The time has come. You have $13 left in your bank account and it’s time to work. Don’t worry mate, I’m here to help you figure out how to get a job in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa. Here are three ways to get you started:
1. Get on your laptop and start looking at job boards online. Some job posts will ask you to bring a resume in in person, but I almost never had to bring a physical copy of my resume in to get a job, and some places I did told me to just go apply online. I would check 3 websites DAILY: Gumtree, Seek, and Indeed. Gumtree is definitely backpacker focused with lots of hospitality jobs, and also a great place to find a room to rent or a car to buy. IT’S YOUR LIFE AND BLOOD WHILE YOU’RE IN OZ. For some silly reason it doesn’t have an app yet, SO BOOKMARK THAT SHIT RIGHT NOW. However, I definitely worked for jobs that I had found on Seek and Indeed so don’t ignore them.
2. Don’t forget word of mouth! Talk to people in your hostel, maybe they know someone hiring. Even if you aren’t staying in a hostel, drop by to check out their job boards. My partner scored a couple casual jobs that way as well.
3. Lastly, it doesn’t hurt to stroll around with your resumes and hand them in to places. Employers seeing you in person is a bonus, but I would make checking job boards a priority over this one.
RSA & White Card:
There are a few different certifications you’ll need for certain jobs in Oz, particularly your RSA or White Card. Luckily, these both can often be done online!
An RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) card is required to serve alcohol, and essential for most hospitality jobs like restaurants and bars. You unfortunately CAN’T get an RSA card that is valid throughout all of Australia. While some states will allow the same card, others like New South Wales and Victoria require you to complete the course again for their specific certification.
You might notice like I did, that when you type “RSA [insert state] Australia” A LOT of different websites come up claiming you can complete your certificate there. You’ll soon start wondering, which of these are legit and which aren’t? I have no idea. But I do know the company I used and can definitely vouch for it! Express Online Training was easy to use, and if you get a question wrong it will let you try again until you pass the whole course. The price was the same (or even a bit less) than the other companies I took a look at.
A White Card is required to work in the construction industry. I can vouch for Express Online Training as well for this one as my partner did it to get his.
TIPS:
Once you land yourself a job you will need a TFN (Tax File Number), Australian bank account, and Superannuation account. If you want more information on how to apply for these, read my post about tips for when you arrive in Australia.
You should try to decide early on in your trip if you want to stay in Australia for a second year! A second year visa requires 88 days (3 months) of regional farm work. You want to make sure you have enough time to actually find farm work, and have enough time to complete your 88 days before your first WHV expires.
I wish you the best of luck with your job hunt! Don’t be discouraged if you’re turned down, some employers just won’t hire people on a WHV because you can only work for the same employer for six months. Just keep applying! The more places you apply to, the better your chances are. Have any other questions about how to get a job in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa? Leave a comment below!
(p.s. The top photo was from my time at a Turtle Rehabilitation Centre!)
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