What jobs are accessible with a Working Holiday Visa?
Dreaming of working in Australia, New Zealand, or Canada? It's easy with a Working Holiday Visa, an ideal way to explore new horizons without breaking the bank. What kinds of jobs are available? Languages and Travel, a language travel agency in Brussels, explains.
Each destination has its own unique characteristics. But if there's one thing Australia and Canada , it's that they are both victims of their own popularity. Highly attractive due to their quality of life, these two countries therefore maintain a controlled immigration policy. So much so that it has become very difficult to enter the job market without a Working Holiday Visa (except for positions where the country has a genuine need in certain sectors experiencing labor shortages).
Fruit picking, tourism, Horeca, sales
In practice, travelers holding a Working Holiday Visa mostly find seasonal jobs where there is a persistent labor shortage. While New Zealand's immigration policy is more flexible and its labor search less targeted , competition is also becoming increasingly fierce. The reason? The growing number of young people heading to "the land of the long white cloud" to fill the gaps in opportunities elsewhere. The jobs accessible with a Working Holiday Visa remain largely the same regardless of the destination. You will most often find them in the following sectors:
• Agricultural harvesting, also known as "fruit picking" (especially in Australia and New Zealand)
• Tourism: hotels, tourist attractions, etc.
• The hospitality industry: bars, restaurants
• Mail order or retail sales
In terms of the specific roles themselves, here are some examples of the most accessible jobs : salesperson, customer service representative, bartender or dishwasher, waiter, kitchen or dining room assistant, fruit picker or farmhand, delivery driver, warehouse worker, construction worker, housekeeper, cleaning, babysitting, etc. (full list available upon request)
These are generally low value-added jobs, some of which require a minimum level of physical fitness, flexibility in terms of availability, but also few professional qualifications.
Working in cities or in the countryside while using a work-from-home permit?
Finding work in cities can sometimes be more difficult due to the highly competitive nature of the urban job market. The job assistance we offer is a real asset in overcoming potential obstacles if you are determined to work in cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Toronto, or Vancouver. Australia has signed the Working Holiday Visa (WHV) agreement with nearly twenty countries, including Germany, the UK, and Canada, and young people from these destinations often speak English well or are even fully fluent. A helping hand from our local partner will be invaluable.
To work in the field of these studies?
The Working Holiday Visa limits the maximum duration of employment with a single employer to six months in Australia. This encourages Working Holiday Visa holders to move around frequently. While this may discourage many employers in non-seasonal sectors, it doesn't affect the hospitality industry, fruit picking, or tourism establishments, which are accustomed to seeing young people from all over the world with only one goal: to work and, above all, to travel. Finally, be aware that if you want to work in your field of study and try to reside long-term in one of these three countries, the situation is quite different. You will need to find a sponsor , that is, an employer willing to hire you. In most cases, this employer will have to justify that they cannot find the same skills among locals. This discourages most of them from taking the plunge.
Ultimately, the Working Holiday Visa remains an excellent way to discover a country, to make contacts there for a year or more, and to succeed in convincing future employers to hire you if you intend to extend the adventure!
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