Work experience

Work experience RENTA program

The RENTA program is designed to allow young people from overseas (mainly British) to live and work in the community at Christ Church Grammar School and gain experiences of Australian life.

Work, food and accommodation are provided. It is a great opportunity to become fully involved in, and accustomed to, life in Australia.

What is being a RENTA?

Being a RENTA at Christ Church means a number of things. Most importantly, to get anything out of your time in the School you have to be prepared to become part of the community, and work hard in it. ‘Work’ will take on a number of different facets. Sometimes you will assist with office/administration jobs. Tasks can be mundane but more often than not, the work will give you new experiences and challenges, such as helping with our Year 10 Camp program, supervising a cookery lesson for a Preparatory School class or coaching a team of boys at sport.

The jobs you will be asked to do are too numerous to be listed here. You are given a basic work load of at least 30 hours/week but as you get involved in other activities, that time will increase. You will also be encouraged to help out with sport, activities such as debating, and help out with boarding house duties and socials.

Life as a RENTA can be as fulfilling and challenging as you want it to be, both in and out of school hours. Furthermore, there are plenty of opportunities to be involved in social functions with the rest of the staff depending on your interest.

What a RENTA gets

As a RENTA you will be provided with accommodation and meals. This means eating in the Dining Hall with the boarders in term-time and having a small extra sustenance allowance each day during holidays (excluding Christmas holidays).

Each and every month you spend in the care of the School, you receive an honorarium of between approximately A$500 and A$700, depending on qualifications. Should you want to take part in an activity or trip that is beyond your budget, then the School is happy to listen and may help out where appropriate.

Travelling

There are four sets of holidays each academic year (including seven weeks over Christmas) and many ‘bank holiday’ weekends (simply called ‘long weekends’ in Australia). They offer ideal opportunities to get about and see what Western Australia and the eastern states have to offer. The Backpackers’ YHA organisations are well organised and have facilities in all the spots you are likely to want to see.

If you are planning on coming to Christ Church to be a RENTA, you are going to have a very enjoyable time packed full of experiences, depending on how motivated you are.

Contact: Mr Neil Saggers, Director of Activities, nsaggers@ccgs.wa.edu.au.