WORKING IN AUS

My first job here; Acai Brothers

Similar to the reflection on my experience of making friends here, I think I arrived in Australia with an ignorant approach towards working abroad. I thought I would arrive, have a few weeks to settle, explore, and get the usual life admin together (Medicare, Tax file number, etc), then land a job within a week or so of applying. It has proven otherwise! I currently work for a small superfood franchise. Applying for this role I thought “Great! A simple role with flexible hours”. I could request as few or as many hours as I wished without there being a minimum contract (what is known as a “Casual” contract out here, i.e zero-hours). Perfect for my first few months while I wanted to find the balance of enjoying myself and having a source of income, but limited by the 6 month term on my visa. I could look at more “professional” roles outside of hospitality nearer to my second six months; once I had gauged if I wanted to stay here for a second year and find an organisation that would potentially sponsor my visa (otherwise the only option would be to complete the three months of farm-work). I initially requested the maximum number of hours available, but unfortunately this is only equating to between 3-10 hours a week. Rather than ranting about financial worries I thought I would use this post to report and reflect on my findings throughout the recruitment process, and being on the 417 Working Holiday Visa.

THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS

The recruitment process here is noticeably more relaxed than in the UK (like a lot of other aspects of Aussie culture!). I started applying for roles in hospitality and retail towards the end of my first week in Melbourne, and had a response to one of these applications within a day of applying. My first interview interview for this role was arranged for the 21st January, a second interview arranged for 12th February, and it wasn’t until the 5th March I then found out I was unsuccessful. While I’d found a casual role during this process, it was nonetheless frustrating to have to chase up recruiters. I found myself in the same situation with two other recruiters, and a friend of mine also had a similar experience (which is what led me to believe this might just be how it works over here! Or at least in hospitality/retail).

CASUAL CONTRACTS

What we familiarise as “zero-hour contracts” in the UK. As expected, the hours fluctuate weekly. This has its pros and its cons (1) being flexibility, which I can imagine is suitable for someone who is moving around frequently or studying, but (2) it is an irregular source of income if you are basing yourself in one area.

TRIAL SHIFTS

I wasn’t actually aware that it is legal for these to be unpaid if you are under direct supervision of a staff member for the entirety of the shift. If you are unsupervised or the employer wants to further assess your skills beyond one shift then this is when you are entitled to the minimum rate of pay.

THE 417 WORKING HOLIDAY VISA

The main restriction on the Working Holiday visa is that you can only work with one employer for a maximum of six months. I question whether this is the leading concern to those who have interviewed me, and perhaps a reason why I have struggled to find regular work out here.