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Help, I’m not a native English speaker!
Well, first of all, congrats for reading this guide in English! This is exactly what you should be doing—practising your language skills and breaking out of your comfort zone.
Many WHV holders are not native English speakers. And as a matter of fact, many Australians aren’t native English speakers either! Travelling to a country when you haven’t mastered the official language is a challenge but a rewarding one because you will leave Australia with stronger English skills.
Now, let’s see what you can do to work on your English before the big trip and how to find a job when you’re not fluent in English.
How can I improve my English skills before the trip?
Don’t wait to be in Australia to practise your English skills—homework starts now, before the trip!
Try conversation exchange in person or online
If you live in a big city, there has to be native English speakers around—immigrants, students or maybe WHV holders! If you don’t know anyone personally, post an ad at university or on a free classifieds website to see if someone would be interested in a conversation exchange. Meet over coffee and chat in your mother tongue for thirty minutes (or whatever amount of time decided beforehand), then spend the following thirty minutes speaking English. Bonus if your partner is Australian, you will be able to get used to the accent!
If face-to-face meetings are too intimidating or if you can’t find the right partner, use an online service like Students of the world (24 and under only), Speaky, Swap Asap or Penpal Gate. Registering is usually free and you can be matched with learners and native speakers from all over the world.
Read novels, articles or magazines in English
Start easy and read comics, celebrity news, sports magazines or women’s magazines in English. Wikipedia also offers articles written in “simple English,” i.e. with simplified grammar and vocabulary. Your e-reader (Kindle, Kobo, etc.) may also have a built-in dictionary for easy access to definitions.
You can also read your favourite British, American, Canadian, etc. authors in English, especially if you’ve already read the translated version of their work. Two Australian authors recently made international best-seller lists—Liane Moriarty (the HBO series “Big Little Lies” is based on the eponymous novel) and Jane Harper (gripping thrillers set in the Australian Outback).
Check out the latest news from Down Under on news.com.au or ABC news—bonus, it’s a great cultural introduction to Australia!
Whenever possible, try to read out loud to sound out new words. It will help your communication skills later on.
Watch movies and TV series in English
Easy mode—watch a movie or TV series in English with subtitles on. Hard mode—no subtitles at all! This is a great way to pick up idioms and to get used to accents. Start with a movie or TV series you’ve already watched dubbed or with subtitles and challenge yourself. Little by little, it will get easier to follow dialogues.
Now, you may want to focus on Australian movies and TV series to get used to the local slang and accent. Here are a few suggestions:
- The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (movie): Two drag queens and a transsexual travel across Australia, from Sydney to Alice Springs, entertaining homophobes and enthusiasts alike.
- Picnic at Hanging Rock (movie): three students and a school teacher disappear on a picnic to Hanging Rock, in Victoria, on Valentine’s Day, 1900.
- Crocodile Dundee (movie): A journalist travels to Northern Australia to interview a unique crocodile poacher, Michael J. Crocodile Dundee.
- Muriel’s Wedding (movie): Although she’s never had a date, a young woman goes about the business of landing herself a husband.
- The Slap (series, make sure you get the Aussie version, not the US one): A man slaps a 4-year-old boy, who is not his son, at the 40th birthday party of his cousin. The incident infuriates the boys’ parents, resulting in a trial where the story is told from the points of view of eight people.
- Mystery Road (series): Detective Jay Swan investigates the mysterious disappearance of two young men on an Australia Outback cattle station, and two unexpected visitors cause trouble as the mystery of the missing men unfolds.
- Top of the Lake (series, 2 seasons): A detective investigates the disappearance of a 12-year-old schoolgirl in a small town and gradually finds herself getting obsessed with the case.
- Underbelly (series): Key players in Melbourne’s criminal underworld, including the Carlton Crew and their rival, Carl Williams.
If you watch Netflix, here is a list of all Australian programs available.
Listen to music in English
Okay, it may not be the best way to learn proper grammar and many songs don’t really make sense, but it’s a great way to pick up the accent and urban slang!
Check out beloved classic Australian bands like Midnight Oil, Crowded House or Cold Chisel for rock music.
Take English classes
This is the most expensive option but probably the most efficient one to acquire strong language skills, especially if you’re a beginner.
If you’re still a student, take advantage of English classes your institution may offer. If you have a full-time job, you may want to see if they could qualify for professional development—your employer may want to invest in your language skills!
Depending on where you live, check out community colleges, adult high schools or local British/American/Australian associations—they may offer cheap language training.
How can I improve my English once in Australia?
Will I pick up English faster when travelling or working?
If improving your English skills is a priority for you, should you travel around the country and wait until you’ve picked up enough English to find a job or should you try to get a job for a better immersion into the language?
Both options have pros and cons.
Travelling gives you the chance to meet plenty of people from all over the world and you will have to interact with Australians as well when booking a room, shopping, buying a bus ticket, etc. However, most of these interactions are fairly short and shallow. As for your travel mates, English may not be their mother tongue…
If you get a job, you will have to settle somewhere for a little while, maybe live with roommates. You will pick up some business English or lingo related to your professional activity. However, make sure to keep on breaking out of your comfort zone—if your roommate speaks your mother tongue and if your job doesn’t require much interaction with the general public, you won’t progress that quickly.
It’s probably best to go with the flow—if you get the chance to find a job right away, great! If not, don’t worry, you can also work on your English while travelling.
And by the way, here are a few more tips…
Take English classes (and enjoy a special offer!)
You can take English classes before your trip but consider the option once you’re in Australia as well! This is a great way to meet people from all around the world and ease into the culture.
Get social
As a backpacker, you will meet new people every day. Australians, for sure, but also hundreds of mates from all over the world. The lingua franca is usually English in hostels, so don’t be shy and join the conversation! You have an accent? So do they, and who cares!
This is what breaking out of your comfort zone is all about—you will be sharing bathrooms, dorms, kitchens and lounges with perfect strangers. Engage in small talk or deep conversations and you’ll see, over time, it will get easier to get your point across.
You didn’t hear it from us, but some say that alcohol helps you speak a foreign language better… (in moderation only!!!)
Join a real-world social network
This is not about adding a new friend on Facebook or following a Twitter user—join a real-world social network like Couchsurfing, WWOOF, Workaway or HelpX!
Couchsurfing is a platform that connects potential hosts with backpackers eager to experience the local way of live. Technically, if the host accepts your request, you can crash on their couch or settle in the spare bedroom for a night or two—for free! This is a great way to meet and stay with locals who usually offer their couch because they are curious about other cultures. Expect expert tips and advice about the city or the neighbourhood, a place to stay for free and cultural exchange.
WWOOF, HelpX and Workaway are different platforms to arrange a volunteer-for-room-and-board experience. This is a great way to save money and discover the local way of life in a rural setting or in the city. Just make sure you don’t end up being the only host on a farm lost in the Outback because it could be a very lonely experience—it’s easier if there are other hosts with you! This chapter is dedicated to volunteering platforms for more tips and advice.
Fall in love
Hypothetically, if you were to fall in love with an Aussie or a native English speaker, you could progress really fast. In English, of course. Oh, and it takes time to improve your language skills, so the longer the relationship is, the better. Just sayin’…
How can I overcome the language barrier and find a job?
Prepare an “interview emergency kit”
If you find the idea of handling a job interview in English absolutely terrifying, remember that such mundane professional exercise can—and should!—be prepared.
You can start by rehearsing typical questions:
- “When will you be available? For how long?”
- “What’s your hourly rate expectation for the job?”
- “Tell me about your work experience.”
- “What are your strengths and your weaknesses?”
You can also enlist a fellow WHV holder to do a mock interview—you’re probably not the only one who needs practice!
It’s also a good idea to focus on your industry terminology. For instance, you can read the Construction glossary of building terms or Vocabulary on food and restaurants.
Focus on jobs with low communication skills requirements
Fruit picking jobs
There’s a reason why many immigrants around the world end up working on farms—watermelons and grapes aren’t going to engage you in a deep and meaningful conversation. Farm managers are used to dealing with newcomers and backpackers who aren’t native speakers so instructions are usually clear and straightforward, plus you can ask a seasoned coworker for help if you didn’t understand everything.
“Back of house” jobs
This category encompasses all non-customer-facing jobs or jobs that don’t require a lot of customer interaction and group collaboration.
They include:
- Kitchen help and food prep (i.e. dishwasher, line cook, etc.)
- Mover
- Landscaper
- Car wash attendant
- General housekeeping (in offices or hostels)
- Factory worker
- Delivery driver
While you won’t chat with customers much, you will still have coworkers and get a chance to improve your language skills. As soon as you feel confident enough, you can start looking for a more qualified job!
Be confident, your English doesn’t have to be perfect!
Final caveat—your English doesn’t have to be perfect. English is a flexible language and Australia is a land built on immigration. You’re not the only one around with an accent and creative grammar!
If you feel self-conscious about your accent, remember that Americans or Canadians in Australia have an accent too. Plus, accents are usually considered cute. As for grammar, well, go ahead, ask a native speaker a grammatical question—chances are the answer will be “huh… dunno. Depends, I guess, both are okay…”
You have plenty of skills to offer beyond your language skills. Maybe you’re funny, a great cook, very reliable, organized, well travelled, practical… Employers, other backpackers and Australians in general will enjoy meeting you even if you butcher a few words here and there.
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