The Australia Work & Holiday visa entitles its holders to study for up to four months during their one-year stay. There are no limitations on the type of study travelers embark upon. You might use the opportunity to bone up on your English skills, take a course to help your work back home, or gain new skills for a brand new vocation.

Australia has a reputation as one of the leading countries for learning opportunities in the world thanks to its fully qualified teachers and renowned education systems. Technical and Further Education (TAFE) colleges and other registered training organizations run short term courses in a range of topics. Many of these programs result in internationally recognized qualifications, although most employers will appreciate the effort taken in completing any Australian course.

Australian educational institutions work hard to support their students with their coursework and any personal issues. Many offer orientation days to help you feel comfortable with your place of learning and its teachers. During your course, many institutions also offer English language support and general counseling services. International students are common, so educators are well versed in the unique challenges you may face.

Some courses require prospective students to prove they have basic English skills before embarking on study. Passing recognized English language exams such as IELTS, ESOL, TEFL, or TOEIC, is usually sufficient. If your skills are lacking, enrolling in a foundation studies course offered through a TAFE college can help to improve your English. This is advisable for any travelers concerned about their ability to speak English, whether it is a mandatory requirement or not. An adequate grasp of the language will make it easier to keep up with your classmates and pass any Australian course.

Studying in Australia can also be a great way to meet like-minded individuals, including locals and other travelers. Cafeterias and other common areas are ideal for socializing outside the classroom.

TAFE colleges and other registered training organizations offer affordable tuition, but to live comfortably you may decide to supplement your savings by working at the same time. Many full time Australian students find they can easily balance paid employment and their course load. Positions in retail and hospitality can offer flexible hours to suit many students.
While you may immediately consider qualifications to boost your employment prospects in your homeland, why not think about courses to improve your working potential in Oz? For example, completing courses in the Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA), food safety, and the Responsible Service of Gambling (RSG) can help bolster your chances of employment in the hospitality and tourism industries. Consider the sector you’d like to work in and investigate whether a little study could make this dream easier to realize.

If you’d like to learn more about studying in Australia, including the ways STA Travel can help you study abroad, browse through the excellent resources available at Australia.com.

Australia.com reminds us of the cool work opportunities available Down Under through Australia’s Work & Holiday Visa. This initiative allows young people from selected countries, including the United States, Turkey, and Malaysia, to spend up to a year working and traveling around Oz.

Some visitors may worry that their jaunt Down Under will just take them to another job they loathe, but it doesn’t have to be this way, as Australia offers many unique positions that are some of the coolest in the world.

Eco-friendly travelers may enjoy getting up close and personal with Australia’s unique flora and fauna with a conservation job. These positions might see you monitoring the endangered sea turtle population in Arnhem Land, researching the thriving ecosystem of Kangaroo Island, and reviving wetland habitats in the Spencer Gulf. Most of these jobs are unpaid volunteer positions, but they can provide an enriching experience in between paid employment. The website Conservation Volunteers can point tourists inspired by the late Steve Irwin in the right direction for a wide variety of positions.

Tourists with dreams of experiencing the real Australian Outback should consider taking a job in the heart of the country. Australian cattle stations are always on the lookout for ranch-hands willing to muster cattle, shear sheep, and keep the farm running smoothly. The work is hard but rewarding. You’ll likely start your shift when the sun rises, but once it sets you can relax by the campfire and socialize with your farming family. While some experience with horses will be to your advantage, on the job training will help anyone get their stockman skills. Your position will typically include all meals and accommodation, plus ample money to travel with once your tenure is done. Jackaroo Jillaroo School and VisitOz can give you the training you need, and then help you find cattle station work.

If all that sounds too grueling, consider becoming a surf instructor. You can enjoy the sunshine, sandy beaches, and killer waves Australia is famous for, and get paid for it. The surf leisure industry is a growing market, and the skills you develop in Australia will make you more desirable for a position back home or in another beach loving nation. Whether you’re a water baby or a surfing novice, you’ll need some training in beach lifesaving and surf instruction before you get started. To maximize your job opportunities, you could also consider training in windsurfing as well. Experienced coaches will tailor the course to your skills to help you get in the water, and get paid, faster. Flying Fish in Sydney and Xtreme Gap Year can give you the education you need to get started, and help point you in the right direction for paid employment.

The backpacker budgets of most international travelers mean they only dream about staying at one of Australia’s luxury resorts. But you needn’t just imagine soaking up the opulence; you could be a part of it by working on a resort. While there are resorts everyone in Australia the best opportunities for visa holders are in Queensland, particularly the northern areas around the Whitsundays and Port Douglas. You might find yourself mixing cocktails behind the bars, leading scuba dive expeditions in the Great Barrier Reef, or cooking up a feast in the gourmet restaurants. Experience in the hospitality and retail industries, or qualifications such as the Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate, will help you get an edge over your competitors. Work is available all year round, although there are more casual positions available from September through to January to cope with the summer holiday rush. Approach the resorts you’re interested in with a current resume and a positive attitude and you could soon be living in the lap of luxury.

So why are you still slaving away in an office? Head to Australia.com for inspiration and discover all the exciting job opportunities that await you in Oz.

What job were you doing?

Reporter – Intern

Jobs in Australia - Sydney Harbor Bridge

Why did you choose to work there?

I was living in Wollongong at the time and the regional newspaper The Illawarra Mercury was based there. My journalism tutor suggested I apply for an internship there so I did. By doing an internship it meant that I studied less courses for my MA.

How did you find the job (website, paper, etc.)?

I moved out to Australia to do a MA in Journalism. Part of the MA involved an internship at a regional daily newspaper. In my interview the editor asked which area of reporting I was least interested in and I told him sports. This probably wasn’t the best answer for a “pommy Sheila” to give a redneck newspaper editor and on my first day I was thrown in the deep end as he handed me a cricket story. It might sound macabre, but I was relieved at lunchtime when I was sent to cover a drowning story. That story made the front page, while my cricket report was on the back.

What was your day to day routine?

I started work in the office at 9 am. I was given press releases to follow up in the morning and often had to write up sports stories and correct badly written ones. This was a challenge for someone who did not know the difference between rugby union and rugby league. I normally asked my sports crazy friend if he could sense check it before I submitted it. In the afternoon I’d go out with a photographer to cover a story. This was the best part of the day as I got to see a lot of the NSW coastline and countryside. I’d have small stories to write like interviewing a local artist but bigger responsibilities such as covering the education supplement. I’d go to local schools and interview the teachers and kids and write up different aspects of the school which I really enjoyed. Each day at the newspaper was different and I covered everything from the war on terror to swimming galas.

What was the salary like?

As I was on a student visa and the work was part of my degree programme I was not paid but the experience was invaluable and when I finished my newspaper internship I moved to a second internship at a magazine in Sydney – the freebies were great! (Learn more about working in Sydney Australia here)

Is accommodation included if not, is there accommodation locally and do you know what’s the cost?

I shared a flat with a friend while I was doing my MA and working. A two bedroom flat (one street away from the beach) with a balcony with a sea view cost me about £65 a week!

Would you recommend this type of job? Do you feel this experience will help you with your career?

There aren’t too many places where you can lie in the sun sipping award-winning Shiraz whilst writing up an interview, but Australia is one.

Although I was not paid for the work, if you are abroad and have the time, or are studying abroad internships or work experience is invaluable. I would not have been given such an opportunity here in the UK and since returning I have edited 5 magazines, interviewed Jean Christophe Novelli, have been published and more importantly paid on several occasions. The work I did in Australia started off my portfolio, gave me a good grounding in all aspects of journalism and when I returned to the UK freelance commissions soon followed.

What’s the night life like?

Wollongong was a small student town about one hour from Sydney which has a great nightlife although a little more expensive on a student/intern budget. Don’t forget your ID security have been known to ID 40 year olds even though the drinking age is 18!

Are there other things to do like sports/beach/tourist attractions?

Where do I start? If you like sports you can’t beat Australia. The beaches are also amazing and Wollongong is a top surfing destination. Sydney has all the usual offerings with my favourite hangouts being The Rocks and Darling Harbour, Manley and Palm Beach for scenery and the George Street for shopping.

What’s so good about working out there?

There was not the long hour’s culture as in the UK – people actually want to leave the office. Although I was an intern most reporters worked 9 to 5 and at the magazine it was a relaxed dress down culture.

Do you plan to work abroad again (or have you since you worked there)?

Yes, I would love to return to Australia to work in journalism or marketing. I’d also like to set up a hotel or spa in Australia or SE Asia, if I had the money and some helpers!

Out of interest did you go to College or Uni in the UK?

I graduated with a 2:1 in media studies and Swedish from UEA where I’d spent three years writing for the student newspaper Concrete and enrolling on every available photography and writing course. After graduation I knew I wanted to study journalism and I wanted to go to Australia, and thought: why not combine the two?

by Adam English

Australia, the land down under – it’s one of the most popular destinations in the world for travellers and temporary workers. In fact, some 43% of young people want time out to go to Oz before they settle into their chosen careers. So what do you need to know, and what does Australia offer? Read on.

Before you contemplate calling a taxi to Heathrow, it’s very important that you understand the requirements of obtaining a ‘Working Holiday Visa’ (or Form 1150 if you want to get technical), as this will ensure you can legally work in Australia during your time there. You are also required to prove you have enough money in your bank to support yourself on your trip – it’s generally around AUD$5,000, or £2,200, although the amount may vary depending on your length of stay and how much travelling you intend to do.

Work in Australia

You should also have a return or onward ticket or the funds for a plane ticket back to Britain if travelling on a one-way ticket. However! There is one very vital and often-unknown fact we at Working Abroad want to make sure you know about this visa – you can only apply for it once. Only once in your life, so you must make absolutely sure that this is the time you want to do it, and don’t change your mind once you have been accepted!

When you have committed yourself and obtained the visa, the next logical step would be to think about getting there. The flying time to Australia is long! Really, really long! It takes approximately 22 hours from London, but a stopover half way usually breaks the flight up. Sometimes flight packages offer deals allowing a temporary stay in your stopover, so you could soak up the culture and atmosphere of Hong Kong or Los Angeles. However, if you want to save money, you can fly with an airline that stops only to refuel, allowing you to soak up the culture and atmosphere of the exotic airport transfers lounge!

Ok, so you’ve got your visa, you’ve booked your flight and you’ve donned the cliché corked hat. What do you do when you get there? Accommodation is one of the first worries for travellers. Most tend to make a beeline for the hostels, as they’re cheap, comfortable and everyone else there is in the same boat as you! All the major cities and destinations that travel workers head for offer great hostels with great deals. If you want to guarantee a bed before you fly check out www.hostelworld.com, where you can book accommodation before you go and read hostel reviews from travellers who have already stayed there, so you know they won’t be fibbing about the condition of the rooms! They also offer discounted bookings for tours and activities, so if you fancy a trip into the outback or a dip in the Great Barrier Reef, check them out. Another good site is www.hostelaustralia.com; it is jam-packed with reviews and information about the best and cheapest places to stay.

A working holiday in Australia doesn’t have to mean glass collecting or sheep shearing (although don’t knock it, I hear it’s actually quite good fun!). If you have any particular skills, such as communication or IT, make the most of them! As the visa only allows you to stay with one employer for three months, your best bet is to use a temping agency in one of the major cities. You will need to have an up-to-date CV, so if you email yourself a copy before you fly you can print it off in an internet café when you get there. Presentation is everything: there is nothing more unimpressive than a crumpled CV fished out of a backpack. The most widely available form of work for travellers is in the hospitality industry. Working in bars, hotels and restaurants is the easiest way to earn money. If you are travelling out in December or January head for the west coast as this is where many of the job vacancies will be, and the chances are good that you can get a solid three months with one employer. Experience is always useful when applying for jobs, so try to get work in a related field before you go. If you intend to work in bars and cafés, it’s a good idea to get the RSA Certificate. This ‘Responsible Serving of Alcohol’ qualification is extremely useful and well worth the small fee hospitality agencies will charge you to do it. In fact, some employers actually require it, especially in New South Wales, so give it some serious thought.

Harvest work is one of the most popular forms of employment for travel workers. Australia has a huge farming industry and there is always a demand for temporary workers. You get to meet plenty of new people and see parts of the country that you probably would not have got the chance to visit if you stayed in the more urbanized areas. Typical tasks range from fruit picking to serving meals and if you do want to participate in such work, ask around at hostels and check out local papers for vacancies. The most popular place to find work like this is in Midura in North West Victoria, between February and April. There is lots of work for travellers at this time as it is the busiest harvest season. You could expect to earn roughly AUS$80 per day and be paid weekly, – not amazing but there isn’t much to spend it on there anyway, so it’s not that big a problem! Sometimes growers do provide accommodation for you we strongly recommended you to bring a tent, as spaces are limited.

We’ve gone through some of the basic types of work you can expect to find but once you are earning you’ll need an Australian bank account because agencies will not take you one without one. In order to open an account you will need a passport and a permanent address. This can sometimes present a problem for people that have just arrived, but if you are intending to stay at your hostel for an extended period of time ask them if you can list their address – they’re normally quite accommodating. Australian banks require you to complete a “points” system of identification before you can open an account. Basically, you need 100 points to be eligible, and your passport alone is worth 60, whilst driving licences and birth certificates are both worth 40 – so if you bring them, you’re sorted!

Connect with Next Step Australia for help locating jobs – whether you’re searching for short- or long-time employment.

Hundreds of people have contacted us and shared their experiences of working in Australia and by all accounts, it sounds amazing! Why not give it a try and let us know how you get on?  If you have any questions you can contact us via our website and we will do all we can to help you plan the trip of a lifetime!