Rough Guide to a Working Holiday

Ok. So after bumbling around these past couple weeks, here are a few pointers to whoever is thinking about doing something like this (Cindy & Ronnie). Hopefully, this will help you plan things better than I did (that is, none whatsoever, beyond booking the flight, and the first week’s accommodation). Mind you, I did discover that I’m a 3-week traveller. Much longer than that, and I just get bored of travelling, and I want to go home. I’m also the type that likes steady income, so a working holiday really isn’t for me.

Pre Departure:
- Get the visa online, via the Australian Government’s site. It’s easily googled. The approval takes about 2 days, and will set you back about $200.
- Get a travel guide. craigslist.org often has them for cheap.
o Check out jobs. On www.seek.com.au, there is a list of recruiting agencies, as well as a wack of jobs. It takes about a month for them to get back to you, so plan accordingly. You may notice that some cities seem to have more job openings. This may affect where you want to be based. Two among many are Sydney and Melbourne. Of note, Sydney is VERY similar to Vancouver. If this is not what you want, consider staying somewhere else.
- Update your resume. The Australian format and expectation is a bit different from ours, so do look it up. The other thing is to set your paper size to A4.
- Book your flight 4-8 weeks before you want to leave, as that is when ticket prices drop a bit. United tends to have the cheapest flights. Book directly from their website: united.ca
- Book 3-4 nights at a hotel or hostel. If you plan on travelling around, get an HI membership. It saves you money on loads of other stuff as well.
- It is a good idea to have about 1000AUD for rent and places that only accept cash. For all other purchases, you can put them on your credit card, with a decent exchange rate. (I am assuming that you will have money in your Canadian accounts to pay off these purchases via the internet).
- Check out mobile providers and/or get your phone unlocked. If you are really attached to the internet, and do not have a laptop, get one. Talking pc-pc or pc-phone is way cheaper than any phone card. Also note that calls to Australian mobiles are more expensive than calling landlines. Major companies that I’ve heard of:
o Optus
o Vodafone
o Three
o Telstra
- You will need an adapter, but you can also purchase them in Oz for less than $10.

Arrival
- Get a phone/SIM card ASAP. This is vital for finding a place and a job. When getting a plan (prepay or otherwise), keep in mind that call display (number only), incoming texts and incoming calls are free. You only pay for the stuff you call/send out.
- Get on the internet and look for a place. Don’t bother with listings that are more than 4 days old. You can also look for ads on lamposts around major train stations. Make sure you check out the place before committing. Note the state of the kitchen and bathroom. Test out the bed, if you can. If you can’t get a good night’s rest, you’re gonna have a bad time. Make sure the landlord gives you a receipt for your payments.
o flatmates.com.au
o gumtree.com.au
o craigslist.org
- Set up a bank account within 10 days after you arrive. If you wait too long, you will have to procure more forms of identifcation. There’s some sorta points system that determines whether or not you can open an account. I went with Westpac, and have no complaints. They were pretty awesome in setting me up with an everyday account, a savings account (7% interest), and a Super account (a pension account that your employer will be depositing 9% into, that you can claim back when you leave). HSBC is also here, but you may want to check how available their ATMs are around Australia. Be careful about how much money you deposit right off the bat. It takes a week for your bank card to be ready for pick up.
- Follow up on applications to temp agencies. Try to land placements that are 1-2weeks long, and use the time between jobs to travel. In the meanwhile, go sightsee and have fun.
- Once you have a residential address, apply for a Tax File Number. It typically takes 4 weeks to process. You will need this number to be taxed only 29%, rather than 49. Don’t worry about not having it right when you start your job. You are allowed to work for 3 weeks before they require the number.