How to survive Masters degree in a university

gyyg · November 2016

Hi! I am interested in applying for a student visa po. However, hindi po ako makadecide kung sa university ba ako dapat mag-enroll or okay lang din kung sa college/ business school/ institute.

I already inquired sa IDP Philippines and ang suggestion po nila sakin is to take Masters in Professional Accounting since I already have a degree in business admin from San Beda College Manila and currently pursuing my 2nd degree in accountancy - pwede daw pong macredit ung subjects na na-take ko na so pinapatapos nalang po nila sakin yung sem na to then I am welcome to apply na.

They told me na kapag natapos ko daw kasi yung masteral, pwede na ako mag-apply for PR even without an employer to sponsor my application compared sa bachelor na mas complicated yung process and walang assurance. Kaso ang mahal po kasi ng tuition, though meron naman masteral sa mga institutes. So my questions are these po:

1. Maaafford ko po ba expenses ko if sa university ako pumasok especially the tuition fee? Given that I will be allowed to work for 20hrs per week lang? I have a relative there in Sydney so I will assume na malilibre po ako sa bahay and konting pagkain.

2. Malaki po ba difference sa mga future employers kung sa University or college/ institutions ka graduate? kahit same lang pong Masters degree yung natapos?

3. Meron na po ba dito na-grant ng PR thru the use of their masteral degree?

4. Namomonitor po ba nila mabuti yung 20hrs na work per week lang? or pwede naman po makapuslit ng konting time pa sa ibang part-time jobs?

I hope may pumansin po sa post and questions ko. Badly needed an advice po kasi since yung mga agencies na nakausap ko wala naman pong firsthand experience in Oz.

Thank you in advance and God bless guys!

agentKams · November 2016

Hello, i am currently taking masters as well here in Australia. To answer your questions:

1. Mahirap mabuo ang tuition kung wala ka kasama na nagwork na dependant fulltime. Kami struggle sa paghahanap ng work, nagkaron ng work nun hindi din fulltime. Kung may support ka sa tuition much better kasi iyong kikitain mo 20hrs every week iyon na gagastusin mo for your living expenses here.
2. Depende sa skillset na meron ka, kung wala ka work experience best bet go to professional year, complete CPA/CA program. Yes factor ang may degree ka dito, but i haven't heard school discrimination yet. Sa pinas kasi mas angat nakatapos sa UP, Ateneo Lasalle etc. Dito wala pa naman ako naencounter na pinagbabasehan nila school where you graduate.
3. You have to be invited first bago ma-PR. Even if you gradute with a masters degree in Au then hindi naman umabot sa cut-off points mo hindi ka mainvite eventually PR. If you can find employer who can sponsor you then that would be good.
4. yes they can monitor your 20 hours. when you pay your taxes, when employers hire you. kung irereport ka ng kapwa mo student na inggit sayo, pag marandom ka. There are many ways AU govt can be notified. If you want to take risk, cash on hand, may mga gumagawa yes. Pag mahuli ka na nagover the limit sa working hours, face the consequence and bear in mind it will be against your future PR application.

It is always important to abide by the conditions of your visa. Makakaipon ka lang for your tuition during long school vacation kasi fulltime ka makakapagwork.

Have you explored your chances in skilled visa application?

gyyg · November 2016

@agentKams hello po! Thank you po sa response. I have decided to pursue my application na po. Planning to take an IELTS exam first. Then tingnan ko po kung aabot yung visa ko (kung maggrant man) kasi March 6, 2017 po first term ng uni na napili namin.

I do not have any work experience po. What do you mean by professional year po? Yung cut off points po ba yun yung merong calculator sa immigration site nila? Na kailangan po maka 60 pts?

For now hindi pa po ako talaga qualified for skilled visa eh. Kasi yung degree ko pong business ad, parang general lang daw po kasi siya. And wala po ako work experience.

Thank you po ulit sa pagsagot. Super helpful!

Jasna · January 2017

@gyyg anong university mo? May visa ka na?

nori · January 2017

@gygg may I ask if you pushed for MPA or Bachelor? And which university. Thanks.

gyyg · January 2017

@agentKams kayo rin po pala yung nagreply sakin dito. Hehe salamat po ulit!

gyyg · January 2017

@nori @Jasna hello po! Wala pa po akong visa. Sadly, hindi po ako natanggap sa unang university na inapplyan ko which is Central Queensland University dahil sa Genuine Temporary Entrant assessment po nila. So nag apply ako ulit pero hindi na uni, Kaplan Business School. MPA po yung course. I received an offer na kaso nagpapasend pa sila ng Statement of Purpose for GTE assessment again. And if okay na yun saka palang daw po ako pwedeng magbayad ng tuition.

phoenix26 · August 2017

@gyyg hi, i just like to know if your application for visa was successful and are you able to join the March2017 intake? I think we have the same case. I graduated Business Ad in PH and applied for MPA program. The university offer a Conditional Letter of Offer and now I am waiting for my IELTS results.

If your application was successful. Did you lodge it by yourself?

Thank you and all the best.

paul23 · September 2017

hi @gyyg may i know what happened to your application? im also planning to apply for MPA with kaplan business school.

ellaine · September 2017

@gyyg bakit ka narefuse sa CQU? Dun dn kasi ang balak ko applayan.

Au_Vic · September 2017

guys, just want to know why did you want to study accounting? not sure if you are aware but it is very hard to get a PR as an accountant nowadays if you don't have high points kasi sangkatutak ang nag-apply ng PR as accountant from all over the world na experienced at may mataas na points.

High points meaning you have to have at least 75 to 80 points para ma-invite ka as an accountant at mabilis mapuno ung required number ng slots for accountants.

I would suggest stay away from accounting if your aim is to get your PR quicker after studying here.

mcg143 · November 2017

@Au_Vic Hi would you know if graduate diploma in counselling (AU), with BS Psych degree (Phl) will be quicker? Thanks.

Au_Vic · November 2017

@mcg143 hi, it depends. I think the technique is to study a course that has the high potential of not being removed from skills list by the time you finished studying if you want to get a PR. Another consideration would be getting a course that will let you obtain a positive skills assessment in the occupation you want to nominate for PR.

aspirant0508 · December 2017

@Au_Vic pwede po makahingi ng input sir? hirap po ako makakuha ng offer from school pag nagshift po ako into nursing so I'm planning to just push through with MPA, sa tingin nyo po madali makakuha state nomination or regional nomination from Tasmania?

AustralianDreamVisa · December 2017

@aspirant0508 , AS OF NOW, kung magaaral ka sa Tasmania, you might in their priority list for state nomination. Pero starting January 2018, you have to study at least 2 years with a course that is either a degree (a bachelor or any higher degree), a diploma, an
advanced diploma, or a trade qualification.

In terms kung MPA ang kukunin mo, competitive ang Accounting at Auditing in my opinion and there are hundreds of students studying Accounting and overseas applicants din applying for 189/190/489 as @Au_Vic mentioned. so kung hindi ka papalarin magka 190/489 visa nomination, you are looking at 75/80 points in EOI to be able to get an invite.

Au_Vic · December 2017

@aspirant0508 are you studying nursing in australia? What do you mean MPA? If you are planning to study accounting here in Australia I would suggest not to go that path kc sobrang dami ng applicants sa profession na yan and ang taas ng points so most likely di ka maiinvite agad.

Another question, why Tasmania? I mean if you are going to study, check South Australia, they have more occupations in their list which only for international students who studied in SA and they have waivers on some of the state sponsorship requirements.

It is a bit tricky now to identify which courses will eventually land you a PR quickly kc wala na mashado choices at yuing mga courses dati na walang kumukuha mahigpit na din ngaun like social work.

Look, its up to you to decide which one do you want to study but choose a course that will not be removed in the skills list once you finished studying.

Check social work course, they have masters degree but i have heard some universities have strict rules and pre requisite requirements before they accept applicants but its worth a try.

As of now, for social work, aside from english, you do not need work experience to get a positive assessment. So if they will not change their rules, once you finish your masters, and u have met the english score you can apply for an assessment and most likely you will get a positive one plus social work is not common and not many applicants. I know someone who finished masters of social work early this year, she only had 60 points but was invited straight away after lodging her EOI

neeps · December 2017

Hi! Magtatanong lang po sana ako kung gano kahirap ang MBA haha I already have my visa and Im kind of nervous because i don't have any idea about their educational system. Please po pasagot salamat!!

agentKams · December 2017

@neeps for me, medyo challenging siya because of all the theoritical aspect and know-how that must be expected of you as someone who have work experience. Puro case study and research, but all in all it was good. sabi ng iba mas mahirap pa din daw sa pinas dahil may thesis.

neeps · December 2017

@agentKams big aspect po ba yung work experience kasi i just graduated this june kaya po wala ako work experience.

agentKams · January 2018

@neeps buti tinanggap ka sa MBA program without work experience, samin kasi required iyong 2 years experience to enter the program. In my experience, yes it is much easier to relate the case studies with workplace know-how. Hindi ko lang alam sa uni niyo if all theoritical. Ano pla uni mo?