Indian students are going not only to the United States or the United Kingdom for higher education these days. Other than these two, one country that has attracted Indian students is Australia. Western Australia is a favourite destination with five universities, several colleges and vocational training establishments offering many courses.

It is reported that they attract around 40,000 foreign students from 60 countries every year.

In this interview with rediff.com's Shobha Warrier, Jamal Qureshi, Regional Marketing Manager, South East Asia, Perth Education City, Western Australia, talks about what is in store for Indian students in Western Australia.  

It is reported that around 40,000 foreign students from 60 countries go to Western Australia to study every year. You say the student intake in Perth Education City has gone up by 123 per cent this year. Are you talking about the overall increase?

We have 41,000 international students studying in Perth, Western Australia. And the increase of 123 per cent is only from India.

Majority of the good students from India go to the US to study. What kind of students do you get there? Is there a dilution in the quality?

We get very good quality students from Indian metro cities and good students are also looking at Western Australia as an option as they are picked up from the university once their course is over. In fact, many students from the US also come down to Australia to work.

What are the chances of students getting scholarships and part-time jobs there?

Deserving students are offered scholarships. In fact, we even give them Australian $20,000 as living expense too. If the student has a spouse and he/she wants to work, they can do so full time.

Whether it is in the US or the UK or Australia, students look out for part time jobs. If a student lands in Western Australia at 3 in the evening, and if he goes to the market at 4, he will get a job!

The population of Perth is 16 lakhs (1.6 million) and that of the entire Western Australia is 21 lakhs (2.1 million) and the land area is 415 square miles and the economy is really booming.

Are the universities satisfied with the quality of students they get from India?

Yes, the universities are satisfied. There are a lot of research activities carried out by Western Australia, and recently the government has allocated Australian $450 billion for research in Bio technology. The universities were given $80 million to upgrade their infrastructure. So, the universities are looking for students who can carry out research that can bring prosperity to the state.

Why is it that of late, Western Australia is wooing Indian students?

Industry needs good students and Indians are good students.

You said there is a 123 per cent rise in the number of students who go to Western Australia from India. How does the local community treat them? Is there any racial discrimination?

There are people from 200 different nationalities in Western Australia. And there are 15,000 Indians living in Perth. There are people from south and south east Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. I would say they are friendly and welcoming. I have not come across any case of racial abuse.

For a student who does not get scholarship, how much does s/he have to spend in a year for fees and living expense?

If the student is going for an undergraduate diploma, he will have to spend Rs 3,20,000 per annum as fees. If it's a bachelor's programme, the fee is Rs 7,20,000 per annum. There are dual degree programmes, where the student can take an engineering and business degree in five years.

We get the maximum number of students for the Masters programme for which the fee is approximately Rs 7,20,000. Add about Rs 4,30,000 for living expenses.

Will a student be able to manage if s/he doesn't get scholarship but get a part time job?

Initially the student will have to spend money from her/his pocket. When s/he has a semester break, s/he can work full time while s/he can only work 20 hours a week while studying. While working full time for three months, s/he makes enough money to repay her/his bank loan and some of them even send money home. Some students even go on a tour.

In which discipline, do you get the maximum number of students?

Number one is engineering and the next is business and biotechnology and Information Technology.

What are the career opportunities once they finish education?

There are more jobs than people right now. The data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics says that the overall unemployment rate in Australia was 4.5 per cent and in Western Australia, it is below 3.2 per cent.

The reason why more Indian students are going there is because there are plenty of job opportunities. Once he finishes the course in Western Australia, a student is granted 18 months of temporary visa and s/he is expected to work 12 months in the field of her/his degree. Once s/he fulfils that criterion, s/he is eligible to apply for permanent residency.  This is another attraction for many students.

Generally, do the students who study there prefer working there or do they prefer to work elsewhere? Or do they come back to India?

Nearly 80 per cent of the students stay back in Perth, 10 per cent go to some other countries that is when they are picked up by multinational companies in the job fair organised by the university. Only students who have families involved in business come back to India.

What is the advice you give to an Indian student who wants to come to Western Australia to study?

S/he should look for the proper programme, right course, eligibility criteria and the financial aspects. S/he should look for the future prospects of the course. S/he also should see to it that s/he has processed the application well in advance, which is 4-6 months before the commencement of the course. S/he needs to write only the IELTS examination to test the knowledge of English.