How to Find a Job in Regional Australia
If you’re in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa like I was, then you might be considering finding a regional job. There are some benefits to regional work which you won’t get from working in the city. However, finding a regional job is a different game from finding work in the city. One main difference is that you’re probably not already in the place where you’ll be working.
If you haven’t worked regionally before then I’ll tell you everything you need to know to find the best regional job. I’ll cover the pros and cons of regional work, where to find work, how to apply and some tips and tricks from my experience.
Benefits of working regionally
If you haven’t considered regional work then you might want to, it’s a different opportunity to experience during your Working Holiday Visa.
Financial Benefits
Working in a remote location in regional Australia usually pays better than working in the city and you’ll likely get more hours of work. It’s a better opportunity to save your money because as you’re in the middle of nowhere, there’s not much to spend your money on. The cost of living is lower because accommodation may be included or for a very low fee, and meals might also be included. You likely won’t need to factor in transportation costs either as you’ll usually be living on-site.
Counts for Your 88 Days
It’s a great idea to do your 88 days for your visa extension regionally as you can gain from these financial benefits while ticking off those days for your visa. You’ll likely get more hours working regionally so you can tick those days off faster and get back to travelling sooner with more money behind you.
A Different Way of Life
As much as the financial benefits are the main reasons for working in remote Australia, there are other benefits. It’s a new place to explore and perhaps one that you might not have ventured to otherwise. Living in a remote area is a different way of life. It’s a much slower pace than living in the city which can be a nice change. You’ll meet new people and be immersed in a different rural culture. The work you’re doing in this regional area might be something new for you, so it’s an opportunity to learn a new skill.
The Downside of Regional Work
Although there are lots of benefits to working in remote Australia, like any job, there are also negatives. I wanted to touch on the downsides of regional work so you are prepared for them before you jump into this work.
This is a remote lifestyle and the main negative is that it can feel isolating especially if you are on your own. You can definitely do this type of work alone but sometimes it can be easier if you have a friend with you. You’ll of course meet people you work with, but remember you’ll see these people all day every day.
Regional work can be tiring as the hours may be long and the work labour-intensive. There’s not lots to do in your time off so it can get boring if you don’t have ways to keep yourself entertained.
Although there are negatives like with any job, it’s a good idea to try it out and see for yourself what it’s really like. Not all regional work is the same so let’s get into how to find a job that’s best for you.
Preparing to Apply
Before you start applying for regional work, you’ll need to prepare to set yourself up for the best outcome.
Resume
Like with any job you’ll be applying for, you must have an up-to-date resume. You need to have your contact email and Australian phone number here. You’ll likely be applying from somewhere in Australia but it is possible to apply internationally as long as you have an Australian SIM card with international credit Otherwise, your resume should be as normal highlighting your skills and experience.
Working Requirements
If a regional job is your first job in Australia on your Working Holiday Visa then you’ll want to make sure you have your Tax File Number, and Australian bank account as well as an RSA for hospitality work.
Job Criteria
Before you start applying you should make a list of your job criteria, this is essentially your needs and wants for this job. This is particularly useful if you are travelling with others as you’ll want to discuss both your wants and needs.
Here are some of the things you might want to include on your list:
Location
You might want to choose a particular state or area so you’re working in a particular climate, or somewhere you can drive to. You might be completely flexible but this can help narrow down your search as Australia is a huge country and there are lots of places to go. It’s helpful to be aware of the seasons in different areas for work. For example in June, the ski season starts in Victoria and in December and January, it will be incredibly hot in Northern Territory. Being aware of this will help you narrow down your job prospects.
Wages and Hours
Most places pay in line with the National Award, which is the minimum employers have to pay. Make yourself familiar with this, particularly if you are earning a flat rate. You might also want to work a certain amount of hours a week.
Living Conditions
I was looking for a job with my partner so as a couple, we wanted a private bedroom at a minimum. In the job we secured, we had a whole unit to ourselves which was a big seller in choosing this job. It’s good to know what living conditions you would be comfortable with as you’ll spend a lot of time in this space.
Role
You might want to do a particular job or you might be more flexible. I preferred the idea of an all-rounder role for more diversity in the job but it wasn’t a deciding factor for me.
Start Date and Duration
Consider if you have a start date and how long you want to work. We knew we wanted to start in April for 6 months. This was important for us because some roles didn’t fit that criteria. For example, we got offered work for the ski season but that didn’t start until June and only latest 3 months, so it wasn’t the best decision for us to take that.
You should go over these criteria before you start looking so you have an idea in mind and if there is anything that will be a deciding factor to not taking a job. Try to leave some room for flexibility so you have more options open to you.
Cover Letter
You don’t need to apply with a cover letter but I would highly recommend it, especially if you are travelling with others. This is a great way to outline your skills, experience and what you are looking for. In my cover letter, I wrote about mine and my partner Justin’s work experiences, and skills, when we were looking to start work and why we wanted to work regionally. Make sure you always tailor the cover letter to the job. We didn’t need to change ours too much as all the roles were similar but you might need to depending on what you are applying for.
Elevator Pitch
You’ll also want to create a summary version of this cover letter, like an elevator pitch to send with emails and when applying online. This will be a few sentences explaining who you are, your experience and what you are looking for.
Applying Online
I found the most job opportunities on online job boards so let's take a look at some of them.
Backpacker Job Board
Most of the regional jobs can be found on the Backpacker Job Board. You don’t need to be a backpacker to use this, it’s just the jobs are more tailored to people on Working Holiday Visas and looking for temporary work. You can also use this to find work that qualifies for your 88 days, by using the search filter. Don’t be afraid to apply for old job postings, many employers are always looking for new staff as other backpackers come and go.
Workabout Australia
This job board is where I ended up finding our current regional jobs. They have a paid membership option where you can see all the latest jobs, otherwise, you can use it for free and see jobs posted 7 days later. I had no problem using the free option as the job ad was an old one anyway. Like with the Backpacker Job Board, don’t be afraid to send out applications to old job postings as they might have started hiring again. I put applications in for old ads, and many people responded saying my application came through at the perfect time because they just started looking again.
Swaggie
Swaggie is another job board with regional temporary work. With all these job boards, if they have a posting for a different role, you can always email and contact them enquiring about other roles they might have open.
Seek & Indeed
These two job boards are very similar but I found more opportunities on Seek. I would typically say these job boards are better for long-term or city work, however, there are still some postings on here. I found that jobs here tended to be for bigger resorts or chains, like working on The Whitsundays or K’gari (Fraser) Island and therefore had a more lengthy recruitment process. If you want to apply for these jobs, give yourself more time to do so.
Gumtree
Gumtree is another place where there are job postings. I didn’t find many opportunities here but it’s still worth checking.
There are many Facebook job pages. I would recommend the pages Backpacker Jobs In Australia and Backpacker Jobs Australia, but you can also find job pages in specific areas. With these Facebook pages, it’s important to be quick and check the pages regularly. As soon as you see a job advertised that you like the look of, send in your details. There is a lot of competition and recruitment moves fast. I only used Facebook to apply to jobs that were advertised, but some people made posts asking for vacancies. Feel free to do this, but remember to keep it professional. If you want to include a picture, choose one of you at work. Remember to sense-check any job opportunities on Facebook as they aren’t verified like the other job boards.
Job Ad on Facebook
Direct Contact
As well as looking for job vacancies online, you can contact places directly. I emailed many resorts to see if there were hiring and some did get back to me. Not all businesses will post on these job boards or they might be in the very early stages of the hiring process so it’s always worth checking directly. Send them an enquiry email with your elevator pitch, resume and cover letter attached. I simply searched for resorts and hotels in certain areas on Google Maps and reached out to places that had potential. You’re less likely to get a job this way than applying to vacancies but it can still work especially if you want to work in a particular place.
Recruiters
I used recruiters when looking for jobs in the city, but they can be just as helpful when looking for regional work. I would say going with a recruiter is best if you have a specific skill, we tried this option because my partner Justin was initially looking for chef roles. The best way is to contact recruitment agencies telling them what you are looking for and they’ll let you know if they can help or not. I would say like with Seek and Indeed, this process is more lengthy and therefore slower so allow more time if you go down this route.
Managing Applications
It’s no doubt that you will apply for many jobs. I applied to just over 100 jobs, including cold outreach emails because I wanted to get the best opportunity. Unlike typical jobs in a city, you’re probably applying to more places as you have more flexibility with where to go. Managing all these job applications can be complicated. You might forget where you have applied and which jobs are which. Here are some tips for how to stay organised with your job applications:
If you’re applying to work with someone else, only one of you should apply. One person should send the applications and be the point of contact. The other person can help you write the cover letter and elevator pitch, look for job listings and send them to you to apply. I found this the best way so you’re not accidentally applying for the same jobs twice and you can easily keep track of what you have applied for.
Make a note of all the applications. I made a document that listed every job I applied for, organised by state. I included the name of the resort or business and the job role as well as where I found the job. That way, I could easily find the original job ad when I needed to reference it.
Update the progress. If you get rejected make a note of what happened and why. If they contact you asking for a phone interview make a note of this, their email and phone number then move the job listing to a priority section of your document.
Add details. When an application starts to progress, write down all the details you need to know. At this point, you’ll want to refer back to your job criteria to see if it fits your needs.
Ask questions. You’ll want to start asking questions about the job. Don’t be afraid to ask everything straight away. Make a list of questions that you need to answer for each of these jobs. Here are some questions you might want to ask:
What’s the hourly rate?
How much is my accommodation and what does it look like?
Is food included or where can I get food?
Does it count towards my visa?
How many hours of work will I get a week?
What’s the weather like there?
Do I need a vehicle or how do I get around?
How do I get there?
What is there to do in the area on my days off?
Is there Wifi? Some jobs are so remote like on Norfolk Island for example, that there’s no wifi only limited internet from your phone data which could cause you to rack up some expensive bills.
What service provider is there? Some places only have access to Telstra or Optus so it’s useful to know this before you go as you might need to change your SIM.
Who else works there? Are there many other people, what’s the working community like?
Helpful Tips
At this point, I’ve told you how to find a regional job in Australia but I want to give you some final tips from my experience of looking for this type of work.
Always Respond and Be Honest
Always respond to people even if you decide you don’t want the job. Be honest and tell them the reason. If you’re looking for something with better pay, they might adjust it if you’re the right person. We initially said no to the job that we have now because they wanted a chef to take on more responsibility than Justin thought he had the experience for. It turns out that they were also hiring for a maintenance manager which was a more desirable role and a better fit for Justin. We would never have known about this other role had we not been honest and responded.
Decide Quickly
Try to make quick decisions if you do like the look of a job. We wanted a few days to think about it over the weekend, but by the time we came to agree, they had already given it to someone else. You need to move quickly as although there are lots of regional jobs out there, there’s also lots of competition.
Stay Motivated
When you get lots of rejection or the job offers aren’t what you’re looking for, don’t be disheartened. Keep looking for the right job as it will come around eventually.
Don’t Take a Job for the Sake of It
If the job doesn’t feel right, then don’t take it. It’s a big commitment to move somewhere remote so you need to have a good feeling about the job before you go. Don’t just agree to the first offer if it’s not right, keep trying and you will find the right role.
Now you have everything you need to know about finding a job in regional Australia. It can be a great way to save money and see a new part of the country. Commit to the job search and ensure you have plenty of time to thoroughly look and apply for roles. Applying for jobs isn’t always the most fun, so keep motivated and keep going until you find the right role. Good luck!