The Work and Travel Program in Australia

What to know about Work and Travel in Australia

Thanks to the unique working holiday program that Australian Immigration introduced years ago, young travellers between 18 and 30 years old or younger can work and travel in Australia for up to one year.

The Work and Travel program in Australia is becoming from year to year more popular, attracting young travellers from all over the world. Most of them are students and young people who flow to Australia to spend a gap year working while travelling around Australia.

What type of Visa is required for travelling and working in Australia?

First of all, you need a Working Holiday Visa, also called WHV. To learn more about it, from how to apply fo your WHV that allows you to travel and work in Australia for up to one year, check out this fact sheet that sums up the main requirements for your first working holiday year.

Bear in mind that you need to apply for your working holiday visa before you enter Australia. In the following paragraphs, you read about the more popular jobs available if you want to spend a year travelling and working in Australia.

Reliable sources of information about the working holiday in Australia

There are two ways of getting a working holiday visa for your Australia gap year, and you can research by yourself. In this case, you need to consult this site to find extensive information about all types of working visas for Australia.

If you wish to get some assistance on this matter and look for professional advice, visa agencies specialise in working holiday visas. These agencies can look after the whole administrative documentation and offer a range of services from work and travel orientation to providing lists of recruitment agencies and providing all kind of courses and training for finding a job in Australia.

Popular Jobs in Australia for working holidaymakers

There are several types of jobs you can do during a 1-year working holiday in Australia. Here below the four major work categories of employment:

1. Hospitality Jobs
   These are all jobs in the tourism and gastronomy branch, such as waiters in pubs, cafè s, or kitchenhand, guest room service in resorts or hotels. If you are good at cooking, then you have a fantastic chance to get a job where you want and also the money you want. Australia has, in fact, a permanent shortage of chefs.
2. Farmwork
   This includes the famous Australian fruit-picking and other jobs at farms. It’s easy to find a job on a farm, and you need to be at the right time and right place. There are also the so-called working hostels, who can find you a job at a farmer if you lodge in their hostel. Fruit-picking is hard work and probably not the most craved for, but this job can reward you with lots of fun, good company, the opportunity to be in the Australian nature.
3. Office Support
   if you have excellent computer and communications skills, then you can easily find a job in an office, banks or financial companies offer temp jobs in the cities, or you can work in sales and marketing promotions.
4. Travel Writing or Travel Blogging
   Probably the best way of earning money while you travel to Australia if you also like writing. There are quite a few magazines and online travel websites that offer jobs as travel writers. To do this job, you must have some writing skills, and English should be your native language. However, these are no fixed rules; you can improve your writing skills by taking up a course. There are a few sites that can help you with writing skills and find jobs in this field. If you are looking for this kind of help, you can check out this site.

• Labour, cattle stations and mining jobs
  Working at a construction site or on roadworks or in a mine is tough work, but if you are willing to try it out and have some manual labour experience, these jobs are well paid in Australia. Also, mining jobs are in high demand in Australia with good pay.Working as a Jackeroo or Jilleroo is also a thrilling experience. If you wish to work as a cowboy or cowgirl, mustering cattle or shearing sheep, consider joining a training course to increase your chances to get a job in a cattle station.
• Nursing
  In the medical and nursing branch, there is permanently a considerable demand in Australia. If you have the skills and training for it, you can easily find a job in this area.
• Sports and Leisure
  If you like surfing, diving, skiing, or love any other sports type, you can work as an instructor or a trainer or a temp help n holiday resorts, hotels.

How to find a job for your working holiday in Australia?

Many young travellers arrive in Australia without having a job. But it’s not difficult to find work in Australia, if you are flexible, between 18-30 years old as you can benefit from the working holiday programs. If you like to have peace of mind, you should start searching for a job before arriving in Australia.

There are many ways to look for work, among the main options: you can either do it by yourself, by applying online or browsing through websites that offer expert advice on the Work and Travel program and professional assistance during the working holiday visa application.

There are also different kind of support you can get. In cities like Sydney and Melbourne, many recruitment agencies are specialised and can help you find a job. Some of them also provide support for getting your working holiday visa granted.

Locally you can find phone numbers in the yellow pages or backpack magazines, or the internet. The blackboards at hostels, internetcafès and travel agencies are also a good source of information if you are looking for a job during your working holiday in Australia.

How to apply for a working holiday visa for Australia

There are different kinds of Australia working visas. The most common among the working visas is the Australia working holiday visa, which allows you to work and travel for a time of 12 months

To be eligible for an Australian Working Holiday Visa, you need to apply overseas. It would help if you were aged between 18 and 30 years, except for Canadian, Irish and French passport holders between 18 and 35.

Click here to apply for a working holiday visa through a trusted migration agent.

Are you eligible for a working holiday in Australia

The first thing to check is whether your country is listed on the list of eligible countries.  Moreover, you shall check out this fact sheet with the requirements to determine what you need to apply for your Australia working holiday visa. An important note that if you are aged +35 years, you cannot get a working holiday visa in Australia.

If you wish to emigrate to Australia, you can visit the Australian government website to find more information about migrating to Australia.

On the website, you find everything you need from requirements, instructions, application forms. There are over 400 different types of work visas for Australia. So you need to identify which one is the most suitable for your case and personal situation.

Working Holiday Visa Step by Step

This page provides thorough information to people from Europe: UK, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Denmark, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Republic of Ireland, Estonia, and from Asia: Hong Kong, Japan, Republic of Korea and Taiwan.

How to Get a Student Visa for Australia

This page gives all information for working holiday visa requested by people from the USA and Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and Iran.

Choosing a migration agent to help you with your application

There is not one single answer to this question. It very much depends where you come from and if you need more assistance at your arrival in Australia rather than just getting the paperwork done.

If you are not an English native and need assistance with the language and professional courses, it would be sensible to help suit your needs and services, including the work visa application.

If you instead think you can find your way with no help, then it’s faster to get the form application done by yourself through the government website. It may take a few days only or maybe a week to get it done online.

Please be aware that most Visa Immigration Agents provide a free check for eligibility, and they charge if you decide to go ahead with your work visa application only. So it’s worth hearing what they say anyhow if you are in doubt.

If you are located in Europe, I would recommend Visa First, offering excellent services across Europe.

If you instead are already in Australia, maybe you can check out this page with an Australia Visa Agent list. Should you ask for a migration agent’s service locally, make sure that this is a reputable and officially registered agent in Oz.

You can enter the agent’s details on this page and check if it is a registered company with Mara (local Australian authority for migration agents).

Click on this button to learn more about what a reliable work visa agency can do for you.

How can a work visa agency help you?

Let’s have a look at what kind of assistance you can get through a work visa agency. A working visa agency ca check whether you are eligible for the Australia Working Visa, can look after the whole administrative work and the legal aspects such as:

• Get all the necessary documents.

  Not rarely people make mistakes in their application form or fail in providing information. If your visa application is declined, you have wasted precious time. You have to apply again and may also have to pay extra money on top. A visa agency makes sure your docs are complete and correctly filled in.

• Guarantee you to get a working holiday visa

  If you ask for a visa agency to help you and lodge your visa application for you, it is 100% sure that you will get your visa granted. They can process your request in a couple of days without you doing anything.

• Help with your Arrival in Australia
  

  They look after you immediately after you arrive in Australia. The pick up at the airport, the arrangement of the first nights in the hostel, the organisation of a few drinks out with other fellow backpackers, in a few words, they make sure you are not alone, and you can settle in smoothly.

• Help with opening an Australian Bank Account.

  You need one to get paid by your employer. And the visa agency can request one for you. You can also transfer money over to the Australian bank account from home, and you can also do it before you leave your country.

• Provide you with an Australian Tax File Number

  You need one. Otherwise, you have to pay 50% tax. Moreover, you can get your tax refund after your 1-year working holiday. To save money, you can get a tax saver pack which also includes the refund scheme application.

If you decide to delegate the above administrative work to a work visa agency, choose a professional and reputable working visa agency.

I would recommend seeking the advice of a professional work visa agency, who is certified and has a proven experience; this guarantees that they can take care of all the above essential steps in a reliable way. Most agencies provide you with an Australia Work Travel Starter Pack.

What else can a Work Visa Agency do for you?

Most young travellers are worried about looking for a job and how quickly they will find work in Australia. A Visa Agency can help you with this too and can provide:

1. Assistance and advice with working holiday jobs

   A working holiday visa agency can provide you with a list of job recruitment agencies and give you any help with job application matters, like how to write your C.V. and consultation on what you need to do when applying for a job in Australia.

2. Work Courses and English Courses

   If you are looking for a job in the hospitality branch, you will need an RSA certificate. Jobs in the hospitality branch are the most requested.

   But there are other courses that you might need to attend if you, for instance, will want to work at construction sites or in mines. They can give you all the information about what you need and also book these courses for you. Furthermore, if your native language is not English, you will need to improve your English language skills to increase the chances of getting a job.

3. Internet access and email box

   Looking for a job implies using the internet, browsing through the offers and applying whenever you see something suitable. A working visa agency offers free internet access and a permanent email address for the duration of your stay. This is also an advantage.

4. Assistance with a second Australia working holiday year

   A second working year only applies if you have done some farm work, and especially if you have done fruit picking for a few months, you are entitled to ask for an extension of your working holiday in Australia. Some conditions apply, though. You can sort out this aspect for you and can organise your second working holiday year for you.

How much will the service from a work visa agency cost?

If you are now asking yourself, how much will this cost you? It much depends on what kind of services you request. Consider that if you apply yourself for your Australia working visa, the cost is over 400 AUD, just for the visa itself. There is some work involved, like downloading and filling in the docs and sending your application in.

If you ask a work visa agent to do this work for you, it will cost you more than the visa fee. If you feel you can benefit from these services, you can add any extra single service that suits you, or you can take advantage of what they offer. Some offers may include a free working visa too.

Resources to better plan your Working Holiday in Australia

I have put together this comprehensive list of links to websites and addresses that can help prepare your travel gap year and find the right advice on working and travelling in Australia.

How to apply for the work visa online to get your tax file number, backpacker magazines, accommodation tips, links to job information sites and job recruitment agency, how to get around in Australia, and more help for moving to Australia.

Volunteer Work in Australia and woofing

What if you find out you are not eligible for a working holiday in Australia and still want to do some work? Well, there are two wonderful opportunities for travelling around Australia, do some work on interesting organic farms. Or you can apply for some volunteer work.

Check out these two sites:

Australian Backpackers Online Magazines

As soon as you arrive in Australia, you will soon hear about these very popular backpacker online magazines. Some of them, like TNT, release a printed version of their magazine. TNT comes out every 2 weeks…you can find it in every hostel and backpacker travel agencies and many other places. They have plenty of useful addresses and tips, as well as online forums, to help you get familiar with the Aussie Backpacker Life.

• TNT
  www.tntdownunder.com
• The Word
  www.thewordaustralia.com.au
• GumTree
  www.gumtree.com.au
• the Aussie Backpacker
  www.aussiebackpacker.com.au

Accommodation Network and Metasearch machines

• YHA
  by far the largest and most popular among the youth hostel associations. www.yha.com.au
• Nomads
  www.nomads-backapackers.com
• VIP
  www.vipbackpackers.com

Free Accommodation in Australia

Renting a flat in Australia

Information about Work in Australia

Job Recruiting Agencies in Australia

Getting around in Australia

Getting around by bus:

Getting around by train: The Australian Rail Network is good and covers all urban areas and most outback areas. Here below the major links to the websites:

Resources for buying a car in Australia

Many young travellers on a working holiday consider this option. In fact, it allows you to save money and, at the same time, enjoy the freedom to drive your own car. Check out these sites below, which can help you find the car deal you are looking for:

Popular Australian Classifieds

Another way to find good Aussie deals while looking for all you need is to consult online Australian classifieds. Here a few links to the major Australian classifieds:

More information about buying a car in Australia

If you plan to buy a car in Australia for your working holiday stay, you can also check out these websites for information and tips on how and where to register your car in Australia: