What you need to know before moving to Australia

Although you definitely need the right work visa before moving to Australia to work, you don’t need to find a job or arrange a sponsor before you touch down. If you have the opportunity to arrange a role before you depart, great, but apart from your Australian working holiday visa, there’s nothing else you need to arrange before you arrive. This provides travellers with flexibility, enabling you to land in whichever city you like and enjoy a holiday travelling about Australia before looking for work. 

What’s more, with a current unemployment rate of just 4%, local employers are struggling to fill positions which means if you’re keen to start work, you won’t have a problem finding employment at all. This is especially so in Queensland where the Government has created the Work in Paradise incentive scheme to tempt skilled workers to move to Queensland — like anyone needs an added incentive to live, work and play in Queensland — and work in a paradisiacal place like the Cairns, the Whitsunday Islands or the Queensland outback.  

So, what do you need to work in Australia? Whether you work in Queensland or elsewhere during your working holiday in Australia, you’ll need:

• A valid work permit

• A Tax File Number (TFN) 

• An Australian bank account

• An up-to-date resume (in English) 

• A phone number and email address 

One of the many myths about applying for a working holiday visa in Australia is that you need to organise a physical address before you arrive. While this would be ideal, many travellers planning on working in Queensland or another state or territory organise a backpacker or hostel for their first few days in the country and use their address for any correspondence required — it’s really that easy.

As workers without tax file numbers are taxed at a higher rate and it takes around 28 days after you lodge your application before you receive your TFN, it’s advisable to apply before you depart for Australia. You can find out what documents you need or apply right now here.

A wide variety of jobs are available

Contrary to popular belief, you can work a wide variety of jobs in Australia and not just fruit picking jobs. Take hospitality jobs in Australia for example. If you have the qualifications and experience you could continue to work as a chef or cook, but there’s a myriad of hospitality roles available, with everything from customer service and housekeeping through to food and beverage and trades positions available.

Like fruit picking jobs in Australia, working in hospitality can be your ticket to seeing parts of Australia that other WHV travellers don’t get to experience — there are even more jobs across regional Australia than in cities and many roles even provide on-site accommodation!

You’ll experience even more working here

Certainly, you’d have the opportunity to see so much more of Australia if you didn’t work at all during your time here but, realistically, who can afford to travel comfortably for a year without an income? One of the many great things about working in Australia is that you get a real feel for the country by working and socialising with locals, and enjoy experiences that holidaymakers tend to miss out on.

With Australian wages being among the highest in the world, you’ll be able to earn a wage that enables you to travel and holiday freely around the country during your working holiday. So, far from missing out on seeing Australia because you’re working, you’ll actually find yourself seeing more of it because you have the financial means to do so. Moreover, you may acquire new skills that you can put to use when you return home, in your next role in Australia, or wherever you travel to next. 

Working in regional centres is a blast

Like most countries, Australia is so much more than the sum of its cities — Australia is a massive country and while a high percentage of its population (86% in 2022) resides in urban areas, that doesn’t mean we’re all city dwellers. What’s more, rural Australia has so much to offer and not only in terms of employment opportunities, but also lifestyle, experiences and landscapes. Where else in the world during a one-year working holiday would you have the opportunity to work in places as far flung as a tropical paradise, an outback oasis or a bustling, cosmopolitan city other than Australia? 

With the wide range of hospitality jobs currently available in Queensland, you could find yourself living on Hamilton or Hayman Island, waking up to the sound of water lapping on the shore and swimming in crystal clear waters after you finish up work for the day. Or you could find work in Brisbane and get to know the River City during the week before exploring Southeast Queensland on weekends, with the beaches of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast practically right on your doorstep. There are plenty of jobs in Queensland, so regardless of your experience or qualifications, you’re sure to find a role that interests you in a location that you’d love to live in, experience and get to know. 

It’s easy to get to Queensland from Sydney or Melbourne

With most international flights arriving in either Sydney or Melbourne, some travellers spend most of their time in the south because they’re of the mind that destinations in Queensland, like the capital city Brisbane, are too far away. That’s far from the truth.

Certainly, the distance between Australian cities tends to be greater than distances in the UK or Europe, but that doesn’t mean you’ll spend all your time travelling. Not only are there seemingly endless flight options but bus travel with providers like Greyhound is affordable, comfortable, fast and safe.

What’s more, it’s one of the best ways to get around Australia as there’s an extensive network that will get you to practically any destination in the country. You can check out the network map here and see for yourself. Plus, if you’re eligible for the Work in Paradise incentive scheme, you could have your travel costs paid for — how good is that?