Advice on Work & Holiday Experience in Australia/NZ (ski resorts, apartment)

[southernwinter101]

Hello,

I apologize if I am asking anything that has already been answered on this subject but I have some serious questions on the Work & Holiday Visa for an American Citizen:

1. I am 26 and want to make sure the program will be available in the next few years? Do I have anything to be worried about? I am concerned that the Visa programs like the Work & Holiday visa in Australia and/or NZ may be scaled back due to economic/security concerns.

2. Does Australia or NZ provide more economic opportunities for the work and holiday visa? What are some of the better jobs I could get on the work and Holiday Visa? I am currently a landscaper, so I am used to tough manual labor.

3. Any recommendation on specific cities for the Work & Holiday Visa? Particularly, those with the more affordable housing options (although I know Australia and NZ are fairly expensive overall)? Brisbane? Perth? I do like the heat and plan on leaving in November. Any neat cities in the Outback or up North where its fairly easy to get a job?

4. Culture- From my limited research, it seems Australia is closer to the US and New Zealand is closer to the UK...is this accurate at all? From an assimilation perspective, which country/region/city is more welcoming to Americans/outsiders? Will I ever be totally shunned because I am an American as would probably happen in some European countries?

5. Immigration. Would the Work & Holiday experience benefit me in the long run to gain either Australian or New Zealand citizenship?

Thank you, any input and Work/Holiday stories would be greatly appreciated.

[PDF]

Hey, so I just did this in both countries. And I'm American.

#1 - While nobody can say with absolute certainty, yeah it'll still be available. More and more countries making Working Holiday agreements these days. But the economy might not be as good as by then. I personally think a Working Holiday isn't as good of an option now as it was 10 years ago.

#2 - Not really. And it's actually very hard to ind a job in AU on the Working Holiday. The visa has a 6-month limitation, meaning you can't work for a specific employer for longer than 6 months. Many employers are weary of this and either own't even consider people on a WHV, or will be very cautious. So while some people do get career type jobs on the visa, those chances are very slim. Most people end up having to do the jobs nobody else wants to do. On the WHV in New Zealand, there is no such limitation but the rest holds true for the type of jobs that will be available.

#3 - Any big city will do. Affordable housing in Australia/NZ does not exist. You could do farm work, but as an American you can't get a 2nd year visa for doing it. You could do what many Working Holiday makers do, and that's live 4 or 5 people in an apartment. Brings the cost down a lot, especially in the bigger cities.

#4 - I'd say New Zealand is more similar to the USA, and Australia is more similar to the UK. But they are both very similar to the US in terms of culture. People there love Americans! You have absolutely nothing to worry about. I've also traveled all over Europe, and never once been shunned because I'm an American.

#5 - No. Unless you're one of the lucky few who gets one of those serious type jobs. Many backpackers (including myself) do call centre type work, they are always willing to hire backpackers. So I'd look into that as well.

I loved doing my Working Holiday in both countries. Just don't expect jobs to come easy.

[Cloudwalker]

I think the policy is unlikely to change for US citizens in either country anytime soon. There is a long and strong tradition of young Aus/NZers going overseas on working holidays so reciprocity is quite a big factor in why the policy is there in the first place. Plus US citizens tend to return to their home country and don't generally get in serious trouble offshore, so they're not really seen as a big problem in immigration terms. Your age will start to be more of a problem (30 is the cutoff), though, so don't leave it too long.

If you like outdoor work, consider seasonal viticulture work (horticulture as well). The grape harvest is usually March through May, ish. Horticulture work tends to be a longer season by a couple of months. It's long days but it often comes with accommodation and food as well as pay, and usually a good, lively bunch of people to work with (and a source of ideas on other work). If you do that seasonal work for a recognized employer, you can also extend your WHV by whatever time you work on that. See this page for a list of NZ Immigration certified recognized employers Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) List

The main areas for winegrowing are Marlborough (Blenheim), Hawke's Bay (Napier/Hastings), and Central Otago (Queenstown), but there are also vineyards around Auckland and the Bay of Plenty. They all have generally hot, dry summers, cool winters. If you decide you like that type of work, you could look to study viticulture in NZ and that can definitely be a path to residence. And a path to jobs in many parts of the world.

In winter, the ski resorts can be a good source of temporary work, and not just for ski instructors. Google New Zealand, jobs, ski resorts and a bunch of sites with listings will come up. They are all looking from about now till the end of Feb/March to fill positions starting June/July through till end of October, roughly. Again, accommodation often comes with it (but not always).

You may come across the very occasional "bloody Americans" comment, but generally people will be friendly and interested.

I don't know too much about work in Australia, but I do know that NZers often go to work in the mining towns in the outback, in central and northwestern Australia. It's hot, dirty, nasty work, too many men, not enough women, lots of alcohol - but the pay is phenomenal.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll have a great time wherever you end up.

[Bakery Hill]

Originally Posted by southernwinter101

4. Culture- From my limited research, it seems Australia is closer to the US and New Zealand is closer to the UK...is this accurate at all?

I’ve heard a lot of Americans, Brits and Kiwis in Australia say exactly that, but if you want to understand both countries its best to set aside stereotypes. You’ll find a pretty diverse range of personalities in all those countries.

Australia and New Zealand do have very different histories, patterns of settlement, and geographical realities that have shaped their characters. New Zealand was settled by English migrants building their own utopia. Australia was originally a place of exile for the troublesome poor and political dissidents from throughout what was then the British empire (including Canadian and American members of the Patriote movement involved in the Canadian rebellions of the 1830s), and from very early in its history had a noticeable Asian influence. New Zealand was always a single unitary nation, while Australia is very much a federation of previously separate, independent states each with their own different histories and characters.

But put aside the comparisons and see each on their own terms and you’ll understand both a lot better.