Work and Travel after Abi: Working and traveling abroad

Work and Travel Jobs: What you can expect

What your work and travel stay abroad looks like depends heavily on your destination country, your language skills and your flexibility. If you want to go to Australia, working as a harvest worker or on a ranch is the classic option - you can also focus on this Travel place because the country is very vast and most of you Year abroad after graduation plan there like a road trip.

Other countries may have less Jobs in agriculture to offer. Here it may be that you live in a large city for a longer period of time and in the Hotel industry, Gastronomy (e.g. in German restaurants), the Children's programme or by Handcraft can work.

Important factors here are your language skills. The better these are, the more demanding tasks you can take on. If you already have experience in certain industries, you can build on that too.

Many popular ones Work and Travel countries have their own job portals, which are aimed exclusively at young people on their year abroad. As long as you remain flexible and aren't afraid to step out of your comfort zone and get involved, you shouldn't have any problems finding a job that suits you.

The most popular work and travel countries

The most popular countries for your work and travel after high school are usually those that have a Working Holiday Visa offer, have already built up appropriate networks and are used to working with young travelers looking for a job. Statistically speaking, young people are most likely to be interested in the following goals after graduating from high school:

1. Australia 🇦🇺
2. New Zealand 🇳🇿
3. Canada 🇨🇦

The USA, Japan, Chile, Argentina and European destinations such as Great Britain, Ireland, France, Spain or Scandinavia come a long way behind.

Advantages and disadvantages of work and travel after high school

Whether work and travel is the right way for your year abroad after graduating from high school depends on how flexible and independent you are. You will also need a certain level of coordination talent so that everything runs smoothly. The following advantages and disadvantages can also help you decide on your stay abroad.

Advantages:

• You can travel around a country according to your own plans and at your own pace and are close to the local population while you work. This will help you understand and learn the culture and local language much more efficiently.
• You can pay part of your travel costs with the money you earn. Not only do you gain work experience, you are also directly compensated for your efforts and can reinvest the money directly into your trip.
• Many large work and travel countries have large networks for young visitors from abroad: job portals, visas or accommodations are adapted to travelers like you and contact persons have a lot of experience with your needs and questions. There are also numerous online Experience reports from years abroadthat you can use as a guide.
• On your trip abroad you will become part of a large network of like-minded people. Here you can make lots of friends and go on tour together - you have the opportunity to stay in touch via social media if you part ways again for the time being.

Disadvantages:

• The money you earn is often not enough to cover all of your flight, travel and accommodation costs. Countries like Australia also require proof (bank statements, for example) that you are insured with 5000 AUD$ (approx. 3000 euros) in emergencies.
• If you are not yet 18, Work and Travel is very difficult to implement, as being of legal age is a requirement for applying for the working holiday visa. If you, as a minor, don't want to wait that long, you should use the programs in the Volunteer work from the age of 16 or Year abroad after the 10th grade consider it - here you have the opportunity to get started before you graduate from high school!
• When choosing a job, you should be careful not to allow yourself to be taken advantage of. It's not the norm, but especially in poorly regulated areas, pay below the minimum wage or exploitation with significantly longer working hours than permitted often occur.
• The work can be physically demanding, especially in the field of harvest assistance, and usually takes place in the open air. In all countries, but especially Australia, the following applies: remember to have enough sun protection!

Work and Travel - With or without organization?

Your work and travel year abroad after graduating from high school you can plan completely independently. However, if the organizational effort is too great for you, you have the option to contact an organization. An organization usually takes over a large part of the planning for your stay abroad and puts together a complete package for you. This sometimes includes:

• Help with applying for a visa
• Booking airline tickets
• Access to a job network, often even a job guarantee is offered
• Accommodation in a Work and Travel House (only for the first few days or permanently)
• Contact with like-minded work and travelers
• Contact person for questions and advice of all kinds

However, whether all of these services are part of the program offered varies in each organization. In large and expensive metropolises, staying in a WAT ​​house is more profitable than renting your own apartment.

If you plan your stay independently, this means more work for you and you also have to develop your networks yourself on site. You will probably pay a lower price for this and you can be proud that you planned your year abroad completely without any help. Experience shows that around half of all travelers choose to work with an organization.

Budgeting for work and travel

Even if you will earn money with Work and Travel, you will first need start-up capital to be able to pay the initial costs. First of all, these include costs for the Visa, health insurance, flight bookings, find first accommodation and, if necessary, a car or public transport tickets. If you travel with an organization, they will send you an invoice where some of the services are included.

How much money you need apart from these start-up costs depends largely on the country, your own needs and whether you are traveling in urban or rural areas. Some jobs include room and board, while others require you to pay for it yourself. It can help you break down the running costs per month and compare them with the minimum wage in the relevant country.

In Australia you can, for example, with about $1500 - $2000 monthly cost Calculate if you pay for accommodation, meals, local transport and leisure/internet yourself. The minimum wage is $23,23 per hour or $882,80 per 38-hour week, excluding taxes, so you can calculate the minimum wage you will earn.

In some jobs you can include tips and as Fruit picker You may be paid per ton of fruit picked rather than per hour. Therefore, it is difficult to make general statements about how much money you will earn and whether that will be enough to cover all costs. Don't forget that you probably not only want to work full time, but also explore the country.

Important documents and requirements for the visa

Depending on the destination, different documents are required in order to be able to do work and travel there.

Visa: The Working Holiday Visa is an easy way to get a residence permit for popular countries. Germany has an agreement with Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan and Uruguay for this visa. It is aimed at people between 18 and 30 years old and is valid for up to one year. Attention: You can do this Apply for a visa only once in your life, so choose your destination and travel duration carefully. You can apply for the working holiday visa at the embassy or consulate of the destination country.

The USA, Canada and many other nations have their own work and travel programs, and you should find out about their visa requirements in advance.

During your Travel preparation You should not forget a credit card, an international driving license, proof of international health insurance and your passport and, if necessary, apply early for your stay abroad.

If work and travel isn't quite what you want to do during your year abroad after high school, there are some alternatives you should consider instead:

Volunteering

In some cases, volunteering abroad is possible from the age of 16 and allows you to work sustainably together with local communities around the world Volunteering abroad and increase the quality of life in the region. Popular programs are located in social facilities, Animal protection projects, environmental protection projects, or work in medical area.

Internship

If the work experience after high school is more important to you than the travel aspect, you also have the option of one internship abroad. Here you can concentrate directly on the industry in which you want to further your education and can improve your CV by staying abroad. For example, one is popular care Internship for admission to medical studies.

Au-Pair

If raising and caring for children is in your blood, you can also apply to be an au pair. This means that you are tied to one location, but you can authentically experience the culture and language of your host country from the midst of a family. You can also include your au pair work as part of a language trip. On great Au pair portals you can find numerous au pair families worldwide.

Volunteer services

You can also have a bridging period after graduating from high school Voluntary social year (FSJ), Voluntary Ecological Year (FÖJ) or Federal Voluntary Service. These programs can be organized both at home and abroad and usually pay a small amount of pocket money.