December 7, 2009

The Christmas season is just around the corner, and many of our Furnished Property tenants might not be noticing since there is a lack of winter holidays atmosphere here in the Sydney summer. While Aussies are quite used to hearing strange “White Christmas” type songs when it is a blazing 40 degrees outside, some tenants are caught off guard when December 25th actually rolls around and they realise they haven’t even sent their families a simple holiday card.

Without those cooling weather cues, it can just be hard for working holiday visa holders to get into the Christmas mood. So, for those who haven’t yet realised, it is time to start that gift shopping, especially if planning to send them to family overseas.

I’ve compiled a little help guide here in case anyone living with Furnished Property needs some tips for sending their families some Aussie Christmas cheer!

1) Christmas Cards – Some tenants might be a bit strapped for cash and just can’t afford much more than a card. But, who can really imagine sending a traditional card with snowmen and burning fireplaces when Christmas in Australia is the exact opposite?! So family and friends back home can get a real taste, try sending them Australian Christmas themed cards, such as this one with Santa surfing. Aldi has packs for under $5.

2) Fun Gifts – Sydney shops are filled with heaps of typical souvenirs that loved ones might enjoy back home, but for those looking for a more ecclectic gift, there is always the opportunity to send a real piece of Australian wildlife. Kangaroo scrotum keychain, anyone?

3) Thoughtful Gifts – Since our tenants are primarily working travellers or international students, families back home will be missing their presence at holiday events. What mother wouldn’t love to receive a framed photo of their child as a present? To accomplish this task, tenants can find a particularly nice photo of themselves in Australia, upload it to a local (based in their family’s area) photo printing shop, and have it sent out in time for the holidays.

Postage

When choosing to send a package from Australia to home, allow sufficient time for shipping. It is the holiday season, afterall, and it is always nice to be punctual with gifts. Besides this, there are a couple other things to be aware of:

1) Customs – Be as honest as possible with the customs declaration form. Otherwise, the item could be delayed, or not make it at all.

2) Know What You Can Send – It is a good idea to investigate if there might be any restrictions on any items being shipped. There are different regulations for different countries.

Hopefully, this gives the temporary Australia resident, working holiday visa holder, international student, or any other Furnished Property tenant a little bit of guidance when it comes to preparing for the fast approaching holidays.

November 20, 2009

As a majority of Furnished Property tenants are in Sydney on a working holiday visa, they immediately start to think of all the ways they can apply for their second visa when they discover the joys of an Australian summer. To do this, however, involves spending 3 months taking part in regional work during the first working holiday, and fruit picking – duh duh duhhhh – is definitely the easiest and most popular form of regional work around.

Easiest? I guess the term is relative to what you consider easy. Long days in hot weather surrounded by bugs and getting covered in sweat and dirt doesn’t sound easy to me. What I meant is that the jobs are more flexible than most, and, as long as you can get there in time, there is probably plenty to go around.

A typical day might look a little like the following:

Initially, the idea of performing this repetitive and body-killing task might be quickly brushed aside. Why the heck would someone want to take part in physical labour during your time down under? Ah, but flash that little pass for an extra 12 months of Aussie bliss, and people will quickly change their tune.

Besides this bonus, there are plenty of other reasons to want to take part in fruit picking while in Australia.

• See rural Australia. Sadly, some people only see the big stuff while in Australia – the cities, the beaches, and all the big tourist spots. By taking part in fruit picking / harvest work, backpackers can see another side of this massive country.
• Enjoy nature. Ever feel the need to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and kick back in the quietness of nature? Fruit picking provides a means of experience the calming tranquillity and beauty of the rural landscape every day.
• Get fit. It’s not uncommon for fruit pickers to see a noticeable difference in the way their body looks after only a few short weeks of work. The constant activity provides and excellent way to get beach fit while gaining some cash.
• Meet other backpackers. Make friends for life by living in cheap shared accommodation and working with other backpackers while fruit picking. Who knows what future travel plans may emerge after a short stint on the farm.

Harvest work is not a relaxing job, to say the least, but by playing the cards right, a backpacker or former Furnished Property tenant might be able to step away with a hefty wad of cash in tow. There’s nothing quite like celebrating a job well done by having some money to be used for further travels around Australia.

What about you? Do you plan to fruit pick in order to get your second working holiday visa?

October 6, 2009

Claire is a native Dubliner that has been in Sydney, and Australia for that matter, for just 5 months. Unsure of what she wants to go back to university for in Ireland, this 21 year old thought it was just a good time to experience life down under. I recently set up a time so that I could learn a bit more about her adventures here as a foreigner. It was particularly interesting to hear about her work endeavours because, unlike our last month’s interview, Claire has found it anything but easy to find a job in this bustling city.

“When I was getting desperate for a job, I had an interview at KFC. The guy asked me what kind of visa I had, and I said it was a working holiday. He immediately said, ‘No, sorry. We don’t take backpackers.’ It was shocking. I’m not a backpacker. I want to work. I live in Sydney.”

Many jobs around Sydney are currently looking for residents of Australia instead of those that can only be hired on a temporary basis.

When talking to Claire about this hot issue for those on working holidays, she responded, “Residents could just as well leave in 2 months whereas another working holiday person could still work for up to 6 months.”

Claire’s frustrations on the matter are not unwarranted. It took her a long 3 months, numerous applications, and 4 previous interviews before finally getting a job at Wicked Campers. The funny part of this story is that getting that job involved no flaming hoops whatsoever.

“I applied to an ad on Gumtree, and a week later she called me and asked when I could come in. It was really laid back.”

Knowing a little bit about Wicked Campers already, I just had to ask her about the infamous Naked Special they offer customers. Claire laughed and explained, “A couple of people have come in naked that I’ve seen. We have to take a picture of it, too. This woman came in naked and was like “hi” – I was a bit shocked. Last week a couple of guys came in and one asked, ‘If I come in naked, I get a day off, right?’ He went outside and took his clothes off and came back in.”

“It’s a really good job, really. It’s really laid back and friendly.”

Even though Claire really enjoys her job with Wicked Campers, she does work 6 full days every week. She knows it’s not optimal, but compared to other people, she’s doing pretty good.

“I don’t get much time off, but if I had more, I’d love to go to Coogee Beach.”

“If I never had to work, I’d be out in the sun all the time – at the beach or in the park. I love it. The weather is so nice.”

As for jobs in general, I would say Claire has been quite lucky in her life. She has never had to flip burgers or dress up in a funny costume for children and low pay. When asking if she has ever had a horrible job, she replied without hesitation, “Not really. I’ve only worked at three places.”

After a bit more thought, she then added, “…but I guess when I worked at the bookies (a betting place), it was bad. A lot of long hours… Got a lot of drunken people in there. The all day shifts – you have no life. You work, sleep, and work.”

Before leaving, I asked Claire if she had any advice for Furnished Property tenants still looking for jobs in Sydney.

“Try Gumtree. Before, I was looking on Seek and other job sites. The job sites are more awkward. A lot of jobs are commission-based and say you can make lots of money, but it’s basically impossible to make money. Gumtree is more down to earth.”

Claire is planning on sticking around Sydney for a while to work and save more money. She hopes to make it to Melbourne and Brisbane, and possibly stay in Australia for a 2nd year. Thanks, again, Claire for meeting with me, and I hope you enjoyed your dinner voucher for Wagamama’s!

May 15, 2009

So, this post goes out to all the Working Holiday Visa-ers who have found their way to the Sydney area. It was definitely a concern of mine upon arrival, so I’m sure you’ve had to think about it as well. What is the best route to take after arriving – find a job, or a place, first?

photo credit: SOCIALisBETTER

The decision was a difficult one for me to make, even after weighing all the options. If I decided to find a job first, I would then be able to find a place closer to it and have a better idea of the budget I was working with. This could mean the difference between living in a dive, or living in comfort during my time in Sydney. It could also spare the cost of certain travel expenses in the future.

On the other hand, I found it was just too difficult to look for a job while living in a hostel. There’s a certain amount of preparation that goes into getting interviews, as well as looking the part, and living out of a backpack was just not cutting it. Just finding a quiet place to talk on the phone to potential employers was difficult, not to mention the fact that internet use was limited. Some nights, I didn’t quite get the sleep I was in dire need of because of the sounds from my other roommates. Also, getting ready for the interview itself seemed to take me twice as long as it would otherwise.

Because the stress of needing to find a job was breathing down my neck, I cracked one Sunday and decided that I needed to find a place first so that all efforts could be focused towards the job. I hurriedly made appointments to view whatever I could for the cheapest I could. But, what did I know? I barely knew the area, or the market.

I ended up taking something that day, and later regretted the decision immensely. I won’t get into the details just yet, but I’m sure they will come up in future posts. Overall, I do think getting my own place first was the way to go because my ability to look for jobs was significantly improved, but really it should have been done in another way.

What do you guys think? Find a place, or a job, first? Take our poll below, or share your own experiences by leaving a comment.