Getting a job as a backpacker

Tipperary Fairy

Hey
Landed in melbourne last month and started looking for jobs a couple of weeks ago, but am finding it hard.

Most of what's going is permanent, or minimum of 6 months, which I can't sign up for. We won't be staying more than 4 months in any one city / town most likely so it's obviously going to make things difficult.

Mostly what's going, that I could do is cafe stuff, or retail. All the cafes want people with experience, which I don't have. But seriously it's not that difficult to pick up. Retail is pretty much permanent only too, so that's not much better.

I have experience with office work, but I'm not hearing anything back about the temping jobs I've applied for.

I've done the RSA but again most bars are looking for people with experience.

Starting to go a little stir crazy not working, and the funds need topping up.

II'm just wondering how backpackers get jobs! Does everyone lie about their experience? Does everyone lie about how long they're staying? What am I missing here!?

pete4130

Lie about experience, take ANYTHING thats going...get your white card for construction work. Go rural now and work on farms to get money/save money.

Jan/Feb are slow times for work.

Tipperary Fairy

pete4130 wrote: »

Lie about experience, take ANYTHING thats going...get your white card for construction work. Go rural now and work on farms to get money/save money.

Jan/Feb are slow times for work.

Thanks for that. I'm willing to take most of what's going, but like I say most places require experience, some of which you can't fake.
Not going into construction, and don't have to do regional work, couldn't physically anyway.

Didn't realise January and February were slow for jobs. Tbh it doesn't seem too slow, just that what is going is not easy to get without experience.

Uncomfortable making up experience if I can't bullish!t properly and in order to bullish!t properly I'd need to have a clue about the job.

endacl

Cafe/retail jobs aren't rocket surgery. How do they know you don't have experience?

catbear

Try Bakers Choice shops, they seemed to all over the place and seemed to have a lot of Irish backpackers employed. One backpacker told that she'd worked all around OZ through the chain. Tell them you're eager for a start and would be willing to work a few days free to get trained up if needs be.
Once you're in just use their chain to get around OZ!
Don't know if they're in NZ though.

Tipperary Fairy

endacl wrote: »

Cafe/retail jobs aren't rocket surgery. How do they know you don't have experience?

Yeah, as I said it's the problem of knowing what to fake.
I have retail experience.

Tipperary Fairy

catbear wrote: »

Try Bakers Choice shops, they seemed to all over the place and seemed to have a lot of Irish backpackers employed. One backpacker told that she'd worked all around OZ through the chain. Tell them you're eager for a start and would be willing to work a few days free to get trained up if needs be.
Once you're in just use their chain to get around OZ!
Don't know if they're in NZ though.

You mean Baker's Delight? Yeah i'll keep an eye on them so.

catbear

Tipperary Fairy wrote: »

You mean Baker's Delight? Yeah i'll keep an eye on them so.

Yes that's the one. It seemed the perfect way to get around. Plus I think places like Perth city is classed as regional so you might be able to get your second year out of just working a bakers delight shop there.
Best of luck and have fun.

Tipperary Fairy

catbear wrote: »

Yes that's the one. It seemed the perfect way to get around. Plus I think places like Perth city is classed as regional so you might be able to get your second year out of just working a bakers delight shop there.
Best of luck and have fun.

I'm too old to get the second year so don't need to do the regional work.

I think it's only certain types of work that count, rather than areas, for the second year anyway.

bestleftfull3

lie, lie and lie even more !!

you've no loyalty if they say it's a minimum 6 months say no problem take the job and leave when you have too!

You've no ties to them so you shouldn't worry about leaving

bestleftfull3

lie, lie and lie even more !!

you've no loyalty if they say it's a minimum 6 months say no problem take the job and leave when you have too!

You've no ties to them so you shouldn't worry about leaving

aido79

catbear wrote: »

Yes that's the one. It seemed the perfect way to get around. Plus I think places like Perth city is classed as regional so you might be able to get your second year out of just working a bakers delight shop there.
Best of luck and have fun.

This wouldn't classify as regional work. Even if they had a shop in the middle of nowhere it still wouldn't count. It needs to be specified work:
http://www.visabureau.com/australia/specified-work.aspx

Tipperary Fairy

bestleftfull3 wrote: »

lie, lie and lie even more !!

you've no loyalty if they say it's a minimum 6 months say no problem take the job and leave when you have too!

You've no ties to them so you shouldn't worry about leaving

Only problem with this is if they know anything about the visa they'll know it's a lie, as you can't work in one place for more than 6 months.

aido79

bestleftfull3 wrote: »

lie, lie and lie even more !!

you've no loyalty if they say it's a minimum 6 months say no problem take the job and leave when you have too!

You've no ties to them so you shouldn't worry about leaving

A person on a whv can't work for one company for more than 6 months. There are companies who ignore this rule but it may also be the reason the company has stated that they are looking for someone for more than 6 months.

AngryHippie

There is a way around the 6 month rule

Get your regional work done, get your 2nd year WHV locked in and approved.

Then you can work for one employer for 6 months, take a day off at the end of your 1st WHV, and work for a further 6 months for the same employer.

I did this on my original WHV, its perfectly legitimate, there was a week of holiday time between the two stints.

I also applied to have my 6 months extended. I got knocked back on that, but ended up on a bridging visa under a different application.

Don't go down the road that bestleftfull3 has advised. Lies will catch up with you and make life difficult somewhere along the line .

pete4130

AngryHippie wrote: »

There is a way around the 6 month rule

Get your regional work done, get your 2nd year WHV locked in and approved.

Then you can work for one employer for 6 months, take a day off at the end of your 1st WHV, and work for a further 6 months for the same employer.

I did this on my original WHV, its perfectly legitimate, there was a week of holiday time between the two stints.

I also applied to have my 6 months extended. I got knocked back on that, but ended up on a bridging visa under a different application.

Don't go down the road that bestleftfull3 has advised. Lies will catch up with you and make life difficult somewhere along the line .

The only problem with this is, you have to start the job with 6 onths left on your 1st WHV.....its no use if you start the job in your first week of landing here.

Tipperary Fairy

As I said, I'm not eligible for a second year visa anyway...

el diablo

A job as a backpacker? What does that entail?

bestleftfull3

the OP stated they are only going to be in one city for a maximum of 4 months so why is everyone talking about the 6 months rule?

aido79

bestleftfull3 wrote: »

the OP stated they are only going to be in one city for a maximum of 4 months so why is everyone talking about the 6 months rule?

Because its a condition of the visa. Most employers are aware that they can't hire someone on a whv for more than 6 months. You suggested lying to an employer so the OP could get a job where the employer wanted someone who would stay in the position for more than 6 months.

astonaidan

I heard their is a new tax coming in that is going to screw backbackers in tax, trying to get Aussies working, when most Aussies I know would have no intention of doing farm work or anything similar to it

catbear

astonaidan wrote: »

I heard their is a new tax coming in that is going to screw backbackers in tax, trying to get Aussies working, when most Aussies I know would have no intention of doing farm work or anything similar to it

yeah, some regional areas are so stuck for labour that they were onto the government to let asylum seekers work for residency.

el diablo

astonaidan wrote: »

I heard their is a new tax coming in that is going to screw backbackers in tax, trying to get Aussies working, when most Aussies I know would have no intention of doing farm work or anything similar to it

Very true. There is no shortage of drongoes, dropkicks and flamin' galahs in Australia.

astonaidan

catbear wrote: »

yeah, some regional areas are so stuck for labour that they were onto the government to let asylum seekers work for residency.

If regional areas are so stuck why would they raise the amount of tax a backpacker would be paying, like honestly Ive never met a australian who left the city to do regional work

catbear

astonaidan wrote: »

If regional areas are so stuck why would they raise the amount of tax a backpacker would be paying, like honestly Ive never met a australian who left the city to do regional work

It's national politics over regional concerns and what most voters see are backpackers in the cities when there's high youth unemployment in the suburbs.
It's doesn't make sense I know but then neither does a Fianna Fail comeback but that's politics!

markymark21

If you're looking for bar work in Melbourne this is the best place to look

https://www.facebook.com/groups/melbournebartenderexchange/

A good witty post helps.. Ask about doing bussy work (bar back). Say you can stack glasses like a boss or don't mind getting your hands dirty and scooping puke off a toilet floor

astonaidan

catbear wrote: »

It's national politics over regional concerns and what most voters see are backpackers in the cities when there's high youth unemployment in the suburbs.
It's doesn't make sense I know but then neither does a Fianna Fail comeback but that's politics!

Thats madness tbh, most of the money made by backpackers stays in Australia its not like they are sending it home. The thing is these youth just dont want to work, from my experience in Sydney their was plenty of work to be found but the girls I knew actually were happy living at home working 2 days a week as a hostel receptionist they were never going to do the work the backpackers were going to do, I see this as Australia just shooting themselfs in the foot