research and be more prepared when you visit these agencies and not just do what they tell you is the “best option”.

Path of more english 

This path is for you if you feel that the six months English course was not enough and you would like to keep studying english. Could be the case that you are looking to prepare yourself for the english proficiency tests such as the IELTS, Cambridge, TOEFL, PTE, or business english. In that case you will be in classes more focused on this type of exam. 

Consider that this extension will be only for the amount of time of the English course.  However there are other options to stay in Australia studying subjects different to english as I am going to mention in the next paragraphs. 

Path of Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses

VET includes all the certificates, diplomas and advanced diplomas. These courses are at a lower level than a bachelor degree and available for international students but also for local students at a much lower price.

The prerequisite to attend these courses is to have finished high school. So, If you already have a bachelor degree from your country, these courses are going to seem basic to you. 

Nevertheless, many international students choose to do these types of courses as a complement for their careers, gain more practical skills or simply to learn about the fields and reach of their own career in english.

Unfortunately many students make the choice of the course based on length and cost (the longest and the cheapest course). They choose the longest course (the one that gives them more visa) and the cheapest (or at least the one they can pay at that moment). It is very likely that the chosen course is not going to contribute much to their careers or to open a migration path in Australia in the future. 

Additionally, some students take the visa extension as a way to stay in stay in Australia for longer only to work and earn some money and this can have a negative results in their carrers. I know people that have been in Australia for 5 years and barely speak english.

From experience, I can tell that the decision should be based on what is going to be helpful with your professional path. For example, if you decide to stay in Australia and later in your journey you decide to start a migration process (apply for a temporary or permanent residency), the right selection of a course could help you to add points to your application. 

For example, my bachelor degree was in Microbiology and I chose a diploma in Project management in Australia to be a complement of my career given that in the scientific field many organisations work through projects. 

Path of Higher Education

If you have decided that you want to pursue a higher education course after your English course, you can do it! but it is a big leap. Higher Education includes undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

You will need to obtain a certain level of English to enrol in the course and also have enough money to pay the price of a university in Australia as an international student.  

Some students decide that they want to change their previous career and start from cero in Australia, so they enrol in a bachelor degree that lasts approximately 3 years. Or the other option is enrolling in a Master’s degree to specialise in a specific area or related area of  their careers. There are many options for choosing a Master’s degree course in Australia so I am sure you will find one that accommodates your needs. 

I must say that is a huge commitment because the academic load of a bachelor degree or Master’s is higher and not compared with a Vocational Education and Training course. 

Consider as well that you will be studying different subjects, taking exams and giving presentations in english. I would say that the amount of hours spent in self study in this type of courses and the level of commitment is higher than the other courses. 

Having a higher education degree from a prestigious Australian University or institution can open many doors for you in terms of employment and depending on the career (if the career is in the skilled occupation list of Australia) can smooth the path for migration. Also, depending on certain conditions if you finish a Masters degree there are ways to apply for a temporary graduate visa, which allows you to work full time while you practice your learnings on a real job place.

The length of this visa varies between one to four years depending on the course you have chosen. Finding a job and making the most of the time of that post graduate visa depends only on you. 

The Path of Pathway courses

This one is like an obligatory path for those who want to access higher education but have not achieved the English score required by the institution they are going to study.

This works like a “empalme”, so you will be taking some weeks of English (the amount of weeks they consider necessary) in the same university where you will be studying your bachelor or master’s degree course, with the aim of getting you ready to start your course. 

The exploratory path 

You can start to explore an immigration path while you study english. First you can read and ask people that you know that have decided to stay in Australia and have a migration process open to tell you their experience.

Also, you can consult an immigration agent and ask what are the best paths to stay in Australia that are not only linked with a student visa. For example, validating your studies from your original country in Australia with a skill assessment, or finding a sponsor that is willing to give you the opportunity to work and apply for you to stay in the country.

There are many paths to take, you just need to make sure that you are well informed and if you are paying for advice that is someone with a good reputation and you can trust. 

To have in mind before any decision 

In all the applications that you do in Australia you must explain your intentions on taking X or Y course. You must be congruent, clear and transparent with your intentions at the moment of applying for the visa extensions. 

Another thing is you can not go backwards to study english again after you have enrolled and finished a diploma course. Or for example being enrolled in a higher education course and going back to do a diploma or advanced diploma. 

Likewise, progression must be on the same path, for example if you started to study a certificate in business then you should continue within that line. It would not look congruent that you wanted to extend your visa to study a diploma in patisserie - however education agents are a great help to advise you with this subject. 

Remember that the extension of the visa cost money same as the agency that is going to help you with the process of the extension plus the cost of the insurance and course itself. Sometimes the government can ask for proof of funds in a bank account to demonstrate that you can pay your own maintenance in Australia for the length of your studies (similar to when you apply for the first time to your student visa). 

When extending your visa you need to consider aspects such as spending at least 2 years or more in Australia, probably working hard to pay the extension and also committing to studying something more technical in english. 

In closing

The experience of staying in Australia after finishing your English studies is very valuable for your personal and professional growth and you should try to do it if you have the chance.

You will only have things to win, more time to practice your English, a new course to gain skills and add on to your career, the possibility to get a job in Australia in the field of your career and also more time to appreciate the Australian culture from a different perspective.