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How to save money on your Australian working holiday

How to save money on a working holiday to Australia

Visiting Australia on a working holiday visa is a great way of earning cash to fund your travels. But did you know you could seriously top up your savings while you do? There are plenty of ways to save money while you travel, without compromising on your trip of a lifetime.

Here are our top tips on how to save money on a working holiday to Australia.

Stay with friends or family

Accommodation will be one of your top expenses and even dorm rooms can be pricey in big cities like Sydney and Melbourne. If you have family or friends in Australia, let them know you’re coming in advance and ask if you can stay for a while. Just a week spent sleeping on a couch could mean hundreds of dollars saved – and how often can you stay somewhere for free at home.

Live and work in remote areas

Don’t be put off by jobs in rural areas. Landing a job in a remote area means raking in money with very little around to spend it on. Without the expensive distraction of the shops, bars and restaurants you get in the cities, your earnings will likely outstrip your expenses, which is great news for your savings account. Plus, living and working in a rural area will mean you will get to know the locals and their way of life intimately, something you would never get the chance to experience in a big city or hostel.

Use group tours to travel between destinations

Using group tours to explore Australia and travel between destinations like Perth to Broome or Sydney to Cairns is a great way to save some money and make sure you're actually seeing the country. Mixing this in with early bird flights or last minute deals on camper van hire or public transport can save you a packet and you'll meet loads of like minded travellers. 

Buy a camper van or convert an estate car into your accommodation

When you’re travelling the country buying a camper van or converting an estate car into a your working holiday accommodation can save you a ton of cash. If you’re lucky you may even be able to sell your camper van or car after your travels to another working holiday maker or local who’s taking on an Australian road trip. Take a look at Travellers Autobarn for some great deals. The money you will save on not having to pay for hostel accommodation will save you a packet and when you’re living in the cities you’ll be able to get away for weekend breaks easily, meaning you’ll save money on bookings tours. Another handy tip here is car pooling, so you could effectively get other travellers to pay for fuel in return for you driving them to your next destination.

Apply for a job you’ve done before

Sadly, not all employers see ‘backpackers’ as good employees as they tend to have a reputation for being unreliable. We urge you to avoid being a ‘backpacker’ and stay true to being a ‘working holiday maker’. Because of a bad few, this means strong competition for the jobs that are available. Give yourself the best possible chance of landing a job by applying for positions in an industry you’ve worked in before. Your experience will set you apart from the crowd and employers are always on the lookout for people with a relevant working background. Applying for positions directly over the phone or even better, in person, is much more effective than just firing off un-tailored emails. A steady income is the number one requirement for any saving to be done.

Go for well paid work with a reliable salary

If you are based in a city for a while, you can easily secure a higher salary by applying for temp or contract work through a local recruitment agency. However, if you’ve just arrived in Australia go for regional work first, as this will give you a better chance of securing longer term work when you’re back in a city (an employer could potentially employ you for 18 months, giving them much more security in investing in you).  Bear in mind if you’re looking to get a second year visa you have to complete 90 days regional agricultural work at an acceptable job. If this is your plan, take it as a great opportunity to fund your travel to more remote areas, and always look for jobs that include accommodation and meals plus some kind of daily pay. This way you can explore and save money at the same time. 

If you're a nurse or healthcare professional you can register your CV with Bower YNA to find out the latest job offers around Australia. 

Pick up freelance work online

Picking up freelance work online is a great way to ensure you never go a day without bringing in some money. Register on websites like peopleperhour.com, upwork.com, freelancer.com and you could easily score some pretty easy jobs doing data entry, researching, proof reading or if you have experience in sales, marketing, social media, design or web development you may even find yourself in a position where you can pick up some long term freelance work. This could be the start of your digital nomad life…

Make use of free public Wi-Fi and get a local phone chip

All that time searching for work online means a lot of internet browsing, and that can be pricey. Always seek out free public Wi-Fi connections in areas like parks and public swimming pools, cafes and hostels. And guarantee Mc Donalds, or as the Aussies like to call it “Maccas” will also be a popular spot. You could do all your browsing for free if you stick to the public networks, and that means more dollars in your account and a boost to your savings.  We've also found this great Google map that shows you loads of locations across Australia where you can locate FREE Wifi

Local sim cards will also save you a packet and you’ll need access to emails if you’re serious about landing a job. If you’re travelling the country you may want to consider getting a Telstra pay as go sim card as they’re the only Australian phone company with regional coverage but if you’re in the cities, go with Vodafone Prepaid plans as they have the best call and data deals.

Claiming Back Superannuation

Superannuation is a sum of money (usually around 9.5% of your salary) which is paid into a  superannuation fund by every employer you work for. The scheme is designed to provide enough income for you to live off when you retire, but that’s only if you’re an Australian citizen. If you work in Australia, are not an Australian citizen and leave the country, you are entitled to have this money paid out to you as a lump sum. Find out if you're owed any money and how to claim back superannuation refunds after your working holiday in Australia or time as a sponsored migrant contact your tax account or we recommend visiting backpay.com who offer a no-refund no-fee service. 

 

Filed under
News
Date published
Date modified
09/01/2018
Author
Bower Healthcare
Bower Healthcare