Go Backpacking

  • About
  • Travel Tips
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Travel Insurance
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Advertise
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Travel Tips
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Travel Insurance
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Advertise
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Travel Tips
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Travel Insurance
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Advertise
×
Home » Destinations » Oceania » Australia

Before a Working Holiday in Oz: Top Concerns with Advice

Modified: Jul 12, 2019 · Published: Nov 7, 2012 by Brooke Schoenman |

Kangaroos in Australia
Kangaroos in Australia (photo by chrissamuel)

Something must be in the air around the world because the amount of questions I've been getting lately via email about working holidays in Oz have been booming.

Or, maybe everyone is just fearing the fast approaching winter and craving the sunshine painting most days in Australia instead.

Potential working holiday makers often look to me for advice because I myself have partaken in a working holiday down under, and they come with some key concerns.

To answer these frequently asked questions, I'm going to share the key concerns below, as well as my personal advice for each.

What sort of job can I get?

It is of extreme importance to not have unreal expectations of the type of work you will be offered while in Australia.

Since you are on a working holiday, restrictions are applied to your working rights – namely the fact that you can't work at the same job for more than 6 months.

With that in mind, many employers in more professional roles are not willing to hire someone who is essentially temporary.

For that reason, the types of jobs that working holidaymakers usually get are those in the service industry: barista, waitress, fruit picker, and shop assistant.

That said, there are plenty of cases where individuals arrived in Australia on a working holiday visa and ended up getting sponsored.

If you have a good skill set, using the time on a working holiday visa to network and target potential roles is not a bad idea.

You will have more luck locking down a job if you are there in person.

Another tip: Research the rules and regulations surrounding your working holiday visa. Some companies might not know the rules, and that could keep them from being interested in hiring you, or even just taking another look at your application.

Australian money
Australian money (photo by martinhoward)

How much money will I need?

A question of this nature is not easy to answer as everyone's travel style will vary.

Not only that, it depends on how long it takes for you to get a job after you arrive, where you plan to live, and whether or not you want to spend time traveling.

Australia is not by any means a budget travel destination.

Cost of living comes in at one of the highest in the world, so when you're spending twice as much on groceries and three times as much on housing, don't be surprised.

A good base for budgeting your non-working life in Australia is to look up hostel bed rates, and then double that to find a cheap food and accommodation rate for when you don't have an apartment or job.

For budgeting, a good rule of thumb is to figure out what you think you should bring, and then take double.

However, I recommend taking no less than 2 months worth of living expenses since 1) unexpected expenses always surface, and 2) it may take a while before you get your first paycheck.

Read more about traveling Australia on a budget.

Fruit picking
Fruit picking is a seasonal job in Australia (photo by stephanridgway)

What time of year is best to arrive?

I'm sure you know this, but for the sake of this article, the Australian seasons are backward to those in the Northern Hemisphere.

That means that the best weather occurs around the Christmas holiday season, and while it's a perfect time to travel around Australia, it might not be the best to start off a working holiday.

If your primary goal is to start the job and apartment hunt immediately, arriving around holiday season would be a poor idea.

Most of Australia goes on holiday for several weeks between Christmas and New Years.

People with flats to rent have most likely tied those loose ends before the holidays so they could also take a break.

And since everyone is off work, getting hired seems virtually impossible.

Consider your job prospects before choosing your travel dates.

A common job for backpackers in Australia is fruit picking (mostly because it helps fulfill rural working requirements for those able to apply for a 2nd-year visa), and this type of work is seasonal.

Learn about the fruit picking seasons in order to time your visit to Australia just right.

Enjoy an endless summer by traveling north in the winter months (May – July), and then back south during the official summer when it becomes extremely hot and humid in places like Queensland.

Melbourne
Melbourne, Sydney, or a smaller beach town. So many potential places to live in Australia on a working holiday. (photo by Herr_Bert)

Should I base myself in Sydney?

Normally this question comes up because the interested party wants to know where the best place to find work would be in Australia.

Obviously, in the larger cities like Sydney and Melbourne, job opportunities are more plentiful.

That said, Sydney costs more money, and its expansive size is difficult to navigate at times. Perhaps the small beach town vibe would suit you better.

If so, numerous beach towns line the coast from Sydney to Cairns to choose from, but do remember that job prospects may become limited.

Related Stories

  • Sydney, Australia (photo by Lena Sifoo).
    2025 Australia Partner Visa Requirements: What’s New?
  • Sydney Opera House (photo: Alexa Soh).
    The Budget Traveler's Guide To Seeing Sydney
  • Qantas Airbus A380 (photo: Troy Mortier).
    What You Need To Bring for a Trip to Australia
  • Koala in Kuranda, Queensland (photo: David Clode).
    Palm Cove, A Tropical Paradise in North Queensland
13 shares
  • Share
  • Email

About Brooke Schoenman

Brooke lives a thrifty lifestyle so that she can travel the world at every possible opportunity. Find more of her writing on her website: Her Packing List. Or follow her on Twitter.

Comments

  1. Harvie says

    February 19, 2014 at 8:14 am

    Hey Brooke, nice post, I was doing some of my own research on jobs today for people on a WHV. I do believe jobs are getting harder to find nowadays with more and more people coming to Oz in a WHV.

  2. Rachel Zendejas says

    June 22, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    I'm a newish nurse, in Tennessee. I tried moving to Florida a year ago, but couldn't find a job to save my life... Any healthcare worker specific advise? Feel free to shoot me an email. Thanks!

Dave at Ahu Ko Te Riku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile.

Hi, I'm Dave

Editor in Chief

I've been writing about adventure travel on Go Backpacking since 2007. I've visited 68 countries.

Read more about Dave.

Footer

back to top

About

  • About
  • Archive
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Follow Us

Contact

  • Contact
  • Work With Us
  • Submissions

Copyright © 2025 Go Backpacking

13 shares
  • 13