Study abroad, professional studies and training in Australia.

WHY AUSTRALIA?

Australia is your ideal destination if you have decided to study abroad, whether you wish to seriously improve your English level or further your studies at University or in Vocational Colleges, while enjoying sun, sea, beaches and adventure all year round!

The main reasons to choose Australia as your future study destination are the following:

Australia offers quality education: excellent world ranking of Australian universities (THES latest figures show that 8 Australian universities are among the 100 best universities in the world!); very efficient welcome and logistics available to international students; dynamic and progressive education programmes with a reputation for excellence.

Australia is the Lucky Country: it's a rich, safe, modern, relaxed and dynamic nation, with a solid economical growth, exceptional quality of life, friendly population, pleasant weather all year round, etc.

You will feel at ease wherever you live in Australia: Australians enjoy a genuine multicultural society, accumulating influences from everywhere (UK, USA, Asia, Middle East...) and adapting them in their daily life, which results in a unique fusion. However, Australians keep their vernacular expressions in casual conversations. They often refer to Australia as "Aussie" or "Oz".

Australia offers the most complete protection scheme in the world for International students: the ESOS ACT. It allows students, in case of the bankruptcy of an Australian institution, to be redistributed in another institution in the same city and in the same course , without extra fees until the end of the initial payment.

The cost of living remains competitive if you compare it to Northern America and Europe.

Australia is less than 24 hours flight from Europe and less from other continents; nowadays, transport connections are many and at reasonable prices.

Australia is part of Asia geographically, the economical Giant, so you will definitely benefit from contacts with other students of these regions, especially for your future professional career.

The Australian student visa allows you to work 20h/week maximum during your studies and with no limitation during your institution holidays.

Last but not the least, personal and academic growth: the time spent in Australia, be it in the classroom or working part-time, will strengthen your confidence, prepare you for the challenges of the work place and give you the best platform to succeed in your future career. You will graduate with an International qualification - a must these days! - and, in certain cases, become bilingual.

If you wish to receive the best flight rates to Australia, please refer to our Travel Section.

Find below all kinds of information that will help you understand the Australian culture better!

• To know students' opinions on daily life in Australia as well as how to confront it, check this PDF out.
• To obtain general tourist information about Australia, click here!
• To become familiar with Australian slang, click here!
• To see unusual photos about Australia: www.nothinglikeaustralia.com.au !

To convince you that coming to study in Australia is an unforgettable experience, we will transport you to the 6 states and 2 Territories that form the Federation of Australia, sharing with you our experience and personal opinion. This is not really a tourist guide so if you need more detailed information, consult any travel guides specialised in Australia such as Lonely Planet, etc.

NEW SOUTH WALES

This is the most populated state and is full of contrasts: in the North (Byron Bay) you have summer temperatures nearly all year round and in the South, you have snow in the Snowy Mountains (boasting ski resorts such as Thredbo and Perisher Blue). The capital city is the beautiful city of Sydney, Host of the 2000 Summer Olympic Games Sydney, voted the Best Games ever by Samaranch!! Thanks to its magnificent and romantic harbour, you will never believe that over 4,5 million inhabitants live there! This is a city stretching along the Parramatta River (nearly 40 km long!), surrounded by 3 incredibly well preserved National Parks, which spread across the skyline of downtown Sydney, or CBD (Central Business District) and whose numerous surf beaches (Bondi Beach, Manly Beach to name but a few) make you feel as though you are permanently on holiday!

The rest is purely residential, houses lost in lush green avenues or hills, a multitude of bays and surf beaches, cafés, restaurants, modern and traditional pubs.

To sum up, it is a city that meets all tastes and desires! The climate is temperate and pleasant all year round; Sydney is the favourite destination for students: it offers everything a student needs: a wide range of study programmes at competitive prices (6 universities, 2 members of the Group of Eight, without counting Wollongong and Newcastle), work, high quality leisure (ports, bays and beaches open to all water sports possible, National parks for excursions, etc.), active and varied nightlife, restaurants for all budgets, important public transport (bus, ferries, trains, trams,etc.). However, the cost of living has increased considerably since the Olympic Games in 2000 (especially the rent) and if you are on a tight budget, live either in the close suburbs or move to another city!

Destinations not to be missed:

• Bondi Beach and Manly Beach,
• The beaches cult in Sydney,
• The Snowy Mountains and Jenolan Caves,
• The Hunter Valley vineyards,
• Byron Bay,
• Snowy Mountains Kosciusko National Park,
• Pambula,
• Jervis Bay,
• Warrumbungle National Park,
• Hill End and Broken Hill,
• Nostalgic ghost towns from the Gold rush, etc.

VICTORIA

It is one of the greenest States, nicknamed the Garden State, the most populated after New South Wales despite its small size.
The capital city, Melbourne, is the most European city in Australia with a very strong Italian and Greek migrant population and recognized as the cultural city of Australia (for the cafes, shows, fashion etc.).  Its charm is to be found in the lovely old and new trams that travel through the whole city and where it is easy to meet with the locals! It’s a modern and cosmopolitan city where the climate can be extreme: suffocating in summer and very cold in winter.
The countryside is very green and rich with dairy farming and the beaches are untamed such as Ninety Miles Beach and the Great Ocean Road.
Melbourne is a city for lovers of the indoors, this is not a water city like Sydney: study programmes are varied (7 universities, 2 members of the Group of Eight), the cultural and artistic life is very varied, transport is easy, life style less hectic than Sydney, the cost of living is quite similar to that of Sydney but the climate can be a hardship for those sensitive to humidity and cold!

Destinations not to be missed:

• Great Ocean Road, Bells Beach (The cult beach in Victoria),
• the 12 Apostles: there are only 8 left but it is still worth it,
• Penguins Parade on Phillip Island,
• Sovereign Hill (Ballarat),
• Ninety Miles Beach,
• Boggong High Plains and surroundings ski resorts (Mt Buller, Mt Hotham, Falls Creek, Lake Mountains),
• The Grampians and Arapiles, the mecca for climbers,
• Yarra Valley and Murray Valley vineyards (Rutherglenn)
• Ned Kelly country,
• And so much more.

QUEENSLAND

This is the sunshine state so famous for its barrier reef (The largest in the world), its tropical climate and white sand beaches (this is where The Blue Lagoon was filmed, so you can imagine the beauty!!), and surprisingly, boosts 9 universities. The major cities are Brisbane and Cairns and the most famous coast: Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast . This is the favourite tourist destination after Sydney and paradise for scuba diving and sailing.
The climate being tropical can be suffocating in summer, so winter is the most busy season with much more pleasant temperatures from June to October, when you can swim safely without any bad encounters with the infamous lethal box jellyfish, present from November till May each year along the Barrier Reef.
Warning: Brisbane is not on the ocean side but along a river with the same name!! This is a fast growing city but without the charisma and class of Sydney or Melbourne.
The Gold Coast can be paradise for all surfers, it can be easy to find a job but the ambiance is pretty superficial and accommodation can be quite expensive. It's not a surprise it has been called the Australian Miami.

Destinations not to be missed:

• Barrier Reef and its numerous islands (Magnetic, Hamilton, Dunk, Witsundays)
• Gold Coast for its theme parks like Movie World, Sea World, etc.
• Sunshine Coast (Noosa) for its magnificent beaches,
• Fraser Island, the biggest sand island in the world,
• Daintree Forest and Cape York,
• And so much more.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Located in the central North of Australia, it is the home of the most famous monolith in the world, Uluru or Ayers Rock, Kata Djuta or the Olgas, and the Red Centre, thousands of kilometres of red earth. Well, as you may have guessed, the centre for adventure and four wheel-drive vehicles!!! Darwin, the capital city of only a few hundred thousands inhabitants, is a different world of its own and surrounded by generous rivers, home to a unique fish, the Barramundi and of course crocodiles! This is an experience not to be missed!
This could be the only state where you will meet Australian Aborigines and share their culture. Temperatures can reach extremes up to 50 degrees Celsius in the sun but nights can be chilly in the desert. Although Darwin is a city to explore, daily life there can be tough: you are far away from everywhere, very regional and not very suitable for a very long stay.

Destinations not to be missed:

• Ayers Rock,
• the Olgas and King’s Canyon,
• Katherine Gorges,
• Kakadu National Park, nominated among the 7 marvels in the world,
• And so much more.

ABORIGINES

The Aborigines or, indigenous Australians, have been populating Australia for over 45.000 years, some researchers even mention the figure of 60.000 years. They are nomads and because of that particularity, Australia was annexed by the British Crown under the term of "Terra Nullius" (land without any inhabitants) in the 1770's. The Dreaming is their belief that defines their culture, past and link to their ancestors.

The European settlement as they call it, would change the Aborigines' peace for ever and resulted in their disappearance, not to mention extermination. Some states, such as Tasmania, don't have any Aborigines left, Victoria has close to none left since the end of the last century and the survivors are mostly out of view. You may meet some in Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territories, Sydney and some parts of NSW. However, their art is admired and preciously supported and some paintings are sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars in art galleries around the world!!!

Trying to discuss the Aborigine with Australians, and even worse about the Mabo case, is quite taboo. The reconciliation process is taking time to settle down and the life conditions of most Aborigines are not improving rapidly either. The most curious is that, because of the lack of government support and funding, historians have not been able yet to define, with precision, the origins of Aborigines, a people offering no racial and linguistic similitude with neighbouring peoples. We advise you to read specialized books to understand better their culture and place in Australian society. We have selected two which should be easy to find in your country: "Songlines" by Bruce Chatswin and "The Secret Country" by John Pilger.