Multiple states are progressing plans to welcome back international students
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Following New South Wales and Victoria, other states have been rolling out plans to bring international students back to Australia — some sooner, some later, but all are in the works and within reach.
New South WalesThe current plan is for a 6 December flight from Singapore to Sydney; students have already received confirmation emails about flying from China to Singapore to join the chartered flight;
Victoriafollowing closely, also scheduled for December;
Queenslandalso progressing, with a timeline of early next year; quarantine arrangements are being prepared;
Based on today’s email from the University of Canberra,Canberra‘s pilot programme is tentatively scheduled to begin on 8 January 2022, with a portion of places reserved for Chinese students; expressions of interest are already open. The ACT Government previously stated that international students returning to Australia would be completely quarantine-free — subject to having received two approved vaccine doses (currently Sinovac and Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV in China).
Northern Territoryas the first state/territory to successfully carry out an international student pilot programme, has recently indicated it is formulating a plan to submit to the federal government; if approved, two flights carrying up to 180 students each would arrive in Darwin in January 2022.
Western Australiaalso revealed its latest pilot plan in recent days; the government anticipates welcoming international students back to Perth when the two-dose vaccination rate reaches 90% next year.
The return of international students to Australia to continue their studies is drawing ever closer. If you are overseas or within Australia and are considering studying as a pathway to migration, today I’d like to recommend — beyond the well-known fields of IT, nursing, early childhood education, and engineering — a niche buthighly favoured by state governments as a migration-pathway field:——Speech Pathology— graduates of an accredited programmecan obtain their skills assessment without needing any work experience!
What is Speech Pathology?
Speech Pathology
Speech Pathology — also known as speech-language pathology — is the study, diagnosis, and treatment of communication disorders, including difficulties with spoken language, hearing, language comprehension, reading, writing, social skills, stuttering, and voice use.
Speech pathologists work with individuals who experience communication difficulties as a result of developmental delay, stroke, brain injury, learning disability, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, dementia, hearing loss, and other conditions affecting speech and language.
Speech pathologists can also assist people who have difficulty safely swallowing food and liquids.
Core subjects in speech pathology programmes typically includelinguistics, phonetics, functional anatomy, and neuropathologyand more.
Career Prospects
Career
Speech pathologists enjoy a wide range of career directions and workplaces; after graduating, you may choose to work in hospital clinical practice,private practice, school services, early childhood services, community health centres, rehabilitation centres, aged care, or disability rehabilitation centresand more. According to statistics, speech pathologists’average salary can reach $46.15/hour, with annual earnings of $90,000. With accumulated work experience, earnings can reach AUD 120,000 per year — making it one of the higher-paying professions in Australia.
The number of speech pathology practitioners in Australia grew from 6,600 in 2014 to9,200 in 2019 — a strong increase in the profession’s workforce.
Skills Assessment
Skill assessment
The assessing authority for Speech Pathology in Australia is Speech Pathology Australia (SPA). To obtain a skills assessment, applicants must meet the following requirements.
In simple terms,completing an SPA-accredited undergraduate or postgraduate programme in Australia means that, upon graduation, you can apply directly for a skills assessment by providing your graduation certificate and academic transcripts.
If you have any questions about speech pathology study programmes or career planning,
please do not hesitate to get in touch!
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Recommended Programmes
Now that we have given a brief overview of speech pathology in Australia, here are some SPA-accredited programmes that do not require a related background — choose the school that best suits your needs.
Flinders University
South Australia’s State Nomination Policy
has consistently been favourable towards local graduates and healthcare students
Under the current Speech Pathologist South Australia graduate pathway,the Subclass 190 requires only 3 months of relevant work experience, and the Subclass 491 has no relevant work requirement at all.
For the non-local graduate pathway, the Subclass 190 requires 12 months of work in the Greater Adelaide area, or 6 months in a regional area of South Australia. The Subclass 491 requires just 6 months of work anywhere in South Australia.
LaTrobe University
Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours)
Duration: 4 years full-time
Location: Melbourne (Bundoora)
Intake: February
Tuition fees: 2022 — $47,800/year
Academic requirement: Chinese Gaokao score of 70%
English requirement: IELTS overall 7.5, no band below 7 (IELTS only)
*SPAFull accreditation undergoing
Master of Speech Pathology
Duration: 2 years full-time
Location: Melbourne (Bundoora)
Intake: January
Tuition fees: 2022 — $45,000/year
Academic requirement: undergraduate WAM of 70%, or Honours degree WAM of H2A
English requirement: IELTS overall 7.5, no band below 7 (IELTS only)
*SPA Full accreditation undergoing
Victoria —Special consideration for health-sector professions
Currently,the Victoria Subclass 190 Health Sector is one of the most prioritised industry streams under state nomination, with some of the highest quota allocations and invitation numbers; speech pathology falls within the health sector, so eligible applicantswho secure relevant employment after graduationhave the opportunity to apply for Victoria’s Subclass 190.
The following are Victoria’s Subclass 190 state nomination requirements for this financial year:
University of Canberra
Master of Speech Pathology
Duration: 2 years full-time
Location: Canberra
Intake: February
Tuition fees: 2022 — $42,200/year
Academic requirement: undergraduate degree (no related background required), with a grade of credit or higher
English requirement: IELTS overall 7, no band below 7; or PTE overall 65, no component below 65
*SPA Full accreditation
ACT State Nomination —local students hold a strong advantage in scoring for residence, qualifications, and other criteria
Speech Pathologist is currently on the ACT’s skilled migration occupation list; eligible applicants may have the opportunity to apply for ACT Subclass 190 or 491
For the ACT Subclass 190,you must have lived in Canberra for the 6 months prior to application and worked in Canberra (in any role) for the past 6 months (26 weeks) at least 35 hours per week. If your qualification was completed in Canberra, the residence requirement is easily met,and securing any job in Canberra after graduation on a Subclass 485 visa (the role does not need to be in the nominated occupation) gives you the opportunity to lodge a Subclass 190 application.
In addition,Canberra operates its own matrix scoring system; Subclass 190 scores are relatively high,but local graduates receive additional points for local study and long-term residence, giving them a significant advantage.
For the ACT Subclass 491,you must have lived in Canberra for the 3 months prior to application and worked in Canberra (in any role, part-time) for the past 3 months (13 weeks) at least 20 hours per week.The Subclass 491 has lower requirements, higher quotas, and significantly lower invitation scores.
Therefore,if you arean interstategraduate or a student visa holder, you may also have the opportunity to meet the eligibility requirements for ACT Subclass 491.
Edith Cowan University
Bachelor of Speech pathology
Duration: 4 years full-time
Location: Perth
Intake: February
Tuition fees: 2022 — $37,400/year
Academic requirement: Chinese Gaokao score of 65.6%
English requirement: IELTS overall 7.5, no band below 7; or PTE overall 72, no component below 65
*SPA Full accreditation
Speech Pathology is on Western Australia’s General Stream — Schedule 1 list this financial year; applicants need one year of post-graduation relevant experience and a job offer in a relevant position.
We have now introduced the key aspects of speech pathology. If you are considering studying abroad as a migration pathway but want to avoid the fierce competition for an EOI invitation, speech pathology may be an excellent niche migration-pathway field worth considering.
If you are unsure whether you meet the eligibility requirements, or if you are interested in learning more about these programmes, scan the QR code below for a detailed consultation.
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