To make that transition smoother, the University of New England International Hub is giving three free driving classes to international people in the community.

International Hub project officer Dunya Alruhaimi said that for most new arrivals the two biggest concerns are the English language and driving.

“For most it’s hard to learn to drive here, so with a bit of training they can be familiar with the streets,” she said.

“In a small city like Armidale there aren’t a lot of choices with public transport so we need to have our own cars and get our licences to be able to get around here.”

To take the lessons, drivers must hold a NSW learner driver licence or a translated valid international licence.

Ms Alruhaimi said that it was by far the most popular program.

“It’s not only for international students, it’s for their spouses, families, anyone who is international,” she said.

“There are lots of people signing up to this activity in particular because people think it’s really fabulous.”

The project will teach more than 300 driving lessons through Aussie Blue instructor Dimitrios Callias.

Having travelled to Australia from Greece himself, Mr Callias is familiar with the struggle.

“It is about safety so you have to be very careful and very patient because you meet different people with different backgrounds and most of them drive on the other side of the road,” he said.

“That’s like me, I know the experience and I learned how to transfer.”

Mr Callias said one of the biggest challenges was helping international people understand that the road rules are serious here and that they must be followed.

“In some countries there are road rules but they are not followed by people,” he said.

“People come here with a full licence and are eligible to drive here – but many of them don’t know anything about driving here.”