First off, congratulations on reading this. It shows that you are serious about wanting to get the very best from your working holiday and enjoy every moment of this unique (and expensive) opportunity that you have paved out for yourself. In 2012/2013 over 210,000 visas have been issued by the Australian government to people just like you. Firstly, its great to remember that you are not alone! There is a fantastic community of us offering both work and travel advice to help you out along the way.
My name is Joel Mitchell and at the date of writing this I am 3 months into my Working Holiday adventure. As I arrived into Melbourne Tullamarine airport on a wet and windy October morning, on a plane from Singapore, I thought to my self what am I doing here? I’d travelled & chilled out in Asia and planned and not planned where I felt fit. But Australia, why do I need to plan for that? It plans itself, I’ll get off the plane and walk straight into a job that friends back in England will be envious of, my mum will be showing photographs of my fantastic waterside apartment and declaring what a great life I had carved for my self out here. The truth is different, very different.
Getting off the plane I had a backpack full of singlets and shorts and of course my trusted thongs to take my first steps on Aussie soil. On that step down off the tunnel, shivering, I hear my first Australian accent, “bet you thought there’d be kangaroos everywhere didn’t you?” The truth is I did a little. So armed with my first insight into Australian wit and the $80 I had left from all bank accounts and credit cards, I started the journey with a spring in my step and an October chill in my bones.
My guess is that, if you are reading this, you are a lot like me. We came here to Australia to travel, get a working holiday job and earn money. Hopefully we will earn enough money to pay for our travels and then have enough left over to take a little home to pay for all the nights out it will cost us to tell everyone how amazing Australia was! Well to do that we need to be productive with our time and put trust in other working holiday visa applicants advice. You never know, you might come out of this experience with more money than ever and more travel experience than you can shake a didgeridoo at.
Okay, so here’s the scenario; you need a job and some digs. Firstly, don’t worry, that’s what we are here for. Have a look at my next post on Tips For Getting a Bar Job, which shows you how to get a basic bar/waitress job within the first weekend of landing down in Melbourne or Sydney. Remember, that first job gives you the money you need to enjoy the beginning of your adventure, you’re going to need as much as possible!
Any questions or comments, just write it up below!
Thanks
Joel Mitchell
