Struggling to find work in Australia? Read this!
If you have recently arrived in Australia on your working holiday visa and are struggling to find work, you are not alone! I learnt a few things the hard way.
I fell into a bit of a tailspin in my first few weeks because a job fell through. I also didn’t have much money to survive for long in Melbourne without work. While I thought I was pretty employable, I found myself applying for 10 to 15 jobs a day for several weeks. I either had rejections or radio silence, which I found odd considering I’m a seasoned professional with several years in my field.
I was starting to think my CV was cursed, or maybe I was… but once we started chatting with other backpackers, a few things started to make sense.
Australia is in the midst of an influx of travellers and students. It turns out, if you had a visa during the pandemic and left early, you were entitled to enter Australia again and use the visa, however, had to return by July 2023. The result? A huge influx of travellers, all arriving at the same time. This, plus students returning means everyone is competing for the same jobs and accommodation. When I finally got interviews, employers explained they were receiving thousands of CVs so everything was taking much longer to process and the competition was fierce. So, here’s what I would pass on to anyone making the same move…
Come away with more savings than you think you need. Two months of rent plus extra to live on is a good start and saves the stress of needing to find work within days of arrival.
Facebook groups (e.g. Backpacker Jobs in Australia) are a good source of support, advice and jobs.
Patience. I was expecting work straight away, but it took about 6 to 7 weeks before I got anything solid.
Expect job applications to be a numbers game, don’t worry about firing off CVs to everyone under the sun!
Print a CV and go for a walk. A lot of friends recommended walking into bars to see who was hiring, and some said they were hired on the spot.
If you want to work in a particular industry or carry on your previous career, try to line that up before you arrive.
Don’t rely on recruiters. I think everyone knows this by now but take everything with a pinch of salt, I spoke to a few who were very keen… then disappeared.
Cast your net wide. Consider applying across as many industries as possible.
Expect to pick up a few courses and qualifications, more on that below!
Qualifications and courses
There were a few things that my partner and I ended up booking when we arrived, once we realised we wouldn’t get work without them!
RSA (Responsible sales of Alcohol, needed for any bar work and helps with restaurant work)
This cost in the region of £30 ($50) and is a day course.White Card (Basic health and safety for labouring work, crew work and anything involving heavy lifting)
This cost in the region of £50 ($100) and is a day course.
You can usually do these online or in person. We opted for in-person, just to help us not fall asleep from boredom on Zoom!
I hope this helps a little, even if it just aligns expectation with reality!
Naomi x