Meet locals, make friends

In South Australia we want you to feel at home. After all, making Aussie friends is an important part of the Australian education experience. Here we offer our top five tips to get you mixing with the locals.

Find a part-time job

We know it can be hard to juggle work when you’re trying to score top marks with your studies but finding a part-time job is often the best way to make new friends. International students can work up to 20 hours a week during semester and unlimited hours in term breaks. But where to find a job? Start by asking other students, checking out employment websites or looking in Adelaide’s daily and weekly newspapers.

Be a sport

 In Australia we call 'football' soccer

Australins love sport and sporting clubs are always looking for new members. The Adelaide City Council lists 60 clubs in the city centre alone, from belly dancing and rowing, to cricket and soccer. 'Life. Be in It' is a community organisation promoting healthy living and it runs a year-long calendar of free activities. The universities also have a range of sporting clubs for you to check out - University of Adelaide, Flinders University ad University of South Australia.

 Join StudyAdelaide

StudyAdelaide runs a year-long program of free events, competitions and activities for international students, funded by the State Government and education institutions. Activities include a day of AFL football, trips to the Adelaide Zoo and the Art Gallery of South Australia, an employment workshop (offering tips on CV writing & job interviews) and a letter writing competition with prizes worth $500. Join now

Volunteer your time

Community and not-for-profit organisations are always on the lookout for hard working volunteers with a bit of time to spare and often all you need is enthusiasm. You can do anything from planting trees and working on major events, to visiting the elderly in nursing homes. Volunteers are especially needed during school and university holiday periods, when many fulltime volunteers go on holiday. Check out volunteering jobs here

Know what’s on

Dance to the beat at Adelaide's world music festival WOMADelaide

There is always something to do on the weekend in Adelaide – it’s just a matter of knowing what’s on. One way to keep up to date is by joining the Fringe Benefits program, an arts access program for young people. By registering you’ll enjoy discounted tickets, exclusive offers and special benefits at selected clubs, pubs and retail outlets. Each week you will receive an email and SMS letting you know what’s on. Register now

Adelaide friendship forged for life

When Yukari Katayama came to Adelaide in 1999 to improve her English, little did she know she would make an Aussie friend forever.

 Having studied at Shujitsu High School in Okayama, Yukari decided to come to sister school, Kildare College in Adelaide, South Australia, to further her education and experience an Australian way of life. It is in Adelaide that Yukari met her host sister, Laura Boase. Since then the two young women have formed a strong friendship which has blossomed over the past 11 years.
“Yukari became the sister I’d never had,” Laura says. “We had such different lives yet had so much in common”.
Yukari lived with Laura and her family in Adelaide for a month. They went to school together, ballet classes together and they both loved shopping. Yukari says one of the best things about living in Adelaide was meeting Laura’s other friends at parties and experiencing life in a typical Australian family home.
“Even though I could only speak a little English back then, Laura and her family were very kind and patient with me,” Yukari says. “At first meeting Laura’s friends was difficult because of the language difference, but they were very nice and I really enjoyed their company.”
Yukari says she was lucky to enough to visit the great Australian outback, as Laura’s grandfather had a farm in about 5 hours drive south-east of Adelaide.
“It was amazing,” Yukari says. “We chased Kangaroos in a car called a ‘ute’ and I could not believe how many Kangaroos there were, just hopping around.
Yukari left Adelaide later in 1999 but returned to South Australia in 2003. Yukari stayed with Laura and her family once again, and visited many of South Australia’s attractions such as the Barossa wine region, the Murray River and Kangaroo Island.
In 2006, after Yukari had finished her Diploma in Tourism at college in Okayama, she decided to do some overseas work experience in Australia, where she visited Laura once again. In 2009 Laura got married and while Yukari was unable to attend the wedding she did send an amazing traditional Japanese wedding gift.
“I was so disappointed that Yukari couldn’t come to my wedding, but the present she gave us was a beautiful reminder of my Japanese friend,’ Laura says. “It was at that point I decided I needed to travel to Japan and thank her in person.”
In May 2010, Laura, along with her husband Jason, fulfilled that promise and travelled to Japan for a holiday.
Yukari and her family showed Laura all the sites of Japan, sang karaoke, spent a day at one of the natural hot springs (Onsen) and enjoyed traditional Japanese home cooked meals.
“I was so happy that Laura came to stay with me and my family in Japan,” Yukari says. “After travelling to Australia a few times and Laura showing me what a wonderful place Adelaide was, it was now my turn to show my friend around Japan.”
This latest trip cemented their friendship which started 11 years ago as part of the homestay program in Adelaide and both women are convinced it will continue for a lifetime.

Back to top