The working holiday program is one of the best ways for young Aussies to explore the UK and Europe. As long as we’re over 18, under 31 and have a bit of coin to support ourselves, we’re generally good to go. In theory, it sounds like an awesome concept.
And it is.
However. (You knew that was coming…)
In my experience, and from the experience of people I know, it isn’t all fun, games and weekend trips to Madrid. I’m not trying to be a kill-joy. I’m just telling you how it is.
For me, a working holiday visa was my ticket to seeing Europe cheaply and slowly. Why dart over from Australia for six weeks every couple of years when I could live here and head to Paris for the weekend? I’m not alone in my reasoning. Each year the UK government lets in 35,000 young Aussies under the youth mobility scheme. We get two years to work, travel and party and then we’re shown the door.
It’s *possible* to apply for another visa if you have an employer willing to sponsor you, however with the economy the way it is, those employers need a damn good reason for wanting you over a UK national.
So what’s it really like?
Here are some home truths about working in the Mother Country.
It can take three months to find a job
I thought this was a bit of an exaggeration when a Scottish friend told me this figure, but it’s really not. It particularly applies if you’re looking for “professional” work. Consider the time frame of seeing a job vacancy, applications closing, getting an interview, getting a second interview and if you’re lucky, starting work. These things do not move quickly.
Even picking up casual work in a bar or cafe takes time and is hard to come by. I’ve had friends who started looking and applying for jobs before they arrived. They signed up with recruitment agencies and worked their ass off. It still took time. You may land on your feet quickly and if so, well done. But this is not the norm. Which brings me to my next point…
You may spend your savings surviving
The UK is not cheap and if you’re not working, it is a horribly expensive place to be killing time. Everything from the Tube to a hostel bed will gnaw at your savings while you’re busy scanning job and apartment vacancies. I got super lucky – friends took me in while I found work and a place to live. Without that, I would have been outta here quick. You will want to allow about £800-1000 pounds ($1400-1800) a month to get by..
But remember, you don’t just need to live – you need to set up a life. Factor in rent deposits, clothes to impress at your job interview and a bed for the 24-room house you share with 32 other Australians and you’re going to spend a bit to settle in.
Be prepared to clean toilets
I now have five close Aussie friends also working in the UK at the moment. Four of us are journalists and media industry professionals. Talented ones too, I might add, with the resumes to back it up. So how many of us are working in our field? None.
Thankfully, we are all working. I took a job in a youth hostel. Not complaining, it’s a great lifestyle. But I get paid £6 an hour ($10) to cook food and clean toilets – not at the same time. I try not to think of my university degree gathering dust somewhere.
Employers won’t trust you
Australia is seen as a paradise of sun and beautiful beaches. The United Kingdom gets a lot of rain. Employers have a hard time grasping why you’d want to trade heaven for a well. They don’t believe you’ll stay. I never experienced this, but a friend did. No one wanted to hire him because no one believed he would stick around. He even advised me to make up a fake English boyfriend as my reason for being here. The more connections, the better. (I should add my friend actually had a British passport so should have had an easier time with the job hunt – not so. It sucks all round.)
Bigger ocean, but more fisherman
The English accent is a charmer isn’t it? (There are exceptions: yes Liverpool, Newcastle and Birmingham, I’m talking to you.) So what’s this got to do with living in the UK? Apparently people move here looking for love. I’ve had one friend list it as a serious reason for contemplating coming here to work. “There are no men in Australia…” was the general theme. I tried not to laugh. Sure you may meet someone, but would you move across the world for just a chance? There may be plenty of fish, but there are just as many single English ladies trying to catch them and they don’t get kicked out of the country in two years.
It may all turn to pot
Several friends did The London Thing in their late teens and early twenties. None lasted the two years. All came back in debt, most needing their parents to buy their flight home. The UK, with its low wages and high living costs, had drained them dry. There were a couple of adventures in Europe, but nothing to the scale they had hoped. It just hadn’t worked.
The trade off
So it was stressful finding a job, I had to dip into my savings and I’m cleaning toilets. Do I ever wonder why I bothered? Is living in the UK worth it? You betcha. When I first pictured what life in the UK would be (I was a teenager when I began dreaming of this), I was going to be strolling along the Thames in a fashionable winter coat, banking my pounds and jetting off to Europe on a whim, and of course, be an incredibly successful journalist. My time here hasn’t been that. But my other reasons for wanting to move here instead of just visit were to explore somewhere new beyond the usual suspects, live a different life and learn more about myself. Now those goals, I’ve achieved.
If this hasn’t scared you off, find more information about the working holiday scheme here.
11 Comments
Wow, you’re on £8 per hour?? That is the highest wage I’ve seen anywhere! That’s even more than I’m on.
Opps, it’s only £6. Got confused with my old wage in Canada. Fixed it.
Oh, that makes more sense. Still, goes to show: you don’t come to the UK to make money. You come for a travel adventure, see a bit of Europe, spend a bit of time mixing with other people and cultures, but there’s no money to be made here.
Exactly. I reckon it’s worth even penny though (and that saying works here because we actually have pennies!)
Just wondering if there are any job agencies you would recommend in your experience?
I didn’t use any Amy so I can’t give you any recommendations sorry.
You never really mentioned anything about the travel. With all the time you would have to spend working, did you actually have the time to see Europe?
I did Nicole, not as much as I would have liked of course, but I visited Germany, Belgium, France, Holland and Ireland while living in the UK (plus some travel around the UK itself) and when my visa was finished I spent five months travelling in Europe full-time. But not many people I know have managed that much travel while living in the UK, usually because they don’t have much spare cash to travel because living in the UK is pretty expensive.
Hello! I’m starting to plan my trip for a working holiday in UK leaving in November, I’m from NZ. I was planning on going with an agency, what are you thoughts on them?
Hey Rebecca, I didn’t use an agency so I can’t recommend any personally. However a lot of the services agencies provide (such as organising a National Insurance Number, opening a bank account or getting a SIM card for your phone) can be done very easily yourself.
For me, a lot of those procedures are part of the challenge of moving abroad and I got a lot of satisfaction from handling it alone.
One thing that helps A LOT is if you can establish a UK address as soon as you arrive, or if possible, before hand. In my case I changed my address with my Australian bank to a friend’s place in the Scotland. My bank statements got posted there before I arrived so when I got to Scotland I had an official document with a UK address.
Also some banks are easier to deal with than others. I had issues with Lloyds (it was difficult to open an account with them before I had a job) but opening an account with the Royal Bank of Scotland was a breeze.
Wow.. it’s very informative stories from you 🙂
I am planning to stay Edinburgh From S. Korea..
lots of worries and anxieties made me frustrated. But, i still believe tons of happy moment will wait for me 🙂
your informative posting somehow funny and very realistic advice for me.
However, i am still wondering if i could succeed to get a job there.
anyway, i will do my best on my work .
Hope you also having a great day 🙂
Thanks