Take a Working Holiday

Many people want to travel but don't have the money. If you are in this situation, you may consider a working holiday. Working holidays provide many different opportunities for all ages. To take a working holiday, decide where you want to go, find a job you can do, make sure you meet all the requirements, and get a visa.

Steps

Putting Together Your Working Holiday

1. Determine why you want a working holiday. There are many benefits to taking a working holiday. It is a great way to get additional experience for your resume and experience new opportunities in a foreign country. As you put together your working holiday, figure out why you want to take a working holiday.
   • For example, you may want to expand your career options, gain experience for future jobs, or get out of a rut.
   • Many people take working holidays after graduating from high school or college.
2. Research potential destinations. After you decide to do a working holiday, you need to research possible places to go work. Not all countries will allow you to get a work visa so you can work there for an extended amount of time. Make a list of countries you'd like to go to and work in, then figure out if you can do a working holiday there.
   • For example, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, and Singapore all offer opportunities for working holidays.
3. Create a budget. Before you commit to a working holiday, you should figure out your budget. The first part of the budget is to determine how much money you will be making. Some working holidays don't pay much at all, so you may have to use money you have saved.
   • Some working holiday programs give you free room and board while others don't.
   • For many working holidays, you have to pay for your flights, visas, and insurance.

Finding a Job

1. Consider consulting a company that specializes in working holidays. There are companies that specialize in helping people find jobs for working holidays. You can talk to a few different companies to see what services they offer, along with what kinds of jobs they can help you line up.
   • These companies may help you get discounts on room and board and other financial responsibilities, but you'll have to pay them a fee for their services.
2. Try to find a job yourself. There are ways to get a working holiday position without going through a third party company. There are websites you can visit that list working holiday jobs abroad for all ages and interest areas.
   • For these websites, you will probably need to submit a CV or resume and a cover letter.
3. Try different things. Many people take working holidays where they work different jobs as they travel around the country. They may work for a month at one job and then move on to a different job and city. Others stick with one job for the duration of their visit.
   • Decide what you want to do and what opportunities there are for you. You may not be able to change jobs every month, but if that is your goal, try to find jobs that fit into the schedule you want.
4. Determine if you need specific qualifications. Many working holiday jobs don't require much prior experience. Many of the jobs are in agriculture or tourism. However, some jobs, like teaching English, need certification.
   • If you want to do a job like teaching English, you can get certified through a program.

Getting Ready For Travel

1. Determine what kind of visa you need. Depending on your job, you may need a short or a longer work visa. The standard work visa is for four months, generally in the summer months. However, you can apply for a longer work visa for up to a year.
   • Once you have your job settled, then you can apply for the appropriate visa.
2. Research the minimum requirements for working holiday visas. For many of the working holiday visas, there are restrictions and minimum requirements. For a gap year visas, most require a certain age range, like 18 to 30.
   • Some visas to certain countries require you to have a certain amount of money in your bank account.
3. Pack for the job and location. Depending on the type of job that you get, you may need to pack specific types of clothes. Many work holiday jobs require manual labor that is outdoors or on farmland, so you need to pack the appropriate clothes.
   • For example, you may need steel-toed work boots, old durable clothes you don't mind getting dirty or ruined, and work gloves.
   • You may also need to bring certain things for your living area, like sheets, pillows, towels, back packs, or a water bottle.
   • Many jobs will give you a list of items you should bring.
4. Open a bank account in the country. Most of the time, if you get a job in another country, you will have to open a bank account in that country. Before you go, you may need to get tax codes and tax file numbers so that you can open a bank account when you arrive.
   • Most of the time, you can just go to the bank with your passport when you enter the country to get an account.

References

See also

• Work and Stay Happy As an Expatriate in the Middle East
• Request Time Off
• Find a Job As an Expat
• Practice Medicine in Australia
• Overcome Your Fear of Working Abroad
• Request Time Off on the Hub (Disney)
• Negotiate Time off Work when You Have No Leave
• Negotiate for More Vacation Time
• Work With People Overseas
• Get Traveling Bartender Gigs

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