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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

TypicalBoy asked me:

For a high school program, where are some of the cheapest places to study abroad outside of the US?
Could you please include sources such as websites?

If you are on a budget then for a high school programme you can consider either New Zealand or Australia.

Both have a low cost of living, and tuition fees are pretty reasonable. Their education systems also rank very highly — they offer good quality for reasonable money in a safe environment.

The most important thing to consider is why you are looking for high school studies overseas? This can help you decide on which country is most suitable.

Also, do you have relatives which are already abroad that can help with housing (and thus save a lot of money?)

For some more reading below is a listing of some schools in New Zealand I found while researching your question.

• Awatapu College
• Central Hawkes Bay College
• Feilding High School (FAHS)
• Freyberg High School
• Hastings Girls’ High School
• Horowhenua College
• Iona College
• Napier Boys’ High School
• Palmerston North Boys’ High School
• St Peter’s College
• Tawa College
• Wanganui Girls’ College
• Wanganui High School
• Wellington Diocesan School for Girls (Nga Tawa)
• Wellington East Girls’ College

It should be possible to apply for academic studies in Australian with just a TOEFL score. The university should probably not have a big problem with this.

But you still need to sit for the IELTS exam — it is a requirement for the academic student visa.

To quote from the immigration website:

The Student Visa Regulations require students to have sat an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test prior to lodging their application.

Source: http://www.immi.gov.au/students/english-requirements.htm