Working Holiday Visas
An Australian Working Holiday visa is available for people from the US 18-30 (other countries may have different age requirements) and is good for up to twelve months. It costs about $320 USD to apply and most applications are processed within 2 months. To contrast that, a visa application in New Zealand is only about $22.50.
One of the requirements for a working holiday visa in Australia is a minimum bank balance of around $3300 USD plus money for a ticket to leave the country afterwards. New Zealand requires closer to $2500 USD, so I think between the two of them, that’s the more realistic goal for next year. There is always the hope too that I will make a decent enough amount of money in New Zealand that I can just pop over to Australia the following year and take full advantage before I turn 30!
Another factor I conveniently forgot until last week is that while I have been gearing up for my big exodus next summer, in the southern hemisphere, it will still be winter! Now that I’m in a happier and healthier living situation (and getting a little addicted to having a pool in the backyard) I have to stay open to the possibility that January 2022 might be a better time to leave the country for good, or for at least a year or two, and allows me more time to work on my financial goals.
And then what to do once I get there? From what I have read, many people move to the country they’re intending to work in before they have a job lined up. There are websites you can use to find a position and there are usually job listings posted in hostels if you decide to go that route. I have so many ideas but honestly, as long as I am actively engaged and making enough money to live and travel on, I am not very picky about where I end up working.
Last week I intended for this post to be a big manifesto for my move to Australia because I absolutely love the idea of a working holiday visa, but due to financial constraints, I may have to pivot to either New Zealand or WWOOFing, so look out for that post coming up soon.
I feel grateful that I am so flexible and open to so many different ways of finding work outside of the US, but it means that I always have so much more to research and look into. At the end of the day I have a feeling that as long as I get out of here and get started in another country, everything else will come together. But it’s a long year (and possibly another half) to stay motivated and make that dream come true, so this blog (and the community!) will have to help keep me inspired.
If you have any ideas for work abroad I should look into, leave them in the comments!
