Hello everyone,

I'm currently in the US and I want to get a WHV and get setup with a hostel and job before going to australia. Are there companies/hostels that help you through the whole process? Or do you usually get the visa yourself and just show up and look for work while you're there?

Thanks,
Andrew

I'm from the UK myself and in Australia ATM (Perth, WA)

We had nothing sorted before we got here but enough money to last us about a month so we could get sorted. Maybe something you could do?

I would imagine that unless you've a skilled trade then you'll probably not be getting work arranged prior to getting out here. Most employers use Seek to advertise jobs. Getting work is easy, and like anywhere in the world, hard work pays - I started as casual waiting staff and with a bit of hard work and my CV, am now a manager with the opportunity of sponsorship. Make sure you physically hand your CV out as it's easy to ignore an email. You'll find the majority of work in bars/restaurants/cleaning jobs but the current wages sit at around US$15+ an hour.

I'd ignore hostels too, we stayed in one for the first night then headed to the backpacker shops where EVERYONE is looking for someone to house-share and flat-share, and at a cheaper rate than hostels.

Good luck though, it's a wicked place.

In the majority of jobs that WHV holders do, you'll be unlikely to find an employer who would arrange to employ you in advance. Why would they pick you when they are hundreds, or in the bigger cities thousands, or other WHV holders ready to start work right away.

That said, I found getting work easier away from the big cities. Sydney and Melbourne have so many backpackers fresh in from the other side of the world trying to get a job. Travelling a little first and then picking up one of the many jobs you'll undoubtedly see advertised in hostels and the like all around Australia in small towns and large.
I also found it easy to get work in Perth which is far smaller and far more chilled out than the large cities in the east of Oz.
In the big hostels in Sydney, melbourne and Birsbane there are often Job Clubs where they will help to allocate backpackers to jobs on a short term or even one day only basis - often labouring jobs. I dabbled with this idea before scarpering off to somewhere more pleasant. After all, you could do crap work ina big city anywhere in the world, but there are many more exciting places to work in Australia than some Melbourne building site. I worked in various things from Bundaberg in Queensland to Broome in WA, but I worked the longest in a Perth call centre, which wasn't exaclty thrilling but paid ok and was right in the centre of a really nice relaxed city in a job whcih employed many backpackers on a short term basis. To be honest I never made enough money to build up a supply of cash from it, but I did earn enough to mean I was covering all my costs at that time, meaning the savings I had started out with for my travelling budget were not being eaten into during the time I was working, thus extending my trip.

Of course if you are after skilled work, nursing is a common one, or some office work, then yes trying to get something in advance may be a good idea.

I just fell in love with Sydney when I came over here. True, it is not easy to find a job here that pays enough to survive, but it is still possible if you keep trying.
I have eventually joined Travellers At Work. Had to pay a couple of bucks for the membership, but it got me a job on the Harbour Cruises. Sites like gumtree are just full of crap with fake job offers. When you have finally found a proper job, it was already gone.

Australia is a wicked place. Can't believe I gotta head home in 2 weeks!
Good luck!

We have some information on Australian WHV's here. That company will also help you find a job.

But once you have the visa, unless you need to start work right away, you may have more fun doing as hideo suggests and travelling a little first and picking up what you find along the way.

thanks all for your advice!! i was just approved (an hour ago) for my work and holiday visa. it was so fast and convenient to do it online. i'm starting to love australia already.

Next step is to buy the one-way ticket from honolulu-sydney. jetstar does this route and i found a flight on december 30th for around $500. this is a good deal right? can anyone think of other budget airlines that can get me from honolulu-sydney on the cheap?

i will bring enough funds to last me for maybe 2-4 weeks. i will arrive in sydney new years time and i hope i don't have to pay a lot to stay in the cheap hostels.

i was thinking of taking a forklift or bartending class to assist me in finding a job. ideally, i'd want to stay in sydney for the start of my trip then work my way around the continent finding different jobs. do you think it will be difficult for me to find a job and sustain myself in sydney for a while once i arrive?

Congratulations - welcome to Australia.

Frugal, I hope you've booked your accommodation, if not you should do it asap. NYE in Sydney gets booked out months ahead, but you may still be able to find something. In the normal scheme of things you'd be looking at around $30 for a dorm bed, but hostels vary in price.

Also be aware you're coming during peak season. School holidays are December 20 to end of January/beginning February. It is the time when most Australians go away "on holiday" - often to caravan parks, camping, beaches and stuff.
Re finding a job, you may find most of the summer jobs, casual jobs are already gone - taken by school leavers who would have applied well beforehand.

Don't know about fork lifts, but getting your RSA for bar work sound like a good idea, at leastthatway you'll be able to pcik up work (when available) in pubs, bars etc.

Just a thought fork lift license - Australian forklift training

If you go Google-hunting for "Forklift license Australia", you'll find other sites as well.

When you havent booked a hostel yet, change ur arrival day!!!
I had a look on hostelworld for myself and the only hostel, that still had some beds and didnt require 20 days min stay charges 350 $ per night for New Years Eve and New Years Day - that is just ridiculous!
You can do a really good RSA course at Training Course Professionals. However, the RSA in NWS is different from the one for Brisbane. They are a bit weird about that. Just ask when you do a course.

Isn't RSA NSW different to ALL other states?

Either way, any work involving alcohol requires one, even as a waiter so make sure you get it. Some employers will offer to pay for it and you do legally have 30 days to get one when you first start employment (certainly in WA anyway).

If you've still not managed to get something sorted for a bed then i'd strongly recommend waiting til after the new year - unless you've got a lot of cash. The money you'll spend on a weeks accommodation then would last you for the month of Feb...

Yes there are some companies that process and support your visa like giving a sponsor to be able to work in Australia. But be wise in choosing those companies, check its background first and check if they are accredited or not.