A friend of mine who wanted to see and explore more of this great country tried the working visa way 2 years ago.
She initially only wanted to work a few months here and there on some farms, you know picking fruit, packing or whatever comes along.
I recommended against it as the housing and options for transport to anywhere with action are mostly sub standard for western terms.
Instead I suggested to first look on some websites for jobs to see what is available where that would actually fit her skills.
Being fluent in three languages I said the most obvious choice would be somewhere with tourists, like a holiday park or so.
She took her time, contacted several "employers" and sent out some resumes as well.
Her first job was what made way for the rest, 6 weeks at a tourist office in the Sydney airport.
From there it was a few weeks in a luxury resort, 2 months of outback travel and translating for tourists finnished by 3 months in a nursing home for old nuns here in Melbourne.
All up she made enough money to finance the next trip, this time to south america...
I think it really comes down to knowing your options and skills so you sell yourself for the max price possible.
She was offered full support from this luxury resort to stay down here and have a secure job for years but she declined stating she is too young to settle LOL
The only thing "shady" during her time here was in the nursing home.
Officially not covered by the visa are things like caring for and supporting old people.
So it was agreed to have her as a translater and entertainer showing the old girls some new games.
She also had a lot of contact with other holiday workers she found in forums and they often only managed to scrape by but struggled to make enough money to go anywhere decent.
These guys relied on word of mouth and advertising in newpapers or websites to find jobs for holiday workers.
Often paid less than 18 bucks per hour to work in the middle of nowhere with 30+ km to the next town.
If you have any half decent skills do some homework first, look up possible jobs even if they are not advertised for the later time you want to travel.
Making you available by sending a resume and maybe even some references in english can make things much easier in the long run.
Plan ahead and have alternatives available.
Seek out several employers in the same town for example.
You want to be able to spend your holidays working at a decent wage and if possible with enough hours to not just make a living but also to put some money aside.
Enjoy your stay, work hard for some time, relax hard for some more time
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