Advice on a working holiday, 6 months - year

elh_2009

elh_2009

elh_2009

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So ive been thinking quite hard recently about going away for 6 - months to a year on a working holiday, either Canada, NZ or Australia.

I'm 29 and i know once you hit 31 its pretty much game over in terms of getting a working visa.

I've never been traveling before and i'd be doing this on my own, i literally have no idea where to start and even if i have the balls to do it on my own. But i want to own my own home so if im going to do this its got to be now before i buy, i have no wife or kids and im pretty sure my job will take me back, i dont really have much to lose.

I've looked at a couple of site that provide jobs for you (can i post links?) i like the idea of this because i'd have the security of some money coming in, even if it is a low amount and most importantly i'd be with other people in the same position as me so i wouldnt be alone.

I'd love to do 6 months in Canada and 6 months in NZ.

Has anyone been in a similar position to me and done this? should i do it? any advice here is welcome lol.
 
My advice is stop thinking about it and do it. If it doesn't work, at least you have tried it. All I can say is I have been travelling/living away from home since I was 19. Best thing I ever did. I am currently back in the UK but with a view to permanently move back to NZ to settle down now.

Go for it :).
 
Macca said:
My advice is stop thinking about it and do it. If it doesn't work, at least you have tried it. All I can say is I have been travelling/living away from home since I was 19. Best thing I ever did. I am currently back in the UK but with a view to permanently move back to NZ to settle down now.

Go for it :).
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have you used any of these sites? i really like the idea of going somewhere with some kind of work lined up?

if i dont use one of these where do i even start?
 
So you really want to move from one job straight to another, would you not prefer to explore the country and make your mind up where you want to stay and work? Whilst along the way you will meet people and probably find job opportunities

What kind of work do you do?.
 
Macca said:
So you really want to move from one job straight to another, would you not prefer to explore the country and make your mind up where you want to stay and work? Whilst along the way you will meet people and probably find job opportunities

What kind of work do you do?.
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Yeah i would but one of the ones i saw for Canada was working in a ski resort where they train you as a instructor as well, ive never done skiing before but something like this would work for me as i'd meet loads of new people also doing the same placement scheme and get to learn something new and fun as well.

I'd love to just turn up somewhere, do a bit of exploring and find a job when i need to but i wouldnt even know where to start. Like i said ive never done anything like this before and need loads of advise / tips lol.

Whichever route is the best i want to be somewhere where theres others in the same position as me and not be left wandering on my own.
 
If you're looking for casual work, which it sounds like you are, it's much easier to get it when you're there. There'll be numerous people already there that could start tomorrow. Why would they employ someone who may, or may not, be there in a month?

Don't be scared, just go! What's the worst that could possibly happen? You hate it, and fly home. Big whoop.
 
i want to, its a big step to do on your own!

Where do i start? get a visa and just fly out with a open return? where do i sleep on the first night? lol
 
elh_2009 said:
Where do i start? get a visa and just fly out with a open return?
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Yup, why not - pick your destination, get a visa book your flight....

where do i sleep on the first night? lol
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A hostel... its not like its some radically new thing you're doing - thousands of brits do the same thing every year - go stay in a hostel initially and you'll find a whole bunch of people doing exactly the same thing. Should be fairly straight forward to then make friends, get advice re: finding work - you might well find yourself exploring the country with people you meet over there.
 
elh_2009 said:
i want to, its a big step to do on your own!

Where do i start? get a visa and just fly out with a open return? where do i sleep on the first night? lol
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Your best bet is to volunteer ie you work xx hours per week for food and board. Thinking you can just walk into a job is daft.

You'll have to have:

Visa
Current passport
Travel insurance
Health insurance
Get me home money - open return is fine, but you still need money to pay for travel to airport etc
Some spending money
An open mind - traveling like this isn't for people who have a set opinion of the world.
 
elh_2009 said:
i want to, its a big step to do on your own!

Where do i start? get a visa and just fly out with a open return? where do i sleep on the first night? lol
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I'm in Thailand atm, and I got a return for five months time but only because it was much cheaper than a single. I had booked my first two nights online, agoda.com is great for se Asian hotels and hostels. And the rest I've just booked by walking into when I've been in whatever town. The one I'm in now is a comfortable double, with ensuite, an outdoor patio and ac. Five minutes walk from centre of town. Costs 8 quid a night.

A lot of places over here you can get visa on arrival but for nz and Canada you need one first. However you don't need a visa to book flights!

TrAvelfish.com and travel wiki.com are both invaluable sights for this region but I imagine the latter will be great for anywhere in the world.

It's scary, but the places you've mentioned and the places I've been are on a well trodden path and easy to get to and around. You'll be fine. Heck, I'm In a country where there's a coup currently going on with a curfew and I'm fine! Nz has to be fine!

Why not go book flights tonight?
 
I'm heading out to Australia in sept. Like you i am 29, so could do a year with extension or try Canada. Canada visa get filled up very quickly, i completely missed out on the last round.

I've pretty much planned a route for the first month. I have my first night in a private room then hostels for the rest of the month. After that month i'll just go with the flow. I've booked a hostel for christmas and new years in central sydney, incase i end up there (as central hostels will be full), which i may or may not use.

I will probably keep an eye out for work whilst i'm travelling otherwise it'll be hard core cv sending in the new year.

Hoping i can pick up some IT contracting work or with a similar company/industry to what i work in now but to be honest i'll do any job as long as it stops me spending my savings and saving a few pennies a week would be a bonus.
 
I've done working holidays in Canada, Australia and New Zealand and am currently living in Japan.

All I can say is that it's a lot easier than you think. This isn't to say you should not do any planning and just turn up, but I wouldn't be getting too worried. All times, apart from Japan, I just booked a few nights in a main hostel (Vancouver/Sydney/Christchurch) and used these days to sort of tax numbers, getting a phone and bank account.

I always knew where I wanted to go roughly so once I had everything sorted I just headed there. In Canada I knew I wanted to go to Whistler. Everyone was telling me there were no jobs or accommodation because it was the Olympic season, but I thought I'd go anyway as it was so close. Asked a question on a Facebook forum about how difficult it was to get housing and got a response from an Irish guy around your age. We ended up meeting for a beer when I got in to town and eventually lived together for the whole year (with various other people).

Just try and be social and you'll be surprised what opportunities come up. This doesn't mean you have to go boozing every night and waste all your money though. It actually depressed me slightly the amount of young people travelling in Australia who just got hammered every night and didn't do anything in the day. Waste of a trip if you ask me.

Out of the options I would easily pick Canada as it's just such a fantastic place and close to the US for road trips. As someone mentioned though the visa process has changed since I went and I believe it's a lot harder to get the visa now.

Feel free to ask me any questions and I'll try to answer them as best I can.
 
Took a working holiday to NZ nearly 4 years ago... I'm now a resident with wife and kids...
I'd still recommend it though ;p
 
I'm currently in Canada on a Working Holiday Visa - I arrived in March.

The scheme is called IEC: International Experience Canada. It's got very popular in recent years, and the spaces fill very quickly - the last round was filled in a number of minutes! The quota opens in November/December time, or as late as January, so you'll need to wait until then to apply.

For the first week I was there I stayed in a hostel in Downtown Vancouver. Shared dorm style rooms, but the food was good, the drinks cheap (for Canada anyway..), and I met a LOT of people. I now live about 30 mins from Downtown, and found it fairly easy to find a job Bartending, however not everyone has had it easy - you need to really chase things up and network with people, that's what its like over here.

If you're worried about the age thing, don't be - I'm 28, and I've met people of all ages, so its really not a concern. It's been awesome so far here, definitely the best thing I've ever done by far.

My advice: Do it.

Oh, and just to tempt you:

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This is the first time ive logged on since yesterday.

Westy - those pics make me want to do it.

Once ive had a chance to sit and read the replys properly i will be back with some more questions most probably lol :)
 
When I did my first working holiday, in Canada, I went through Bunac to get everything sorted (http://www.bunac.org/uk). I wouldn't personally recommend them though. By no means were they bad, they were very helpful and efficient at moving my visa request through etc. Having done further working holidays since then though, I've discovered it's much easier and cheaper to just do everything yourself.

The first time I just used Bunac for the visa and they had some orientation meetings in Vancouver when I arrived, which were ok, but didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know. The most useful thing I got out of it was a plastic folder. They spent a good 10 minutes telling me and the only other guy in the room who put his hand up, that we shouldn't go to Whistler.

If you're feeling unsure it can be good to use a specific company as it's a bit more reassuring, but at your age I don't think you'd need them. Though with the Canadian visa system changing I'm not sure if it's now more beneficial to go though an independent company. Perhaps someone who has gone more recently can shed some light on this.
 
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