From Zambia to Zoom Calls with TEQSA: My Very Unexpected Journey in Australian Education

Author: Harmeen Kaur
Co-Founder, Seek Education Solutions | JD Student | Published Author with a soft spot for audit checklists

📍 So… I Didn’t Exactly Choose to Come to Australia

Let’s start with the truth:

 I didn’t pick Australia. Australia picked me (read: my family did). I moved from Zambia to Sydney at 19 and was suddenly enrolled in an international college, wondering what on earth I’d gotten myself into. The classrooms felt different. The vibe was different. The whole experience was different. 

💼 I Accidentally Fell Into Education and Never Looked Back

Instead of the usual student jobs, I volunteered in the admin office. It wasn’t glamorous, but it gave me an insider’s view of how education runs.

Here’s the TL;DR of my career since then:

• I worked in support services.
• I learned more on the job than I did in any classroom.
• I ran my own RTO in my 20s with Australian Transnational Education
• I have led TEQSA-accredited course and provider registrations
• Now I help other education businesses and students with their journey. 

Oh, and I went back to law school, too. Because why not? Let’s Lawyer Up!

🎓 3 Real Tips for International Students in Australia (That You Won’t Find on Instagram)

✅ 1. Emotional intelligence > ATAR

A good attitude and emotional smarts will get you further than grades. Trust me.

✅ 2. Say yes to the “boring” jobs

Filing enrollment paperwork? Sitting in on governance meetings? GOLD. You’ll learn everything.

✅ 3. You don’t need a formal mentor

But you do need to watch what smart people do! Mentorship can be observing how others work, or it can be asking for help. It can be figuring out how they became so smart.

🏫 Education Providers: Let’s Talk Compliance Without the Corporate Jargon

❌ The “tick and flick” era is over

TEQSA and ASQA aren’t just scanning your documents; they’re verifying whether your policies are truly integrated into your business.

✅ Know why you exist

Don’t copy and paste someone else’s vision statement. Students and staff can smell inauthenticity from a mile away.

💡 Why I Started Seek Education Solutions (Spoiler: It Wasn’t for the Glamour)

• I’ve been the student trying to figure it out.
• I’ve been the CEO, prepping for audits with a newborn at home.
• I’ve been the consultant pulling apart broken systems and rebuilding them with care.
• I’ve worked alongside team members who were tired of listening to hypocrisy from their leaders.

Seek Education Solutions exists because education needs to be protected, nurtured, and used for the betterment of our youth, not treated like a commodity to play with.

Whether you’re:

• A student trying to make sense of CRICOS codes,
• A CEO prepping for TEQSA,
• Or a trainer who’s sick of feeling unheard…

You’re not alone.

👋 Reach out, say hi, and let’s make sense of it together.

👉 [Book a clarity session with me]