Are you an International student and working more than 40 hrs on your holiday?
It’s holiday time in Australia and most of the Universities and Colleges are closed. Most of the international students might be looking for more working hours during this holiday time. Most of the international students work as a casual worker because of their working hour limit and study schedule. Casual worker means you do not have the guarantee of working hours, usually work irregular hours, does not get annual or sick leave, generally get casual loading.
Are you casual working and getting paid low?
You might be one of them and working casually. But are you getting the right payment for your work? Lots of international students are working in low wages than the average legal pay. If you feel like you are getting low payment for your work then you can check your minimum payment threshold on Fairwork website.
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Have you called for a trial period? How was it? Know more about your trial.
If you are searching for work during this holiday time and the employer is asking you to appear for the trial period then you should know about the trial period for the work. It could be both paid and unpaid depending on the vacant position and role. Some of the unpaid trial periods are lawful to showcase the skill required for the job. It is only for as long as needed to demonstrate the skills required for the job. This will be dependent on the nature and complexity of the work but could range from an hour to one shift.
An unpaid trial period is lawful in these conditions. (Source: fairwork)
A brief work trial can be legally unpaid if it is necessary to evaluate someone’s suitability for the job, and:
- it involves no more than a demonstration of the person’s skills, where they are relevant to a vacant position
- it is only for as long as needed to demonstrate the skills required for the job. This will be dependent on the nature and complexity of the work but could range from an hour to one shift
- the person is under the direct supervision of the potential employer (or other appropriate individuals) for the entire trial
- Any period beyond what is reasonably required to demonstrate the skills required for the job must be paid at the appropriate minimum rate of pay.
Here are some examples of lawful and Unfair trial period example
Since students are on holiday, they are allowed to work more than 40 hours fortnightly. But they need to have a holiday letter from their educational institute as proof to be in a safe place. Some employers might ask for it too. International students are very vulnerable to the workplace in terms of their payment and working hours. That is why they should always know about their rights, payment, and compensations. If anything wrong, remember the logo below.
