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Let us take the work out of your Working Holiday by saving you time and money.
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| Before your departure |
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Program information and assistance - The Parenthese team will assist and guide you in the preparation of your project and during your stay in Australia.
Applying for your Working Holiday Visa - We will take care of the entire visa application process for you (the visa fees are not included in the program fees).
Participant Handbook & Departure Pack - Your final pack will include all of the information you need for your arrival in Australia and prepare you for your time abroad: banking, transportation, budget, climate, taxes, purchasing a car etc.
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| Arrival in Sydney |
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 Meet & Greet - Your transfer from the airport to your hostel is included in the program.
2 Nights Housing & Breakfast - You will share your room with other backpackers, in rooms for 4 to 6 people.
2-Hour Orientation Session on the Wednesday following your arrival.
During this comprehensive 2-hour introduction to living, working and travelling in Australia, you will learn about specific types of jobs in different areas of Australia, salaries and the cost of living, taxes and filing for your tax file number, work permits needed per region, banking, housing and transportation. You will also have a mandatory beach safety session to teach you how to read the rip tides and warning flags on Australian beaches. These meetings are also a great opportunity for you to meet other participants from different countries.
Guided visit of Sydney - Every Friday afternoon
Assistance with opening your bank account and lodging your tax file number
Arrival Guide - AIFS arrival guide with discounts for your travels, vouchers for restaurants and useful information about life in OZ.
Click here to see the AIFS arrival video - Arrival Sydney
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| During your stay |
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Job offers - You will receive job offers from the jobs desk during your stay. These offers will be for contracts valid for one day up to 6 months.
CV & Job Workshop - An individual session with an AIFS advisor is part of your program. Australian employers are used to receiving a particular CV format. The AIFS team will check both your CV and cover letter. A wide range of job offers and additional advice about working in Australia will be covered during this consultation.
Job Desk
- Job Friday’s - From August 1st to Nov 30th, employers hire directly in the AIFS office every Friday.
- E-Newsletter - fortnightly emails with job offers and travel discounts
- Harvest Guide
- Access to the Fruit Pricking hot line
- Access to the members lounge with job offers for farm work
24 hour emergency assistance in Australia
Access to HQ Headquarters with the following services
- Access to posted job offers
- Fax reception
- Mail service for 12 months
- Library access – the library contains Australian books & newspapers
- Housing help - Access to housing offers and help with your housing search
- Social events - Great occasions for you mix and meet with other participants
- International AIFS calling card credited with 10AUD - this card can be recharged
- Support of the AIFS team during your stay
Free Internet access
Baggage storage for up to 1 month in Sydney (at the AIFS office)
Base Jump Loyalty Discount Card - this discount card is valid in all of the Australian territories and will save you money on transportation, housing at BASE, activities and excursions. The cards gives you access to the BASE offices all over Australia.
Your comprehensive insurance
- You will be covered by the Caremed Gold insurance policy. This policy will cover you for the travel dates indicated in your application and is unlimited without co-pay.
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| Finding a job |
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Our partner, AIFS provides comprehensive job support via their "Job Desk". Situated in the Exchange HQ in Sydney, the "Job Desk" will assist you in modifying your CV and cover letter to the Australian format. For an example CV, please click here.
Your "Job Desk" advisor will also walk you through the steps of looking for a job, reading the offers and applying. If you would like to start your job search before arriving, check out our "useful links".
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| Jobs in Australia: helpful hints |
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You may work in any industry, in all regions of Australia and at any moment of the year. You have the freedom of choice!
Here are some examples of seasonal employment: Fruit picking, hospitality, sales, au pair, call centres, events, administrative, farm and factory work.
Certain jobs require uniforms which will be at your charge
Don’t forget that seasons are reversed in Australia! Our winter is their summer. Seaside towns are full of great job opportunities for summer jobs while the mountains in Europe are powdered with snow.
Australia is the ideal destination to extend your favourite season!
Fruit picking jobs are very popular among Australian backpackers. Seasonal fruit picking can allow you to travel around Australia and follow the seasons. The hiring season for these kinds of jobs is at its highest in September. New South Wales, Victoria, Southern Australia and Queensland contain the largest number of fruit picking possibilities. There are also multitudes of vineyards in the regions of New South Wales, Victoria and Southern Australia.
Sales and administrative positions are available all year long.
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| Airplane ticket |
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For your airplane ticket, we recommend that you contact Travel Voyages with whom Parenthese has established a partnership and negotiated competitive prices and conditions, adapted to our programs.
You will enjoy a priority service and your ticket will be sent to you at home at no extra charge. In addition, Travel Voyages offers optional "visa" insurance: your airplane ticket is 100% refundable in case your visa is refused.
 Travel Voyages
14, place Occitane - 31000 Toulouse - France
Tél. +33 (0)5 62 27 19 28 - Fax +33 (0)9 70 62 27 14 - e-mail: info@travelvoyages.fr
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| Budgeting your expenses |
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The cost of living in Australia is similar to that of major European countries, with higher prices in cities and tourist destinations than in smaller towns off the beaten path.
Given the size of the country, your biggest expense will most likely be transportation.
Salaries are paid once a week. This means that you need to plan on arriving with 600€ to 800€ (500£ to 700£) in pocket money to cover your expenses until your first pay check.
Housing - On average, housing will cost you between 160 AUD and 250 AUD per week. This price is an average for shared housing in a furnished apartment. Homestays are also possible and AIFS can arrange this option for you on arrival. Housing in a host family costs between 200AUD and 250AUD per week, meals included.
Salary - as an example, you will earn 15 AUD gross per hour in a restaurant job, based on a 40-hour work week. Your weekly salary will be 600 AUD.
Budget per week :
Housing : between 160 AUD and 210 AUD
Meals : between 70 AUD and 100 AUD
Electricity and other household bills : between 10 AUD and 15 AUD
Extras (going out, clothing, books) : between 335 AUD and 160 AUD
Total budget per week : between 335 AUD and 528 AUD
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| Program extension |
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You have the possibility to extend your program as long as you stay within the 12-month limit. If you have completed three months of agricultural or farm work, you may qualify for a second Working Holiday visa and extend for an additional 12 months.
For further information on a second visas, please check the current eligibility requirements: Second WHV
If you wish to extend your program, email us the Extension Confirmation and, if necessary, contact the local immigration authorities for your second visa.
Please Note: Your Caremed insurance policy for the extension is a new contract. This means that any health problem prior to the extension will be considered as “pre-existing condition” and will not be covered by your new insurance contract.
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| ISE card |
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Before your departure, you can choose to obtain an ISE card, which is an internationally recognized identification and discount card. It is valid throughout the entire world for a period of one year from your program start date. Aside from offering you numerous discounts, the ISE card reimburses your CIEE insurance co-pay. For detailed information, please visit the ISE website: www.isecard.com/generic.
To qualify for the ISE card, you must be a student or recent graduate (there is no upper age limit to qualify for the student card) or an adult under the age of 26.
Benefits
- World-wide discounts saving you hundreds of Euros on your trips. The guaranteed discounts are indicated on the ISE website. However, the list on the website is far from being exhaustive. Do not forget to show your card every time you make a purchase.
- Medical benefits up to $ 2,000 US in medical expenses and up to $ 5,000 US in evacuation expenses, if necessary. This insurance will cover you during your eventual trips outside Australia, but it is not valid in your country of origin.
- International telephone card included: savings up to 70% off your calls. As an ISE Card holder, you receive free talk time ready to use on your ISE Global Phone card AND you receive a special $5 calling bonus the first time you recharge your phone card. Your ISE Global Phone card also includes voicemail, webmail, text messaging, travel vault and document store
How to get an ISE card?
E-mail us your photo in a JPG format and pay the 26 Euro fee (by check or credit card). We will send you your card along with the rest of your official documents.
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