HOW TO LIVE & WORK IN AUSTRALIA

HOW TO LIVE & WORK IN AUSTRALIA
a solo girl's guide to backpacking

When I used to think of backpacking I would think of big heavy unflattering packs, dirty clothes, sleeping who knows where and running out of money. It was a scary image. But boy was I wrong! I have always had a wanderlust bug in me, a desire to travel, but it never felt so strong as when things in my life weren’t coming together (at least I didn’t see it that way at the time). I had lost sight of who I was and the only way out was literally to go out. After a lengthy Google search, a phone call to my sister overseas and a browse at my local bookstore in the travel section, I had finally narrowed it down. 

WHERE

The first thing I want to talk about is where. Where do you want to go? What place excites you when you think about it? Where feels safe for you? What is some place realistic that you can travel to in the world right now? Sometimes as a female traveller I have felt uncomfortable in situations where I didn’t think anything was wrong. Then all of a sudden I got a gut feeling something was off and I wanted to get out of there. Now this can happen anywhere in the world, just be careful while travelling alone and always do your research. Safety first. Some countries have customs and traditions that we need to abide by as females. Just something to think about before you get on that plane, sis. For me the choice was simple. Being a Canadian citizen and because Canada is part of the Commonwealth, I had my top 3 countries I wanted to live and work in; Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. 

All three of these countries have great opportunities for young people by way of a Working Holiday Visa. What is a Working Holiday Visa? A visa you can apply for online which gives you the ability to live and work in one country for a specific amount of time. Depending on the country this can be anywhere from 2-3 years. Be aware that some places, like Australia for example, will only allow you to work at one job for up to 6 months. You can stay in the same city and profession, but as long as you switch to a different employer, you’re good. This ensures the flow of travellers moving throughout the country and I honestly didn’t mind this rule because it pushed me to explore more places instead of sticking to just one. 

If you want to read more about Working Holiday Visas in one of these 3 countries as a Canadian, you can find information here for Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K..

PLAN AHEAD 

Okay now that I had my location down, my next piece of advice would be to plan ahead. As much as possible plan and prepare for your trip. First, make sure your passport is valid. If not, get that taken care of asap. Think about how much money you will need, not only will you have to book a flight you will also need money upon arrival in Australia (currently $4162.00 Canadian) in your bank account, money for travel insurance, and money to buy things you might need for your trip. For me this took some time, I had the idea of going to Australia but had to wait at least 6 months until I had enough money saved. I was okay with this because it gave me a bit more time to plan and prepare. A win win. 

To book my flights I have always used Skyscanner. If you haven’t heard of Skyscanner yet, it’s a site that scans a bunch of airlines and finds flights for you at the cheapest price. I know from experience, this one works. Once I had a rough estimate for when I wanted to leave - for me it was the month of September - I checked the prices of a flight from Toronto to Sydney in September everyday and sometimes twice a day until I got the best price. When I thought the price wouldn’t get any lower or when I saw the prices begin to creep up, I booked it. Exhilarating. 

Before I even began to think about my itinerary, I got travel insurance. Travel insurance is one of the most important things to bring with you, even if you don’t plan on doing anything extreme. Travel insurance not only covers your health but also cancelled flights, theft, and anything else essential to your safety. My recommendation is World Nomads, a company a lot of travellers go with. Their prices are great and the application process is so simple! Something else I did that I found helpful was to print all of my important documents and keep an “important” folder with me on my journey. Yes, it’s good to have your phone on hand to access e-mails and documents but what if your phone dies? Always be prepared. I printed copies of my passport, drivers licence, visa acceptance e-mail, travel insurance and bank statement (which you’ll need upon arrival at the Australian border). 

Now that some of the less exciting details are out of the way we can get to the fun part. Your itinerary. Depending on what kind of traveler you are, you might want to plan out just a little bit of your trip, none of your trip, or every detail. I personally had a rough idea of what I wanted to see, in the time I had and where I wanted to go first. Let’s say you want to start in Sydney, maybe have your first night, or week of accommodation booked for when you get there. That way, once you get off the plane you know you have some place to go (with wifi), where you can plan what comes next. The reality is that your trip will rarely go exactly according to plan, so planning out every detail might not be that practical. Having your first destination in mind gives you a start.

GETTING SETTLED

I had to do 3 things as soon as I arrived. Set up a bank account, get a Tax File Number (the equivalent of the Canadian SIN number), and get a sim card for my phone. This is all even before I applied for a job! I set up my bank account with NAB, just by physically going into a branch and filling out the paperwork, (you will need your passport for this). Keep in mind there might be monthly fees included. I got my Tax File Number online through the Australian government website, and went with Virgin Mobile for my month to month sim card. I could top up every month just by using the App on my phone, super convenient. I also made sure to have my phone unlocked before leaving Canada, this ensured I could use a SIM card from another county and it would be compatible and work with my phone. There might be a fee for this, I think I paid about $90 Canadian. Another fun fact about Virgin Mobile, the data I didn't use each month carried over to my next month as long as I topped up my plan during the month before. This came in VERY handy at times, especially in hostels where wifi is limited. This should be something you might consider when choosing a phone provider. 

JOB HUNTING

My experience job hunting in Australia was not as scary and intimidating as I thought it would be. I stayed at hostels mostly so I had a few options. I could use the hostel as a way of finding a job, they usually have job postings listed. The hostel itself may be hiring which might come with its own perks (usually free accommodation), for jobs like housekeeping or being an events manager. Some hostels even have cafes/bars you can work at; they are social places! I applied for most of my jobs the old fashioned way by printing resumes via the hostel or local library, and going out on foot and handing them out. A lot of work places in Australia have job trials - this was new to me - which is an opportunity for your employer to see what you can do and for you to shine! 

Once I was settled in and working I could think about whether or not I wanted to stay in that place for the full 6 months. Figure out plans. I might have gotten into Sydney and realised it wasn’t for me, taken off and gone up to Brisbane, fell in love with the city and decided to stay there for 6 months and work. You never know. Again that is why it is so important to have some savings. Savings = options. Another route I have known some backpackers to take, is to take all your savings and use them within the first few months of your visa to see all of the East Coast, and all that comes with it. (I’ll write about some of my must-see places in another post). The point is to be openminded and flexible. That is what every traveller will discover sooner or later. I know I say be prepared, yes that’s true, but I also believe everything happens for a reason and sometimes you have to go with the flow when you are travelling. 

FARM WORK

My last point and probably my favourite part of my Australian adventure, farm work. Now I know what you are thinking, “Jules, you’re from Toronto, born and raised. How the heck could you wake up at 5am for three months straight and go do physical labour in the Australian heat? Huh!?” Oh but I did. Within my first year in Australia I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to stay for a full second year. But after falling in love with everything about the country I did everything I could to do it. I began looking for farm work about six months into my first year visa. If you think about the three months of work you have to do, finding the job yourself, making sure you have enough money to get to that location and start living without a pay cheque for a few weeks, it takes time. In retrospect, 6 months isn't that much time. What if the season ends or the farms aren’t in need of any more workers? This happened to me twice, yes twice. Each time I had to up and leave to another farm job, costing me more time and more money. I speak from experience when I say, if someone tells you to transfer them money to “hold your spot” on a farm or in a hostel, do not believe them. I made the mistake of being scammed this way. It seems silly to even think about it now, how could I not see the signs? Trust me, when your number one focus is getting that second year visa, you’re far from home, travelling solo for the first time… some things can get lost in the mix and before you know it you make a decision you regret.

If you’re unsure where to start looking I would recommend Craigslist and Gumtree or even joining some Facebook groups. A few helpful ones are Farmwork Australia and Farm Work Australia.

Remember, when applying for any jobs, just be careful. Even if you have spoken to someone over the phone, NEVER give anyone money in advance. Stick to working hostels if possible. They usually have some connections with reliable farmers and companies hiring backpackers and can set you up safely. 

If you made it this far, well done. There really is a lot of information to cover. I was tempted to even write two blog posts on this topic but I’ll wrap it up with this. Travelling abroad is one of the bravest things I think I have ever done and looking back there are some things I would have done differently, yes, but that’s the fun of it. Live for that experience. Enjoy it and soak it all up. It'l be totally worth it in the end! 

If you have any questions or if you've gone on a working holiday of your own, let me know! I would love to swap stories! 

Julie xx