Moving to Australia

Sydney, Australia: Rated the 10th best city to live in.  Renowned for its beautiful beaches and sunny weather.

So before I get into living in other countries, I first want to say that Australia is one of the easiest countries to live in and WORK!  One of the biggest obstacles to moving to a foreign country without having a sponsored job is obtaining a visa to work because let's face it...that is the most important thing.   Unless you want to risk working illegally, its best to sort out some type of visa. Australia has a relatively small population if you take into account its land mass.  Therefore, the government wants to encourage individuals to live and work in their country.  One of the ways that they do this is by making it extremely easy to obtain a working visa.

Working Holiday Visa
When I moved to Australia, I obtained a Working/Holiday visa (Subclass 462), which allows you to work to supplement your travels, for up to a year. It allows young people to experience living in a foreign country, without finding a sponsorship in advance or going on university study abroad programs. So if you are between the ages of 18 to 35, and have at least a high school diploma and/or a college degree, you are are eligible for a working holiday visa.  It is an electronic visa that usually takes only a week to get a response, some people get responses within 48 hours.  While you are expected to have at least $5,000 US dollars in your bank account, no one at immigration checks when you arrive.  Its really easy and not too costly.  The visa will cost you are $150.

Working in Australia
The minimum wage in Australia for adults 21 and over is about $15/hr.  However, usually if you work for big companies that wage jumps to about $20 to $25 and hour.   Unfortunately because this wage is so high, the cost of living is equally expensive if not more.  No seriously, Sydney is probably one of the most expensive cities I've ever lived in, especially given that the Australian dollar and the US dollar is about the same.

As a backpacker (which is the term they use to call foreigners on the working/holiday visa), it can become extremely congested since there are so many people coming to work in Australia.  Since you are only allowed to work up to 6 months at one job, finding a proper job can be difficult.  Most backpackers end up working as barmaids. Some helpful sites to use are: Gumtree, Seek, Career One, and My Career. I was lucky enough to transfer from my old part-time job in London working for Christian Louboutin.  Ahhhhh, a girl's best friend!

I think if you have just graduated from school or need a break from work and life, and would like to travel and work a job that is not too serious, then Australia is the best place to come!