A working holiday in Australia is a great way to travel the country and get the chance to live like a local. There are tons of different jobs available that allow working holiday VISA holders to work seasonally or longer, and many do not require a lot of experience. To get an idea of what it's like to work in Australia, I interviewed my friend Raven, who spent five months working at a cafe in Perth.
Photo Credits: Joey Csunyo
Q: How did you end up on a working holiday in Australia?
A: It was very spur of the moment. I was working at a guest ranch in Montana and we had just gotten different management. The girl I was working with, we both wanted to leave, and she was like, “Hey, I’ve always wanted to go to Australia, do you want to come?” and I said yeah, and the next day we went online and applied for VISAs. That’s how I ended up in Australia.
Q: How did you get your VISA?
A: I had a working holiday VISA. It was pretty simple, I just did the online application. [It only took] a couple weeks [to be approved].
Q: What did you do for work and how did you find the job?
A: We went to Australia first before we had a job. We flew into Sydney and we got there and we were like,“We don't like it here.” It felt like every other city. So we bought tickets again, basically spent all of our money, and went to Perth.
I got a job at a coffee shop cafe as a busser and I did that for 5 months. I went into a cafe, went up to the counter and I said, "Hi, I am looking for a job." Then I had an interview and I got the job. [I did not even need to turn in my resume because] it was for a busser... I wasn't even making drinks, I was literally bussing the tables. It was one of the easiest job.
My friend I went with actually got a real job. She was an events coordinator. I can't remember how she got that job, but she was so much more stressed than I was… I was just chillin’. I would go to work, I would go to the beach, eat food... so I think my way to go about it was the best way.
Photo Credits: Andrew Tanglao
Q: Did you need any experience or training?
A: Nope! You did not need experience. Training was like, "Hey, you see that dish? Go get that dish and bring it back to the dishwasher." I knew nothing, I literally just wondered around all day collecting dishes and then I would make myself a drink.
Q: What was a day in the life like at work?
A: It was usually 6:00am to 2:00pm. An 8 hour shift, 5 days a week with a lunch break. It was very easy, especially since I lived across the street. I would wake up and walk across the street and all day I would buss tables and sometimes I would make a drink for myself. [My only responsibility] was clearing tables. It was one of the easiest jobs I’ve ever had.
Q: What were the pros and cons of the job?
A: The best parts were the free coffee, time and a half on weekends, and that it was right across from my house. I actually don't think there were any cons [with the job], it was an amazing experience.
Q: Compared to the USA, how different was the work environment?
A: It was a very chill environment. I walked in and got the job, basically had no training, and I had no one watching me the entire day I worked. They hire people and they just expect that they will actually do the job. It's much different than America.
Photo Credits: Josh Appel
Q: How much money did you make and save?
A: I made 20 AU$ an hour and time and a half on weekends. The first time they came to me and said, "Hey someone can't work this weekend can you cover their shift, and it is a weekend so you get time and a half." And I was like, "Can I work every weekend?" Because in America [especially with seasonal work] they don't give you that choice. So that was weird but it was wonderful.
I basically saved nothing. Me and my friend saved about five grand before we got to Australia. By the time we got to Perth... between the flight to Australia, the flight from Sydney to Perth, and the Airbnb we rented... we had no money. [During the] five months working there, we saved up money and for a full month after we rented a car and did a drive around the whole country. [On that trip,] we had basically spent [everything we made.]
Q: How did taxes work when you got back to America?
A: It was fine. It got a little confusing because I also spent 5-6 months in New Zealand. [When I came back to America] I paid for someone to do my taxes that year so that I did not have to think about it. The weird thing though, is when you are living out of country and you are a US citizen you still have to do your state taxes even if you did not make any money.
Q: What did you do for housing?
A: We actually staid in the Airbnb with [another traveler] named Ryan. [We did not know Ryan beforehand.] The girl I was with was very spur of the moment... she met him at a cafe. We found [the house] before we flew to Perth so we had a place to land. It was about 150AU$ a week per two people. So me and my friend shared a room the entire time we were in Australia… we shared a bed the entire time we were in Australia. We had a deal with the owner where we had it for a month. After that month he was like, "You guys are really chill, I like you guys." So we ended up living there for the whole 5 months.
Photo Credits: David Clode
Q: What were some misconceptions you had about working and living in Australia?
A: I don't know what job I envisioned myself getting but I definitely envisioned myself more in the country or in the outback… That I'd be working with my hands... And then I just worked in a cafe and it was one of the easiest and highest paying jobs I have ever had.
I think a lot of times when people think of Australia they tend to think, outback or Steve Irwin type of people and thats not the majority… Especially if you are in a city, it is not that much different than a city in America. I do think it feels safer than in America. Also, I don't know if they still have this law, but when I was there, in the cities you had to stop ordering shots after midnight... as much as they say Australians drink I actually felt Americans drink more.
Q: About the wildlife and bugs... are they as bad as people say?
A: Where I lived, in a suburb, there were not many experiences with bugs. When my friend and I were traveling we went to the blue mountains and we found this accommodation. It was this trailer in the back of someones yard in the middle of nowhere. There were so many spiders! Some of them were tennis ball size.
The one thing I will say about kangaroos is we went to this park where kangaroos are know to be and I was so excited… and they are just deer. They are the deer of Australia. They jump out in front of cars and ruin people lives. I think the outback kangaroos are different, they are the built ones you picture when you think kangaroo… the ones in cities are just tiny little guys that just jump around and are basically deer on two feet.
Q: How was the food?
A: During the five months in Perth we were trying to save as much money as we could because we knew we wanted to do a month long of traveling and needed spending money. So a couple time a week we would go out and eat good food, but most of the time we would eat a lot of canned tuna, bread, and tomatoes… they had these tuna packets that were really good and it was cheap.
Every single place you go to restaurant wise is amazing. In America you have to pick and choose the best place. In Australia, every place you go is going to be wonderful. The weird thing about Australian coffee is that if you order an iced coffee or iced chai they will add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to it, unless you ask not to. But an iced chai with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is really good.
Photo Credits: Nathan Hurst
Q: What were the best parts about living in Australia?
A: I loved Australia. Perth, where we lived, is still to this day one of my favorite places I've lived in. I lived in a neighborhood called Leederville and everything was pretty much in walking distance. They had amazing public transportation, there was a whole bus and train system that was completely free so it was really easy to get around without a car.
Q: What were the worst parts about living in Australia?
A: Australian people... I love them… but they can sometimes be a little more harsh. Especially Australian men. You know when you are in fifth grade and boys pick on you and they say that means that they like you? They never grew out of that phase in Australia. Men are just mean to you. Aussie women just expect that, so they are use to it. The one experience I will never forget... I was at a bar one time and this guy whistled at me and did the little ‘come here’ finger. And I flipped him off because I was like, [heck no]. And then he did it to another girl and she just walks right up to him, and I was like…what??? That was the weirdest thing for me and the hardest thing to get used to.
Q: Any advice to someone about to go on a working holiday?
A: Australia is huge and every place has a different vibe, so I would say do you research. Try and figure out where you think you would best fit in, so you don't have to waste money. Don't work in the outback, there is nothing in the outback. The entire middle section of the country is nothing… But if you are driving through the outback make sure you have an extra tank of gas with you. Before you go to Australia you should probably look at all the different animals and what to do... everything can kill you in Australia.
Conclusion
If you are looking to go on a working holiday VISA in Australia there are tons of job options out there. Thank you so much to Raven for sitting down with me and not only providing her Australian working holiday experience, but her New Zealand experience as well. While your experience won't be the exact same as hers, hopefully she was able to provide some insight and give you an idea of what you your experience could be. If you have working in Australia on a working holiday VISA, share your experience in the comments below!