When holding a Working Holiday visa, or student visa, you can legally work in Australia.

There are plenty of jobs for backpackers and students in Australia in short term (up to 3 months) and/or unskilled jobs. Professional work is extremely limited, due to visa restrictions and is only available to people with relevant work experience, a very high level of English and a visa which allows them to work for a longer period for one employer. 

However international students in Australian can work part-time (20 hours) during semester and full-time in holiday periods and often get better jobs than working holiday makers. Postgraduate students can work fulltime.

Please note: Before gaining paid part-time employment, you must lodge an application for a ‘student visa with permission to work’ with the Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA). You can only do this once you have started your course in Australia. For more information visit the DIMIA website.

Listed below are the most popular jobs amongst backpackers and students. We have always many positions on offer for office jobs and online jobs.

Au Pair / Nanny

Live-in with a family and work several hours a day caring for children and assisting with house work. Depending on the number of hours, you work part-time for free accommodation and attend an english course or you can work fulltime and earn $150 - $200 per week + accommodation and meals.
More about our Au Pair Program

Media & Travel Jobs

If you have good writing skills you may work as an online writer while travelling. Send us some examples of your travel journeys and we'll send you an contract for being an redakteur, if you are eligible. 

Customer Care & Call Centres

If you have sales experience and love to answer emails - this could be the job for you. Most positions involve good writing skills via email to sell a product. You will need to have a native level of English and be confident about your sales and writing skills. Positions are usually for 2-3 months and pay is often commission/per sale. You may get free accommodation and food.

Office Work

There is a demand for casual skilled office staff. Positions are in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
Some positions are with recruitment agencies that will test your typing and computer skills and send you for short-term assignments. For this work you need neat, office clothes and fluent written and spoken English. Those with no experience, should try to get work experience first and apply for an internship. We can help you with free and paid internships.
Read more about our internship program.

Hospitality

Please note: In most states you'll also need a Responsible Service of Alcohol Certificate, for any job where you're serving alcohol. You get discount when booking certificate courses with us. Work is easy to obtain if you have experience. However some backpackers start their stay in Australia with an hospitality courses.
Work in pubs, cafes, restaurants, 5 star hotels, resorts, or do casual work through agencies at functions and sporting events.  For many jobs you'll need 'black and whites' (black trousers or skirt and a white shirt). Be prepared to buy a uniform if you don't have it.
More about hospitality courses and work experience in hospitality.

Retail

Retail jobs are available in department stores, boutiques and specialty stores. Most positions are as sales assistants however there are also stocktaking work. For retail you need excellent English and most employers prefer some experience. Jobs are easier to obtain if you are a student and can legally work with the same employer for a longer period. You'll need fluent English and a friendly manner. Sales and cash register experience will also help.

Farm Work

A great way to experience the Australian 'outback'. You will be helping around the farm, fencing, driving tractors or looking after stock. Wages vary according to the job and experience. Most farms include meals and accommodation. It can be difficult to find farm work with no farming experience. You can do a farm course beforehand that covers basic skills like horse riding, sheering sheep, rounding up cattle and mending fences. The course organisers then refer you to farm jobs around Australia. The courses and jobs are available year round, except for a few weeks over our Christmas/Summer break, if you're prepared to travel the distance.
Receive more infos about farm courses

Fruit Picking

Harvesting fruit and vegetables is a popular with backpackers and international travellers. There is harvest work somewhere in Australia most of the year however it is hard, physical work and often in hot weather. Farmers sometimes pay by the hour, but most pay by the amount you pick - so you'll earn more as you gain experience. You will need to protect yourself from the sun with a broad rimmed hat, long sleeved shirt and sunscreen.