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"Working holiday" type jobs

"Working holiday" type jobs

Old Jan 9th 2011, 9:44 pm
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Default "Working holiday" type jobs

Hi all,

I've put this thread in the "Jobs wanted" section too but have noticed that there doesn't seem to be many replies on there so I thought I'd stick it in here aswell.

My 21 year old son is moving back to Australia in July before our PR visa runs out in August.
Before he knuckles down to his chosen career, he wants to spend a year or two maybe working either on a farm, as a jackaroo, doing fruit picking or something similar.

He's not fussed whereabouts in Oz he works as he wants to travel around anyway.

Have any of you had any experience doing this type of work?

We've looked online at various companies but first hand knowledge would be a big help.

Thank you!

Julie. x

P.S. Any ideas on how not to miss him would be grateful too
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Old Jan 9th 2011, 10:19 pm
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

Try this site for rural jobs
http://www.coastshop.com.au/jobs/nsw/index.html

most of these are available via backpacker hostels in Sydney (on the noticeboard )
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Old Jan 9th 2011, 10:25 pm
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

Let him check this out, some love it.
http://www.wwoof.com.au/
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Old Jan 10th 2011, 1:22 am
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

We recruit a lot of backpackers to drive tractors and do other various work on our farm.

When we need people we tend to put an advert on Gumtree, a free website and wait for the responses to flood in. It's a good site and never lets us down - you can post work wanted type adverts too.

We ask applicants to summarise their experience so we can make sure they'll enjoy the job and be capable of doing the job well.

He'll have a blast
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Old Jan 10th 2011, 1:25 am
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

"Wwoofing" as suggested above is volunteering in exchange for food/board. It is great as a traveler, and a wonderful way to meet people.

If looking for paid farm work, you'll need to know what is being harvested when and where. There's obviously no point in turning up in the south, when things aren't ready to pick/plant/pack etc!

This link is to the government harvest trail job vacancy website. It's pretty useful as you can pick a state, and their either pick a crop, a town or the months he will be looking for work. It will then tell you any jobs etc.
http://jobsearch.gov.au/harvesttrail/towncroplist.aspx
I have called them on a few occasions too and found them pretty helpful there.

They've offered me advice on accommodation in the areas I was inquiring about too - not sure if that's in their job description or not!

I have also found this website pretty handy -
http://www.harvesttrail.org.au/
If you click on the book on the bottom right corner, it takes you to a copy of a book. After the first few pages of descriptions/intro, it goes in to tables, state by state, town by town, crop by crop... with dark squares coloured when the demand for workers for the particular crop in a town is high, medium or low.
I carried the book around with me for a couple of years and found it very useful!

It's a great way to travel around, working your way around Oz. There are always jobs going somewhere.
One tip is to try and get there a couple of weeks before the harvest is due to begin. The book/website is a great guide, but obviously this varies due to the rainfall and general weather conditions. I found the harvest trail number (I think - 1800 062 332) to be helpful with regards to this too, they can advise about the weather etc. Again, not sure if it is part of the job description of them there or not!

You might struggle finding jobs on the internet. Farmers don't tend to advertise there. As above, gumtree.com.au is the main one. Sometimes you'll find some on the www.globalgossip.com noticeboard. The hotline you call is helpful, and notices in local backpacker hostels and newsagents etc are where you are more likely to find adverts. And he'll generally find it easier when in a town.

He'll also find it easier if he has his own transport. Farms are not slap bang in the middle of towns, so where ever he might be staying, he is probably going to need to transport himself to and from work every day. Saying this, some farmers have accommodation on site. Some farmers will let you camp on the land and have facilities for people doing this.
Otherwise the other option is to stay in a "working backpackers", where the backpacker management will have farmer contacts, the backpackers will organise finding work and will often transport you there and back too.

A couple of working hostels in Mildura (north Victoria), Berri Backpackers in South Australia, A few in Bundaberg and Ayr (both QLD), a few in Huonville in Tassie (south of Hobart)... that's all I can think of for now.

Hope that wasn't a massive ramble and something in there helps! Let me know if you've got any questions - I did the backpacking thing around Oz and worked on about 5 different farms - loved it! It's hard work, but if he sticks at it, he'll get used to it.
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Old Jan 10th 2011, 1:39 am
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

Originally Posted by Juliecabs
Hi all,

I've put this thread in the "Jobs wanted" section too but have noticed that there doesn't seem to be many replies on there so I thought I'd stick it in here aswell.

My 21 year old son is moving back to Australia in July before our PR visa runs out in August.
Before he knuckles down to his chosen career, he wants to spend a year or two maybe working either on a farm, as a jackaroo, doing fruit picking or something similar.

He's not fussed whereabouts in Oz he works as he wants to travel around anyway.

Have any of you had any experience doing this type of work?

We've looked online at various companies but first hand knowledge would be a big help.

Thank you!

Julie. x

P.S. Any ideas on how not to miss him would be grateful too
come back with him Jules
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Old Jan 10th 2011, 5:23 pm
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

Originally Posted by Sam
come back with him Jules
Don't tempt me Sam

I would absolutely love to come back, but my girls don't want to live there again as they are settled with long term boyfriends (eldest daughter is about to move in with her boyfriend), great jobs and uni, and I'm not sure I could live on the other side of the world without them.
It's one thing your kids leaving you but (and I know I shouldn't really think this way as I have a life to lead too and the kids are all grown up), I would feel awful leaving them behind.

Besides my partner doesn't have a visa, so unless he finishes with me before August I don't think I'm going anywhere!
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Old Jan 10th 2011, 5:24 pm
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

Thank you to all of you for the suggestions. I'm going to trawl through them all now and see what we come up with. Karma on it's way

Julie. x
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Old Jan 10th 2011, 6:48 pm
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

How do you feel about losing your PR visa Jules old girl?

I have about 18 months left on mine, and as i write, well i ain't coming back in the next two weeks, but it is a week at a time as i write. But weeks go to months go to a year. I have been back nine months now, feels like i never had to leave for a very sad personal reason. I hate to think at the moment should i be sitting here thinking if i do not head back by "x" i will lose my PR visa. I will not get another, as i will be too old.

Keith
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Old Jan 10th 2011, 7:05 pm
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

Originally Posted by Keith Moon
How do you feel about losing your PR visa Jules old girl?

I have about 18 months left on mine, and as i write, well i ain't coming back in the next two weeks, but it is a week at a time as i write. But weeks go to months go to a year. I have been back nine months now, feels like i never had to leave for a very sad personal reason. I hate to think at the moment should i be sitting here thinking if i do not head back by "x" i will lose my PR visa. I will not get another, as i will be too old.

Keith
It scares the life out of me Keith to be honest
I've got so much going round in my head at the moment that I'm not sure which way to turn. Part of me desperately wants to return to Australia and make a go of a life there but I'm not sure I can do it without my kids near me. It wasn't my choice to return before back in 2006, but since then my marriage broke up and I've had to start again here. My kids are now 21, 20 and 19, so not children anymore, and I know that in the not too distant future they will be off doing their own thing. They are still young enough to be able to get visas again in their own right, but as you say, I too will be too old to get another.
Difficult situation, and I am dreading August coming round. Actually, I'm dreading July coming round which is when my son is leaving these shores

What I would like is one of those "sliding door" moments when you can see what would happen whether I stayed here or went to Oz
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Old Jan 10th 2011, 9:45 pm
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

Originally Posted by lou1003
You might struggle finding jobs on the internet. Farmers don't tend to advertise there. As above, gumtree.com.au is the main one.

And he'll generally find it easier when in a town.

He'll also find it easier if he has his own transport. Farms are not slap bang in the middle of towns, so where ever he might be staying, he is probably going to need to transport himself to and from work every day. Saying this, some farmers have accommodation on site. Some farmers will let you camp on the land and have facilities for people doing this.
Loads of good advice Lou but you may be incorrect with the statement "farmers don't tend to advertise on the internet" - times have changed, there's often loads of adverts!

Totally agree with the transport - our guys invest in $600 bangers and it's much easier!
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Old Jan 13th 2011, 1:16 am
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

Originally Posted by mulben
Try this site for rural jobs
http://www.coastshop.com.au/jobs/nsw/index.html

most of these are available via backpacker hostels in Sydney (on the noticeboard )
Great site!
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Old Jan 13th 2011, 9:18 am
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Originally Posted by noodlesom
Great site!
We used to get a lot of backpackers from this site to Hillston / Griffith and Barham . Griffith would be the mecca for summer backpackers .
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Old Jan 13th 2011, 9:48 am
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

Hi Julie, hows things, hope your all well.

Sounds like some good advice from above posts.

We have had quite a few scottish youngsters passing through, i would say about 4 in total, all struggled to get jobs, worked here and there in mellie, couldnt make ends meet much, (we were the back-up), we put them up , fed them for a bit etc, but honestly julie they really struggled , from what ave seen of them i would avoid mellie, well cbd areas anyway , however i think alot is all down to luck, . There was plenty of bar work for them around, but none of them would go and get there bar certificate (would only have cost around 60 bucks and half a day at tafe), they just thought they shouldnt pay for it, but its just the way it is here! On the other hand i was talking to a nice young english girl who had managed to get a job in a pub, still had to do the course thing but the bar paid for it. Also spoke to an english guy working the season at Mount Buller,http://www.mtbuller.com.au/Summer/, said there was a bunch of english and irish there and they were having the time of thier lives! A couple of them also worked for a short time at the call-centre in the city for foxtel.

Think it will all be a bit easier for him as he has p.r and not a working holiday visa!

Last edited by Margaret3; Jan 13th 2011 at 10:00 am.
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Old Jan 15th 2011, 12:45 pm
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Default Re: "Working holiday" type jobs

Originally Posted by Margaret3
Hi Julie, hows things, hope your all well.

Sounds like some good advice from above posts.

We have had quite a few scottish youngsters passing through, i would say about 4 in total, all struggled to get jobs, worked here and there in mellie, couldnt make ends meet much, (we were the back-up), we put them up , fed them for a bit etc, but honestly julie they really struggled , from what ave seen of them i would avoid mellie, well cbd areas anyway , however i think alot is all down to luck, . There was plenty of bar work for them around, but none of them would go and get there bar certificate (would only have cost around 60 bucks and half a day at tafe), they just thought they shouldnt pay for it, but its just the way it is here! On the other hand i was talking to a nice young english girl who had managed to get a job in a pub, still had to do the course thing but the bar paid for it. Also spoke to an english guy working the season at Mount Buller,http://www.mtbuller.com.au/Summer/, said there was a bunch of english and irish there and they were having the time of thier lives! A couple of them also worked for a short time at the call-centre in the city for foxtel.

Think it will all be a bit easier for him as he has p.r and not a working holiday visa!
Thanks for this Margaret. I will suggest he does bar work instead. He is fully qualified at that as he helped me run a pub recently and still works part time as a barman when he's not doing his day job. I'm sure he would be happy to fork out for a bar certificate if it means he can earn money. Also, my brother lives just outside Melbourne so at least he has accommodation sorted.

Hope you're ok too
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