Finding work in Australia
Your best option for work is to register at temporary employment agencies. This fits within the scope of your working holiday permit and also lines you up for reasonably well paying work.
There are also several good employment websites that are a good starting point. These include CareerOne (www.careerone.com.au), MyCareer (www.mycareer.com.au) and Seek (www.seek.com.au). Also try Hippo (www.hippo.com.au), which has more of a focus on casual and part time work.
To get a good idea about the availability of work, long-term accommodation and costs of living, check the classified ads in the main Australian newspapers. The Saturday editions of the Age (Melbourne), the Courier Mail (Brisbane) and the Sydney Morning Herald are particularly good places to look for work.
Fruit picking is a popular backpackers job in Australia. It is hard work, but it’s a good way to keep fit and get a tan and picking fruit for three months may make you eligible for a second Working Holiday visa. This sort of work is usually in small rural towns that you wouldn’t otherwise want to visit, however there is work available in most parts of Australia. Most hostels in fruit-picking destinations will find work for you and a quick phone call to the hostel before arriving can give you a quick rundown on the work situation.
The National Harvest Labour Information Service (NHLIS; tel 1800 062 332; website www.jobsearch.gov.au/harvesttrail) is a good place to look for fruit picking work as they have a regularly updated database on where harvest work is available. It’s a good idea to contact them before leaving for the area where you want to work as conditions can quickly change.
