Advice on going to Australia to Work for a Year

A question about : Advice on going to Australia to Work for a Year

My son of 20, Is thinking about heading to Brisbane, Australia for 6 months or up to a year.

He is heading by himself.

I just wonder has anyone else done this, and give us any advice, I have looked up some company's, which promise to find work for students and look after, but they don't always deliver what they promise.

Does anyone know if work is easy to come by, or how to go about securing work & accommodation before you go?

I would be most grateful for any advice, as I am at a loss in this area.

If anyone has been or going on something like this, I would love to hear from you.

Many Thanks

Best answers:

• I think that this is something he should arrange for himself.
• Step 1 - he needs to apply for a work visa - any attempt to get work when entering Australia on a tourist visa will get him thrown out of the country.
• Not done it but know a few people who have and met loads in my travels to Australia. But many years ago so can't give you any idea of the current jobs situation.
  Most people who do this go on their own, after all it's difficult to find someone to travel with for a year, and even if you did it's likely you'd get sick of them after a while! But as there are so many solo travellers everyone is very friendly so he's unlikely to get lonely. He'll meet loads of people doing exactly as he is.
  Australia has good value hostels and a lot of working backpakers stay in them while working, at least initially.
  Suggest you try the tripadvisor forum. It'll be a great experience for him.
• Most people under 30 will get a Working Holiday Visa. It will allow your son to work in Australia but has conditions attached. He should research it, maybe look at Australian Immigration website.
  As zagflies says loads and loads of young people have this adventure. I live in NZ (a bit further than Aus) and the town I live in has 100's if not 1000's of people on Working holiday visas each year. They generally work bars and restaurants, hotels and cleaning (and one awful call centre that sells funeral plans to elderly Australians) and in winter the addition of skiing brings lots to work on the slopes. He needs to talk to friends who have been backpacking to see what kind of work they are doing and consider what work he can do.
  Get a rough guide or a lonely planet from the library as a place to start, how to get there, visa's etc. also to consider where he wants to live and work.
  Also worth checking out WOOFING and Helpx.net - not paid work but given bed and board in return for work, and backpacker boards online will have work too.
  He needs to take enough money to keep him going until he gets a job and may need to pay for bond/deposit for longer term room rental before he even gets paid. I hope he's been saving!! A common solution is to remain in the backpackers as this becomes 'home', here he will meet others, get a clean room and probably get to eat the leftover food that the 'travellers' leave behind.
• I just re-read your initial post.
  I wouldn't be too concerned about finding work before he leaves or paying a company to do this. If he is reasonably articulate and has some 'skills' (quick learner, personable) he should be able to find himself a job within a reasonable time from arriving. It would do no harm for him to work in the UK before hand, an experienced barman waiter, kitchen hand or Barista (someone who can operate a coffee machine) will always get work. It will also ensure he has some savings.
  Other work options will include agriculture, but likely to be away from the cities - would he like this?
  He should book accommodation for the first two or three nights (backpackers) so he can head somewhere specific when he gets to the airport and sleep off some of the jetlag. He should definitely do this if he has not travelled before. Again travellers forums/trip adviser or the lonely planet will help with this. Given his age, maybe a YHA, Base or Nomads will be good places to start. (YHA, BASE and NOMADS are all chains of hostels) you, sorry HE will find them all online. He should expect to be sharing a dorm room (bunk beds) for 6 or 8 for the cheapest accommodation. They will have kitchens for him to make his own meals and he will quickly make friends who will be able to direct him to local employers.
  I hope this helps.