Australia’s working holiday visa program was designed to give young people a vast opportunity for work experience throughout the Outback. Whether you’re a professional with skills to sharpen or looking for your first career inspiration, there are thousands of jobs to try and opportunities to find them. Of course, one question we hear often is how to find work in Australia with a working holiday visa.
It’s easier than you think.
Finding work with a working holiday visa is just like any other job search – but with more flexibility. Because you are here for a year of travel and job experience, you can look for one serious role or you can try out a dozen temporary roles to see how you like them. You can pick up casual daily jobs, seasonal work, or get involved with a work experience program. Here are just a few of the best ways to find a job during your working holiday in Australia.
Start Applying As Soon as Your Visa is Approved
For those who like to plan ahead, you can start applying for Australian jobs online as soon as your working holiday visa is approved. Your visa is your ticket to any Australian job on the market. This might be the next big step to your professional career or a chance to take a tour of several jobs in your areas of interest.
Job boards are available internationally, so it’s easy to start your search early and even line up a role that will be available as soon as you arrive.
Get Involved in a Working Holiday Program
You can also seek assistance from programs designed for young professionals with working holiday visas. Working holiday programs can range from professional reference networks to temporary work agencies designed to give you a selection of work experience while you’re here in Australia. Find a working holiday program you like and sign up to be included in the job opportunities sourced for people with a one-year opportunity to explore Australian jobs.
Walk Up and Introduce Yourself
Many people on working holidays like the freestyle approach – simply pitch yourself to a few employers. This is especially enjoyable if you plan to pick up work along the route of your holiday – instead of shaping your holiday around work. Pick up a few hours as a bartender, a prep chef, or a print shop assistant. There are thousands of local shops that might appreciate your help for a day, a week, or a few months depending on how long you plan to stay and how much you like the work.
Contact a Recruitment Agency
Want to really pitch yourself to a serious business? Contact a recruitment agency and let them know that your skills are available. With a global talent crunch, employers will be eager to streamline your capabilities into open roles. A recruitment agency can also help you smoothly find jobs that are prepared for your one-year stay so there’s no expectation that your role will last longer than your working holiday visa.
Freelance Yourself
A very modern option is to go freelance. Build yourself a web presence or join a gig-economy app to sell your skills to hundreds of unique Australian clients. You can offer handyman services to local homeowners, provide deliveries of meals and groceries, or even invent a new service with a demand market here in Australia. Going freelance is a great way to stretch your wings as a solo professional with entrepreneurial plans.
Join a Temporary Work Agency
Many young people on a working holiday visa in Australia can benefit from a temporary work agency. These teams place professionals where they are needed most. Explore a variety of jobs as you fill in empty or seasonal roles using your skillset of choice. The right temporary work agency can help you have a lot of fun trying out different jobs and learning an important variety of professional skills to take into your career in the future.
Fall In with a Roving Band of Professionals
Last but not least, you might just meet a roving band of young professionals who travel the beaches and city centers on a migratory job pattern. For those here to holiday as well as work, you can meet some incredible friends and follow the patterns of young people who know how to find jobs on the fly – or have seasonal jobs for a crew already lined up and you can join right in.
Each person makes use of their Australia working holiday visa in their own unique way. Will you line up a year-long work opportunity to further your career? Will you travel and pick up work along the way? Will you join an agency that gives you a sample-platter of Australian work experience to learn from? The choice is yours.