Australia guide · Jobs and pay · 3 min read
The best-paying jobs in Australia for international graduates, and how to get one.
Graduate jobs in health, engineering, IT, mining services and teaching pay best for international graduates in Australia, and nursing turns into a job fastest. Our graduates in Australia who answered our 2026 survey earned a median AUD 71,400 in their first full-time job (188 respondents). What decides your salary isn't the visa; it's the field you choose and whether you have local experience by the time you graduate.
The short version
- Our graduates in Australia: median first full-time salary AUD 71,400 (188 respondents, 2026 survey).
- Fields that turn into jobs fastest for our graduates: nursing (89.8%), public health (85.7%), engineering (78.3%) in the field within 6 months.
- Registered roles (nursing, teaching, social work, engineering) pay award or agreement rates you can check in advance.
- The 485 visa gives you 2 years of unlimited work after a bachelor's or coursework master's. Graduate programs open months before you finish.
- Local experience during your degree, even part-time, is what most employers ask for first.
What our graduates earned
Our 2026 survey covered 412 graduates from 2023 to 2025 across all countries. For the 188 working in Australia, the median first full-time salary was AUD 71,400. By field, working in their field within 6 months:
| Field | Respondents | In the field within 6 months |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | 88 | 79 (89.8%) |
| Public health | 14 | 12 (85.7%) |
| Engineering | 46 | 36 (78.3%) |
| Data science | 34 | 27 (79.4%) |
| Information technology | 92 | 73 (79.3%) |
| Accounting | 40 | 30 (75.0%) |
| Business and MBA | 72 | 49 (68.1%) |
| Hospitality | 26 | 17 (65.4%) |
Sample figures for this demo site. Respondents chose to answer; graduates who did well may be more likely to reply.
Which fields pay best
| Field | Why it pays | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Registered nursing and allied health | Set pay scales, penalty rates for nights and weekends, long-standing shortage | An accredited degree, registration-level English |
| Engineering | Infrastructure, energy and mining projects | An Engineers Australia accredited degree; local experience helps |
| Mining and resources services | Remote and fly-in, fly-out roles pay a premium | Safety tickets; often Western Australia or Queensland |
| IT and data (specialist roles) | Cloud, cyber security and data engineering pay above general IT | Specialist skills and projects you can show |
| Teaching (secondary maths and science, early childhood) | Shortages and set pay scales | An accredited teaching degree, high English |
The general rule: registered and specialist roles pay more, and pay predictably. General business and entry-level IT have the most applicants per job.
From a part-time job to a graduate role
What our graduates who got jobs fastest had in common:
- A part-time job in or near their field from year 1: aged care for nurses, IT support for IT students, a site assistant job for engineers.
- Graduate program applications in the final year, not after graduating. Many close 6 to 9 months before you finish.
- A strong English score above the minimum, which also helps the 485 and any later skilled visa.
- Local referees: a manager, a placement supervisor, a lecturer who knows their work.
- A city that fits the field: health everywhere, resources in Perth and Queensland, government in Canberra.
Reading a salary in rupees
A salary of AUD 71,400 is about Rs 75.7 lakh a year at Rs 105.97 per AUD (18 Oct 2026), before tax. After tax, superannuation and the cost of living in an Australian city, a careful graduate saving a share of it each year is how most families’ investment pays back, not in one year, but over the 485 period and after.
If you plan to come home
Two years of Australian work experience in your field is valued by employers in Nepal, the Gulf and elsewhere. Keep every payslip, reference and certificate; many of our returning graduates found it was the experience, not the degree alone, that lifted their salary at home.
