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I had been looking forward to the Barista Course since I heard I could learn to make coffee. I was really interested in Latte-art and espresso coffee because it is not very popular in Japan. A lot of people buy canned coffee from vending machines.

I had a really fun time surrounded by nice coffee flavours. When I made my first cup of espresso, I was very impressed! I learned not only to make coffee, but also the history about how coffee has become so popular in the world — Masaru Kawabe

Eurocentres Auckland in partnership with The Espresso Coffee School is offering a fantastic course for students who would like to learn the skill of coffee making.This course is great for students who have a strong interest in coffee and a desire to be successful coffee makers. Also, for students who would like to find a job in Auckland as a barista.

We have had many successful students who have studied both courses and are now enjoying their jobs in Starbucks, Esquires and many other independent cafes.

Study English at Eurocentres Auckland and when you reach Eurocentres level 5 (global grade) you can join the Barista Course on one of the following courses:

The Barista course takes place once a month and it’s a 2 day full time course.

You can enrol at Eurocentres Auckland any Monday. For more information please contact info@eurocentres.co.nz

The GEOS North American Language schools are celebrating their 20th anniversary with a special promotion that lasts until this week Friday (the 27th of February 2009).

Read the details here: GEOS North America 2+1 Promotion

Every two weeks you get the third week for free.

• Enroll 3 weeks, get 1 week free
• 4 weeks, get 2 weeks free
• 6 weeks, get 3 weeks free
• 8 weeks, get 4 weeks free
• 10 weeks, get 5 weeks free
• 12 weeks, get 6 weeks free
• 24 weeks, get 12 weeks free.

Available at these schools:

• GEOS New York
• GEOS San Francisco
• GEOS Boston
• GEOS Costa Mesa
• GEOS Honolulu
• GEOS Los Angeles

I am going to do a study abroad and now i have to fill out a form asking about my preferences regarding the size of the host family? What are some of the things that i need to be careful for? I want to tell them i don’t want to live with family have pet, because it will be smelly over the house, although i love cat, any suggestions please??

First of all, I hope you will have a good time ! Below are some things to consider regarding homestay families:

• The problem with cats and dogs is that 95% of the good home stay families have them. If they care about animals they tend to care about people too! Good families without pets are maybe 1-2 in every home stay program you might end up very far away from the school. If you really can’t live with a pet do say so, but otherwise consider the above.
• Don’t stay with a family that has small children (under 6). They won’t have time for you.
• Don’t stay with a family that takes more than 2-3 students at the same time. Its get too crowded and its likely that the family runs their home like a motel business. (Good money for them, not much fun for you).
• Ask for a family that is within easy traveling distance to your school. If at all possible: within walking distance.
• And if you are a woman make sure the family doesn’t have any teenage sons. It can get really awkward.

Gregory Clark (VP of Akita International University) lists his insights into why it is the Japanese have a hard time learning English in Japan and how its unlikely to change despite new efforts by the government. The bureaucrats have discovered that Japanese aren’t so fluent at International conferences, not something they worried about before, but they are now being shown up by Chinese and Korean delegates who display a much better grasp of the language. (If you visited an overseas language school recently you will have noticed how the Koreans seem to own the market).
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Your study abroad agency just recommended that you buy travel and health insurance but it sounds like an extra cost you aren’t too keen to pay. After all, you are young, healthy and fit !

Help is on its way

Your agent isn’t trying to sell you insurance to make more money, commissions on travel insurance packages are low or non existent. Your agent is simply trying to make sure that he can sleep at night.

There is no larger nightmare than dealing with a nasty accident in a foreign country. Even simple problems can be expensive: your luggage was stolen, or your portable computer got swiped.

But I already have medical insurance!

Check, check and check again please! In many countries people hold life insurance policies that have some kind of medical cover. But read the small print: in your own country you are likely benefiting from some kind of state support so the policy will only pay out a small amount, or have a limit. For example a US$ 1000 – US$ 8000 maximum.

A stay in a North American hospital can cost US$/CAD$ 3000 per DAY. If you have a nasty accident that requires operating the costs can go into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and insufficient cover could bankrupt your family.

Inadequacy insurance can be worse than no insurance!

Compulsory insurance

In Australia and New Zealand insurance is mandatory, you cannot study at a language school without insurance. You need to buy a government approved insurance package.

In Canada and the USA insurance is often optional (but some schools require that you buy their insurance).

In the UK you are covered under its National Health insurance scheme if you study for longer than 6 months (>26 weeks). Because so many foreign students were using the system (and thus using up a lot of money) hospital staff are now trained to spot students who study shorter than 6 months.

Checklist for a good policy

If you are buying an insurance package make sure its the right one! Does it cover going scuba diving? Snowboarding? Or your laptop being stolen on the way to school? These are not everyday problems at home, but you will encounter them overseas!

Standard travel insurance may not be sufficient, they are great for short stays (up to 2 weeks) but probably impossibly expensive for long stays. So find a package that can cover your whole length of studies.

• Are there any deductibles you need to be aware off? (Say: US$ 100 for a doctors visit that you need to cover by yourself)
• Is there sufficient cover to cover your i-phone, (i-pod), mobile phone or laptop computer being stolen?
• If you have any pre-existing conditions, are they covered?
• Can you family visit you in case of a serious accident? Are their flight expenses covered?
• In case of a family emergency at home it is possible to get a course fee refund?
• Does the insurance company provide 24 hours emergency services?
• Are you covered if you participate in school outing, sports competition or other activities?
• Is your insurance company present/familiar with the country you are traveling to?

We recommend that you buy insurance — but make sure you find the insurance product that matches your needs!

Image credit: Aaron Escobar

So much can you earn ? You have made it to Australia on your working holiday visa and now its time to earn the money that will fuel your travels – covers your rental, food and nightlife.

How much you will earn depends on the kind of work you will be doing, but the following is a rough guide to salaries in the popular short term jobs:

If you have plenty of experience (you worked professionally before) you can get a higher salary — if you are starting out, you begin from the bottom.

Remember, some jobs have perks. Working in an out of the way resort will probably ensure that you can have cheap accommodation. Farm work often includes food and accommodation.

But.. there are taxes as well

After you arrive in Australia you need to pay taxes – and you need a Tax File number. If you do this in person there is a little paperwork involved in applying for this ; but you can also do this online.

The tax rate for those on a one-year working holiday visa is 29%. As soon as you apply for a job you need to fill in the Tax File Number as your taxes are taken directly from your salary. After you complete your work for an employer you need to collect a “Group Certificate” (statement of earnings).

If you want to claim some of this back – make sure that you keep good records on every place you have worked at – and keep a telephone number and contact for each of your employer in case you need to chase up details after you have left.

You can apply for a tax refund after you leave Australia , or at the end of the financial year (30 June).

Another important point is the tax rate; if you are only in Australia for a short period you pay a high tax rate of 29% and cannot get a refund. If you stay for more than half a year – you are still taxed at the higher rate, but you can claim a refund and there are some deductions.

Rounding up Sheep in the outback

When planning to go to Australia on your working holiday visa you need to pay a little attention to when and where you will be traveling. Its no good to run out of money – and unable to find another job!

Many of the jobs found in Australia are seasonal, so not every month is equally good for finding a new job. The weather is important – and it plays a part in deciding where in Australia you are best to go next.

During the year most jobs are to be found in the South-East of Australia (Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne, Sydney). The outback from Adelaide to Darwin has few jobs – so make sure that you don’t end up broke in the middle of nowhere with no easy way to find a job.

First rule: December and January are tough months to find a job in the big cities

This is mid-summer, and all the Universities are on holiday. That means that not only are there many backpacker going to Australia to enjoy the New Year many local students are also looking for jobs. Worse: many companies close from Dec 15th on for the Christmas holidays.

If you are around in this period – make sure you have the money to carry you over in case you have trouble finding a job. Also, make sure you have secured your accommodation well in advance!

Second rule: Winter is when jobs are easier to find

With less competition its usually much easier to find jobs during the Australia off-season (March-July).

Third rule: Watch the fruit grow!

Fruit picking & related jobs are available all year round in the northern parts of Australia; but it slows down when the rainy season sets in (October –March) . Frequent storms and rain make fruit picking hard/impossible. During the hot and dry summer months (September – April) there is plenty of work to be found in the south of Australia.

A little planning ahead can make your time in Australia on your working holiday visa that more rewarding — and ensures that you are never short of money.

Fraser Island Highway

What kinds of jobs are available?

Many of the positions open require little or no previous experience; and many are either in hospitality or require unskilled labor. Some examples are:

• Working in warehouses
• Factory work
• Kitchen helps
• Production jobs
• Cleaning
• Fruit picking
• Waitressing
• Pearling

These jobs aren’t glamorous and they are not too easy either. Some of them are dirty and hard; but there is plenty of them. If you hold a degree – and speak good English (as in you are a native English speaker from the UK, Canada) then you might be able to find work in an office or in hospitality. And if you are an accountant, nurse or trained secretary you might find yourself with more attention than you can handle.

Some jobs have benefits. If you work in a resort outside of the big cities then your accommodation is usually very cheap. Farm work often includes your accommodation and food. These are great ways to save a little money.

Your English decides what jobs you can apply for

Ok – first of all you need to be able to speak English, it doesn’t have to be perfect but the better it is, the higher your pay will be as you will be able to find better jobs.

And remember, you can study English for up to 4 months on a Working Holiday visa. It’s not required – but it will make the choice of jobs available to you much wider.

Visiting an employment agency

Employment agencies earn money from finding people for jobs, so provided you match their needs, they will be keen to help you. When visiting an agency, dress as good as you can for the job you are applying for. Bring with your bank details, a CV, your passport, references and a tax file number to get the necessary paperwork sorted out.

Beware! Not everyone is honest or true!

With so many people looking for jobs – there is a cottage industry of people trying to make money out of foreign travelers.

All job agencies have to be licensed by the government and need to provide you with full details on the company, salary and benefits you will receive. If you visit an employment agency – check their license!

Also – beware the “loser” jobs: such as being door-to-door salesman working on commission, tele marketing, collecting for charity. These don’t make you any money – just your employers.

Image by: AbsoluteWade

Kyle asked:

I’ll be in Sydney for 6 months. How much money do you suggest I bring? (for transportation, pubs, dining out, replacements of personal necessities like shampoo, etc) I already have a meal plan so I won’t need to buy groceries

First of all, Sydney is an expensive place to live. But you have a meal plan bought already so that should take care of your food.

You mention that you have a meal plan, so that probably means you have your accommodation covered. If not, check out some of the schools in Sydney to get an idea how much a week accommodation would costs. The best option is to book 2-3 weeks of homestay and then find a shared flat through the newspapers, bulletin boards or your classmates.

Excluding your accommodation & meals prepare at least AUD 1000 for each month. So 6 months would be around AUD 6000. Less is possible — but that means sitting on the beach more , and not going for drinks afterwards.

It is however quite easy to find a part-time job in Australia, and if you are on a student visa then you automatically have the right to work. So if you are able to find a part-time job for 20 hours a week, you should have most of your expenses covered.

Was that work to surf, or surf to work?

A dream for many ; in 2006-7 some 134,612 traveled south. Sadly enough not everyone can apply for the working holiday programme and join the big barbecue down under.

Are you from one of the following countries?

Belgium, Canada, the Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

Most of working holiday makers come from the United Kingdom (31,000) , but many also come from Asia (Korea: 29,000 & Japan 12,000) and in between they squeezed a few Germans (16,000), Irish (14,000) , French (8000) and Canadians (7000).

And can Grandpa apply as well?

Tricky, unless your grandfather is still looking sprightly and can proof that he is under 30 which is the Australian working holiday age limit. And your younger brother has to be at least 18.

But there is hope for GrandPa yet — the work shortage in Australia is serious (so its easy to find jobs) and the government is trying to raise the working holiday visa age limit. I will keep you posted!

What else do I need to know?

If you manage to get the visa (just apply for it online here) it is valid for 12 months. The online application should be smooth and relatively easy — just make sure that you have a valid passport.

And you can only get one. So don’t apply for this visa if you are still in University and just want to spend you holidays in Australia ; get a Tourist visa instead. Wait until you finish university (or go before you enter university) so that you can enjoy the full year.

The visa is multiple-entry , so you can come and go for the period of the visa. If you decide to have a holiday in New Zealand you can come back as long as your Australian Working Holiday visa is still valid.

In addition you can use this visa to study (English for example!) for up to 4 months.

If you find a job – you can work for the same employer for up to 6 months.

Can I stay longer than 12 months?

It is possible to obtain a second working holiday visa, but you need proof that you have managed the most difficult task of all: having worked in some of the most remote parts of Australia for at least 3 months in mining, construction, tree farming fishing… because they will only accept the true heir to Crocodile Dundee.

Drive on Left – Image by Irene