ScotOz2014

On a WHV you should definitely get travel insurance to cover any medical issues. The reciprocal arrangement isn't a 100% cover and if (heaven forbid) you were stricken with something that required repatriation then you have to pay for that.

hey "Quoll". can you tell me, would you recommend this website and the deals shown for travel insurance, which also covers me medically?

Look at harvest trail. If you're asking if you can secure a job far In advance I'd say no, there's no benefit to them for that. If you're asking if you can get picking work in April then yes, there are crops still coming in then.

There are plenty of companies that advertise for pickets, often the farmers themselves on gumtree but harvest trail will give you the info of what's where.

i was asking only because i thought when i arrive there may not be any picking work due to my arrival being after the summer months. il be looking on gumtree and harvest trail when i arrive

Brilliant info especially about Melbourne, I fly out on the 30th aug got my first week booked in my hostel then will be on the job hunt for farm work. Need to get my second year visa app in before I turn 31 in march!! Have made notes about Vic market and house shares. One question about house shares where are they advertised?? Going to find easy pickings on fb like there pay an go from there it's all very exciting planning it all

yeah thats where im heading august...not far away then! i think when i arrive im staying with a friend for the first month or so and then il be moving on. il be doing my farm/regional work through easy pickings too. yeah iv heard about the vic market. helps save money when buying food, compared to the supermarkets, shops etc. you can find house or roomshares on airbnb and easyroommate,

http://au.easyroommate.com/victoria/melbourne-share-accommodation

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/s/Melbourne--Victoria--Australia?source=bb

i love planning it! makes it feel real until the time comes when i actually leave

"EasyPickings" is a legit company? isn't it? :huh:

Ahh I know there, I went to barony college in Dumfries. I'm from lanarkshire, hope you have a great time in Australia!

no waaaayy!!! im from dumfries!! small world, eh?

easypickings is the company that helps with giving travellers/backpackers their 88 days of regional work to get the additional year on to their visa

hey all,

Im posting this because id like to know what the chances are of getting a fruit picking job through easypickings, but starting in april?? Im aware that the fruit picking season is usually in the summer time but il be leaving for oz when the australian summer ends

will there still be a good chance of me starting my 3 months regional work after the australian summer time?

Thanks for the advice "Lynsey Nicolson" and "Britpop". I already have my phone unlocked. At the moment im with O2 but iv been researching some of the australian network providers and theres a couple of cheap ones that are ideal for me

hey fellow PIO users

i just want to see what people say about this, if im going about it the right way

the details i need before i leave are travel insurance for 1 year (which covers me medically too), my WHV which costs £265, and a one way flight to melbourne? does this sound okay or am i missing something out?

then when i arrive i'll open up my bank account and pick up my debit card (havent got round to picking a bank yet). use moneycorp to transfer my money over to my aus account. also il need to get my TFN (Tax File Number) for working in aus.

does this sound like im on the right track? any help will be greatly appreciated

im going out to aus in 2015 too, late february/early march. im not going with a company. im just going myself because i will save a lot more money because some of the companies offer packages at prices like £400 and that money can be better spent on your travels. im flying to melbourne and then its plain sailing for me. On my own, 22 years old. Quite scary if i must say so!! but iv waited a long time for this! iv always wanted to do this because i KNOW it will change me and my outlook on life and what better way to do it than in the blazing sunshine in aus!!

love this feed! im on the exact same boat as you "jessicagrunner". im leaving to go to aus in february and plan on flying into melbourne to spend most of my time there.

hey all iv decided im going to australia in february of next year. wanted to give myself that extra bit of time to save up a bit more money. can anyone tell me of any annual events that happen in melbourne around the time of my arrival that could possibly make me spend more money on bits to stay than usual or what the chances are like of getting farm work when events are on?

it will be a very daunting time in my life when i finally get on that flight, on my own, only being 22 and wondering around melbourne alone so i need all the help i can get

thanks folks

"hooroo" (already learning some aussie words)

Thats not far away!! Excited? At first i wanted to go in october/november but i want to give myself more time to save a bit more money so im heading over late february/early march just need the bottle to book my flights now, so theres no going back.

when are you heading over "EMMA123"?

what sort of price are we talking for a WHV? is it best to get it off of immi at £265? does anywhere else do it cheaper?

Hi guys. Im pretty sure im booking my flights next month for late february. Is it safe for me to apply for my WHV just now, as i wont be in oz until feb 2015?

so what your saying is that i have to get the australian qualifications (which will probably be the equivalent of what i've already got). so il have to go through the process of getting the qualifications again?

this position would be absolutely ideal for me...but only if i was travelling to oz sooner i dont think il find a better job vacancy its got what i want!

definitely scary but you will learn a lot about yourself when your on your own, for sure. yeah il let u know. i wont be booking my flights until later on in the year though.

hey AnthonyP. thats cool yeah i think i am. at first before i made the decision i was very nervous because itl be a hard first month or so for me as iv never been outside the UK myself, never mind europe, and im only 21 haha. but yeah, i think im travelling myself although i have a step brother who says he can take a year out of his work to come with me but i dont know what his final decision is.

howcome?

thanks jalapeno. im looking forward to it so much! hopefully il end up not returning to the UK haha.

yeah i know this. i think im going spend the first month or so chilling out and getting used to my surroundings a bit, and then il start looking for places to do my regional work.

my phone isnt locked. im using a pay as you go O2 simcard at the moment. will it work over in australia though?

hi all :biggrin:

im just wondering how id go about changing my phone network operator if i need to. im currently on the O2 network and im on a pay-as-you-go tariff. do i need to change my network from O2 to one thats suited to australia or can i just keep using my O2 sim card and topping up each month, as i do just now?

if i need to change, will there be any networks that are as cheap as O2 ($10-$15 a month)?

thanks for any advice :cool:

i have found this thread extremely helpful! i am also leaving the UK at the end of this year/start of next at the very latest, and im heading to melbourne...on my own!! iv already got flights planned but not yet booked because someone i know works as an air hostess and she can get me 50% off flights to australia im also going to be doing my 3 months of specified work in melbourne and then im thinking of moving onto somewhere else, maybe sydney for some of the sight seeing and activities.

this thread has helped me a lot, thanks folks

does that apply on the 2nd year of my visa?