From the UK to Australia: How I Found an AI Internship as a Graduate Software Engineer
If you’re thinking about moving abroad after graduation, I want to tell you the honest version of how it happened for me — not the polished LinkedIn story.
Three years ago, I was sitting in my tiny student flat in Manchester, finishing my Computer Science degree and refreshing Gradcracker like it was social media. I had decent grades, a few Python projects, and one summer internship. On paper, I was “employable.”
But inside? I felt average.
Everyone around me was applying for graduate schemes in London. Big banks. Big consultancies. Predictable paths. I applied too — and got rejected. Again. And again.
That’s when Australia started creeping into my mind.
Why I Even Considered Australia
I didn’t grow up dreaming about Sydney. Honestly, I just wanted a reset.
I’d visited Brisbane once during a uni exchange program. The lifestyle stuck with me — sunshine, balance, people who didn’t look permanently stressed. But moving there felt unrealistic. I kept thinking:
- “Will companies even consider someone on a temporary visa?”
- “Do I need local experience?”
- “Is AI even big there compared to the UK?”
The fear wasn’t moving. The fear was moving and failing.
The Visa Confusion (Where I Nearly Gave Up)
The first real barrier was understanding visas.
I spent weeks reading about the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) and the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417). Every forum had different opinions. Some said companies wouldn’t hire you without permanent residency. Others said tech was more flexible.
I made a spreadsheet comparing:
- Visa length
- Work restrictions
- Employer sponsorship options
- Cost
Eventually, I chose the Working Holiday visa. It wasn’t “safe,” but it gave me immediate full work rights. My thinking was simple:
“Let me get in first. I’ll solve long-term later.”
That mindset shift was huge.
Landing in Sydney (Reality Check)
The first month was rough.
I stayed in a shared house in Parramatta. I applied to over 60 roles in three weeks. Most didn’t reply. A few rejected me within 24 hours.
The biggest feedback I got?
“Do you have Australian experience?”
That phrase frustrated me. How do you get local experience without local experience?
I realised my CV was too UK-centric. So I:
- Changed spelling to Australian English.
- Removed unnecessary academic modules.
- Highlighted practical AI projects instead.
- Added GitHub links clearly at the top.
- Rewrote my summary to say I was already in Sydney with full work rights.
Response rates improved almost immediately.
The Turning Point: Stop Applying Blindly
After two more weeks of silence, I changed strategy.
Instead of mass applying, I started:
- Searching “AI startup Sydney”
- Filtering LinkedIn by companies under 50 employees
- Messaging founders directly
One message changed everything.
I found a small AI startup building NLP tools for healthcare analytics. Not famous. No graduate program. Just 12 employees.
I sent the founder a short message:
“Hi, I’m a recent Computer Science graduate in Sydney on a Working Holiday visa. I’ve built small NLP projects and would love to contribute — even on an internship basis.”
He replied the next day.
The Interview That Felt Different
The interview wasn’t corporate. It was on Google Meet. Just me and the CTO.
Instead of grilling me on algorithms, he asked:
- “Have you deployed anything before?”
- “Can you work independently?”
- “Are you planning to stay in Australia?”
That last question scared me.
I was honest. I said:
“I came to explore, but if I find the right opportunity, I’d like to build my career here.”
Two days later, they offered me a 3-month paid AI internship.
It wasn’t glamorous. The pay was lower than UK grad schemes. But it was real.
What the Internship Actually Looked Like
I wasn’t building ChatGPT-level systems.
I cleaned datasets.
I improved prompt accuracy.
I wrote small Python scripts to automate testing.
I sat in on client meetings and barely spoke.
But I learned something critical:
Australian startups value adaptability over prestige.
By month two, I was contributing to a feature that used transformer models for document classification. That became my strongest talking point in future interviews.
The Emotional Side No One Talks About
There were nights I questioned everything.
My savings were dropping.
My friends in London were earning more.
I missed home more than I expected.
But there was also this quiet confidence building.
Every time I navigated something alone — setting up a bank account, understanding superannuation, negotiating pay — I felt more capable.
Moving countries forces growth in ways staying comfortable never will.
Where I Am Now
That internship turned into a contract extension. Eventually, I secured employer sponsorship under the Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482).
Today, I work as a Junior Machine Learning Engineer in Sydney.
My salary isn’t Silicon Valley level. But I have:
- Career progression in AI
- International work experience
- A sponsored visa
- A lifestyle I genuinely enjoy
And most importantly — proof to myself that I could build something from scratch in a new country.
What I’d Tell You If You Want to Do This
If you’re a graduate software engineer thinking about Australia:
- Don’t wait until you feel 100% ready. You never will.
- Choose the visa that gives you flexibility first.
- Be physically present if possible — it changes how employers see you.
- Target small startups. They care about what you can build, not your passport.
- Accept that the first role might not be perfect — it’s a stepping stone.
