The Working Holiday

By Author: Bonny Kominek
Total Articles: 96
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In the seventies, with the idea of promoting international understanding, the Australian government set up a working holiday program. The idea was that young people could travel and explore Australia, get to know a different culture and add some value to the Australian economy by working.

In 2005, the most recent year for which there are figures, more than 110,000 people applied to take part in the working holiday scheme, confirming the scheme as one of the most successful travel incentives in the world. Additionally, the travellers that took out the visas spent more than $1.3bn Australian dollars during the year.

The program is designed for people between the ages of 18 and 30. Those people can holiday in Australia and are permitted to find what is called ''incidental employment'' to help support them along the way. The employment has to be temporary and not disrupt the travel plans too much.

There are three major requirements to getting a visa through the working holiday program. The first, and perhaps most important, is that the person getting the visa must be in Australia for the primary reason of travelling ...
... or holidaying. To enforce this rule it is not allowed for an employer to hire someone for more than a six month period if they have a working holiday visa.

The second requirement is that the person must leave Australia after a calendar year. The start and end date are fixed on the visa, so even if you spend ten months of that year in another country, your permission to stay in Australia will still expire.

The third requirement is a financial one. Anyone looking to take part in the scheme must have enough money saved up to cover the first part of their stay and a ticket out of Australia. The Australian authorities expect individuals to have around $5,000AUS behind them.

After an inauspicious start the working holiday program has gone from strength to strength. British visitors make up nearly a quarter of all applicants. A large proportion of those people are gap year students (either before or after university) and a lot make their way along the backpacker trail on the east coast or visit Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef.

The working holiday scheme is a brilliant idea if you''re eligible to apply for it. An Australia flight is cheaper than many people think, so providing you can save up the reserves required to qualify for a visa it''s a great way to experience one of the most amazing countries on earth. Bonny Kominek is a freelance travel writer with a love of the islands of Oceania. They recommend DialAFlight for your Australia flight.