20 lifehacks (FYI) that will make your working holiday in Australia easier!
It is the dream of many young adventures: going down under for a year (or two) and working your way around the outback, surf beaches, national parks, cosmopolitan cities and deserted country towns. Australia has endless opportunities, job- and travel-wise, BUT prepare yourself well! With these 20 life hacks, you’ll be ready to get the most out of your Ozzie lifestyle!
#1. Bring warm clothes
Who thinks of Australia, thinks of the endless outback, desserts, kangaroos hopping around, tanning on Bondi Beach, going for a surf and walking around in flip-flops (thongs as they call them here) every day of the year.
!WAKE UP! A great part of Australia gets very cold during winter! To give you an impression: there is more snowfall in Australia than in the whole of Switzerland. With temperatures up to -7 to -10 degrees Celcius, you definitely do not want to leave your warm, comfy winter jacket back home! Come prepared and pack up for different weather conditions!
Who thinks of Australia, thinks of the endless outback, desserts, kangaroos hopping around, tanning on Bondi Beach, going for a surf and walking around in flip-flops (thongs as they call them here) every day of the year.
!WAKE UP! A great part of Australia gets very cold during winter! To give you an impression: there is more snowfall in Australia than in the whole of Switzerland. With temperatures up to -7 to -10 degrees Celcius, you definitely do not want to leave your warm, comfy winter jacket back home! Come prepared and pack up for different weather conditions!
#2. Have savings up your sleeve
Life in Australia is great, but all good things come with a price. The cost of living here is high. Be prepared to pay between $200 to $250 a week for a private room in a shared house (in Sydney and Melbourne this might even be more). Also, groceries are pricy:
• 1 kilo of Apples $ 3.5
• 1 kilo of capsicum $ 5.5
• 1 loaf of bread $ 3.5
• 12 eggs $ 4.5
• 1L milk $ 2
• 1L yoghurt $ 5
• 1 kilo of chicken $16
• 1 kilo of minced meat $ 8
In other words, bring enough savings down to maintain yourself for at least 1.5-2 months, so you have enough time to find yourself a steady income and place to live.
Life in Australia is great, but all good things come with a price. The cost of living here is high. Be prepared to pay between $200 to $250 a week for a private room in a shared house (in Sydney and Melbourne this might even be more). Also, groceries are pricy:
• 1 kilo of Apples $ 3.5
• 1 kilo of capsicum $ 5.5
• 1 loaf of bread $ 3.5
• 12 eggs $ 4.5
• 1L milk $ 2
• 1L yoghurt $ 5
• 1 kilo of chicken $16
• 1 kilo of minced meat $ 8
In other words, bring enough savings down to maintain yourself for at least 1.5-2 months, so you have enough time to find yourself a steady income and place to live.
#3. Pre-arrange accommodation
It is most likely going to be a LONG flight for you to get to Australia. The last thing you want when being jet lagged: is looking for a place to stay. On top of that: most hostels in the bigger cities are quite overpriced (around $25 for a dorm) and not the most relaxed place to peacefully get your life sorted. So see if you can crash down at that one cool friend or relative. No friends or family around? See if you can arrange a long-term stay at an Airbnb host until you travel onwards or found yourself a good place to settle for a while.
Good webadresses to find longterm housing are:
Flatmatefinders.com and for Melbourne, the Facebook page Fairyfloss can be of great help as well.
It is most likely going to be a LONG flight for you to get to Australia. The last thing you want when being jet lagged: is looking for a place to stay. On top of that: most hostels in the bigger cities are quite overpriced (around $25 for a dorm) and not the most relaxed place to peacefully get your life sorted. So see if you can crash down at that one cool friend or relative. No friends or family around? See if you can arrange a long-term stay at an Airbnb host until you travel onwards or found yourself a good place to settle for a while.
Good webadresses to find longterm housing are:
Flatmatefinders.com and for Melbourne, the Facebook page Fairyfloss can be of great help as well.
#4. Try to get job interviews lined up
Finding a job in Australia is easy. Finding a good paid and fun job, while coming on a working holiday visa, can be very hard. Start sending out cover letters and resumes before leaving to Australia to quicken up the process. Websites like adzuna, seek.com.au and gumtree are great resources to find something of your interest. Depending on your profession, specialized recruitment agencies can be of great help as well! Google away to find your best pick.
Finding a job in Australia is easy. Finding a good paid and fun job, while coming on a working holiday visa, can be very hard. Start sending out cover letters and resumes before leaving to Australia to quicken up the process. Websites like adzuna, seek.com.au and gumtree are great resources to find something of your interest. Depending on your profession, specialized recruitment agencies can be of great help as well! Google away to find your best pick.
#5. Apply for TFN prior to arrival
Most employers won’t give you a contract unless you have a TFN (Tax File Number). So in order to be able to work, get yourself a TFN ASAP. You need a TFN for every type of employment. Those planning on starting to work shortly after arrival, I definitely recommend applying for a TFN prior to arrival. Applying can be done online and only takes 5 minutes. Most TFN will be issued in 1.5 to 2 weeks.
Click here to apply for your TFN now.
#6. Don’t leave your rural work till the last minute!
A lot of backpackers decide to stay an extra year. In order to obtain a second working holiday visa, 3 months or 88-day rural work is required. Many employers abuse the great necessity of backpackers to complete their rural work and know that the competition amongst backpackers is high. Therefore a lot of the rural work is underpaid, physically extremely heavy and living conditions are poor. Inform yourself well before starting working on a farm! Start with your rural work ASAP, so you have the flexibility to leave and look for another job in case you find yourself caught in a trash hole.
Another bonus about completing rural work at the start of your stay: you’re more appealing to employers to hire you, as now you are able to work for half a year for them on your first visa and another half a year once your second year is granted.
Farmwork can either be obtained through gumtree, special recruitment agencies or facebook groups such as:
A lot of backpackers decide to stay an extra year. In order to obtain a second working holiday visa, 3 months or 88-day rural work is required. Many employers abuse the great necessity of backpackers to complete their rural work and know that the competition amongst backpackers is high. Therefore a lot of the rural work is underpaid, physically extremely heavy and living conditions are poor. Inform yourself well before starting working on a farm! Start with your rural work ASAP, so you have the flexibility to leave and look for another job in case you find yourself caught in a trash hole.
Another bonus about completing rural work at the start of your stay: you’re more appealing to employers to hire you, as now you are able to work for half a year for them on your first visa and another half a year once your second year is granted.
Farmwork can either be obtained through gumtree, special recruitment agencies or facebook groups such as:
#7. ALWAYS ask people how they are doing
From the grumpy railway assistant to the charming barman to your colleagues to your best friends: a greeting always involves a ‘Hi, How are you?’. No matter how sincerely interested you are or not, skipping the question is considered very rude! Trust me, it will create a great amount of goodwill.
From the grumpy railway assistant to the charming barman to your colleagues to your best friends: a greeting always involves a ‘Hi, How are you?’. No matter how sincerely interested you are or not, skipping the question is considered very rude! Trust me, it will create a great amount of goodwill.
#8. Get into the Ozzie slang
Forget the proper English you got taught at school. In ‘Stralia’ it is the Ozzie slang that rules. Here some basic essentials:
• Arvo: afternoon
• Barbie: Barbeque
• Booz: alcoholic drinks
• G’day Mate: Good day Sir how are you doing?
• Maccas: McDonald's
• Roo: Kangaroo
• Servo: Service Station
Forget the proper English you got taught at school. In ‘Stralia’ it is the Ozzie slang that rules. Here some basic essentials:
• Arvo: afternoon
• Barbie: Barbeque
• Booz: alcoholic drinks
• G’day Mate: Good day Sir how are you doing?
• Maccas: McDonald's
• Roo: Kangaroo
• Servo: Service Station
#9. Never underestimate travel time (Australia is very big!!!)
Australia’s landmass is about the same size as the whole of United States. This makes going from A to B easily a 1 to 2-day drive. Domestic flights are costly due to limited airlines and long flight times. Even the big cities like Sydney and Melbourne are massive. Be prepared to travel 1 to 1.5 hours to simply visit a friend living on the other side of town.
Planning on living or travelling in rural areas? Definitely get yourself a car. Public transport is rare to non-existent in remote regions and distances are far and wide: A simple drive to the supermarket could easily take you 45 minutes.
Australia’s landmass is about the same size as the whole of United States. This makes going from A to B easily a 1 to 2-day drive. Domestic flights are costly due to limited airlines and long flight times. Even the big cities like Sydney and Melbourne are massive. Be prepared to travel 1 to 1.5 hours to simply visit a friend living on the other side of town.
Planning on living or travelling in rural areas? Definitely get yourself a car. Public transport is rare to non-existent in remote regions and distances are far and wide: A simple drive to the supermarket could easily take you 45 minutes.
#10. Be Prepared for bad WiFi and phone reception
If you think you had bad WiFi in that crappy hostel on Bali or that dodgy café in Buenos Aires, wait till you come to Australia. Even in the big cities, the WiFi is, a lot of times, to cry for! Save yourself the headache of paying for something that takes 10 minutes to upload that one Instagram photo.
Get yourself a proper SIM card and make use of your own hotspot. Boost is highly recommendable as it has the best reception throughout Australia.
Travelling around? Make sure you have your maps (map.me and waze are great apps), music and movies set-up to rock in offline mode.
If you think you had bad WiFi in that crappy hostel on Bali or that dodgy café in Buenos Aires, wait till you come to Australia. Even in the big cities, the WiFi is, a lot of times, to cry for! Save yourself the headache of paying for something that takes 10 minutes to upload that one Instagram photo.
Get yourself a proper SIM card and make use of your own hotspot. Boost is highly recommendable as it has the best reception throughout Australia.
Travelling around? Make sure you have your maps (map.me and waze are great apps), music and movies set-up to rock in offline mode.
#11. Join in the GumTree Game
Gumtree is the Australian eBay and more! Gumtree helps you with not only finding that dream campervan, new furniture, a second-hand GoPro, but also that cool nanny job, party bar position, your new room in a shared house close to St. Kilda and more.
Gumtree is the Australian eBay and more! Gumtree helps you with not only finding that dream campervan, new furniture, a second-hand GoPro, but also that cool nanny job, party bar position, your new room in a shared house close to St. Kilda and more.
#12. Uber Away
Going out with a group of friends? Public transport knocks off early at night and is relatively expensive. With Uber, you can find yourself a cheap and safe ‘taxi’ ride quickly at any time of the day. The app is easy to use and available in most bigger cities around Australia.
Going out with a group of friends? Public transport knocks off early at night and is relatively expensive. With Uber, you can find yourself a cheap and safe ‘taxi’ ride quickly at any time of the day. The app is easy to use and available in most bigger cities around Australia.
#13. Get a Medicare card
Nobody wants to be sick and having to deal with the hassle of insurances, paying doctor bills, etc. Good news! A lot of foreign passport holders actually have the right to free health care in Australia. How to claim it? Apply for a Medicare card! You can apply for a card at your nearest Medicare centre. For more information about the Medicare card check out human services.
Nobody wants to be sick and having to deal with the hassle of insurances, paying doctor bills, etc. Good news! A lot of foreign passport holders actually have the right to free health care in Australia. How to claim it? Apply for a Medicare card! You can apply for a card at your nearest Medicare centre. For more information about the Medicare card check out human services.
#14. Facebook!
Without Facebook I would not have found my job, my room, met new friends, joined in on great road-trips, found out about unforgettable events and more.
There are some VERY useful groups that will make your life in Australia not only easier but also way more FUN! There are tons of great groups out there, here the biggest ones:
• Australia Backpackers
From hitching a ride, looking for travel buddies to finding that last-minute farm job. You’ll find and can post all your questions and answers considering your Australia adventure here.
• Fairyfloss Real Estate
Find yourself great shared houses and apartments around Melbourne.
• Inner Sydney Housemates
Find yourself that dream shared house in the inner suburbs of Sydney
• Backpacker Jobs Australia
Good listing with employers looking for some handy Backpacker employees
• Farmwork Australia Want to get your second-year sign off? Rural work it is gonna be! Find your best spot here
Depending on your nationality, definitely sign up for groups like Dutchies in Australia, Irish around Sydney and so on.
Looking for cheap second hands and free stuff? Take a regular scroll around the Facebook marketplace!
Without Facebook I would not have found my job, my room, met new friends, joined in on great road-trips, found out about unforgettable events and more.
There are some VERY useful groups that will make your life in Australia not only easier but also way more FUN! There are tons of great groups out there, here the biggest ones:
• Australia Backpackers
From hitching a ride, looking for travel buddies to finding that last-minute farm job. You’ll find and can post all your questions and answers considering your Australia adventure here.
• Fairyfloss Real Estate
Find yourself great shared houses and apartments around Melbourne.
• Inner Sydney Housemates
Find yourself that dream shared house in the inner suburbs of Sydney
• Backpacker Jobs Australia
Good listing with employers looking for some handy Backpacker employees
• Farmwork Australia Want to get your second-year sign off? Rural work it is gonna be! Find your best spot here
Depending on your nationality, definitely sign up for groups like Dutchies in Australia, Irish around Sydney and so on.
Looking for cheap second hands and free stuff? Take a regular scroll around the Facebook marketplace!
#15. Wikicamps
This app is an absolute must-have for everybody going on a road trip around Australia. Wikicamps helps you find campgrounds, caravan parks, backpacker hostels, day use areas, points of interest, information centres and public dump points. The app can be used offline as well, so no stress when you are going off the radar.
This app is an absolute must-have for everybody going on a road trip around Australia. Wikicamps helps you find campgrounds, caravan parks, backpacker hostels, day use areas, points of interest, information centres and public dump points. The app can be used offline as well, so no stress when you are going off the radar.
#16. Different public transport cards in every city
Where most countries have the convenience of ONE single card that you can use for all types of public transport all around, Australia has different cards in every city! Be aware that your Opal card in Sydney, is not going to be of any use in Melbourne and your Myki card from Melbourne is useless in the Gold Coast. Going to new places means swop to a new card!
Where most countries have the convenience of ONE single card that you can use for all types of public transport all around, Australia has different cards in every city! Be aware that your Opal card in Sydney, is not going to be of any use in Melbourne and your Myki card from Melbourne is useless in the Gold Coast. Going to new places means swop to a new card!
#17. Sunscreen
Australia is straight underneath a big hole in the Ozon layer. Which basically means burn when it is cloudy, get roasted when it is sunny. Not joking SPF50 is going to be your biggest friend if you don’t want to return home like a sun-dried tomato.
Australia is straight underneath a big hole in the Ozon layer. Which basically means burn when it is cloudy, get roasted when it is sunny. Not joking SPF50 is going to be your biggest friend if you don’t want to return home like a sun-dried tomato.
#18. Get a hobby
Believe it or not, there is a life outside work and the bar in Australia. Join a local sports club, go to language exchanges, game nights, etc. It is a great way to meet new (local) people and make new friends!
Believe it or not, there is a life outside work and the bar in Australia. Join a local sports club, go to language exchanges, game nights, etc. It is a great way to meet new (local) people and make new friends!
#19. Bring your full drivers license
In case your country distinguishes provisional and full drivers licenses, make sure you get a full drivers license before coming over. It will open up a whole new world of travel- and job opportunities and salary!
In case your country distinguishes provisional and full drivers licenses, make sure you get a full drivers license before coming over. It will open up a whole new world of travel- and job opportunities and salary!
#20. Eventbrite
Up for some fun? Eventbrite got a great listing of all (free) concerts and events in your area. With the opportunity to purchase tickets straight away, you are ready to rock and roll in no-time!
Up for some fun? Eventbrite got a great listing of all (free) concerts and events in your area. With the opportunity to purchase tickets straight away, you are ready to rock and roll in no-time!
Get A Working Holiday Visa for Australia in 4 Simple Steps
Australia is one of the few countries that issues a working holiday visa. Meaning you can work in the country, to save up some extra cash for your further travels. Almost too good to be true; Travelling and making money while you go. Hard to get? Not at all! Avoid expensive visa agencies and apply for your working holiday visa yourself. This is how you do it:
1. Check if you comply with the following requirements:
- You are between 18 and 31 years of age.
- You do not have a dependent child accompanying you at any time during your stay in Australia.
- You hold a passport from an eligible country (see step 2).
2. Check if you have to apply for a subclass 417 visa or a subclass 462 visa.
Depending on the country you`re from, you have to apply for either a working holiday visa (subclass 417) or a work and holiday visa (subclass 462).
Subclass 417 is open for people from:
- Belgium
- Canada
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- The Republic of Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- The Republic of Korea
- Malta
- The Netherlands
- Norway
- Sweden
- Taiwan
- The United Kingdom.
Subclass 462 is open for people from:
- Argentina
- Bangladesh
- Chile
- China
- Hungary
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Poland
- Portugal
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Thailand
- Turkey
- USA
- Uruguay
- Vietnam
3. Create an ImmiAccount
An ImmiAccount is a digital account you need to sign up for to apply for any type of working visa in Australia. Simply follow all the instructions stated on the website. Create your ImmiAccount here.
4. Apply for your visa online!
It is truly that simple! Applying for both visas can be done directly via the website of the government of Australi. For a 417 visa, apply here and for a 462 visa apply here. Depending on your previous travels, living abroad in certain countries and if your applying for a 417 or 462 visa, you might be requested to hand in additional documents like provement of health, educational certificates, bank statement, etc. In case you are required to hand in any additional documents, the Australian government will request you accordingly during your application process.
Good luck with you application process! Off you go! Hope to see you soon down under!
Any questions? Please feel free to contact me!