Working Holiday Jobs in Australia & New Zealand

The Backpacker Job Board is the web's favourite location for working holiday jobs in Australia and New Zealand. It's home to 1,000s of job vacancies in a range of areas. You'll find fruit picking jobs and farm work as well as hospitality and sales jobs. The wide range of casual jobs are perfect for backpackers looking to fund their travels while down under.

Latest Backpacker Jobs in Australia

Latest Backpacker Jobs in New Zealand

Whether you've started your working holiday adventure in Australia or New Zealand or you're in the process of applying for your visa, you'll want to know as much information as possible about the opportunities available to you out there. After all, it's a long way away from the UK, so the more prepared you are, the better.

Thankfully, Backpacker Job Board is the destination resource for both countries.

Australia

With over 1.2m British expats residing in Australia, it's a popular place for Brits to head to. From the exceptional Uluru and Great Barrier Reef to the Sydney Opera House, Blue Mountains and the country's vast selection of vibrantly cultural, young cities, it truly offers something for every interest - and every traveller.

Despite the country's vast size, it's relatively easy to get from place to place. There are frequent domestic flights - an easier option if you need to traverse its thousands of miles efficiently - and a reliable road network, particularly up the east coast and the south-east, where a large proportion of the population resides. Australia's working holiday visa ensures obtaining work as a traveller is relatively simple, too, with a myriad of jobs available, from bar staff opportunities to farming out in the Aussie countryside.

What do I need to know about the Australian working holiday visa?

It's vital that you double check that you can apply for the working holiday visa for Australia. While there are strict requirements, if you ensure that your personal circumstances meet these, you're good to go.

Age

You need to be over (or aged) 18 to apply for a working holiday visa, as well as under 31.

Length of stay

The initial visa allows up to 12 months' stay in Australia, however…

Extension possibilities

…there is the option for a visa extension. This comes in the form of a second working holiday visa, which must be applied for whilst in the country (if you're outside Australia upon application, you must remain as such when it is granted). This allows an additional twelve months' stay, subject to meeting the Government's requirements.

City vs regional: where do I find a job, and what types of jobs are available?

The types of jobs available to backpackers vary vastly in Australia from place to place. However, there are still plenty of opportunities on offer - it's just a case of knowing where, and how, to look.

Backpacker Job Board has listings across Australia, from Cairns to Adelaide to Sydney, so head online to browse all available jobs. If you're off to the outback, or even just the fields of Victoria, expect to land yourself a job on a farm, be that picking fruit or working as a farm hand amongst a herd of cows. If you'd rather work in the centre of town than the middle of nowhere, expect to work awkward shifts both late at night and at the crack of dawn, whether you've landed a job as bar staff in Northbridge, Perth or you're working the breakfast shift at a hotel in Darwin. Additionally, if you love kids and you've got the adequate experience, au pair jobs are a reliable source of income.

Ask other travellers at your hostel, whichever state, region or city you're in. Chances are, they'll either have worked in the area, they are working, or like you, are looking for work!

New Zealand

Known for its outstanding natural beauty, remote Pacific location and sheep, New Zealand is truly a paradise on the other side of the world (over 11,000 miles away from the UK, in fact). As the filming location for Lord of the Rings and with its eclectic range of landscapes, from Fiordland National Park on the South Island to the buzzing metropolis of Auckland on the north of the North Island, it's an attractive country for travellers from all over the world.

New Zealand, like Australia, offers a one-year working holiday visa initially, allowing backpackers to work across the country. Despite its wide variety of terrain, it's easy to get from place to place, with options available to travellers including coaches specifically for this purpose and a network of trains across each Island, with regular ferries between the two. Jobs are also readily available for backpackers across the country, including work at ski resorts on the South Island and hospitality jobs in the country's capital, Wellington.

What do I need to know about the New Zealand working holiday visa?

If you meet the requirements for a New Zealand working holiday visa, you're ready to get started with your working and travelling adventure in this exceptional and unique country.

Age

As a British citizen, you need to be aged between 18-30 in order to obtain a working holiday visa for New Zealand.

Length of stay and possible restrictions

Working holiday visas are granted for either one year's stay or 23 months in the country. The one-year visa can be extended for another year, on the proviso that you've worked in viticulture or horticulture during your initial stay for three months.

It's essential to note that you must have NZ$350 per month of your visit prior to arrival, as well as NZ$500 if you have not booked a return flight home. You have to be able to prove this through evidence such as bank statements to immigration staff.

North Island vs South Island: where do I find a job, and what are my employment options?

With major cities including Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown, travellers on a working holiday visa have several options to discover work across the country. On the North Island, New Zealand has a thriving vineyard industry in the Wellington area, with ample opportunities for employment picking grapes. On the South Island, if you enjoy mountainous terrain, there are several National Parks that provide seasonal jobs.

The hospitality industry is thriving across both the North Island and South Island, with bar work and hotel staff options available, servicing New Zealand's tourism industry. More niche fields of work, such as becoming an au pair, are available, but if you're planning to work with children, you need to ensure you have the adequate qualifications and experience to ensure employment.

Whether you prefer to bask in the sunshine serving drinks on the North Island or would rather take on a cleaning job amongst the hills and valleys of the South Island, Backpacker Job Board New Zealand is the go-to site to discover a range of opportunities across this South Pacific jewel.