Posted by
Anny Chih on October 6, 2009 at 1:01 am.
Bundaberg and its hostels aren’t as bad as I had imagined, but they wouldn’t get anything higher than a one and half star accommodation rating.
I had stopped at the Bundaberg information desk to ask for directions to Cellblock Backpackers – the most popular backpacker work hostel in Bundaberg. I also asked the woman at the desk to mark a couple of other backpacker hostels I should check out on the map if I was looking for work. She marked where Bus Stop Hostel and Dingo Blue Backpackers were. I had never heard of Dingo Blue Backpackers before now.
Posted by
Anny Chih on August 9, 2009 at 12:51 am.
Tips for Working Travellers in Oz:
1. Prepare your CV in A4 size paper – they don’t use letter size here
2. If you’re applying for a position in hospitality, keep the CV to a one-page maximum
3. You shouldn’t pay more than $0.35 per page for CV printing. Some hostels will print for free.
4. Dress to impress – Sure, you can dress casually to apply for a server position, but that’s what all the other backpackers do. Bring one really nice interview outfit with you and wear it when you apply for jobs to stand out.
5. Don’t just ask the guy at the job desk where to find work. Talk to the guys at reception to find out how they got jobs, talk to your bunkmates, and sometimes even just talking to random people on the street will get you somewhere.
6. Most popular job sites for backpackers in Australia: Seek, and CareerOne.
7. Try applying for jobs through hospitality recruitment agencies like Zenith Hospitality. Not only will they find you work, but they’ll train you and give you tips on how to work in Australia as well.
8. If you’re looking for work as a server, you will need an RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certification to work in a place that serves alcohol. Each Australian state requires a different RSA and it costs between $60 to $100 AU to take the course. If you’re a student in Brisbane, the cheapest place to get certified is through Queensland Hotels Association ($60). If you’re not a student, you should be able to find a place that can get you certified for $80 (ex. Peter Pans Adventure Travel advertises that it can arrange for an RSA for $80).
9. Be persistent and confident. Oftentimes, recruitment agencies and hiring managers will tell you that there’s this or that reason why they can’t hire you (ex. ” you don’t have any hospitality experience” or “you don’t have an RSA certification”). Tell them you’re a fast learner, book your RSA course if you haven’t already and tell them the date of the course (legally, they can hire you so long as you take your RSA within 30 days of working), reinforce the message that you’ll work hard, and keep your word.
10. You’ll need a bank account for your workplace to deposit your pay. Companies in Australia typically don’t write paycheques that you deposit manually. It takes less than a half hour to set up a bank account and they can send your bank card to the post office in the city if you don’t have a mailing address. The main banks in Australia are ANZ, Commonwealth, NAB, and Westpac.