Backpacker jobs are the most common way for backpackers to fund their travel. If you don’t have enough money to finance your trip or if you are interested in gaining work experience you should look for a backpacker job.
Backpacker jobs
There is a variety of jobs you can do on a travel and work stay: farm jobs (fruitpicking), jobs in tourism, offices, hostel receptionists, waiters, pearling jobs, etc. Before looking for a job you should inform about some things, e.g.:
- What kind of visa is necessary to be allowed to work?
- Do I need a bank account?
- Do I have to pay tax?
- Can I get a tax refund?
Choose the right job – booster for your CV
Working abroad for a while might be very valuable for your CV. Try to find a job which could be helpful for future applications at home even if the money you earn might be less than e. g. fruitpicking but you will appreciate that when you are applying for a job when you are back home.
Tips to find a backpacker job
- Hostel notice boards
- Online job portals
- Work on events
- Ask the manager
- Ask other backpackers
Check the hostel notice boards in your hostel and in other hostels to see if there are any vacancies for a job. Many backpackers find jobs by checking the notice boards in their hostel and get flexible jobs which sometimes are tax-free as you get paid by cash.
You can find lots of job portals where you can seek backpacker jobs online. This might be the easiest way to get a quick overview about the job opportunities at a specific season and region.
There are many events where backpackers might ask for a job like sports events, music events or festivals. If you intend to work during an event you should arrive in this city some weeks earlier than the event takes place. Otherwise the jobs might have been given away to other people who were there earlier. Have a look on the cities’ websites to check upcoming events to see what’s on.
If you want to find a job in a bar, cafe or restaurant put on some nice clothes, visit every bar, cafe or restaurant you can find and ask for the manager to ask for a job. It could take some time before you succeed finding a job in a cafe, bar or restaurant but there’s a good chance to get something in the end. If you have worked as e.g. a waiter/waitress before you should ask your former boss for a recommendation letter (in English!) which you can show when applying for a job in that field. Especially if you are looking for a job in a better restaurant or bar this might be very helpful.
On your way you’ll probably meet a lot of other backpackers. Why not ask them for any contacts while you are searching a backpacker job?
