Going it alone in Australia and New Zealand

Our guide to finding a job under your own steam.

OK, so we've told you about companies who can help you find a tempoary job in Australia and New Zealand and sort pretty much everything else out for you as well! This page is for those of you who want to go it alone (and there are plenty of people who successfully do just that every year!). If you are going it alone, we recommend that you also read our section on Working Holiday Visas.

The truth is that each year there is plenty of work available to travellers in both Australia and New Zealand, but you have to time it right, work hard to get the job AND work hard once you have the job! Our advice is to use your skills: if you have office experience, look for office work or contact a job agency; if you have hotel, bar or restaurant experience, send your CV to local hotels, bars and restaurants. Remember though that under the terms of the Australian Working Holiday Visa you can only work for 3 months with any one employer, so temping agencies may be your best bet. In all larger cities there is a well-established supply of, and demand for, temporary staff with working holiday visas.

Other types of work which are on offer to backpackers include Harvest work, work in ski resorts plus special qualification work such as teaching and nursing.

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