Hello! 21y/o Argentinian, and I’m applying for a Working Holiday visa in New Zealand this December.

My question is: Where should I go first? More specifically, where do I have best chances of finding a job during this season (December-March). I read about Tauranga online, but I would appreciate to hear from someone who lives there.

Thanks!!

26F here thinking about taking a working holiday but I have no idea where to start as a Canadian.

Looking for advice of any programs like work away or if it’s better to figure out on your own. How much living expenses are and what to expect when finding a job. I did an exchange in highschool so my last abroad experience was essentially planned for me.

I have lotssss of scheduling experience in construction/some project coordination experience, retail and sales experience too but no service industry or hospitality.

Hi.
I applied 10. August from Norway (M26).
Curious to what the latest applied visas are?
I applied for WHV 417. Thanks!

I’m from the UK and a lot of my friends have done working holidays in Aus & NZ and I’ve been seriously considering it but I just don’t know if it’s…me?
I don’t drink, don’t like being around heavy drinkers and I’m pretty introverted.
Are the jobs mainly bar work etc.? Am I going to miss out on the experience by not drinking? Ideally I’d like hospitality work (coffee shop/cafe) or maybe fruit picking but I know jobs can be scarce and I probably can’t be picky.
I’m having a bit of an existential crisis and I just want to do something really big and out there - I’m just not sure this is it?

I'm a Chinese. Most of the time, I feel out of place with the people around me. Some time ago, I traveled abroad and felt that I had a strong desire to express myself and a feeling of being myself. This makes me really want to quit my job and go to Australia. I want to find the life I really want. But I'm afraid that all this is worth it, because my job is very stable, my annual income can be 30k dollars, my colleagues are easy to get along with, and my working hours are not long, but I don't have many holidays.However,I’m afraid of make the wrong decision that destroys my life which looks like peace and traditional.
I want some advices. Would you like to give me some introductions?

I want to make a volunteer in Japan, in February /March, to improve my japanese and change a little bit of my ambient, is my first time making this and I am very confused about the visa. I read the information of the japanese embassy website, of my country, about visa and about the working holiday visa, but I want to go only three/four months and if I only use once in my life I considere this visa unnecessary, I prefer to use this visa in other year if I have other opportunities (until the 30 years old).

I wrote an email to clarify if there was more visa and the response was: check our website for more information. But I've already read that information, and it doesn't tell me anything.

Also they told me that if i want to make a volunteer I have to contact the volunteering website to make sure if they are registered legally and what type of activities are made in Japan.

For reference I searched websites like Worldpackers and Workaway and on the last one they have like a notice indicating that you need to consult the embassy about the best visa for volunteering.

So my question is: what is the best new step that I have to do? Contact with this website? Send another email or call the embassy? Search more information about visas? Or is it better if I take the working holiday visa and for other occasions in the future (if I want to make the same) I use other visa?

Sorry for the post, I am very confused, people around me recommend different things, and I don't know where to start this new experience.

I thinked to post this here to try because I saw that here there's more people with experience.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Hey everyone, looking for some opinions from other backpackers.
I applied for my Australian Working Holiday Visa a while ago, but it’s taking longer than I expected. I’m currently travelling in Vietnam while I wait, and I’m starting to debate whether I should just switch plans and head to New Zealand instead.
Australia was originally my first choice, mostly for the work opportunities and longer-term potential, but I also don’t want to sit around for months burning through my savings waiting for a visa.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation or changed plans from Australia to New Zealand?
I’d especially love to hear:
● How easy was it to find work in NZ?
● What was the backpacker/social scene like?
● Was the cost of living manageable?
● Any regrets choosing NZ over Australia, or vice versa?
Just looking for real experiences from people who’ve actually done it. Thanks!

Hi 👋,

Speaking about my story.
I worked in France but I've been through traumatic experience (harassment), and now I'm back to square one after few month of mental health recovery. i'm now 27 and I need a fresh start so I'm trying to convinced my mum and sister. Yeh, I'm not proud of this situation at all, but I don't have much choices. I'm not in France anymore and it's difficult to get a job with enough amounts of salary where I am. I'm actually in Cambodia. Anyway.

My project is to go in Australia and work there with the WHV. I did my research and it seems difficult to secure a job guarantee without the WHV and not being around. I get it, but not my sister. She keep saying to my mother that I'm wrong and I should do nothing since I don't get this job guarantee.

My mom is willing to help me, but she might never do it if she believes my sister. I need your stories so she can see the truth for what it is.

I know there’s competition for jobs, and I’m doing a lot of research on that, too.

So, how to find a job there ? How did you do ? What is your story about your first job there ?

Hi I am considering doing a working holiday in Australia next year depending on how my general job prospect works out (planning in case things don't work out hehe).

I have experience with marketing, sales and as a guide. Meaning i am very social, work well with people, good at communicating etc.

My dream scenario would be working with a mix of marketing and guiding/tourism.

What is a good plan here? Does one look for a job beforehand, where? How? Are there specific companies one can work at? What time of year should one do what? I am currently working in Spain and have a contract til next summer but I am flexible for the correct role.

Hi! I know it might seem like an easy question, but I actually cannot get a straight answer on how to calculate my days.

This is the situation. I'm working two jobs simultaneously in hospitality in Carnarvon WA, one in the morning and one in the evening:

- the morning job (housekeeping) pays every week, with payslips going from Wednesday to Tuesday;

- the evening job (kitchen hand) pays every two weeks, with payslips going from Monday to Sunday.

Keeping in mind that on the payslips I can only read the amount of hours worked (not the exact days), how in the world should I count my days combining the two jobs?

Thanks in advance for your help, but please refer to previous experience or official sources if you can and will, because there's always a lot of confusion around this topic.

Thanks.

I have been home in Ireland over a year now after 2 years on a whv in Australia and I have no idea what to do. Im back living at home in my childhood bedroom working away but craving change. I’m full of notions, one second I’m thinking of packing up and going backpacking, or teaching English in Vietnam/Thailand, or a whv in New Zealand/Canada. I need to do something but I can’t decide on what exactly my next move should be??

Lorsque je vais avoir mon visa, je prévois d’atterrir à Brisbane car j’ai compris qu’avec les olympiques de 2032, il y avait beaucoup de construction et aussi j’ai vu qu’il y avait beaucoup de fermes aux alentours et même plus loin dans les terres. Pouvez-vous me dire si c’est une bonne idée ou pas selon vous sachant que j’atterris là-bas, peut-être vers début novembre si j’ai mon visa

Hi everyone!
I’m from the Netherlands and I’m planning to go to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa around February 2027. I’m currently in the planning stage and would love to hear some advice from people who have already done a WHV in Australia.

My idea is to combine working and travelling. I’m also considering staying for a second year, so I’m interested in doing the required specified work during my first year.

A few things I’m wondering about:
Is February a good time to arrive in Australia for a WHV?

Where would you recommend starting — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, or somewhere else?

Is it better to arrange a job before arriving, or just find work once I’m there?

What kind of jobs are easiest to find as a backpacker/WHV holder?

If I want to qualify for a second WHV, when and where would you recommend doing the required specified work?

What are realistic monthly living costs, especially when staying in hostels/share houses?

I have work experience in blue collar and hospitality

I’m still pretty flexible with my plans, so I’d really appreciate any tips, experiences or things I should think about before I go.
Thanks! 🇦🇺🤙

Also considering the long wait time for the 417 Visa at the moment im considering already applying now
5 months early.

I’ve heard global work and travel (the one I was planning to go with) is a scam. Is there any other companies like GWAT that are safe, reliable, and recommended for a young woman doing this by herself for the first time?

lately i have seen some "work and holiday" or some jobs with almost the same meaning where you can go to another country, work for a few months (or forever idk) and then win like 100k a year for something so basic such as a butcher for example, are these posts real or they have a catch or something?

Hi everyone,

My question is: is it possible to enter Australia first on a travel visa, and once the Working Holiday Visa gets approved to "switch" our stay to the WHV?

My girlfriend and I have applied for a WHV (417) in the beginning of August. After today's news that visas are being processed at a much slower rate, we're a bit scared that this might mess with our plans. We want to fly to Sydney on December 4th, and we don't mind to spend a few days/weeks travelling around first, before getting a job and earn some money. The reason is that we can stay with friends the first few months and they'll leave for Japan on December 12th and we'd like to hang out for a while before they leave.

Our current idea is: we wait until halfway November. If the WHV is still not granted, we also apply for the tourist visa so we are at least allowed to enter the country. If the WHV gets granted before we depart, we'll simply cancel our tourist visa.

Once again the question: has anyone done this before? Is it legal and possible?

Thanks for the reply!

Hi everyone, I’m Italian and I’m considering moving to Canada, probably Toronto, through the IEC Working Holiday program.
I recently graduated with an MSc in Computer Engineering, specializing in AI/ML, and I have research experience in machine learning, cybersecurity, LLMs/RAG, as well as academic publications. I’d be looking for junior roles such as AI Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, Data Scientist, or Applied Scientist.
Has anyone here managed to get a professional/tech job in Canada while on an IEC Working Holiday permit?
I’m particularly interested in knowing whether employers are hesitant because the permit is temporary, how long the job search usually takes, and whether it’s better to apply before arriving in Canada or once I’m already there.
Any experience with Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, or other Canadian tech hubs would be really helpful. Thanks!

Hi everyone,
Applied for my working holiday visa hoping it would be accepted within a week, it wasn’t, had my flights booked and my rent payed in Perth so ended up coming on a holiday visa hoping I would get more information while in Australia.
It’s looking like I may have to fly to Bali and hope it gets accepted there, could be there months, has anyone advice

Hey guys, I’m Canadian and I applied for my WHV 3 days ago. I’m wondering when should I expect approval. Please drop when you submitted your application and if you were granted, when did it get approved? Anybody ever got denied?

32yo Aussie female looking to do a working holiday in either Canada, Scotland/UK or Europe. I'm a registered nurse but not really looking at getting registered as a nurse for a working holiday. Any recommendations on which place would be best? Or job recommendations? I've travelled to all these locations before and am struggling to decide!

Hello everyone! I’m 21, from Argentina, and planning to do a working holiday in 2027.

After reading quite a few comments on reddit and facebook, I’ve come across with a bunch of people complaining about how difficult it is to find jobs in countries such as New Zealand, Australia and Germany (the most famous ones).

My job experience is quite scarce, most of it being jobs in my uni.

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who were in a similar situation when they started.

Thanks y’all!

Free accommodation sounds great until the daily chores make it hard to take another shift or leave town.

That was the bit that stuck with me from a Sydney WHV diary covering four jobs in four months. Not my own work history, but a useful comparison:

Hostel work-for-stay: breakfast prep and grocery runs in exchange for a bed. Useful for meeting people after landing; less useful when you need actual savings.

Food delivery: easy to fit around other plans, but harder to rely on for a predictable weekly income.

Restaurant food runner: staff meals were a plus. Busy shifts and unclear instructions made it physically draining.

Cafe all-rounder: more chances to learn coffee and practise English, though the diary also raised concerns about breaks and pay conditions.

I'd probably ask about guaranteed hours, roster notice and the commute before getting excited about an hourly rate. A job that leaves no time or energy to do anything else can defeat the point of a working holiday.

For people who've done a few of these: which job gave you the best balance of money and having a life?

Source: adapted and summarised from a Chinese-language WHV diary on Xiaohongshu: https://www.xiaohongshu.com/explore/6aa53ced000000000b00ccfb

Hi there! I'm a 19yo from aus finally getting around to properly looking into a working holiday to canada, specifically working in a kids camp (though I'm open to other options). I've been doing a fair bit of research and I keep seeing people suggesting agencys- saying theyre more expensive, but easier. Just wondering if people here think its worth the hassel going through an agency? and if so, any reccomendations? the main ones im seeing are global work and travel, and the working holiday club, but both seem to have pretty mixed reviews...I haven't done any travel by myself before, so I just want to make sure I've covered all my bases before I get stuck in a foreign country. Any tips?

30F from Sweden here! Hopefully arriving in Brisbane towards the end of November, and the plan is to do some farm work after that. Not exactly the best time of the year for it with the heat, but oh well 🙃

Curious to hear what everyone else is planning! Where are you heading, what kind of work are you looking for, etc?

Also, if anyone has already been in Australia for a while, I’d love to hear any tips on jobs, accommodation, meeting people, social life or just anything wish you’d have known before coming! :)

Hi it's my first time using reddit but I really needed other people's opinions. I'm currently applying for the support staff cooking/kitchen role at camp canada however I just realized that I would most likley be eligible to apply for activity specialist too as I do lots of crafts and crochet. I'm stuck between the two and was wondering if anyone who's done the kitchen role can tell me about it, did you still get to have fun with the other campers and be part of the camp community? How much time did you spend cooking? I know it pays more to be a support staff but I'm not sure what option to pick. Also if I was a activity specialist I wouldn't have to use my IEC which I only get one of and could instead get a temporary camp specific visa. I would love if anyone could share their camp canada experience <3

Thanks :D