I don’t like doing the whole ‘top tips’ post because there are heaps of them out there that are often stupid and unhelpful, but there are a few things I have learn’t since being in Australia, that I really wish I had known before my trip, so I thought i’d share it with you.1. Work Experience – So far Australia seems to be the hardest country to find work. There are lots of jobs out there, but only for the experienced. Every single job advert is looking for experienced candidates. There are heaps of barista jobs, as well as cafe all rounders, cleaning jobs, bar jobs, waiters/waitresses jobs, but again, they all require experience, and sometimes at least 2 years experience. If I was to start my trip all over again, I would absolutely pick up a part time job in my home country doing something like bar work etc, not for the money, but for the experience, to put down on my CV. I have experience in call centre work, but many of these jobs require people with residency, not just on a working holiday visa. (Unless you want to work in sales which is often a 100% commission wage, and you can quite often be coming home from work with little to no money). I also have experience in outdoor work from New Zealand, but this type of work is normally way out of the cities. So basically get one of those ^ jobs under your belt to make it a lot easier for you when you arrive.

2. Qualifications – I’m not talking degrees etc, i’m talking about qualifications you can obtain to allow you to do a certain job. For example, generally to work in construction, you need a white card, which can be obtained online, and is essentially a health and safety certificate. Most employers will not allow you onsite without one of these. If you’re looking to work behind a bar, you need to have a ‘Responsible service of alcohol’ certificate. I believe you can obtain these in England before heading to Australia, or you can do it in Australia.

3. Money – I know it sucks to hear, but you really do need a chunk of money to start off, so that if you don’t get into a job within the first month, you can still afford to live/pay for accommodation. Depending on how good you are with budgeting, I would recommend having at least $2000AUD to get you started, to cover food, accommodation and transport. I know it sounds like a lot, but if you don’t get a job in within the first couple of months you will really need it. Also just be as tight as possible and don’t buy anything unless you really need it, you will thank yourself for it later on.
The above three points are pretty much the most important, but seem to never come up on ‘top tips’ posts, so please take my advice, from my experience in Australia, so you don’t fall into the same difficulty!
If you have any questions feel free to get in touch, drop a comment or email me!