Which bank should i open an account with when in studying in Sydney?

Question

i will be heading off to the University of New South Wales in june. as i'm a singaporean, i don't know which bank is commonly used for foreign students in Sydney. advice?

Answer 1

Gerald, all the banks are a complete rip off.  The fees are among the highest in the world, so the trick is to pick one that most employers / businesses connect with.  Some of the more obscure ones, while they have better fee rates etc.etc. aren't always 'connectable' to all businesses.

ANZ, Westpac, Commonwealth, St George, are all very big businesses, none of them likely to go belly up any time soon.  And they all have ATM's everywhere.  Hang Seng have a major branch in George Street (city) but many ATMs don't take their cards.  If you already have a Hang Seng account, you can probably keep using it here, but check what it's going to cost you fee wise.  And realise it might not be easy getting cash out in all locations.

I suggest you check with them from home first.

I've added you as a contact, so you can probably email direct now.

Also, now I realise you are in Singapore a bit more advice on the accommodation thing.  Strathfield is a suburb on the main train line with thousands upon thousands of Asian students renting there.  Alot of them have parents who have purchased an apartment for that reason.  It has a fairly good chinatown closeby, food is good, transport to city easy.

It might be worth trying to put an advertisment in your local home newspaper seeking accommodation.

Also the local newspaper deleivered in Strathfield is published by Cumberland newspapers.  If you go through the net you can probably put an advert in here to find accommodation with other students, many of whom will speak languages other than English, and odds on your culinary tastes will be more similar.

Don't stress too much about trying to get everything organised.  Sydney is a very international city, everything you have in Singapore is pretty much here.  The main thing to buy is the street directory - UBD is the best of them, trust me (as an immigrant myself) it is money well spent, it will become your best friend.