hi there jelly my son has just packed his job in and gone backpacking in australia he was saving for a mortgage but decided to do a bit of travelling instead.you will need a working visa go to the australian government site to buy this as there are other places you can buy it but they are agents and charge you extra my son was quoted 160.00 of an agent but got it for 100.00 off government site.he got his flight with emirates and stopped off in dubai for four hours then flew on to perth he is staying in hostels and loving every minuite of it.he is hoping to find work out there but has not looked yet i think he is enjoying himself too much.i dont think you will get much info on this site do plenty of research on the net and you will find what you are looking for he found out all he needed to know on the net bye for now here are some sites http://www.stayatbase.com http://www.sleepingwiththeenemy.com http://www.hostelbookers.com http://www.working-australia.com http://www.recruitoz.com http://www.statravel.com

Hi Jellybean
My husband and I are actually doing that this year, fly out of UK in November. We are more "careergappers" as are both in our late 20s, but I have researched it all a lot! Echoing Madge's advice, do not go to the visa companies that are listed all over the internet, they will charge you to complete your working holiday visa - you can do this yourself online at http://www.immi.gov.au which is the Australian Visa department. It is a simple online form that takes about 15 minutes. It is costed in Australian Dollars so it depends on the exchange rate on the day you complete it, but it cost us £94 each and our visas came back within 45minutes.

I have read about these companies that do the package of accomodation and jobs for you, but to be honest I haven't heard much good about them! I think they are generally overpriced and the jobs are only guaranteed as a "taster" and not long standing committments - usually a week or so. Also that would mean you would have to commit to a certain area of Australia, and you may find you want to travel elsewhere. A really good website to look at is http://www.gapyear.com which has tons of information and forums that offer really good advice from seasoned travellers etc.

We have booked a RTW ticket which worked out really cheap, but there are also some good direct deals out there too. Have you any idea whereabouts you want to go?

Hello girl in green,
thanks for the input. I want to visit Cairns and the Great barrier reef, but would also like to travel the east coast so don't want to be tied to one location.

I also agree with Madge, i wouldn't even consider purchasing a visa from anywhere other than the legitimate site, but my worry is that i don't have much work experience and i'm going to need all the help i can in finding a job, i agree with the high prices though, one company charge £990 to find you work and two weeks accomadation!! , however they do say they guarentee that job for 6months and if your not happy with it they'll help you find a new one, but that 6months would be working back the money i've just payed to them, so it seems pointless.

I have ordered books on working holidays and all the free brochures i can find and still can't make up my mind!
Thanks for the link there are loads of jobs posted on there, maybe it's not worth the money, thanks again
i hope you enjoy your time down under, Which part of Australia are you going to?... or planning to travel?

Jellybean

hi jelly if you are thinking of paying one of these companies make sure you do your research on them first google there name and the word reviews after im sure there will be plenty of info enjoy your trip jelly and green

We're planning to travel for up to 6 months and then do the 3 months agricultural work to get the second year visa, and then look at settling for a while, probably in Western Australia. Also look at http://www.seek.com which is a great website for Australian jobs. What kind of work experience do you have?If you are looking for bar/waitressing work try and time your trip so you are not looking for work when all the students at the Australian universities are on holiday as the jobs seem to be in big demand during those times.

Some hostels offer jobs on site cleaning etc and then charge little or no accommodation fees. I read on the other website earlier today that someone went with one of the companies that guarantee a job and after 6 months had had no work, so I really would be careful about using one of them. As Australia is also going through a recession at the moment I am unsure how anyone can "guarantee" work for someone! Especially without interviews etc. However I have friends out there now who went out without jobs and have not had a problem finding work.

I think the thing to remember is, if you can save as much as possible now, and you get out there and either don't like it or can't find work and it doesn't go as planned, you have enough in reserve to do a bit of travelling and then can come home. Although remember that you only get one chance at a working holiday visa - once you apply you have a year to activate it and unless you do the three months farming work (can also be other things I think now) once your year is up you have to come home and cannot get another one year visa, they really are a one off thing, so if you go for it make the most of it!!

thanks very much for all your advice,
it certainly has made me re-consider the idea of getting work though those companies.
girlingreen:i hope everything goes well for you in Australia, thanks for the tip about school holiday's

jellybean

It really depends on what they offer, 2 of my mates used visafirst and got 12 months free internet and job search access in the sydney working holiday centre so the package is better than just a visa. Internet costs do run up. you can also do your work courses there when you arrive so you can work construction or bars

also try recruitoz for jobs in sydney
taxback.com for getting your tax back
ozexperience for cheap bus trips up the east coast

cheers, i will look into that.
i'm going to an open day with 'gap force' on saturday, they do open days when you can ask questions and for advice, but there the most expnecive campany i have seen so far so i highly doubt i'll book with them, i just thought it would be interesting to see what they've got to say.
any idea of names of company that do work courses?

Jellybean

visafirst do them in their office in sydney. I liked them cause theyre in uk and in oz so arent reselling someone elses packages

ok, that sounds good thanks!

jellybean