Making the most of a working holiday visa can be a delicate operation.
On the one hand, you want to get enough silly waterproof notes in your pocket to be able to afford what you want to while you’re Down Under.
But on the other hand, you don’t want to find you’ve suddenly resumed the wage slave’s life that you thought you’d left behind, trudging along the rat race everyday. It’s still a holiday after all, albeit a damn cool one.
In other words, the best travelling jobs are not necessarily those that pay top dollar, but the ones that let you have a laugh, gain a few experiences and meet a load of like-minded people. If that sounds more like you, then hospitality jobs are where you need to be heading.
Whether it’s tending bars, clearing tables, cheffing or cleaning rooms, there’s plenty of jobs on offer.
But before you walk into a pub with your resume, make sure you’ve got your Responsible Service of Alcohol Certificate (obligatory in some states, preferred in others). That’s a qualification most people will need before they can work with alcohol. It only takes a day to get and costs about $65-75. But beware, it normally only applies to the state where you do the training.
Experience is sought after, explains Robyn Hill of Troys Hospitality Staff. “Clients use our agency when their own staff are sick, so they don’t have time to train people”.
“Personality is really important, too, but you need the skills,” she says.
Wages are around $19 per hour for waiters and kitchenhands, or $24 at weekends. Chefs can earn $24 during the week, or up to $29 an hour at weekends if they are fully qualified.
A great opportunity right now is to try and land a job at an Aussie ski resort.
The season runs from June to October, but resorts in the Victorian Alps and Snowy Mountains, such as Thredbo and Perisher Valley, are already hiring.
