If you like the idea of taking a gap year in Australia one of the most popular options is to apply for a working holiday.
This allows you to ive and work in Australia, earn money and see the highlights of the country in your spare time.
Amy Salmon from Scotland is currently living in Australia on a working holiday visa and in this article she shares her top tips for getting hired in Melbourne – one of the most popular cities to live on.
Find out everything you need to know about working in Melbourne.
Visas
When deciding to come to Australia, there are several different visa options to choose from. The visa you need will depend on the length of your stay, your passport and the reason for your visit.
The government’s foreign travel advice for Australia on gov.uk has the latest information and you can sign up to email alerts to be automatically notified of any changes in the advice.
For people simply wanting to visit Australia for a holiday, the eVisitor (subclass 651) is the best option. This is a free visa which allows you to enter Australia multiple times within a 12-month period, and each visit must be no longer than 3 months.
The other option is to choose a working holiday visa. This is available to people aged between 18-30 and allows you to stay in Australia for up to 12 months. It also means you can undertake short-term work to fund your trip or study for up to 4 months. The UK is one of several countries to have this arrangement with Australia and it allows hundreds of young people to travel the country every year.
This is the visa that I chose as I thought I would need to undertake some short-term work to fund myself for 12 months. Make sure you are aware of your rights as an employee in Australia. The Australian Government’s Fair Work Ombudsman has important information about pay, leave and working conditions. Foreign travel advice on gov.uk has more details.
If, after 12 months, you want to stay in Australia, there are ways that you can make yourself eligible for a second year-long visa. To become eligible, you need to undertake 3 months of specified work. This specified work must be completed in a specific industry and area of Australia.
There is quite an extensive list of industries that would count as specified so there are plenty of options. You can find a full list and further details here.
How to Get Hired
I am currently in Melbourne and am planning to stay here for around 3 months to find work! Initially I started looking through online platforms which were advertising casual jobs.
There are loads of options on there but it’s worth noting that these jobs tend to have hundreds of applicants so it can be difficult for your application to be seen. This isn’t to say that it doesn’t work, it can just be more difficult.
A different way to approach it is by printing out several CVs and going in-person to various places. Whether you are looking to work in hospitality, retail or anything else, it can be really helpful to go and speak to the staff about their current hiring opportunities.
Generally, people are very receptive to you being so proactive in your approach and it can put your name ahead of other applicants. The majority of places that I’ve been to have taken my CV even if they are not currently hiring, so that your name is in the pile if and when they do start hiring.
Another avenue which the people I’m living with have had success with is by approaching places that are newly opened or about to be opened as they are always looking for new staff. Sometimes you can stumble across places out of luck, and you just never know when people might be looking to hire so it’s always worth asking the question.
It’s important not to be rude or forceful with your approach but being forthcoming and inquisitive about work opportunities can take you a long way.
Top Tip: Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) Qualification
If you are already trained in a certain trade or industry then this can be really beneficial to you but don’t worry if you’re not, there is always something for everybody.
If you are hoping to work in hospitality then you will almost certainly need your Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) license as it is a requirement of staff in establishments that serve alcohol. It is very straightforward to attain your RSA, it doesn’t take long to complete and is inexpensive to do the course.
There are different RSA licenses for different states which is important to note. If you are planning on staying in one state for an extended period (like me) then you can just get your RSA for that state. However, if you’re hoping to pick up work as you move around the country, you will need to get an RSA that covers all the states you plan to work in.
There are several companies that offer the RSA training course, and this list can be found on each state’s website. To find out more simply search for RSA in the state that you hope to work in.
It can be difficult to find work abroad, as it is in the UK, but if you look in the right places and approach it with the right attitude then it’s likely that you will find something. Good luck and I hope this advice is helpful!
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If the idea of visiting Australia appeals to you check out gap year jobs today.