Business Journal

Australia’s economy is performing strongly, with unemployment down and job creation up. If you’re looking for work in Australia from overseas and are unsure about where to start, we trust this article will help kick start your search.

What’s out there?

Australia’s cities offer all the opportunities for part time casual work you’d expect elsewhere. If you’re just looking for work to help fund your travels then you should have little problem. There’s a strong demand among call centres, charity fundraising, cleaning, retail and hospitality industries for overseas workers, with many jobs in these areas offering flexible and part time hours.

Nanny and au pair work is a popular choice for many travellers, while office work remains a stalwart: data entry, secretarial support and PA work. Admittedly it’s not the most inspiring work but at least it’s undemanding, allowing you to switch off at the end of your working day and explore a city. Plus it’ll get you mixing with locals, giving you a crash course in Australian life and culture.

Pay rates are pretty healthy here even at the lower end of the scale with a progressive fair pay system. Each job type has its own ‘award’, effectively a minimum wage. These are all detailed on “Fair Work Australia”. Typical wages range from $15 for bar work up to $800 a week for engineering jobs.

Where to search?

Employment agencies are likely to play a key role in your job search, filling around 6,000 casual jobs a year, which amounts to roughly two thirds of the positions they handle. Many will cater exclusively to temporary job seekers and while most don’t charge a registration fee it does vary from region to region, so it’s worth checking the situation.

Alternatively, you could search online. Local classifieds sites and job portals allow you to browse part time jobs in Sydney, Melbourne the Gold Coast and elsewhere. Casual jobs with flexible hours are in demand and tend to get filled swiftly, so make sure you sort jobs by those most recently posted. It also is a good idea to sign-up for email alerts to get sent the very latest jobs for your chosen criteria.

Visa

Part time workers still need to arrange a Working Holiday Visa. This allows you to stay for up to 12 months, but do note that you can only work for one employer for a maximum period of 6 months.

Working abroad often opens you up to new experiences. Particularly if you’re in the early stages of your career, it can be an excellent way of trying a few things out and seeing where they take you. There’s no pressure to build a career when you’re travelling and you’re not defined by what you’ve done back home. So take the time to explore all the options and be open to trying new things, especially if they give you opportunities to work alongside people who can teach you a thing or two about their way of life.