So you want to set off on your dream trip around Australia, but to do that you know you’re going to need to work your way around?
Don’t stress; you’re not alone and it’s not as scary to find jobs when travelling Australia as you might think it is.
The Easiest Ways to Find Jobs When Travelling Australia
While there’s no single guaranteed way to find work on your trip around Australia, there are a few ways to make finding a job as easy as possible and keep the money rolling in during your travels.
Word of mouth:
Don’t be afraid to talk to people and ask about work. It doesn’t matter where you are in Australia one of the most proven ways to find a job as you travel is through word of mouth. This works especially well in remote areas or high tourist areas where staffing is made up mostly of itinerant workers. Jobs are not always advertised, so by asking about available work you put yourself in the best position to track down some income.
Chat to shop keepers, the local service station attendant, the bar tender at the pub, locals you meet in the street or at attractions, other campers who might be staying where you are; you don’t have to be on an official job search to find work; in fact casual conversations will surprisingly lead to work opportunities more than you may expect.
Local Facebook Pages:
If you’re on Facebook, it pays to search for local groups for the area you’ll be visiting and join any groups that are work related or similar. Often agricultural positions will be mentioned on Facebook groups or Facebook pages; this can include work such as picking and packing fruit and vegetables, station work, harvest driving, working as a nanny or housekeeper; the options for work are varied and many.
Other than local Facebook pages, there are several major Facebook groups such as ‘Ringers from the Top End’ that cater specifically for agricultural jobs in Northern and remote Australia.
Local Newspaper Classifieds:
While the majority of job searching may be done online, in regional and rural regions the local newspaper employment classifieds will be vital for job hunting. Most newspapers will have online classifieds that accompany their printed versions, but this isn’t always the case and buying the paper will not only support the local economy but there may be extra jobs tucked away inside that aren’t shown online.
Advertise Your Own Skills Online:
This is a hugely underestimated way to find jobs while you travel Australia. One of the most effective ways to find work is to advertise your skills on websites such as Gumtree. Not only do employers advertise their own available employment positions, they also source employees who advertise themselves as available on the site.
List any skills and experience that you have, as well as the kind of work you are looking for, along with what would make you a great employee and where you are willing to travel to. The great thing about Gumtree is that you’re able to easily advertise your skills anywhere in Australia for free, and you can target the region you’d like to travel to next so you can be one step ahead and have work before or not long after you arrive.
Awesome post! You can also try Airtasker for online jobs as well as Freelancer and Upwork 🙂
Great point Tahlia. The only problem we’ve found with Airtasker is the limited jobs in regional areas, hopefully it grows though!