Looks like we'll be heading out to Melbourne later in the year on a 457 transfer with my job. My daughter still lives in the UK (I am in USA currently, again on company transfer visa from UK) and she is now thinking that she might like to come out to Australia on the working visa holiday.

Having done the research on the official site, it states that on this visa she would have to do no more than 6 months at a time working for the same employer but that in theory providing she finds jobs she could do a second six months (or less) working for another employer. Also seems that if she did a minimum of 3 months in a regional or agricultural employ, she could extend the visa for another year. This is certainly a possibility as she currently works for an equine veterinary hospital in the UK and they have said they have some contacts in Melbourne area.

Here comes where I am confused, my son is currently working in New Zealand on a working holiday visa and he tells me that many of the people he has met have done the Australian working holiday and they say you can work longer than 6 months for any one employer (up to the one year). So can anyone shed light on the official stance/rules versus what people are saying they have done?

Thanks in advance for any helpful comments!

If you hold a second Working Holiday visa, you may return to work for a further six months for an employer with whom you worked on your first Working Holiday visa.

http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/

You are correct, your son is wrong. He must have met people that were working in breach of their visa conditions.

No, he isn't wrong. You can do six months on the first visa, and if you have done your three months of required work and can get the second visa then you can work for the same company for another six months.

Thank you both. But the first year visa does require minimum of 2x6 months jobs if we just leave out the regional/agricultural element and therefore the potential of a second year, if I am reading this all correctly. My daughter could not work a full year with one employer in the first year.

Yes, the first year, no more than six months in each job. Then IF she has done the regional work, when her second year visa has started she can go back for another maximum of six months.

Not sure if I understand this, particularly the bit I bolded. There is no minimum work requirement on a working holiday, except for what is required to get a second visa. It is a holiday visa that allows people to work to supplement their travel money.

The maximum amount of employment with any one employer is 6 months. It is possible after 3 months of specified work in the first visa to apply for a second WHV in Australia, and that second visa will simply be added to the end of the first visa - allowing for a stay of up to 2 years.

Because the 6 months with any employer resets itself on the 2nd visa (i.e. you can work for the same employer again), it would be possible to work for up to 12 months for one employer if timed correctly. I've not heard of anyone doing this, but the rules do allow for this as long as the first 6 months is on the first visa, and the 2nd visa takes over for the second 6 months.

If you work 3 months regional in the first 6 months of your first visa and apply for the 2nd year it's possible to work for an employer for the last 6 months of your first visa and the first 6 months of you 2nd visa. ie. work back to back on both visa's gives you a year with one employer.

I have heard of lots of people doing this.

Thank you, yes I have been researching some more and it seems that is allowed and good to know ahead of time so it can be planned that way. Good to hear that you know of people having done exactly that.