From what you see online, a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) in Australia is the golden ticket to solve all your problems. As an American on the visa right now (November 2025), I’ll tell you it’s definitely one of the best things I’ve ever done. However, an article from The Telegraph was shared with me about the downsides of moving to Australia one doesn’t see online, and I have a lot of thoughts on it. First and foremost, a working holiday is whatever you make it, and every country has their problems. I want to break down some of the realities you might not see from others who paint it as a dream.
For context, as the Telegraph is a paid publication and the article is behind a paywall. The people interviewed are British nationals who moved to Australia on a working holiday or other visa. They had successful careers in senior-level positions in the United Kingdom and were trying to find similar professional roles. On a WHV, British citizens are not held to regional work requirements for renewal like other nationalities. They are also eligible for the visa up until age 35.
“He has spent the last couple of months working in bars and call centres while churning out job applications.”
While, you can apply for professional positions, this is going to be significantly more difficult to do. The WHV limits working for an employer for a maximum of six months. It takes a long time to get up to speed at a new company. By the time you’re comfortable with all the systems, clients, etc. six months could easily pass by. Why would an Australian employer hire you and train you if you can’t stay? They might as well hire someone without that restriction.
I was working in corporate America before coming to Australia. So, I understand how it is to go from a cozy, well-paid office job, to flipping burgers or pouring beers. Especially in your 30s when you have experience, it’s a tough adjustment. The WHV allows you to work for essentially any employer. It is, however, still technically a tourist visa, hence working holiday. The roles one has an easier time getting are often casual employment. Employers don’t expect you to stay for long, a few months at most. You’re just earning some cash and then moving onto the next spot. This does often leave you with hospitality, call centres, farming, mining, tourism, babysitting/au pair, etc.
This doesn’t mean getting a professional job is impossible. If that’s what you’d prefer to do, you’d want to work with recruiters to find jobs on short contracts for three to six months. This way, everyone already knows there’s a deadline. You’re less likely to be rejected due to the work time limitation on the visa. You might even get lucky and if they really love you, get sponsored! No guarantee, but a higher chance than if you’re just at a pub or café.
“The Sydney rental crisis is no joke”
Honestly, I’ve never rented in Sydney, but know people who have. I’ve rented in New York City, though, twice, which is a painful process.
Renting in a big city is never fun. Lots of people want to live in these areas as there are restaurants, shows, they’re walkable, etc. Especially in Sydney, with good public transportation and world-famous beaches? Yes. Renting there will be hard and expensive. Per the article, “Desperate flat-hunters offer as much as 12 months’ rent up front in order to skip to the front of the queue.”
From those I know and have found rooms, have done so through Facebook housing groups and are on short-term contracts. If you’re staying in one place for a long time, typically you get what’s called a “share house”. You’re renting just the room for a set weekly rate (rent is priced weekly in Australia) and have roommates. Typically, you rent the room for a few weeks to a few months. Renting a full apartment is extremely uncommon as you’ll need to furnish it and leases are for an entire year. Hostels can also have long-term rates if you’re ok staying in those. Simply inquire with the hostel for those.
87% of the Australian population lives on the coasts, but those aren’t the only places to live. Consider going out to smaller towns where rent is cheaper and less competitive. If you must be in the big cities, consider neighbourhoods outside the central business district (CBD) that are less popular. Two of the interviewed men are renting in Bondi, one of the most famous beaches in the world. Expensive and competitive!
“He hears the same story every time: he doesn’t have enough Aussie experience”
This is the catch 22 I think people around the world deal with, and isn’t exclusive to Australia. You need experience to get the job, but no one wants to hire you without experience. So where do you get the experience??
Frankly, I think this falls back to the first point of casual jobs being easier for WHVs to get. Learn customer service and working with Aussies before jumping in to something like marketing, product development, data analytics, or whatever your field is. Get an Australian job on your resume first, even if it’s not glamorous. This will show employers you are successful in working in the country and other employers trust you. You need money to stay here, unless you have a trust fund, and you need to start somewhere.
“Come prepared to live in ambiguity for a long period of time”
I can agree with this one! You’re moving to a new country where you probably don’t know anyone or have a job lined up. You’re most likely sleeping in a hostel, at least in the beginning, while navigating the new norms of daily life. Just because you land in Sydney, doesn’t mean you have to stay there. The perfect plan you had will most likely go down the drain pretty quickly.
I landed in Sydney expecting to be there a week and was there for two and a half. Thought I was going to find a job in Darwin or Cairns, and instead went to Cloncurry. That job didn’t work out, took 45 hours of buses back down to Sydney, and then started a new one in regional New South Wales. Along this journey, I’ve met some incredible people and have tons of wild stories to share over drinks. That’s only in my first three months! Each phase of this adventure radically changes my living situation and finances. Be prepared to be resilient, or you’ll crash and burn.
“It got to the stage where I was starting to worry about my career as a whole”
If you’re moving to Australia on a WHV and trying to keep your same career going, personally, this is the wrong mindset. Come here to do something new. This is a chance to try new fields, go places you never would have, meet people from around the world, and create memories you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life. If your career is that important, this visa might not be the right thing for you.
This quote is from someone on a partner visa. It has a totally different list of restrictions and requirements. Immigrants in general can have a harder time getting work in Australia. I wanted to make the clarification, as I’m tackling this from the WHV perspective.
Beyond the Article
Australia is an amazing country with incredible opportunities! It’s not, however, a utopia or a magical land that will whisk away all your troubles with the perfect apartment on the beach simply waiting for you.
If you’re coming with the bare minimum amount of cash ($5,000 AUD as of Nov 2025) be prepared to take any job you can get just to support yourself. Be willing to leave the cities for work, especially if you don’t have a UK passport and need to complete the regional requirement for staying longer. Don’t expect to move here and have it be as cushy as it was back home. You’re likely to be in hostels or share houses, so get comfortable with the change. Additionally, bring way less than you think you need because stuff is heavy, and you can always buy things here. Two of the men in the article brought three suitcases each, which is obscene.
Professional jobs aren’t impossible to get, but I wouldn’t plan on coming here and assume you’ll land something like you had back home. This visa isn’t really meant to just “move to a new country”. You’re not a permanent resident. Be willing to work other jobs while interviewing for something more professional if that’s your goal. Use your network, that will be the people you meet here, recruiters, etc. The connections you make in Australia will be your lifeline.
In the end, it’s good to research and plan some before arriving. But, I also want to squash the idea everything will be perfect. It’s not. The struggles we endure are what make that beach sunset, the late night laughs with new friends, and every amazing experience you’re seeing online worth it.
This is a response to the Telegraph article “Why the British dream of moving to Australia is far from the paradise some may think”.
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