There are of course other ways to get back in to the country, including being lucky enough to get sponsored by a company to stay here or even marrying an australian (de facto)! But this is the most reliable and more interesting way to have that opportunity to come back here again, which actually lasts until you are 30 years of age I should add.
So what actually is it? ... It's roughly 3 months (or 88 solid days) of any approved labour that you do in regional Australia - that's anywhere about 50km away from the major cities or coastline. The labour is most always fruit picking or packing on many of the outback farms but can include tradesmanship skills, bar work, repair work, landscaping or even working on a cattle station as a jackaroo or jillaroo!
I've heard you can even do regional work out at sea and on islands but that is quite rare and usually up in North Queensland or Darwin.
Tom and I want to get our regional work done and dusted as soon as possible and then hopefully spend at least 3 months in Melbourne and a bit more travelling just before our first year in Australia comes to an end later this year. Because pretty much every backpacker wants to do it, it's extremely hard to find work, and even harder to find a job that doesn't take the piss.
We've heard (and are still hearing) many horror stories of backpackers heading 6 or so hours inland to a farm for a job only to be told there isn't one or to start working for nothing and being exploited to the point where it's not even worth it.
Unfortunately because backpackers are in a desperate position to complete the work there are many farms that are just using backpackers and treating them like slaves. The only way to get the second year Visa is to have all your hours signed off by the employer and there are loads of con men out there apparently who promise everything... the work, the hours, the money and the accommodation but you get barely anything and they might just plain refuse to sign your hours.
So it really is a gamble with regional work. You need to be extremely lucky to find a place that pays and treats you with respect.
The work is not for the faint hearted either. You can expect to be manual labouring from 7:30 till 7pm in conditions that usually reach 40 Celsius. The accommodation will be less than basic and not properly ventilated plus there are always the dangers of the local wildlife.
But if 88 days of hard graft in searing heat gives you a on additional year in Australia then I think it's worth it. Plus it will be an interesting experience which I'm sure will make great material for future backpacking stories or conversations. Because some people do regional work just for the experience alone.
So Tom and I will be looking for opportunities to get out there and get our hands dirty as soon as he finishes work which is around early February. I am praying we find somewhere ok that won't be a complete waste of time and money! Currently looking at ads and job posts for something in the states of NSW or Victoria. There are quite a few fruit seasons starting around February over here so fingers crossed we'll get something sorted.
No comments:
Post a Comment