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Fruit picking, seasonal jobs and farm work in Australia
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Working in Australia - finding a job



Earnings & cost of living

Wages in Australia are lower than the UK and taxes are among the highest in the world. The current exchange rate (July 2008) is roughly 10 Australian Dollars equals 4.8 British pounds.


The average backpacker with a non-skilled job (eg. bar work, waitressing, agricultural work) could expect to earn around AU$600-800 per week, before tax. Take off tax at around 15-25% and you will be left with about AU$500-600 per week. If you take off money that you will spend on accommodation, food and transport, you can expect to have about $300-400 left at the end of the week.


Sydney has recently become a more expensive place to live, especially with housing rents being much higher than the rest of Australia. Think about looking for work in one of the other larger cities, including Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne – all of which are cosmopolitan and vibrant, but cheaper to live in than Sydney.


How to find work in Australia

Make sure you have a mobile phone number that employers can contact you on as this will make your job search a lot easier.


Check hostel noticeboards – flexible work
Visit a few of the hostels around where you are staying and see if there are any ads on their noticeboards. This is a good way to find flexible, tax free, cash in hand work.


Hospitality work
Dress smart and take along your CV and a nice smile to all the local bars, cafes and restaurants and ask if they have any vacancies. (You will need your Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) qualification or Food Hygiene certificate for this type of work). You should expect to try quite a few before you strike it lucky, but you should manage to find something this way. There is usually quite a fast turnover in staff in these types of places, especially when they are employing backpackers on a temporary basis.


Recruitment agencies
Hand your CV in to one or two recruitment agencies and let them know the type of work you are looking for. They are likely to have a lot of current jobs on their books and may quickly find something that is suitable. Remember that you don’t have to take the first job they suggest to you – make sure it really does suit your requirements (wages, location, hours). You could try contacting them before you arrive in the country – you may even get something lined up before you leave home. Remember that you will be unlikely to secure a permanent job due to your Working Holiday visa status, but getting in with an agency could get you a steady stream of temporary placements.


Special events
Look out for events such as music festivals, beer festivals, concerts, film festivals, historic celebrations etc. as there should be a load of temporary jobs available. Try contacting organisers about work in advance, or aim to arrive in the town a few weeks before. Working at an event can be a lot more interesting than most jobs and is a great way to get in for free. This will be temporary work, but you could get good work experience and even a reference for the next event that interests you. Take a look at Whats on When.


Ask other travellers
Ask for tips and contacts from any other travellers that you chat to – you could get some useful information and references for finding work in your next destination and an idea of where the best job markets are to be found.


Restaurant work
If you are working in a restaurant, it is worth knowing that tipping is not compulsory and is usually not expected in Australia as staff are seen to be paid an appropriate wage. When Aussies do tip, it will often be in the form of leaving the change from a cash payment, rather than a fixed percentage.


Fruit picking work
Major disadvantage – this is hard work for low pay. Big advantage – they won’t ask to see your CV. You should be able to find this kind of work somewhere in Australia all year round – check out the fruit picking seasons and take a look at the Australian Harvest Trail job search site run by the Australian government. It will be necessary to spend 3 months of your Working Holiday visa doing this type of work if you want to apply for a 2nd year’s WH visa.

Find out more about fruit picking work.


Admin and clerical work
Working in an office might make you feel like you haven’t left home but you should be able to earn significantly more money with this type of work. Sign up with some recruitment agencies to help with your job searching. This type of work is more common in the major cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide.


Working in hostels
It’s worth asking around the hostels whether they have any jobs going. You could get free accommodation and food and even a small wage in exchange for working a few hours in the hostel each day. Definitely a great way to meet people and find out the best backpacker haunts & activities.


Arrange work before you go

If you want to take the really easy option, there are plenty of companies out there who can arrange your working holiday for you before you go. The services they offer include

  • arranging work for you before you leave home
  • assisting you with all admin & visa issues
  • setting up a tax number, mail service and bank account for you
  • providing advice and assistance for working holidays in Australia

One such company is Go Workabout. They will charge you a fee for this service, but it can definitely save you a lot of hassle & time.



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