Work and Travel in Australia Easier Than Ever

Australian Visa (Subclass 462) Allows Work Holiday for Americans

Jan 27, 2009

Want to go far away, work in a foreign country and travel across an exotic land? Enjoy all three at the same time in Australia.

"The Working Holiday and Work and Holiday programs encourage cultural exchange and closer ties between arrangement countries by allowing young people to have an extended holiday supplemented by short-term employment." Australian governenment website.

Visa (subclass 462) has been available for just over a year. Before it was created few Americans were allowed to freely work and travel Australia; and those who were granted access paid well for the opportunity. Now, Americans can enjoy the same privilege Canadians and most Europeans have enjoyed with visa (subclass 417) – the right to live and work in Australia for up to a year.

information obtained from the Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship

The rules laid out here are by no means the complete guidelines for eligibility. Complete guidelines can be found at the above referenced Australian immigration website, for questions, speak with an official at the nearest Australian embassy.

Finding a Job and Housing Abroad

Every year hoards of young people (over 100,000) journey to Australia from all over the world to travel and work; therefore, Australia has a large network of housing and casual work options in every major city. This is especially true during the peak seasons of spring and summer (September-February).

Find a Place to Stay

Major cities are the simplest places to find housing and work, Sydney being paramount.

There are several housing options including hotels, apartment or house rental and hostels. Hostels are arguably the cheapest and most common.

Australian hostels are brimming with like minded people from across the globe. Beyond a bedroom and kitchen, hostel bulletin boards can be square one for finding jobs, buying and selling goods and alternative group lodging.

Many hostel patrons have traveled far across Australia to get there. These are living breathing encylopedias of insider information on everything from employment opportunites to nightlife hotspots across the country.

Finding Work

If a well paid, cushy office job is the bottom line, work could prove difficult to find. If waiting tables, construction, landscaping, or even dishwashing sound fine, work is fairly simple to obtain in Australia’s larger cities.

Bulletin boards and websites such as gumtree.com (the Aussie craigslist) are excellent ways to find work. The best method however, is walking the streets of an area concentrated with shops and restaurants and distributing a resume. A good example of such an area in Sydney is Bondi Beach.

During peak season many restaurants and shops in Bondi expect a spike in business and hire casual labor -- foriegners -- to cater to the influx of travelers.

Jobs involving the service of alcohol requires an RSA – Responsible Service of Alcohol – certificate. For this certificate, plan on paying a small fee and taking a day long course.

Similarly, for manual labor jobs a “green card,” or health and safety certificate is required and involves a fee and course comparable to the RSA.

Fruit Picking

Fruit picking is a major industry in Australia. Across the entire continent, from the farthest reaches of Western Australia to Hobart, Tasmania there are opportunities for fruit picking; however, Queensland has the highest saturation of farms.

Finding a suitable fruit picking farm is not complicated, but beginning your search in advance can be crucial because, of course, fruits have seasons. Understand some fruits require more physical labor than others – you must bend over to pick a tomato and you must climb a latter to reach a mandarin…all day long.

Many hostels in areas near fertile farmland – i.e. Brisbane and Bundaberg -- have staff members and resources dedicated solely to assisting travelers find fruit picking jobs.

The experience is unique and rewarding, but the work is physical and the weather can be brutally hot.

Of all countries in the world to travel and work, Australia is safe, English speaking, vastly beautiful, and now – with visa (sublcass 462) – relatively easy to access.

The copyright of the article Work and Travel in Australia Easier Than Ever in Australia Travel is owned by David Barer. Permission to republish Work and Travel in Australia Easier Than Ever in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.