You’ve made the decision to move to Australia on a working holiday visa, congratulations! While you’re probably excited to travel around and explore the country, even if you came with some funds, you’ll probably need more to afford all those coffees, road trips, and beach days.
Especially if you want to renew your visa (unless you’re from the United Kingdom) you’ll also need to complete 88 days of regional work. So how do you go about actually finding a job while on a working holiday? As someone that has had multiple here, these are my tips and recommendations to get you working to keep your adventure going!
I also cannot highlight enough to double and triple check postcodes if you are trying to fulfil the regional work requirement. Don’t get scammed by an employer!
Facebook Groups
You might think….. Facebook?? What?? But yes. It’s still a big thing in Australia for a lot of things, from finding jobs, flats for rent, and used furniture. You need to look out because some ads might be fake, but there are also tons of legitimate jobs on there, and it’s also a great way to find jobs for regional requirements. Lots of employers will also state whether it counts or not because they know applicants are looking for that. I found my second job in Australia on Facebook!
Groups I recommend are:
– Backpacker Jobs in Australia
– Working Holiday Jobs
– Australia 🇦🇺 Backpackers 2025
– 2nd Year Visa Jobs
– Working Holiday Australia 2025
Backpacker Job Boards
A similar concept to Craigslist or Facebook, but is exclusively for job ads hiring people on working holidays! There are a couple of these I’ve found and actually landed my first job through one.
My recommendations are:
– backpacker Job Board
– Swaggie
Gumtree
This is way more than just a job board! The things you can do with Gumtree are pretty expansive. Think selling your car, buying used items, hiring contractors, buying real estate, and of course job ads!
You’ll probably have to do a bit more filtering on this as it’s for all of Australia and not dedicated to backpacking jobs.
Seek
One of the largest job search platforms in Australia is Seek! You can find ads for all kinds of industries here to submit your resume. Make sure you are honest about the kind of visa you’re on, as many are probably trying to fill permanent roles.
Recruitment Agencies
Agencies are a great way to find jobs that aren’t listed on websites and get your resume in front of a hiring manager faster! Recruiters can also help you find companies that will take on people with working holiday visas. A big perk is they can help find short contract jobs to get you hired in professional roles so you aren’t ignored due to the six-month employer limitation.
My recommendation:
Programmed
Word of Mouth
This can be the gold mine of finding jobs in the backpacking community! Talking to other working holiday visa holders, locals, and friends who are leaving jobs can make you the first name and resume an employer sees! Especially if you’re being recommended by a good former or current employee, can sometimes make you a shoo-in rather than going through a lengthy or brutal interview process.
Of course there’s no guarantee, but building your network will be immensely helpful in finding jobs.
Door to Door Walk-In
This is the dreaded walking in with your resume and asking if they’re hiring, but especially in the hospitality industry, this can work! Typically, best if there are hiring signs on the outside but doesn’t hurt to ask anyway. In customer service, your ability to talk to people and make a good impression is often more important than your experience.
When you walk in, make sure you have a good attitude and a smile because you want them to remember you in a positive light!
