Getting Cold Feet!

Alanhooly

Me, my gf & our friend are heading over to Sydney on the 6th of January. I (as did the others) finished college in may & i'm not currently working so we all decided to give it a go for the year (maybe 2).

To be honest, from reading these threads, i'm not sure if we have made the right decision. Doubts are creeping into my head such as; Will we find work? Will we do our regional work first? If we do find regional work, will the farm take all 3 of us? Will the money we have last us?

I personally will have around €3,200 going over with me. I do have family over there but none of them have offered for me to stay with them when we first arrive (I didn't think I was that bad :eek: ) but at least I know someone but we will probably be staying in a hostel for a week or 2.

Basically, do you think I will have enough money initially? Are regional jobs easy to come by? Will they take 3 of us? Should I have stayed where I was and just moved somewhere within Ireland to job search? Plenty of doubt creeping in. Any words of wisdom? (I don't expect each individual question to be answered Words of encouragement will do.)

GalwayKiefer

I can't speak for the regional work because I never had to do it myself thankfully but I know January and February is a quiet time of the year (in Brisbane anyway) for work so I wouldn't count on landing a job straight away. No harm to start looking on the Harvest Trail site if you haven't already: http://jobsearch.gov.au/harvesttrail/

Watch your money at the start (ie. don't go on the p*ss every day) and have things ready like your cv tailored to the Australian market (if you end up looking for city work first). A few cards like the RSA (responsible serving of alcohol) can come in useful for casual work (NSW link: http://www.olgr.nsw.gov.au/courses_rsa.asp) Working as a traffic controller can be a good way to earn money also.

At the end of the day you are coming on a working holiday visa, come out here and enjoy the trip. If it doesn't work out then so be it but don't over think things now, not go, and wonder in 10 years time what might have been.

Batgurl

Alanhooly wrote: »

Me, my gf & our friend are heading over to Sydney on the 6th of January. I (as did the others) finished college in may & i'm not currently working so we all decided to give it a go for the year (maybe 2).

To be honest, from reading these threads, i'm not sure if we have made the right decision. Doubts are creeping into my head such as; Will we find work? Will we do our regional work first? If we do find regional work, will the farm take all 3 of us? Will the money we have last us?

I personally will have around €3,200 going over with me. I do have family over there but none of them have offered for me to stay with them when we first arrive (I didn't think I was that bad :eek: ) but at least I know someone but we will probably be staying in a hostel for a week or 2.

Basically, do you think I will have enough money initially? Are regional jobs easy to come by? Will they take 3 of us? Should I have stayed where I was and just moved somewhere within Ireland to job search? Plenty of doubt creeping in. Any words of wisdom? (I don't expect each individual question to be answered Words of encouragement will do.)

Right I'm going to try and be as positive as possible while giving you realistic advice.

January is dead in recruitment in Australia. This is because its peak summer, school holidays and just generally slow in business. So knowing these things, use them to your advantage. Don't apply for places with a HR dept, apply for places where the guy hiring is the guy u leave your resume into. Bars, stand-alone shops (not chains), restaurants etc.

Regional work. I'll be honest, three of ye together is gonna be hard to get. Consider splitting up or heading for a general area instead of all sticking together.

Money - €3200 isn't really a huge amount of money but spent carefully, can be okay. Having people out here is great but they are not here to help you (ur comment about expecting them to put you up was a bit rich but you'll understand if you get out here and end up sharing with backpackers. Two days becomes two weeks becomes two months). Use them as what they are; friends. Tap them up for job leads, house leads, social nights out but remember they have a life set up here so they can't necessarily disrupt it just for you.

Sorry for the essay! Best of luck when you come over, most of all - enjoy it! Summer is Sydney is epic.

Alanhooly

Batgurl wrote: »

Right I'm going to try and be as positive as possible while giving you realistic advice.

January is dead in recruitment in Australia. This is because its peak summer, school holidays and just generally slow in business. So knowing these things, use them to your advantage. Don't apply for places with a HR dept, apply for places where the guy hiring is the guy u leave your resume into. Bars, stand-alone shops (not chains), restaurants etc.

Regional work. I'll be honest, three of ye together is gonna be hard to get. Consider splitting up or heading for a general area instead of all sticking together.

Money - €3200 isn't really a huge amount of money but spent carefully, can be okay. Having people out here is great but they are not here to help you (ur comment about expecting them to put you up was a bit rich but you'll understand if you get out here and end up sharing with backpackers. Two days becomes two weeks becomes two months). Use them as what they are; friends. Tap them up for job leads, house leads, social nights out but remember they have a life set up here so they can't necessarily disrupt it just for you.

Sorry for the essay! Best of luck when you come over, most of all - enjoy it! Summer is Sydney is epic.

Thanks for the replies!

In regards, staying with somebody, they are also backpackers. I thought they might put us up for the night we arrive maybe. I completely understand why they wouldn't though, it wasn't said in jest.

I thought January would be the ideal time to go out there given that it is the height of summer and there would be plenty of harvesting going on? We want to do the regional work first in order to save money and also have the option of a second year. The 3 of us have bachelor of honours degree's so hopefully they can stand to us.

We aren't really a party gang (Well 2 of us anyway). We will have fun and drink but not more than once or twice at a push a week. It's scary moving to the other side of the world and I would be thrilled if I could secure some sort of employment before going out there.

I hear Griffith harvests grapes between January & April? What is this region like? Thanks again for the replies.

Cooperspale

You're not the first person to feel nervous about going half way around the world to work for a year or two.
Coming on a WHV, enjoy the holiday aspect of it.
As said above January and even into mid Feb can be slow in recruitment.

gumtree.com.au will give you an idea of harvest jobs in addition to harvest trail
Griffith is in a big agricultural area so a car would be an advantage, I'm not sure what the story with working hostels is there. Some farms allow camping onsite. But bear in mind, it gets pretty darned hot in the Riverina in Jan, Feb, March; some days push 40c. So it'll be hard yakka working out in the open at this time.

cooker3

I feel like saying it depends to all of this.

3200 equates to roughly $4500 by current exchange rates and that's easily enough unless you go on the piss every night and don't get a job for 2 months.

If you could get your regional work out of your way early that would be ideal. Do you or either 2 travel companions drive? That opens up a lot of options with farmwork.
I personally am travelling solo and don't have a licence so that limited my options so ended up in a working hostel in Queensland from March-June but Jan is rainy season there, least further north, so probably looking at further south like vic and parts of WA.
For farm work best options are calling the harvest line(they can be very hit and miss though) gumtree, going to a area and driving around or working hostels

For non farm based jobs seek.com.au is easily the best imo.

You're unlikely to find a job back in Ireland unless it's something fairly specialised.. Just think of it from a recruiters pov who would employ somebody from otherside of the world who will arrive in x or person who they can speak to in person themselves.

Embrace the fear and nervousness though. The stuff that is really worthwhile in life usually starts with those feelings in my experience.

Alanhooly

cooker3 wrote: »

I feel like saying it depends to all of this.

3200 equates to roughly $4500 by current exchange rates and that's easily enough unless you go on the piss every night and don't get a job for 2 months.

If you could get your regional work out of your way early that would be ideal. Do you or either 2 travel companions drive? That opens up a lot of options with farmwork.
I personally am travelling solo and don't have a licence so that limited my options so ended up in a working hostel in Queensland from March-June but Jan is rainy season there, least further north, so probably looking at further south like vic and parts of WA.
For farm work best options are calling the harvest line(they can be very hit and miss though) gumtree, going to a area and driving around or working hostels

For non farm based jobs seek.com.au is easily the best imo.

You're unlikely to find a job back in Ireland unless it's something fairly specialised.. Just think of it from a recruiters pov who would employ somebody from otherside of the world who will arrive in x or person who they can speak to in person themselves.

Embrace the fear and nervousness though. The stuff that is really worthwhile in life usually starts with those feelings in my experience.

We might have got lucky with a cherry farm in New South Wales . The two i'm travelling with both have their full license!

Can't wait for the experience alone! Thanks for the reply!

!Nicky!

Come and get your regional work out of the way first. First piece of advice I give to anyone coming over here. Ive seen it so many times where you have settled and then have to up and leave your job and friends to go do regional work.

The advantage of getting it done first is that...
A) Its over and done with and then technically you have 21 months of freedom to do whatever you want.
You get straight into work and don't have to drain your funds arsing about waiting for jobs, looking for places etc.
C) Its the best way to get to know how the Aussies operate so when you do go back to travelling or living a normal life or whatever you have it sussed and that will stand for you when dealing with job applications, house rental etc, not looking so "green"
D) You'll make friends and will be able to pick up a wealth of knowledge about what to do in Australia, where you might like to go and visit or live...etc

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME looking for farmwork on a farm if there is three of you. Go to a town where there is always farmwork going on.
I would recommend Bundaberg. I have been recommended it and have also recommended it to people and heard nothing but positive feedback.
I spent 6 months there and had the time of my life. I had my days done but stayed on waiting for the new friends I had made to go travelling etc.

Bundaberg is a city, has everything you want but is also a hub for agriculture in Queensland.
They grow pretty much everything up there so there is work all year round, the thing you have to do is go to the right hostel to get work.
I spent my time at Cellblock, I visited all the other hostels and even moved(for a day) but came back. The best hostel in Bundaberg, especially for Irish, alays has work and has contacts with the largest producers. Girls will get work there no problem, guys have to prove themselves as good workers(1-2weeks in a normal job) and then get put on the good jobs if they are.

I can list all the other hostels and tell you why to avoid or whatever, if you want give me a PM.

I have spent so long with so many backpackers and I know how daunting going to do farmwork is but id recommend getting it out of the way.

Dont despair about Money, 3600 is plenty to get you started but again, dont get caught in the trap going out every night and the next thing you know you have no job,no money and need to do your farmwork with the bare minimum time left.

As I said, give me a PM if you want with any questions and I can reply in detail but dont worry about it. Itll probably be one of the best things youll ever do coming here.

sparklyEyes111

Alanhooly wrote: »

Me, my gf & our friend are heading over to Sydney on the 6th of January. I (as did the others) finished college in may & i'm not currently working so we all decided to give it a go for the year (maybe 2).

To be honest, from reading these threads, i'm not sure if we have made the right decision. Doubts are creeping into my head such as; Will we find work? Will we do our regional work first? If we do find regional work, will the farm take all 3 of us? Will the money we have last us?

I personally will have around €3,200 going over with me. I do have family over there but none of them have offered for me to stay with them when we first arrive (I didn't think I was that bad :eek: ) but at least I know someone but we will probably be staying in a hostel for a week or 2.

Basically, do you think I will have enough money initially? Are regional jobs easy to come by? Will they take 3 of us? Should I have stayed where I was and just moved somewhere within Ireland to job search? Plenty of doubt creeping in. Any words of wisdom? (I don't expect each individual question to be answered Words of encouragement will do.)

This is from a person who has just left Oz. Its tough over there.. though it all depends where you go. I've a degree and a few years of experience. Getting degree work on the WHV is EXTREMELY tough. I don't know what its like for some other professions, but for my own, the registration work took WEEKS.... I mean I was doing it 4 months before I left, and some things can only be done in the country such as WWCC numbers and that. If your friends are planning to use their degrees there to get work, get them to research. Though I'm thinking you're planning to work as anything yeah? Keep handing out CVS and you'll get something. Accommodation is very dear in Oz. More than I ever thought and my friends there had warned me..!

I'd a great time. I did get some work with lots of effort. It is an experience. I myself am planning to return to the Middle east where I'd be on huge money tax free. I LOVE Oz, but I just felt I was saving nothing... whereas I was saving and having a ball too in the Middle east...and only worked a 5 day week....most people worked 6 day weeks in oz(that I know anyway).. it was very hard finding the time to meet people except on a Saturday night...

I spend 1000 dollars on 2 weeks... and I was trying to save.. I wasnt going mad or anything. Keep watch on what you need to spend, and keep tabs on spending money. Accom will cost you atleast 350 for 2 weeks.... at cheapest (in a hostel). Cheapest I've ever seen as 170 per week and that is sharing with a person in a box room..!

My advice: go. Its better than being at home at the moment.... times are tough back there... as much as I want to go home, I don't because I know finding work will be a struggle. You'll probably make more in Oz than at home. If you've any other small questions, feel free to ask. Oh also my tax number took nearly 3 weeks to come.... someimes it can be very fast or very slow. If you're going in January, loads will be there for summer so I'm guessing it could be slower... I was going mad that it took so long! Also don't just look for accom in Bondi/ Coogee (Typical areas)... You'll get much better value in Rosebery and other areas and they're not far from beaches and CBD. Plenty of Irish in other areas too, but people fall into the Bondi pitfall!

Alanhooly

sparklyEyes111 wrote: »

This is from a person who has just left Oz. Its tough over there.. though it all depends where you go. I've a degree and a few years of experience. Getting degree work on the WHV is EXTREMELY tough. I don't know what its like for some other professions, but for my own, the registration work took WEEKS.... I mean I was doing it 4 months before I left, and some things can only be done in the country such as WWCC numbers and that. If your friends are planning to use their degrees there to get work, get them to research. Though I'm thinking you're planning to work as anything yeah? Keep handing out CVS and you'll get something. Accommodation is very dear in Oz. More than I ever thought and my friends there had warned me..!

I'd a great time. I did get some work with lots of effort. It is an experience. I myself am planning to return to the Middle east where I'd be on huge money tax free. I LOVE Oz, but I just felt I was saving nothing... whereas I was saving and having a ball too in the Middle east...and only worked a 5 day week....most people worked 6 day weeks in oz(that I know anyway).. it was very hard finding the time to meet people except on a Saturday night...

I spend 1000 dollars on 2 weeks... and I was trying to save.. I wasnt going mad or anything. Keep watch on what you need to spend, and keep tabs on spending money. Accom will cost you atleast 350 for 2 weeks.... at cheapest (in a hostel). Cheapest I've ever seen as 170 per week and that is sharing with a person in a box room..!

My advice: go. Its better than being at home at the moment.... times are tough back there... as much as I want to go home, I don't because I know finding work will be a struggle. You'll probably make more in Oz than at home. If you've any other small questions, feel free to ask. Oh also my tax number took nearly 3 weeks to come.... someimes it can be very fast or very slow. If you're going in January, loads will be there for summer so I'm guessing it could be slower... I was going mad that it took so long! Also don't just look for accom in Bondi/ Coogee (Typical areas)... You'll get much better value in Rosebery and other areas and they're not far from beaches and CBD. Plenty of Irish in other areas too, but people fall into the Bondi pitfall!

We are closing in on having work arranged in the Leeton area for our 3 months regional work! That way we will have a decent amount saved. Thanks for the reply. I appreciate the information!