Are you a backpacker travelling in Australia with the Working Holiday Visa? Whether you’ve just arrived in Australia or you’ve been travelling for a few weeks, it’s time to look for your first job at some point.

But now you wonder, what is the best job for you and how much do I earn in that particular job? Then I summarized here which are the most popular jobs for backpackers in Australia, what you can expect in each job, how many hours a week you work and how much you earn.

Au Pair

The job as an Au Pair is very popular for young girls. You live in a host family for a period of several months and take care of the children during the week. Your task varies depending on the family. If the children are already going to kindergarten or school, you are responsible for taking the children there in the morning and picking them up again in the afternoon. In addition, you are responsible for cooking for the children, playing with them, getting them ready for bed or for school/kindergarten. While the children are not at home, you are responsible for small chores around the house. For example, washing, rinsing or tidying up. If your host children are still very young, it is your job to take care of the children while their parents are at work.
On weekends or in your spare time you have the opportunity to meet other Au Pairs and explore the city.

Working hours: 30 – 40 hours per week
Salary: 200 – 400$ per week

Farmwork

Very popular for backpackers is the farmwork. One of the reasons for this is that you have to have worked on a farm for 88 days or 176 days in order to apply for the second year or third year visa. There are many farms all over Australia: farms where you pick fruit or vegetables or farms where you work with sheeps, cows or other animals. Depending on the farm, you will receive accommodation free of charge or at a reasonable price for the duration of your work on the farm. Some farms also offer a free food supply. Working on a farm is usually very monotonous, since you do the same thing all day. How many days and hours you work in a week depends on the farm. But it’s not uncommon for you to have to work a lot of overtime.

Working hours: 40 – 80 hours per week
Salary: about $26.73 per hour

Construction Work

Also popular for backpackers is the Construction Work. This also partly counts as specific work to extend your Working Holiday Visa. If you work on the construction site you need the Whitecard first. You get this if you take a one-day course for about 120 – 150$. With the Whitecard you can then work on any construction site in Australia. Provided you have no work experience on the construction site, you will be doing simple jobs as a Labourer.

Working hours: 40 hours per week
Salary: 30 – 35$ per hour

Hospitality

Especially in the big cities like Sydney or Melbourne a lot of backpackers work in cafes or restaurants. Since cafés in Australia open very early, you will also have to get up very early. However, the cafés usually close around 3 p.m, so you still have a lot of your day. Restaurants, on the other hand, usually open in the late afternoon. That’s why you’ll always be working there very late. Whether you prefer to work in a restaurant or café, you can decide whether you prefer to work early or late.
If you want to work as a bartender and serve alcohol, you need to obtain an RSA certificate beforehand. This is just as easy and fast to get as the Whitecard. Unlike the Whitecard, which is valid in all states of Australia, not every RSA certificate is valid everywhere in Australia.

Working hours: 40 hours per week
Salary: approx. 26,73 – 35$ per hour

Mining

More and more popular for backpackers are the mines, because there you earn the best money. However, this also meant that you will be working 80 hours a week for 14 – 21 days in a row. Even if the salary is very promising, you have to be physically resilient to work in the mine. In temperatures above 40 degrees, you have to do hard work.
Accommodation and food are free for you. That’s why you don’t have expenses. Most of the time, you work 14 days in a row and are flown back to the next big city after two weeks of work. There you’ll have seven days off until you’re flown back to the mine. The cost of the flights is covered by your employer.
However, getting into the mine is not so easy. Most of the time, this is done through contacts. You also have to take a safety course and get a medical check-up.

Working hours: 80 hours per week
Salary: 40 – 60$ per hour

Uber Eats Delivery Service

If you live in a big city, you can also work for Uber Eats. You just rent a bike for a reasonable price, with which you then go to different restaurants. There you pick up the order of the respective customer and then deliver it to that person’s home. As an Uber Eats driver, you are more or less self-employed. You do not have fixed working hours, so you work whenever you want. Therefore, this job is also very suitable as a side job alongside your normal job. If you want to start a shift, just specify it in the app. As soon as you don’t feel like it anymore, you can also finish your shift in the app. One advantage of working for Uber Eats is that you get bonus payments of up to $500 on top of your hourly wage after a certain number of deliveries. One disadvantage, however, is that the taxes are not deducted directly from your salary. You have to fill out a tax return yourself and pay the 15% taxes yourself.

Working hours: flexible
Salary: approx. $26. 73 per hour + Bonus payments

Hostel Volunteering

If you work as a volunteer in a hostel, you will not get money for it, but free accommodation. Your job is usually to keep the hostel clean: you clean the kitchen and bathroom, vacuum and make the beds. Since you do not work more than 10 – 15 hours a week, this job is especially suitable if you only want to stay in one place for a short time but want to save money. Or if you want to save money for accommodation in addition to your normal job.

Working hours: 10 – 15 hours per week
Salary: free accommodation

Of course there are plenty of other jobs you can do in australia. If you already have a degree you have more opportunities and also chances to earn more money. Just find a job that suits best for you!