Wondering how to fund your travels while on a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) or what kinds of work you should pick up along the way? Throughout my three WHVs, I’ve made the most of the freedom of an open work permit and tried out many different jobs. I’ve done everything from career-based roles to temporary backpacker jobs like hostel or farm work. Here’s how I would rate each job I tried, based on how much I enjoyed it and whether I would recommend the job to another working holiday maker or not.
Farm work
In Australia, I tried three different farm jobs to secure a second year in Australia. Two jobs were on traditional farms, working with livestock, and one was volunteering in a bushfire recovery zone.
Pros:
For me, there were no pros. I walked away from the 88 days without completing enough specified work to extend my visa. I chose to make the most of my 12 months in the country, rather than waste a year in Australia miserably trying to earn a second year.
For other people, the pro of farm work is to secure a visa extension. There are many who successfully complete the specified work, so it is doable! It’s especially worth completing if you are travelling in a group, where you can help keep each other safe.
Cons:
To be blunt, the con was risking my life for the sake of a visa. Despite my best efforts of researching “safe” farms and taking recommendations from other backpackers, I still ended up in situations where the farmer expected me to put work above my own safety.
As well as unsafe working conditions, I also experienced issues with being underpaid. Specified work will not count for your 88 days if you aren’t paid the legal minimum wage. Constantly battling farmers to ensure my work would actually count was too stressful for me to justify continuing.
Verdict: 1/10
If farm work wasn’t linked to visa extension, I would never recommend this line of work. However, it’s a backpacker job most working holiday makers in Australia will have to do. My advice is make sure you know your rights and be ready to walk away if your safety is compromised!
Au pair
I stayed with a couple of different families in both Australia and New Zealand. The au pair work generally consisted of taking the children to appointments, playing with them, helping with homework, cooking meals, cleaning the house, etc.
Pros:
Having everything sorted for you: food, hot water, a place to sleep, a car, etc. Some agencies or host families will even assist in securing your work visa. A good host family will also be able to show you around or give local tips, which can help you find your feet in a new country. If you’re someone who feels homesick when travelling, au pairing is a great way to combat these feelings because you’ll be part of a family unit.
Cons:
When you’re living under the same roof, it’s hard to explain to a child who wants to hang out that you’re due some downtime or a day off. Normally, you end up working overtime without pay, so there’s no work/life balance.
Another downside is not being able to socialise with other young adults—I’d hang out with other parents but all my time was spent with the family, so I wasn’t out meeting other backpackers.
As I mentioned earlier, a major downside to au pairing is if you end up in a family you don’t gel with. I had a difficult time that led to me leaving a placement early. Even though I adored the children, I was constantly clashing with the parents over our completely opposing world views. I’m a people pleaser, so I felt a lot of guilt over my sudden departure, even though it was the right decision to move on. The kids felt abandoned and like they’d done something wrong, which put me off au pairing again.
Verdict: 4/10
If you like children and you find a placement with the right family, au pairing can be up there as a 10/10 job. If you end up working for a family that you don’t get along with, it can be hard to cope when your place of work is also where you live.
Hostel worker
I mainly volunteered as a cleaner in a hostel in New Zealand. Occasionally, I’d get the opportunity to sit on reception and check people in. The cleaning consisted of turning over the rooms each day, doing laundry, cleaning and restocking the communal kitchen and bathrooms. I preferred the days when I got to cover reception, but the cleaning wasn’t too bad, as you could listen to music.
Pros:
If you’re volunteering for bed and board, make sure you pick a nice hostel! My hostel was on the beach, surrounded by forest, with an abundance of wildlife, so the views and the hikes on days off were insane. Lunch and dinner were provided, so I only had to spend money on breakfast. Plus, I met lots of other backpackers, as everyone working there was on a WHV.
Cons:
I think this depends on the type of hostel. Though I didn’t experience anything negative, I’ve heard horror stories from people working in party hostels. My hostel was beautifully quiet and mostly used by older people, honeymooners, or families. There were no drunks to contend with and our guests were usually respectful of the communal areas.
Verdict: 6/10
As long as you pick the right hostel, this can be a pleasant way to travel around, save money, and meet new people. Cleaning (especially communal toilets) isn’t the best, however, so try to land a receptionist role for a 10/10 job.
Petsitter
Petsitting was how I supported myself for the majority of my travels across Australia and New Zealand. Some might not consider petsitting a job. However, since it requires hours of hard work and covers living costs, the same way volunteering does, I think it counts!
Pros:
With all the travel I do, I can’t offer a stable home to a pet of my own right now. Getting to cuddle and play with other people’s adorable pets is the next best solution. I got to stay in amazing houses in locations I could never afford! Finally, as an animal lover, I enjoyed the chance to care for animals I wouldn’t normally own, such as geckos, chickens and horses.
Cons:
Much like au pairing, if you get the wrong match, you will have a hard time. Especially because you can’t quit as easily; you typically have to see the housesit through until the owner returns.
Another con is the risk involved, which not many housesitters talk about openly. Although there is no such thing as a bad animal (only bad owners!), a scared or confused animal might lash out at you once the owner has left. Your safety may be at risk and you may be liable if someone else gets hurt. I switched exclusively to catsits after a couple of close calls with reactive or aggressive dogs. Be very careful with the types of sit you accept, and make sure you have good insurance!
Verdict: 7/10
I used this line of work the most throughout my travels, so I obviously enjoy petsitting. Most of my petsits went well; many even became repeat clients because I loved them so much! However, when a petsit isn’t working out, it’s draining because you can’t easily leave and you end up stuck in an uncomfortable environment.
Office work
I worked a variety of temporary office jobs in New Zealand and Australia. Tasks were pretty basic: data entry, forwarding emails, scheduling meetings, scanning and filing documents, fielding phone calls, etc.
My only negative experience was in a law firm. I spent the morning stapling contracts together, then the afternoon unpicking the staples when they changed their mind. I cut my finger open and bled over their important paperwork; I wasn’t asked back for a second day!
Pros:
Being paid to do very simple tasks—one job was literally ticking boxes on a spreadsheet all day! I’d put a podcast on or chat to coworkers to pass the time. It was far less stressful than a shift where you’re rushed off your feet or dealing with customers all day.
I could enjoy the positive aspects of office culture like birthday parties or bring-your-dog-to-work-day, but without worrying about office politics or long-term prospects, because it was only a temp job!
And the people, of course. It was often a mix of other working holiday makers and locals in the office, many of whom became lifelong friends.
Cons:
Developing burnout. With most temp work, you aren’t given sick leave or annual leave, and any day I didn’t work was a day I wasn’t paid. Also, you aren’t usually paid that much as a temp. You might receive close to minimum wage but without the chance to earn tips (like you would on the same wage in a hospitality job).
When I was taking a break from volunteering and travelling to work a paid job, I needed to earn as much money as possible to be able to move on again. I put too much pressure on myself. For example, in Australia, I needed to take time off to recover from a surgery. I pushed myself to go back sooner than I should have done because I was more concerned about money than my health.
Verdict: 8/10
I would absolutely do office work again and would recommend it to other backpackers. If you have some office experience and can pass the agency tests, it’s easy money and flexible contracts. Just listen to your body and recognise if you need to take a sick day, even if it means missing a day of pay!
Writer
This brings me to my current WHV in Canada, where I’m working as a writer for pvtistes.net. For transparency, I already had my Working Holiday permit approved and was prepared to move to Canada without any work lined up. I was going to look for more backpacker jobs; possibly data entry or housesitting again, or maybe try hospitality this time. I had no intention of finding a ‘career’ job on my working holiday, so the opportunity at pvtistes.net was a nice surprise.
Pros:
The flexibility that comes with being a remote writer has helped me achieve my Canada bucket list without stress, as I have been able to consistently earn money while moving around.
I’m still a firm believer in career breaks and I don’t think it’s important to find a WHV job that aligns with your normal field of work (unless that’s what you really want to do). However, it’s admittedly a plus that things have worked out the way they have for me. I love sharing my passion for travel and WHVs, and helping other people have a life-changing working holiday like I’ve had.
Cons:
The only downside to being fully remote is not having that physical connection with your colleagues. As I said above, one of the main ways I made friends on previous working holidays was through socialising at work, and it’s a challenge to not have that avenue available to me this time.
Also, needing to file taxes is a pain! Although it might sound strange to praise working for free, volunteering through platforms like Helpx and TrustedHousesitters previously saved me from hitting the threshold for a mandatory tax return.
Verdict: 9/10
Remote work is a great way of maintaining the balance between travelling and having a stable job. But be prepared to work hard for relationships if you go down this route, as you won’t come across as many likeminded people as you would working in a hostel, farm, or office!
What job have you tried on a WHV and how did you enjoy it? Share your experiences in the comments below!
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