[23 Days Left] WHV Questions (Bank/Tax File #/Phone/Luggage/Work)!

[Guest Conzy]

Hi there!

 

I've been planning this for a few months now with a friend; flights, travel insurance and the Oz Experience bus pass have already been booked. We have also pre-booked hostel accommodation for a week in Singapore (outbound) and 3 weeks in Sydney. We've both got our WHVs sorted and are pretty much ready to go minus a few things.

 

1) Banking/money. Do we need proof of sufficient funds to gain entrance? I've heard differing things about this. Apparently I can photocopy a bank statement of the £ equivalent of $5000 and that's fine? But then I've also heard you don't need proof at all. I have £3800 to take with me. How long is that likely to last? We're planning on staying from October to March and then I'll be going to SE Asia for a months. We are both planning on working in bars/retail to supplement our funds, which leads me to my next questions...

 

2) Jobs. How likely are we to get (bar) work in Sydney/up the East coast? I have 4 months bar experience. Do we need to get a license to work behind a bar out there? How hard is it to find jobs (any suitable for travellers, not just bar work)? Would you recommend looking at the hostel boards or go out to each place and hand out a CV? I have 10 A*-B (1 B) GCSE grades and A*BB at A-level. Am I possibly not thinking about a certain job I could look into that would be suitable work for a backpacker or should I just be looking at retail/bar work? Finally, we also plan on doing some farm work somewhere on the East coast. Do we need to look into that now or as we're going along?

 

3) Bank/tax file #. What bank is most recommended for travellers to Oz? I've heard good things about ANZ and my friend who's out there at the moment is with Commonwealth Bank. I'm with HSBC at the moment. Do I need to make a new bank account for Oz (e.g. ANZ) or can I just use my HSBC account? Is it possible to sort out my tax file number here or do I need to do that upon entrance to Oz? I've been looking into it and the sites say that you can only apply whilst inside Oz, though I've heard differently. Also, I remember when researching months ago reading something about having to go to the UK embassy to pick something up/sort something out. Any idea what this would be or is that not necessary?

 

4) Luggage?! http://www.tickettotheworld.co.uk/packing_list.php?!

 

5) Phone! How do most of you guys do this? Do you take your current smartphone and just use it in WiFi areas to Skype home and then get a new phone and a new Oz sim? Or are there other ways to do this? I'm on Vodafone and need to look into their Passport service.

 

I realise that I have a lot of questions, I'm just starting to panic a little now and want clarification on all these things. I'm well aware I probably should have sorted most of this out weeks ago!

 

I would really, really, REALLY appreciate any response you can give to this as I know it takes a lot of effort for no reward.

 

If you feel like I'm not thinking about something important/have some advice or tips, that would also be fantastic!

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Conz.

[bell123321]

Can only help with a couple of points:

 

Tax: Go on the following website: http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/content.aspx?doc=/content/38760.htm&pc=001/002/001/008/002&mnu=1106&mfp=001/002&st=&cy=1 of if that link doesn't work go on: http://www.ato.gov.uk and on the left hand side click on the bit about getting a tax number. You can apply for your tax number online on this website but you have to wait till your in Australia.

 

Phone: Is your phone unlocked? If not I would recommend getting it unlocked and stick an Australia Sim card in it as you do not want to pay for international roaming and international call fees.

 

Banks: You can apply before you arrive. There are a lot of different bank accounts over there and I have only got experience with WestPac who were very easy and quick. Took only a day for them to open the account. I probably wouldn't use your HSBC account as they will probably charge you to withdraw your money unless you have an account that doesn't. (very few do not charge fees).

 

Luggage - That link seems to cover most things. I would also take maybe a folder to put your CV, ID, Flight tickets, list of useful contact numbers etc in

 

Proof of income - Yes I would take a copy of your bank statement to prove your funds sometimes they will ask to see proof other times they wont but to be on the safe side do take proof. Are you coming on a return ticket or one way ticket? If one way make sure you have enough funds on top of the $5000 to purchase another ticket to satisfy immigration requirements.

 

Jobs - Sorry Not able to help there seek.au is a good website and I imagine back packer hostels have a noticeboard. I do think you need a license to work in bar but I think you can pay and do this online.

[nicolac34]

Bell has covered most of it.

 

1) We didn't show proof of funds when we arrived in Perth, would have been tricky as we didn't have very much! But then we had my brother to go and live with, not heard of anyone actually being asked to show it, but if you have it then you may as well bring a statement with you. No idea how long it will last as it depends on what sort of lifestyle you are planning on living and how much you like eating out and drinking (if a lot, then it wont last long!)

 

2) Sorry, can't help with ideas on bar work. I do know that lots of hostels put up temp jobs on their boards. Had a friend get a few bits of work this way.

 

3) Don't use your HSBC account over here, you'll be charged a fortune in fees. Open a bank account whe you arrive (any will be fine, I'm with Bankwest which is Commonwealth Bank and I'm happy enough), you just need to take your passport and visa in with you (print out of the WHV grant email). Once you have an account it would be wise to transfer your UK funds into this account to use. Before you leave sign up with a FX company. I use UKForex and find them brilliant, very helpful. You do an 'order' which is to say you want to transfer X amount from GBP into AUD and it asks you for your Oz bank details. Once you submit you then just need to transfer the cash from your HSBC account to their account and before you know it (2 days max) it will be showing up in your Oz account. Loads cheaper than doing it though the banks, think UKforex charges about £7 a trade whereas through the bank you're looking at HSBC charging you around £80 and then the incoming bank charging you a similar amount.

 

You can't get a tax file number until you've landed, you need an address for it to be posted out to and can take a few weeks. No idea what you'd need to go to the embassy for!!

 

4) Just bring what you think you'll need!

 

5) Make sure your smartphone is unlocked before you come out, your phone company should be able to do this for free. I was with o2 with an iphone and it was a simple fill in a form online jobbie. You have to make sure you sync it with itunes and it comes up "your phone is now unlocked" otherwise it wont be!! (Mum got caught out with this when she visited for a month!) Sim cards of all varietys are easy to come by, just do a pay as you go (pre-paid over here) Telstra have the best coverage if you're travelling around. $30 a month should be ample for calls, texts, data etc. Don't use Vodafone, they are crap.

 

Good luck!

[MARYROSE02]

You probably need to to the RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) exam, got a feeling there may be another one too, possibly related to food service. No matter, you can do them here. Google it. I thjnk some people may do the barista course for coffee making???

 

See if you can get a written reference from one of the pubs you worked in (or any other job you have done.)

 

Around Surry Hills, I often see notices in the bars and cafes for staff wanted.

 

I don't know about proof of funds? Didn't you have to show proof of that when you applied for your visa? That's the way it was for me, albeit in 'prehistoric' times past.

 

Any of those banks you mention are OK. I bank with ANZ but perhaps Commonwealth Bank has more ATM's??? This is important because other banks and ATM's charge you for a withdrawal. I paid $2.50 to take some cash out in a pub the other night (and it would have been another $2.50 if I'd checked my balance.) There is also NAB and Westpac, Bank of Queensland, ING.

 

If you can't get the info you want 'Googling' sites like ATO (for your TFN), then I imagine the hostels will be able to help you. Plus there is some info in those free magazines - BBM? I see them in hostels and pubs.

[BritChickx]

if you weren't asked for proof of funds when you applied for your WHV then it's highly unlikely you will be stopped and asked at the airport. I took about the same amount as you. if you and your can friend can live really cheap and not move about while looking for work it might last 2 months, maybe a little bit more. Just focus on getting work but still have fun because if the **** does hit the fan at least you have done some good things in aus! As someone else said you need an RSA to do bar work, just google it.

You'll need to unlock your phone if you want to use it in aus, I got a telstra sim they had good deals and good coverage whilst travelling around.

For banking I also went with ANZ, no hassle there, set it up before I went and went into the store to activate it. You will need to an address for your pin and card to be sent to, and same goes when applying for your TFN, you can only do that when in Australia.

As for your suitcase, take a mixture of everything even a jacket as it does get cold some places. Pack what you think you'll need and then halve it, trust me you won't wear a lot of things you pack! I took hair straighteners too and used them once in 4 months. I would recommend buying shower gel and shampoo etc in the uk though as it is a bit pricier in australia if you want to buy the same brands. (for me it was pantene and it cost loooads more in aus!). Also don't put a lock on your suitcase. I put a lock on mine but at some point immigration broke into it to have a look. I'd also put copies of everything important into a plastic wallet and into your suitcase, you never know if you might lose your hand luggage or your bag in aus so having it in there as back up I thought was a good idea. I did the same not that i ever needed it!

If you want to do farm work look now, look at the harvest trail on the govt website, its under the working holiday section. It tells you what work is available in what area and time of year. Then look on the govt website and also check out http://www.taw.com.au and http://www.goworkabout.com and gumtree.com.au. If you're into meeting new people/families and doing a bit of work in exchange for seeing the country and having food and a bed check out wwoof.com.au

[Guest nitrox121]

Hi there!

 

I've been planning this for a few months now with a friend; flights, travel insurance and the Oz Experience bus pass have already been booked. We have also pre-booked hostel accommodation for a week in Singapore (outbound) and 3 weeks in Sydney. We've both got our WHVs sorted and are pretty much ready to go minus a few things.

 

1) Banking/money. Do we need proof of sufficient funds to gain entrance? I've heard differing things about this. Apparently I can photocopy a bank statement of the £ equivalent of $5000 and that's fine? But then I've also heard you don't need proof at all. I have £3800 to take with me. How long is that likely to last? We're planning on staying from October to March and then I'll be going to SE Asia for a months. We are both planning on working in bars/retail to supplement our funds, which leads me to my next questions...

 

2) Jobs. How likely are we to get (bar) work in Sydney/up the East coast? I have 4 months bar experience. Do we need to get a license to work behind a bar out there? How hard is it to find jobs (any suitable for travellers, not just bar work)? Would you recommend looking at the hostel boards or go out to each place and hand out a CV? I have 10 A*-B (1 B) GCSE grades and A*BB at A-level. Am I possibly not thinking about a certain job I could look into that would be suitable work for a backpacker or should I just be looking at retail/bar work? Finally, we also plan on doing some farm work somewhere on the East coast. Do we need to look into that now or as we're going along?

 

3) Bank/tax file #. What bank is most recommended for travellers to Oz? I've heard good things about ANZ and my friend who's out there at the moment is with Commonwealth Bank. I'm with HSBC at the moment. Do I need to make a new bank account for Oz (e.g. ANZ) or can I just use my HSBC account? Is it possible to sort out my tax file number here or do I need to do that upon entrance to Oz? I've been looking into it and the sites say that you can only apply whilst inside Oz, though I've heard differently. Also, I remember when researching months ago reading something about having to go to the UK embassy to pick something up/sort something out. Any idea what this would be or is that not necessary?

 

4) Luggage?! http://www.tickettotheworld.co.uk/packing_list.php?!

 

5) Phone! How do most of you guys do this? Do you take your current smartphone and just use it in WiFi areas to Skype home and then get a new phone and a new Oz sim? Or are there other ways to do this? I'm on Vodafone and need to look into their Passport service.

 

I realise that I have a lot of questions, I'm just starting to panic a little now and want clarification on all these things. I'm well aware I probably should have sorted most of this out weeks ago!

 

I would really, really, REALLY appreciate any response you can give to this as I know it takes a lot of effort for no reward.

 

If you feel like I'm not thinking about something important/have some advice or tips, that would also be fantastic!

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Conz.

 

 

firstly...dont plan too much

 

 

no one ive met so far has been asked to prove funds...take a bank statement anyway.

 

£3800 will last a couple of months with some good budgetting youll work all that out when you get over here as it seems more epxensive here and youll do the conversion things all the time every one i spoke to does it but youll soon start working in dollars lol, but wages reflect this and youll see when you start working.

 

3 weeks in sydney maybe a bit long i found i did most of it in a week and a half its really easy to blow money there.

 

youll need an RSA to get bar work they arent too expensive to get here and take a day to complete i think. ive found girls get bar work easier than lads but maybe different in the cities. theres all sorts of jobs you can do out here not just bar / retail. traffic control is great money and easy ive been told!

 

use the harvest trail to find out where the seasons are and the work. as its all seasonal. like im just inland from cairns and its there season now plenty of farm work. its hard graft some of it! ive done all sorts! nearly finished the 88 days and its been a good experience met some cool people and learned alot. and saved a decent amount of money and more importantly it will qualify for the 2nd year visa should i want to stay or come back at some point. will be a good save for your asia trip if you did it before you went.

 

banks... i use common wealth there meant to have the most atms out here which is good as if you use other banks to take money out youll be charged! pretty **** but its the way it works out here.

 

transfer your money before you go if you can i used western union takes 5 days and its free the banks email you all your account number to send it over here. they do charge to recieve it though it was 11 bucks.

 

Tax file you have to get when you get here. takes a week or 2 but if you were to seek employment straight away they give you a couple of weeks to get it through. as you need it to work.

 

also get hold of a medicare when you get here. for free healthcare.

 

no need to visit an embassy.

 

as said previously lay everything out and half it! if your going to be lugging it on your back for a few months lighter is key! theres stuff ive brought i havent work yet! but i think we all do it lol.

 

bring sun cream! factor 30 as its alot warmer than i thought! the sun is really powerful over here. not so much in sydney right now i dont think but up in qld is hot hot!!

 

get your smart phone unlocked if its an iphone get it done by vodaphone in store its free takes a couple of days and sync with itunes before you go as said! i also have **** phone that i put my uk sim card just in case get one at home thats factory unlocked for £10. easy.

 

i use my iphone to skype home and facebook on the move with my vodafone sim out here as the plan includes mobile data for $30 a month however vodafone is useless in rural areas. id go for telstra ive heard good things about them. ill be changing when i get out of the middle of nowhere. youll find you have to pay for wifi in most hostels! macdonals is free and hungry jacks and some other places. youll burn though money if you use passport service.

 

DONT PANIC! is my advice

 

youll love it!