Hi i'm new to the website but thought it looks good for advice.
I'm 29(30 in sept) and really can't decide if i should quit my job and go travelling.Last year the plan was to go to Australia on a working holiday visa work as much as i can for the first year to get 2nd year visa and work most of that with a little bit of travel before heading to a few places in the world.
Few things happened meaning i couldn't go last year but now i can i'm just worried about finding work in Australia.Don't mind manual labour and working hard so farm work seems ok and maybe pearling.also the thought of coming back to no job or anywhere to live keeps holding me back.Job i have now isn't the best but the money is ok and bosses are good.haven't really got and skills as left school and worked straight away.My parents are moving to a smaller house soon so not really the room there for when i come back
Now half of me is thinking lucky to have a job,keep saving and get a mortgage next year and do 3-4 week travelling trips,the other half is thinking go to Australia as everyone i speak to says its easy to pick up work in Perth/WA then travel because i may look back in a few years and regret i didn't do it.
I'm sure there are many people like me on this forum so and advice or stories would be great
Paul
Reply to this Hello Paul and welcome to Travelblog!
Everyone on this site is going to tell you to go. And seriously what is 1-2 years out of your life for a who series of new experiences and developing new skills. That time away will save you a lifetime of regret.
This site has a number of people that left the UK only for a short time and are still travelling and working their way around the world years later.
For travelling, definitely spend time in Asia - Australia is an expensive place to live and travel - but even more so if you are travelling and not earning money. However, the wages here are high and the exchange rate is excellent so money earned here will go a long way in other places.
I'm from Australia (live in Brisbane) and though it is true that the job market in Australia is a bit soft at the moment, the economy here is in a far better shape than those in many places in Europe (by way of example).
If you don't mind manual work, try this excellent government website -
Harvest Trail.
If you have any further questions, please ask!
[Edited: 2012 Jul 03 23:28 - The Travel Camel:11053 - Typo]
Reply to this Second Shane's welcome!
Asking us whether to take a year or two off to travel the world is like asking a surgeon where to take pills or to have surgery (obviously surgery). On the other hand, you are asking the right people if you want an opinion from those who have done it, and have not regretted it a minute! So take Sane's advice.
As for specific bloggers who have done what you want to do, look at the blogs of Forget 9 to 5, Jawilso, and Ferdi and Talita (for New Zealand) under Bloggers. Or you could click on Oceania, then Australia, and then any city to find blogs of those currently traveling through there and probably run across someone doing what you want to do.
Reply to this Hi Paul, i second what the other guys have said and you might as well give it a go! Could you maybe take leave without pay for 6 and if it all works out then you can quit from afar, otherwise youve got a job to go back to? But once you have a mortgage it will be a lot harder to do any travel so i'd definitly give it a go before then.
I live in Perth and there is certainly no recession here. If you cant get a job then you havent actually tried or youre being extremely unrealistic. My hubby works in fmcg and even places like grocery shops are struggling to find workers, let alone waiters/waitresses and tradies in general. It can often take 6 or 7 calls to get a tradie to come out and do a quote as they can be so pickie about what they'll do - thats even things like lay bricks in a courtyard etc! Country folk are always happy to get people happy to stay/work out in the country so you'd have no problems there. Or if you have some sort of skill/experience in heavy machinery or forklifts or mining then you can make ALOT of money up on the mines.
tam
Reply to this Thanks for the reply guys it really helpful,Figured i'd get the go and do it response!
I'll check out the blogs this evening when i've got time
Think i'm going to have a talk with my boss tomorrow or friday and and ask him if i can have 6 months unpaid leave.Tell him i'd like to see the world before i settle down etc
Tam,i've been driving forklifts for the past 6 years so if i come over and get a forklift ticket you think i'd have a chance of getting a job in the mines?i have heard about the high wages so very tempted.Also i've got a number for a farm 400km north of Perth which i can ring for harvest work in sept/octo and told there's a paper that comes out every wednesday which is full of jobs?
Reply to this Think i'm going to have a talk with my boss tomorrow or friday and and ask him if i can have 6 months unpaid leave.Tell him i'd like to see the world before i settle down etc
Hope all goes well in talking to the boss tomorrow! Please let us know his response.
Tam, it is excellent to have eyes on the ground in Western Australia. The mood is more sombre on the East Coast, but I wouldn't call it negative, perhaps just concerned.
Reply to this Just ran across a brand new blogger...
CallMeBecs...who has just quit her job to travel the world. It happens all the time, and you can see the reactions of her coworkers and parents.
[Edited: 2012 Jul 05 00:29 - The Travel Camel:11053 - Added hyperlink - hope you don't mind Bob....]
Reply to this Hi Shane, yes some of my family are in geelong and it certainly isnt good for them over the last few years 😞 Similar to a number of IT friends in the UK who have only recently found jobs.
Hi Paul, good luck with your boss and hopefully he is helpful and thinks you'll come back! Most jobs are advertised on seek.com.au these days but also in the West Australian newspaper on Saturdays and Wednesdays....they might also be online at thewest.com.au or at the mining company websites such as woodside.com.au (ive worked for woodside and they dont advertise anywhere but their website), others are rio tinto, bhp or fortescue metals. I believe marketing that you have heavy machinery experience and a forklift ticket will get you in as they are very hard up on mine skilled people so are looking for things like that now...really they just want proof you are a hard worker and will have some idea! If you have worked in anything even faintly to do with mining or industrial work then make sure you mention that. It can be hard work though - 12 hour shifts for 2 or 3 weeks straight that seems to more suit the 20-30 yo crowd without family...but 6 figure salaries!
Of course big salaries means expensive rent and food. A recent travel magazine said to stay away from WA as 2 burgers, 2 ciders and a beer cost $80 at a hotel restaraunt. My hubby and i commented that of course they would - pints here are at least $10 so the 3 drinks are $30 at least, then $25 for a gourmet burger...sounds correct to me!?!
good luck and let us all know how it goes!
tam
Reply to this Spoke to my boss this morning and he said i can have 6 months unpaid leave.Hadn't thought of asking until coming on here so thanks.That will give me time to look for work and decide about staying longer
Thank you for the websites Tam,i'll have a look over the weekend and for forklift training in Perth.Even if its just cleaning work in mines or grocery shop work i don't mind as long as it pays.
Thats pretty expensive but i'm careful with money so i'll be on the look out for good deals if i eat out or just cook at a hostel
Reply to this Paul, you and I are pretty much the same age and since I was in my late teens I have dreamt of doing exactly the same thing your talking about.
The reason I didn't take the plunge is because I didn't want to go, fall in love with the place and then have to leave. My wife and I were hoping to get a skilled worker visa to stay in Australia for 4 years and then hopefully find a company to sponsor us until we could become permanent residents.
We are no closer to reaching that dream and I still dream of travelling and living in Australia. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, if you don't have any other commitments, go for it and do me a favour, write as many blogs as possible about it so I can live the dream too 😱 lol
Reply to this In response to: Msg #158423
Excellent news about the six months unpaid leave, congratulations! And I'd second Chris' advice, please blog about your experiences, even just prior to you going - blogs about preparing for long trips are not only interesting but useful to fellows aspiring travellers.
Reply to this I'm a little late to this thread but want to congratulate you on the 6 month unpaid leave. You must be a value to your company and they are hopeful you will return!
We will all be excited to hear the details of your travels.....and we love to hear about the planning. So-- please blog so we can keep up with you. Your perspective will help others who have this dream.
Congratulations! Go for it.
Reply to this Again, late to this post and would love to see how OP is doing. I hate to sound like a negative nelly but at the moment the dream of those big salaries and rocking up at a mine site and starting that day are long gone. As an Engineering Lecturer I have a fair bit to do with skills shortages and many of my students are trying to get onto the mines. Most mines require previous FIFO experience, a Western Australian address before even contemplating interviewing (recently had a young electrician from wodonga with 6 years exp in HV as houseguest for 5 weeks as he could not even get an interview unless he was in WA). If people are thinking of becoming dump truck drivers I would suggest looking at Rio Tinto's mine of the future site, they are going operater less on their machinery and once Rio's have this system in place all the other big players will follow suit. Of course a white card is a prereq as are any trade certificates or quals. A former colleague with 3 degrees under her belt just did 6 months as a cleaner on a minesite so jobs even for cleaners are very hotly contended.
The other problem is Perth has zero available accomodation left. The caravan park nearest perth airport has guys living in tents waiting for jobs on the mines who heard of the big dollars to be made. Once you do get a job, then theres the cost of living. If you can find a rental in Perth expect to pay a lot and a lot for groceries and fuel as Tam mentioned. I often hear of couples wanting to move to Karratha or Hedland so they can be together, work on the mines and make a fortune..if you want to pay upwards of $2500 a week rent. Friends in Hedland with 2 kids pay around $800 a week to feed a family of 4 as everything has to be trucked up there.
All those negatives aside (and theres a lot more ie high divorce and alcohol abuse rates) why not hand in your resignation and take yourself where the wind blows you?
Hoping all on the trip is going well and would love to hear an update 😊
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