So you Want to Work in Australia?

Have you ever had the inkling to travel and work in Australia for a year?  Here's some info on how to do just that:

First thing is to distinguish the two types of working/holiday visas.  The first is called the Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) which is what people from Canada and most of Europe and Asia can apply for.  This visa is good for one year with the option to renew for a second. In order to get the second year, you have to do at least three months of work in regional Australia (basically farm work).

The Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462) is for people from the US and other countries scattered around. This visa is good for one year and does not allow for a second year renewal.  

With the exception of the second year renewal, both visas are the exact same.  As of date, they each cost $440 AUD.

You have to be at least 18 but younger than 31 to apply for either visa.  You must be able to prove you have access to at least $5000 AUD on arrival, although I wasn't checked and have never heard of anyone being checked. That said, Australia is expensive and if you can't find a job, $5000 AUD is not going to last long so it's a good idea to have the money.  If coming from the US, you must have graduated high school.  Other countries require a university degree.  There's also a "good character" requirement which basically means you can't have any kind of criminal record.

When I applied for my WaHV, after completing the application, it took about 45 minutes to be approved. From the time it gets accepted, you have one year to enter Australia which essentially activates the visa. Once you enter the country, the visa is good for one year from the date of arrival.  For US citizens, the visa is all done electronically so no visa page needs to be added to your passport.

Once the visa is approved, you'll want to look at flights.  If you intend to be in Australia for the entire length of the visa, getting a one way ticket will give you more flexibility on a leave date and you'll have some extra money.  Thinking about what time of year you want to arrive is important.  I knew I wanted to find work soon after I arrived and so I chose November. This is around the time Christmas casuals get hired (although I played around for about a month and by that time everyone had already gotten the jobs).  The start of the year is another good time to arrive as a lot of businesses will be looking for new staff. 

Speaking of job searching, let's clear something up.  When I was doing all of my research before coming to Australia, almost everything I read made it sound like you can walk into any cafe and be hired on the spot. This is not true...at all.  I applied to job after job and didn't even get rejection letters from companies.  Most just never responded.  I tried going into places and also applying online and nothing came of it.  Whilst I was staying in the hostel, almost everyone there on a working visa was having the same struggle as me.  This is coming from Adelaide as well.  If you were to base yourself in Sydney or Melbourne, there's a lot more people and competition for jobs is even higher.  On top of that, it makes more sense for an owner to hire a local who will stick around.  Backpackers have the reputation of quickly leaving without notice which isn't the best for a business.  Yes, it is possible to find work but you need to have experience, a little luck, and not go in thinking it will be a breeze which I kind of did.

After the visa is approved, here are some logistical things you'll need to get sorted once you arrive in Australia:

• Tax File Number: This is sort of the equivalent of a US social security number.  It's mainly used for tax purposes.  You have to be in Australia to apply for one and they only send it to you via snail mail. Because of this, you'll need an address they can send it to.  I was able to use a friend's address but I've heard people can put down a hostel's address (where you'll likely start out in) if they ask permission beforehand.  This isn't something you have to do but if you don't provide a tax file number to an employer within 30 days, you get taxed almost 50%.  That's a lot of money.

*A note on taxes:  There's a new law likely coming into effect next year that will require all people on a WHV/WaHV to be taxed 32.5% of every dollar earned.  That's a lot of money and there's really no way around it (legally).  Until that happens, people on WHV/WaHV are considered residents for tax purposes which means they qualify for the tax free threshold. That means you can claim back all your tax payments if you make under $18,200/year.

• Mobile Phone:  If applying for jobs, you're going to need a mobile number.  I've written about using your phone abroad previously and getting a local SIM card is the cheapest.  After doing some comparisons, I went with Amaysim which runs on the Optus network here in Australia.  It's great if you stay in the big cities but won't cover you that well if you're in the middle of the Outback.  Amaysim is cheap and you get a lot with it so I highly recommend.  Telstra was my second choice.
• Living Situation:  Unless you already know someone in Australia, chances are you'll start your experience in a hostel.  Hostels are fine for a while but they get old fast. Once you've found a city/town you want to base yourself in, start looking for share houses.  Gumtree and Flatmates were the two I had success with.  Staying in a house share will be cheaper and more comfortable than long term in a hostel.
• Finding a Job:  You can actually start this process before arriving but a lot of jobs in the hospitality industry (which is likely your best option) do trials in lieu of interviews. You obviously need to be in the country to do a trial shift.  Gumtree, Indeed, and Seek, are all sites I found job listings.  Be warned of "backpacker" jobs.  Almost all of them are commission based with you harassing people in the streets to buy/sign up for something.  Going into establishments to hand in resumes isn't a bad idea for small/local places but most businesses only take applications online.
• Certifications: Australians love their certifications.  A big one to consider if you think you'll be getting a job that involves serving alcohol is a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA).  This can be done online before arriving and will make you look better over someone who doesn't have one.  If I remember correctly, New South Wales has different requirements so that would be a good thing to look into if you might be working in Sydney.
• Open a Bank Account:  You'll need to put all that money you make somewhere. There's lots of options for banks but I found NAB to be the best.  They don't charge for opening accounts and have very minimal fees on things.

I think that's most of the main things you'll need to do.  Yes, it is a fair amount but it's entirely worth it.  If you've ever thought about doing a working holiday visa in Australia, do it!  I can't recommend it enough.

That's all for now.  Bye.

Guns

From a modern day context, the second amendment is one of the dumbest things that has ever happened in the US (and that's saying something). If you're a gun nut, stay with me for a minute because there's some videos I want you to watch.

Last Sunday I stayed up all night watching a live stream of some news station in Orlando, Florida covering the horrific and tragic shootings that happened on back to back days.  As it should, whenever these things happen (which is way too often), I get incredibly mad/angry/frustrated/depressed/disheartened. 

The actual event is awful but the thing that usually hits me even harder is when I make the terrible decision to read comments on articles covering the event.  On any article about a shooting, gun control will be brought up.  The ignorant, hateful, idiotic, non-logical, paranoid, responses so many people write are disgusting.  When the best answer someone opposed to gun control can give is "it just won't work" even when they are presented with real world cases and evidence, you have no argument.  

The case against gun control just makes absolutely no logical sense.  I was going to write a long piece about why I hate guns and why they should be banned but figured I wouldn't be putting out anything that hasn't already been said.  Instead I'm going to give you two clips of Australian comedian Jim Jefferies talking about guns in the US.  I remember watching these when they first came out.  Everything he says I 100% agree with and is what I would have written but he makes it hilarious whereas mine would have been a frustrated rant.  

A few warnings before watching: If you get offended by swearing, don't watch.  The guy is Australian and uses a word Americans tend to freak out over but it is said a lot here and really isn't a big deal.  Also, he is making jokes about shootings so if you're sensitive, maybe don't watch.  If you're someone who thinks people should be allowed to own guns, Mr. Jefferies will shoot down your arguments so I hope you do partake.

That said, enjoy:

I'll leave you with one last thought: If being able to own a gun is more important to you than potentially someone's life, you might want to rethink your views.

That's all for now.  Bye.

The End of an Era

Breakups are never easy.

You were my first smartphone and forever changed the way I look at mobiles but today, I must retire you for what hopefully will be the last time.

We met back in 2012 and although I left you for your much better and newer family member 2 years later, you came back to me in 2015 when the new version was imprisoned by the evil AT&T.  

You're painstakingly slow and because of your age can only run about 2 apps but you did what you could. You're also a little too stuck in the past with your 3G hipster ways and I'm ready to move on.

You accompanied me to Ireland and although I only used you for internet, you always managed to help me find my way when I was lost.  One night in Prague you were taken from me but I chased your kidnapper down and got you back.  

Goodbye, my ever faithful iPhone 3.

If none of that made sense, I no longer have to use my ancient iPhone.  My usual phone was locked to a US network until the 2 year contract expired which it did today.  That means I can now use it as my Australian phone.  Hooray!  First world problem solved.

That's all for now.  Bye.

Hahndorf

So a bit of a quick update:

I finally made it to the nightclub I used to work at last weekend.  It was actually really fun!  I found it a bit hilarious I only saw one person I recognized from when I worked there because of their incredibly high turnover rate.  It was a great night.

A few days later after watching the newest Game of Thrones, Liam and I headed down to Hahndorf, a small, German influenced town in the Adelaide Hills.  Although not nearly as extreme as Leavenworth in Washington, it had a bit of the same feel.  We got some "German" food and walked around the main road a bit before going on a drive through the hills.  We stopped at one of the many wineries in the area but the tasting room had already closed.

In the Hills

Good news/bad news my work schedule changed a bit but it's allowed me to see two of Vlad's footy games which are always fun to watch.  I should be able to go to most of them now which is exciting.

In other news, it's been raining buckets lately.  I love rain (except when I have to leave the house).  Just thought you should know.

That's all for now.  Bye.

Stupid Travel Questions?

Whoever came up with the saying "there's no such thing as a stupid question" probably asked a lot of dumb questions.  Over the past couple of months I've been collecting some of my favorite questions asked on the Travel portion of Reddit.  

In no particular order, here are my top 10:

Ireland and England, the new Middle East?

What is this person planning on doing?

At least they know it's a dumb question.

This isn't really that stupid but it made me laugh uncontrollably.

You have to be very aware of all the passport checks for domestic travel.

Thailand is one of the most popular backpacking destinations in the world.  Also his wife's parents are forbidding them to do something? 

There are no words.

Has this person seen any movie/TV show ever?

"Ah no passport? No worries! Come on in!" 

I wish I could time travel.  And $500 isn't going to happen.

And here's a bonus 11th one I found today:

This may have came across as a little mean but it's all in good fun.  Hope you had a laugh or two.  I sure did.

That's all for now.  Bye.

Half Way Done

As of Friday, I have been in Australia for 6 months now which means I am half way done with this crazy, wonderful experience.   Actually, I'm a little more than half way because I'll need to leave earlier than my visa expiry date since I'll be doing standby flights again (just in case I can't get on a flight right away).  How it's already been 6 months, I have no idea.  Time has gone so fast since being over here and I really hope it starts to slow down a bit because I am nowhere near wanting to leave. 

I realize I've taken hardly any pictures while I've been here.  A big reason is me still having my ancient phone with a horrible camera and it's not worth taking photos that end up looking like the vision of a person who wears bifocals.  The good news is I'll be able to use my actual US phone in less than a month which is incredibly exciting for multiple reasons, one of which being more pictures.  I was going to walk around today and take pictures but had to cover someone at work so instead I'm posting pictures of Hannah, Maggie, and Lexee from Portland because we chatted this week and I can.

Nose bleed in 3...2...1...

I've been doing more research into going to the Great Barrier Reef.  I think I've picked a company to go swimming with so now need to figure out flights/accommodation.  I was originally going to stay in Cairns but might be headed down to Port Douglas instead.  It's looking like I might make it over there at the end of July.

That's all for now.  Bye.

Cheap Airfare "Hack"

I've said it numerous times on this blog: Airfare is one of the most expensive things about travelling.  Because of this, people are always trying to figure out a way to score cheaper airplane tickets.  

Some of the most common money saving tips people give are to book tickets: 

• at a certain time of day
• on certain days of the week 
• buying 2 one way flights instead of a return
• after clearing your browser history/cookies/cache
• after masking your IP address to make it seem like you live in another country

To put it short and simple, all of these aren't true/worth the hassle.

I decided to do a little bit of...let's call it a scientific inquiry...about the last airfare "hack" on the above list. In case you aren't familiar with it, there is a theory that if you can change the IP address of your computer so it shows you're from a different country than you actually are, you'll get cheaper airfare.  The reasoning behind this is that it's believed people who live in wealthier countries are charged more since they could hypothetically afford it.  For example, if you make your computer show you're from Malawi, the poorest country in the world, the airline won't charge you as much even if you're sitting in your mansion in Luxembourg.

I've been thinking a little more recently about heading to Cairns in Queensland to go swimming at the Great Barrier Reef.  For fun, I wanted to see if I could actually get cheaper flights by changing my location.  Before I did the search, I cleared my history, cache, cookies, and everything else you can delete on an internet browser. I also went into Chrome's "incognito" mode to help even more.

I then did the control search using Skyscanner, hypothetically flying from Adelaide to Cairns on some random dates in July.

The cheapest return flights were for $431 AUD.

I then repeated the whole process of clearing everything on my browser and going incognito.  This time I used an extension on Chrome to mask my IP address which would trick any website into thinking I was from a different country.  I first chose the USA.

After changing the currency back to AUD, identical results came up.  Return flights for $431 on the same dates as the original search.

Next up I did the same process yet again but changed my location to the United Kingdom.

Once again, $431 AUD.

Repeated again with Singapore.

Same result. 

And finally with the Netherlands.

Yet again, the same thing.

Now if I really wanted to look into this more, I would have paid for the more advanced version of the Chrome extension to appear to be from some much poorer places but I'm trying to save money to buy a flight, not spend it. Based on this short little experiment, it's pretty clear that changing your location doesn't make a difference.  Because I had nothing to do last night, I tried this a few more times using different locations and got the same results.

That said, there is some truth to this myth.  There are stories about people pulling this off, mainly using Chile as their home location.  However, when they go to check in at the airport, there is a red flag on their ticket saying they paid much less than they should have.  Meaning while this trick will occasionally work if you get really lucky, it will have been a waste of time when you get to the airport and have to make up the fare difference (which would likely cost you more than if you had bought the ticket normally at the time of purchase).

Myth busted.

That's all for now.  Bye.