Australia Gap Year Jobs, Programs & Tours

Australia is an incredible country with iconic cities, a warm climate, beautiful beaches, friendly people and world famous tourist attractions. If you want to go backpacking, work, intern or book an adventure find information about visas, paid work and the best Australia gap year ideas.

Paid Work & Backpacking Trips in Australia

Gap Years & Backpacking in Australia

Travelling, living or working in Australia on your gap year allows you to experience the country’s rich cultural heritage. There’s so much on offer. From vibrant cities to the rugged outback or the northern tropics.

A trip to Australia is the perfect way to spend a year abroad. You will be able to develop your skills and pursue new interests whilst enjoying your new surroundings.

If you are keen to spend a dream gap year working, studying, volunteering or doing amazing activities, arrange the trip of your life today.

Work in Australia

Australia is one of the most popular working destinations with good reason! Not only do they have an abundance of available jobs to help you find work, but being on the other side of the world, it makes a lot of sense to spend as long as possible in Australia to make up for the expensive plane ticket and hideously long flight over. On top of the distance, Australia is a huge country with a lot to see and staying for a few months just isn’t going to cut it.

If you want to spend your gap year living in Australia you can earn money whilst seeing the highlights of the country in your spare time. Popular places to find employment include Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth although you can find jobs throughout the country even the outback on farms. There are lots of positions available in hotels, hospitality, tourism and agriculture work.

Some companies offer Australia working holiday packages and help with visa, flights, accommodation, set you up with a bank account, help you find work, and plan your trip to make your experience hassle free. 

Internships in Australia

Are you looking to gain work experience? You can find internships with companies in all the major Australian cities in industries like media, marketing, law, journalism, architecture and more. This is a great way to boost your CV, help your career and integrate into Australian life. Some companies might even offer full time employment on completion of a placement. 

Volunteer in Australia

There are so many rewarding gap year volunteering opportunities in Australia, from helping animals like kangaroos and koalas to helping nature, coaching sports and conservation. This is a great way to experience a different side to the country, do something meaningful and meet friendly people. 

Study in Australia

Australia has some of the most reputable universities in the world and is a really great option if you are keen to expand your studies overseas. There are so many courses available to international students throughout the country.

Transportation

Because Australia is so huge, transportation will be a big expense unless you plan to stay put in one place. Getting to Australia can also be expensive but there are cheap flights to Australia available if you do your homework. Cheap airlines like Virgin Blue have been popping up making flying a lot more affordable.

Buying a car is a great option if you’ve got the money up front (at least $1000 for a clunker). Greyhound operate here and you can buy a large variety of passes including travelling the east coast. Hitchiking and ride sharing is common and a great way to save money, meet new people and get to some places you might not have thought of yourself.

Along the coast it is possible to join yachts, share the costs and sailing and get a great view of the coast. Check message boards in Cairns, Magnetic Island, Airlie Beach and anywhere else with a large boating community.

Tours

Heading out to Australia, whether on your own or with a friends is pretty daunting. Everyone tells you it’s easy to meet people in hostels etc, and it can be. But on a tour you get time getting to know a group of people while doing some amazing stuff with them, not just a passing drinking game in a hostel dorm.

You all in the same boat are everyone will be like-minded so its basically impossible not to make some good friends. It gives you a base to get you going, and you’re all probably hitting hotspots like the east coast. As well as sightseeing, activities can include: jet boating, city orientation, beach trips, surfing, dinners at restaurants along with all the obligatory nights out and pub crawls.

Australia is waiting to be explored, from world famous cities, to the Outback and Great Barrier Reef – just searching trip itineraries will get you excited. There are lots of small group adventure tours which are perfect if you are looking to go to the best places, meet other travellers and have the time of your life.

Accommodation

There are options all over Australia for finding the right accommodation to suit your living and traveling needs. Factors that will play a role in what is best for you include your budget, comfort zone, your relationship status, and even your employment location. There is a large network of backpackers hostels with modern facilities – these are also a great way to meet other travellers.

Top Things to Do

Go travelling and experience the highlights of Australia. This is one of the best places to visit on a gap year and it is easy to see why it is so popular.

If you’re an adrenaline junkie then your wallet will probably take a beating. You can pretty much do it all here in one place or another from skydiving to snowboarding.

These are some of the highlights:

• Explore amazing cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Perth
• Take a working holiday and get paid to live in Australia
• See the Great Barrier Reef
• Volunteer with koalas
• Go on an adventure in the Outback
• Learn to surf
• Get your backpack and tour the whole country!

Hostels and backpacker-oriented companies will all be very eager to help. They get commissions from all the companies so make sure to do a bit of research on your own and take what they say with a grain of salt.

Our travel blog offers great travel guides and recommendations for the major cities.

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