Guest SophieJ Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Hi, My boyfriend (Tom) and I arrived in Australia about a month ago and spent the majority of our time in Brisbane, looking for work. We weren't really prepared for how difficult it would be to find a job We have both just graduated from uni, Tom has mostly admin experience and I have mostly worked in retail (worked onboard various ships, in retail, first class, housekeeping etc). We've must have applied for hundreds of jobs by now, on seek, gumtree and handling out resumes. I had 3 jobs interviews for shops but they were all 10-20 hours a week which I can't really afford to take. We don't necessarily want to be able to save a lot of money, we'd just like to be able to cover our living costs so that we don't have to eat into our savings. Tom is also hoping to do some volunteering at some point (he has a Zoology degree and wants to get hands on experience, so that he can hopefully find paid work eventually) but even that seems impossible to find!! Does anyone have any advice on how to find work? Or where there seems to be more work? We are willing to do (almost) anything and go anywhere to find work. We've seen lots of ads on gumtree for outback hotel work which is appealing but it's hard to know how legit these ads are. We also want to do some farm work but have heard so many horror stories that it puts us off. We're finding the situation a bit miserable really, we have spent so much money in the last month, money which we could have spent travelling. But of course, you have to give job hunting a bit of time and we can't just expect to find something straight away. It's hard to know how long to give it though and if, financially, it's worth the wait. Hoping someone has some tips for us! Thanks, Sophie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 You could sign up to sites like TAW (travellers at work), the Jobshop, check jobsearch.gov.au and check the local papers aswell. I'm sure you've done all that but if not there's a few suggestions. Also you could wwoof (check out our wwoof page on this section). That's a work in exchange for food and accom scheme, so that would come in handy for your boyfriend too, working with cattle on farms etc. We're in the same situation and finding it hard to get work, been here for 7 weeks now! Good luck with it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SophieJ Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Hi, Thanks for you reply! Yeah we've pretty much done all that, joined up with agencies etc etc. I didn't expect it to be so hard to get work! It's frustrating when we speak to other backpackers who've landed themselves a job straight away, I'm definitely thinking that it's part down to luck. We are actually going on our first helpx (same as whoofing but was cheaper to join) tomorrow. Really really nervous about it though, have no idea at all what to expect! Hopefully it'll go well, we're planning to do as many as we can as we travel. Keeps costs down but hopefully it'll also be a good experience for us. How are you getting on with whoofing?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Hi, Thanks for you reply! Yeah we've pretty much done all that, joined up with agencies etc etc. I didn't expect it to be so hard to get work! It's frustrating when we speak to other backpackers who've landed themselves a job straight away, I'm definitely thinking that it's part down to luck. We are actually going on our first helpx (same as whoofing but was cheaper to join) tomorrow. Really really nervous about it though, have no idea at all what to expect! Hopefully it'll go well, we're planning to do as many as we can as we travel. Keeps costs down but hopefully it'll also be a good experience for us. How are you getting on with whoofing?? Yeah Helpx is cheaper but you're not insured where as with wwoof you are, so keep that in mind re accidents! We wwoofed in an area called Denmark in WA and tomorrow we are going to a wwoof job on the Great Ocean Road if the weathers good we plan to hit the beach every day after work lol. Free thing to do eh! BTW if you're looking to get a 2nd visa (is that what work you want, qualifying work?) then working through helpx or wwoof is a good way to get it too just depends on the area and type of work you do. We were both (well I was lol) nervous when we went to the first wwoof job but everyone was very friendly and welcoming and were generous with the beers lol. I think you'll both be fine, they probably normally have a heap of stuff they like to talk about with all the helpers they get! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SophieJ Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I'm not too bothered about getting a second year, just after some food and board really! Tom is an Aus citizen, so if we want to stay here permanently one day we can always go down that route. Although I'm not sure I would want to be here longer than a year at this rate anyway! Are you hoping to get your second visa? I'm so nervous now haha, I'm glad you have had a good experience. I spoke to the host on the phone and they seem really nice and good feedback from helpxers! So I'm pretty sure we'll be fine! I hope our first experience doesn't put us off, we're hoping to helpx our way up the east coast and spend our money on doing all the fun things instead. I just really can't believe how quickly our money is going. Hopefully we'll all find some paid work on our travels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JamesP Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 hey Soph. I arrived in Oz in May and travelled from NSW, through QLD to The NT. I spent several weeks in Darwin job hunting before i got a job. I can't speak for other places, but now that The Dry Season is over, there should be a much better chance of employment up here, as lots of people flee the humidity this time of year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SophieJ Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Looks like we're going to be heading home, just can't find work! Have had a few interviews but they were mostly 10-20 hours a week which just isn't enough, especially as there are two of us! There seems to be call centre work and promotion work about but I just really don't want to go down that road, I know I would hate it and I really don't want to work a job I hate. I guess I have to weigh up whether staying here is worth doing something that makes me unhappy but I don't think it is. We have a couple of weeks before money runs out, so really hoping we get lucky in that time! Maybe I'll just have to toughen up and do some call centre work until something better comes about! Otherwise it just seems like a waste of 9 weeks and $9000 to be honest. Can't even say that we had an amazing time! Australia has been a pretty big let down really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 I'm wondering if it's a Brisbane thing? I've got a friend moved to Brisbane from NZ and he's really struggling too. Applied for lots of jobs and nothing. He's being told by friends on his fb page to try Melbourne or Perth as there are jobs there. Sent via Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Hi sophie how did things go? We're actually in Brisbane now doing cleaning work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SophieJ Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 I've heard that Melbourne and Perth are a lot better too. We are currently in Sydney and heading for Melbourne in the next couple of days. Hopefully we'll find something there sharpish, otherwise it looks like we'll either be going home, fruit picking or doing to dreaded call centre/promotions. As someone pointed out to me the other day, why would someone hire us when there are thousands of year 12's, who can be paid less, looking for jobs too. It's so difficult unless you have a profession/trade to pick up casual work. It's especially hard as we're travelling as a couple, if it was just me then I imagine I could get by on 20 hours a week until something better came along but it's not enough if only one of us is working! I think it's mainly down to who you know and luck- being in the right place at the right time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilton Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 I had a trade/profession and still struggled for work in Brisbane, about 7 weeks before I got a low paid labouring job, only got it through a friend. You are right a lot to do with luck and who you know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Looks like we're going to be heading home, just can't find work! Have had a few interviews but they were mostly 10-20 hours a week which just isn't enough, especially as there are two of us! Why restrict yourself to one job? Two 10-20 hour a week jobs is 20-40 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaIan Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 This definitely isn't an unusual situation, finding work over here is really hard. When my partner and I arrived (WHVs) I didn't find work for 3 months (Sydney). He was 'lucky' and managed to get labouring work on and off - really long days of just monkey work, sometimes spending more on petrol than he would earn but showing up to make a good impression in the hope the agency would keep him in regular work. We lived on very small meals and couldnt afford to go any where....Home was beckoning! My first job was when we got lucky and found fruit picking work at the first orchard we stopped at - we picked apples for just shy of 3 months (for 2nd visa) while living in our car on their land. Great experience but seriously hard yakka!! We moved on and tried to follow the fruit picking season, heading north of Brissy....didn't find anything and again money was dwindling fast....we then wwoofed for 3+ months......we had a bad first experience but an amazing time at the second place, stayed for 3 months and they even found us some paid work with neighbours. We consider them our closest friends over here now and often return to visit. We moved to Brissy after wwoofing and history repeated itself, I didn't find work for 3 months (did a bit of promo stuff - be careful, lots of unscrupulous people!) parter was paying for both of us....some of the jobs he did were just vile (think pet food factory) but he was determined to keep going. Eventually I got a Christmas casual role in a department store which took the pressure off, hours were good over christmas and they kept me on after but hours did drop dramtically..... my partner also received an offer of sponsorship (he's a sparky by trade) and we eventually moved back to Sydney - still being on whv's made it hard for me to find work again.....luckily I stumbled on a job advert on gumtree for native english speakers (random) and ended up doing transcription work and voice recording stuff for xbox for 6 months (sounds interesting? it wasn't! ) then I went back to christmas casual again at the department store. Only 5 months ago did I finally get what I call a real job, in an office (my background) 9-5 etc etc. Now hoping to apply for PR next year. The moral of the essay (ooops!) is that it is tough over here and it really depends on how badly you want to stay and what you're prepared to do as to whether it will work for you. Whatever happens don't feel disheartened, it's bloody hard to try and make this work with just a few grand in the bank and no $$ coming in. Don't let a bad helpx/wwoof ecperience put you off, there are some amazing hosts out there. Get on the forums and read reviews/recommendations etc. Good luck!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SophieJ Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Why restrict yourself to one job? Two 10-20 hour a week jobs is 20-40 hours. Because the jobs I have had interviews for have been for shops and all mostly wanting weekend work. Most of them stated that they wouldn't be happy if I had another job because they'd want be to be available whenever. Otherwise I'd be happy to do 2 jobs! Thanks Lisa. I'm glad it's working out for you now, you deserve it after such a rough road! I think you're right, it all comes down to how badly we want to make it work. And to be honest, I don't think we want it enough to be willing to do things that make us unhappy. Australia hasn't really been a great experience for either of us and I think we'd have been better of staying in the UK to be honest. I just really hope we don't end up going home, it feels like we failed big time! Crossing my fingers that something comes up very very soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabana Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Wow, how discouraging to read this. I'm planning to go towards the end of this year but now I'm not so sure anymore. I really hope you had some luck in the meantime but still, I'd always write it off as under experience. I also tend to think it's probably harder in a couple and heard the same about Brisbane, mabye because most WHV's go there? I also thought of doing the harvest trail in case everything goes wrong but it's even costly to move from one location to the other. I don't have a driving licence and couldn't afford to rent a car anyway, how do you handle this? And then also the usual precautions regarding how long you can stay etc. All the best for you guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SophieJ Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Wow, how discouraging to read this. I'm planning to go towards the end of this year but now I'm not so sure anymore. I really hope you had some luck in the meantime but still, I'd always write it off as under experience. I also tend to think it's probably harder in a couple and heard the same about Brisbane, mabye because most WHV's go there? I also thought of doing the harvest trail in case everything goes wrong but it's even costly to move from one location to the other. I don't have a driving licence and couldn't afford to rent a car anyway, how do you handle this? And then also the usual precautions regarding how long you can stay etc. All the best for you guys! Hi Sabana, Thanks for the well wishes! Unfortunately we came home just before Christmas!! It was a massive disappointment as we had only been in Oz for 3 months but we just ran out of money! It can be discouraging hearing about other peoples stories and I do think that a big percentage of backpackers get bad luck and end up going home but there is also those who get good luck and have an amazing time. I really do think it comes down to luck and how much you really want to be there. I really wanted to stay and go fruit picking, outback etc but by the end my boyfriend just wanted to come home so there weren't really many options for us. It is definitely much harder as a couple and I do partly wish I'd had the opportunity to do it by myself as I know it would have been a lot different and I would probably still be there. I think in terms of work, a lot of backpackers start off in Brisbane but it is hard to find work in any big city. I think outback and fruit picking is definitely the best option for a backpacker. I guess it also depends on your work experience, we meet a few people in their late 20's with a lot of experience who managed to pick up some reasonable temping work. We used Greyhound and Premier Motor Service bus companies to travel, prices vary with both so check which is cheapest! We also ended up buying a Greyhound hop on hop off pass which was worth having. Check JetStar for cheap flights. I would say that if you are a bit unsure about going, you should weigh up what you'll be leaving behind (although I guess most backpackers don't have too much keeping them at home) and how you would feel if you couldn't find work and had to come home. I would also say that if it's travel and adventure you're after rather than Oz itself, then you should consider Asia. Australia is very expensive if you aren't earning any money, we spent probably $12,000 in total for both of us, which is a huge amount of money that could go a very long way backpacking in Asia. My advice to most people though is to just go for it, you cant predict how anything will work out and it can be a really amazing experience! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Good to hear from you Sophie, I wondered what had happened, we also didn't have a lot of luck and came back on boxing day so spent 4 months there instead of the planned 9! Did the enjoy yourself whilst there though? That's the most important thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SophieJ Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Hi Britchick, I did enjoy it but to be honest I think the disappointment of coming home has taken away from really enjoying experience. I found it really stressful at times, worrying about money etc etc. Now I'm just trying to figure out what the next step in life is for me which is a million times more stressful than Oz ever was haha. I followed your thread and seen that you'd come home. What are you plans now? How was your experience of Oz? I definitely wasn't anything like I was expecting it to be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabana Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Hi Britchick, I did enjoy it but to be honest I think the disappointment of coming home has taken away from really enjoying experience. I found it really stressful at times, worrying about money etc etc. Now I'm just trying to figure out what the next step in life is for me which is a million times more stressful than Oz ever was haha. I followed your thread and seen that you'd come home. What are you plans now? How was your experience of Oz? I definitely wasn't anything like I was expecting it to be! Good luck for finding out and for a new start! Maybe after this experience you can see things a bit different than before? Which would at least be one good point after the experience. Imo it's still better you did it than always wondering if or what could have happened. You tried it, it didn't work out but now you know. You can go on in life and are wiser :yes: I merely have half of the amount you spent per person available and will definitely try to stay out of the cities but despite my age I don't have lots of experience to offer which wouldn't be easily replaceable (office, tourism etc). I do have friends in Sydney to fall back on to in the worst case but that's not a long term solution. Thanks for the names/tips! My desperate plan B was to manage to get a flexible ticket and fly out to Asia if it seems hopeless.... Just need to check out the options and prices... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jcraft Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Hi Sophie, really sorry to hearing about your failings in Oz! Me and my girlfriend arrived in australia on new years day on WHVs, and plan to stay here until July before jetting off to South America. If we found suitable work we plan to stay until November to make the most of our visa. We were looking for work for nearly a month before my girlfriend finally got a months work on reception via hudsons agency. I wasnt having too much luck and I was seriously down about it, i must have applied for nearly 50-75 jobs without even a phone call or email response! I do agree with you on the luck thing though, as one morning I happened to be on seek.co.au and caught a brand new job role so I applied for it straight away, and within a hour they had rang me and sorted an interview for the next day. Apparently my CV was the first they had received as the ad was so new, so very lucky! I had the interview ( role was working for a small cleaning company, redesigning their website and setting up social media and SEO). Two days later I was contacted and landed the job, it helped that the role involved what I did in my spare time, and that I had a degree in Multimedia, but I still count myself lucky that I was on Seek at the right time. I start on Tuesday, and will be working in the office but as a contractor so need to look up getting an ABN number sorted. My girlfriends contract will be ended shortly, and she is ready for the difficulties of finding work again! We didnt imagine it to be so tough over here, and the fact WHV really limits you to either fruit picking or clipboard work is a pain! I suppose thats what a WHV is though, its to find medial work to help you carry on travelling. We never wanted to do medial work, hence finding somewhere to stay for 6 months which pretty much ruled out fruit picking as we had permanent accomodation. Australia is definitely what you make it, but you do need a big slice of luck to succeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jcraft Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Forgot to mention we are based in Brisbane too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rp83 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Wow, how discouraging to read this. I'm planning to go towards the end of this year but now I'm not so sure anymore. I really hope you had some luck in the meantime but still, I'd always write it off as under experience. I also tend to think it's probably harder in a couple and heard the same about Brisbane, mabye because most WHV's go there? I also thought of doing the harvest trail in case everything goes wrong but it's even costly to move from one location to the other. I don't have a driving licence and couldn't afford to rent a car anyway, how do you handle this? And then also the usual precautions regarding how long you can stay etc. All the best for you guys! Sorry to hear that you decided to go back to the UK. I've been in Australia for 5 months, but not had work in a few weeks. It's very soul destroying applying for so many jobs and not receiving a response. And iam literally applying for eveything - telemarketing even. I did wake up today with the strong urge to just book a flight back home, but that feeling has subsided. In my mind, I would feel like a failure. But in reality I am not. I have come to Oz on my own and generally I have a good time aside from the past few weeks. But that's what unemployment does to you...it makes you feel worthless when you are anything but. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rp83 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Sophie, Sorry to hear that you decided to go back to the UK. I've been in Australia for 5 months, but not had work in a few weeks. It's very soul destroying applying for so many jobs and not receiving a response. And iam literally applying for eveything - telemarketing even. I did wake up today with the strong urge to just book a flight back home, but that feeling has subsided. In my mind, I would feel like a failure. But in reality I am not. I have come to Oz on my own and generally I have a good time aside from the past few weeks. But that's what unemployment does to you...it makes you feel worthless when you are anything but. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea4two Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Aw Sophie That's a shame you went home. Applying for work and worrying about money can overshadow your whole experience. The problem with WHV's is that by nature you are probably only going to get the lower paid jobs that some people may not want to do as you are only available to the employer for a certain time. We are finding it hard and we are on a permanent visa...3 weeks in and we have no employment and our £ is getting lower and lower. I had a lady on just now considering me for a reception role and the first thing she asked was are you on a working holiday visa. It's a great country to live in if you are earning the OZ dollar Good luck with your new life back home though xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danny66 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 If your looking for a job, do not, & I mean do not go to the Mid north Coast, cos their aint nothing, not a thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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