Many of us still remember that feeling when we got our first year working holiday visa for Australia granted. Utter excitement! After the long flight to the country of kangaroos, koalas and Steve Irwin, you finally arrive Down Under. With the average hostel price at around 30 AUD (20 Euro) a night it won’t take you long to realize Australia is a gorgeous, yet extremely expensive country. Time to find a job! But how do you go about it, and where do you look? In this article on how to find a job in Australia, you will hopefully you get well on your way.
Drop off your CV
The majority of backpackers working in Australia work in hospitality. Restaurants and cafes are almost always looking for new staff, especially right before the start of the busier seasons (spring, summer). The best way to get a job in a nice cozy coffee place or a hip and vibrant restaurant is just by simply walking in and leaving your CV. One day a friend of mine spend a few hours walking in and out of cafes and restaurants in Bondi, and the next day she was invited for two trials. That’s how fast it can go!
Do you make a killer coffee? Tell them!
Tip 1: Australians LOVE their coffee, so if you’re a barista you’re already one step ahead of the game! Don’t forget to mention this in your CV.
Tip 2: Bluff! Even if you never worked in hospitality, it is worth giving a try. Another one of my friends had zero hospitality work experience, but he pimped up his CV, bluffed his way through the interview and trial, and got a job at a lovely coffee bar in Sydney the next day. The minimum wage for working in hospitality is around 19 AUD (13 Euro) which makes it one of the least paying jobs. But a few good tips can definitely make up for that!
Finding a job in Australia isn’t hard, it does take some effort
Search on Gumtree
Gumtree is a local ads website where anyone can offer (almost) anything, so it is also the perfect place to find a job. You can either place an ad yourself and let the recruiters find you or you can search the thousands of ads on there. Surf to Gumtree, click on the ‘jobs’ section, select the city or area you’d like to work in, and GO! You can also specify your search by only looking for call center jobs, or jobs in another specific field. Should you be looking for farm work to obtain a second year working holiday visa in Australia, then Gumtree is also a good place to search. I found my regional work by placing my own ad on Gumtree, and I just completed my 88 days!
88 days of farm work – working in the orange fields
Seek for a job on SEEK
SEEK (http://seek.com.au) is a professional website where recruiters post their job openings. You can just browse through all the available jobs by category, or you can create your own profile and hope the recruiters will find you (the latter not working as effectively as the first). I found that Seek especially comes in handy when you’re looking for a call center job, which on average pay about 25 AUD an hour. There’s plenty of these jobs being offered and if you have a little customer service experience (again, bluffing might help) you will very likely be invited for an interview.
Good ol’ Facebook
There are plenty of Facebook groups dedicated to offering casual work. Take for example Brisbane Promo Staff , Melbourne Promo Staff and Sydney Promo Staff. In these groups you’ll find plenty of offers for casual work. In other less work-specific Facebook groups such as Australian Backpackers or (if you’re Dutch) in Dutchies in Australia you’ll also occasionally come across various job offers.
How to find a job down under in Brisbane?
Hop around your hostel
Most hostels have a job board and that is the perfect way how to find a job down under. Have a look through these or even go to the reception and ask them if they can find you anything. I once did this at a hostel in Sydney, and a few weeks later I got a call from the manager that they were looking for new staff. Score! Finding a job in Australia isn’t hard, but it does take some effort. If you don’t hear anything back after your first few job applications then don’t lose all hope straight away, because it sometimes takes just a little bit of time and patience.
Never give up, keep applying and keep on smiling! GOOD LUCK!
Love,
Evelien
More tips about living in Australia? Check below!
