Student Life Abroad

Peter: So, Jana, we were talking about academic life in different countries but how about daily life for students? Did students also have part time jobs and where did they eat? Did they eat at home or in dorms or did they go out?

Jana: Right. So my life in Prague was quite different because I was living with my parents but obviously I would go to university for the lectures or seminars and yeah, I think most of my classmates had part time jobs or even full time jobs and they would study sort of in their free time and in the Czech Republic usually students go to university in their city so they stay at home with their parents but if they choose to go to a different city then they would stay at dormitory. So some of my classmates who were staying, who were living in dormitory, I felt like they had more social life than I do because that's where all their social events happen.

Peter: Right.

Jana: I have actually never lived in a dormitory so I don't know what it's like.

Peter: How about student life in Sydney?

Jana: Yeah, in Sydney...

Todd: Actually can we have Spain.

Peter: So how about student life in Spain?

Jana: Yeah, I suppose again it depends on the students. Maybe local students and international students might have different lifestyles but I was living with a host family and they cooked for me once a week. That was really nice. Every Sunday we had a really nice meal but apart from that I would eat at the cafeteria or cook at home and I didn't have a part time job but I think a lot of my classmates did. It wasn't so easy for international students to find work so...

Peter: Really? So what was the typical lunch in Spain for you?

Jana: Well, there weren't that many options at the university so basically what you can buy at the cafeteria is like a sandwich, kind of snack food so I would often bring my own lunch and heat it up in the microwave so that's what a lot of students did to save money too.

Peter: OK. So you could actually cook at home and bring the lunch?

Jana: Yes. They had a cafeteria and like a diner where you can bring your own food as well.

Peter: Oh, OK.

Jana: So I thought that was quite convenient.

Peter: Yeah, yeah. And then you moved to Sydney? How did that change things for you?

Jana: Well, Sydney was a lot of fun. There are so many international students, so many different cultures and it's a big part of education actually. International education in Australia is a huge business as well.

Peter: Really?

Jana: So there are so many international students. In fact, in my class I think there were maybe two Australians.

Peter: Wow.

Jana: And the rest were from all over the world.

Peter: Hm. I also had a friend who studied as an international student at, in Sydney and he told me it's quite expensive for international students to live there. Is that true?

Jana: That's right. One, you have to pay the tuition fees but also, depending on where you come from, you need to apply for a student visa and often one of the requirements is you need to show that you have enough funding for the whole course.

Peter: Right.

Jana: And the actual living costs might not be that high. It depends where you live. A lot of students share houses.

Peter: Right.

Jana: Or work part time as well.

Peter: So part time work is allowed then?

Jana: Yes. You can work up to twenty hours per week.

Peter: OK.

Jana: While on a student visa.

Peter: Right. So you can have some income at least to support yourself?

Jana: That's right, yeah, but a lot of the students study really hard so there isn't really much time for part time work but yeah you need to try to juggle it somehow.

Peter: Where did you live in Sydney and did you have a share mate or somewhere like that?

Jana: Yeah, I lived in a share house with other students. It's a really common thing to do in Sydney because the rent is so expensive.

Peter: Oh, really?

Jana: So not only students but even working adults often share apartments. Yeah, I actually moved maybe five times while I was there.

Peter: It sounds pretty hard actually.

Jana: It was fun to try living in different areas and with different people.

Peter: Great.