Angela Killian

Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA)

In order to work in a place that serves alcohol, most companies require Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certification. The course is offered online through various companies at various price points. Different states have different RSA requirements as the laws are not the same.

Before moving to Australia, I swore I wouldn’t work at a restaurant or bar because…well, because I went to college and have over 5 years of management experience. I was disillusioned to discover that people on my type of visa (Work and Holiday) pretty much can’t work anywhere except a bar or restaurant regardless of past experience. All along I’ve had my heart set on getting back into Human Resources Management and/or Recruitment so I hadn’t even considered jobs that required tray carrying skills.

After 3 months of searching for jobs online and receiving SEVERAL rejections because of my visa, I landed a customer service job that requires service of alcohol. It’s part-time, but the location is walking distance from my house so I reluctantly accepted.

Accepting the job meant that I would need an RSA certificate. “Ugh, one more thing”, I thought. However, the test was actually quite informative and straightforward! I learned a lot about the bizarre alcohol laws in Australia and it only set me back about 1 hour of my time and $39 AUD.

The company I used is called EOT. Their website is (here) and they offer various courses that are required for different types of jobs. You pay AFTER you pass the course.

You basically read through the material and then answer 10 questions about the specifics. Hint: I didn’t read the material front to back. There’s a link to go back to the exact section of the reading material that relates to each question – brilliant! After you pass the course and pay your course fee via credit card online, you can download a PDF of your certificate. There is an option to buy a glossy, more official looking copy that you could display with your community college dean’s list certificate, but I passed on the $12 AUD upcharge. The PDF version is accepted by employers as well.

Unique Student Identifier (USI)

In order to complete the RSA transaction, you will be asked for your Unique Student Identifier (USI).

Follow the links on the EOT website in order to set up your USI. Or you can visit the website (here).

You need a USI to sign up for any educational courses / training in Australia. Once you have a USI, it is yours forever and you will be able to view all of the certifications / licenses online through the USI portal. Exciting, I know.

In order to set up a USI as a foreigner, you will need a valid Australian visa in your passport. This will be verified by inputting your passport number during the registration.

The best part…USIs are FREE!