Has anyone on here done this before? Do you recommend it?
In a nutshell:
[quote]What does this visa let me do?
If you are granted this visa you can:
* enter Australia within 12 months of grant
* stay up to 12 months
* leave and re-enter Australia any number of times while the visa is valid
* work in Australia for up to six months with each employer
* study for up to four months.[/quote]
My time is tickinâ to apply for it. The age is 18-31.
immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/#b
Yeah Iâve been looking at this too- but I thought it was only up to 30, so this gives me another year! Keep us updated if you get it.
I havenât done it but Iâm Australian and know a little about it.
What work do you intend on doing and what, exactly, would you like to do and see in Australia? The minimum wage is Au$15 per hour and income tax for non-residents starts at 29%, so if you work a 40 hour week youâll get about Au$400 in your bank account each week. On a very tight budget, accommodation and food will set you back approximately $150 a week (being more expensive in cities, cheaper if youâre living out of a van!).
I havenât really thought about this a whole lot. Unskilled, shut-off-brain kind of work. In a bar. Or a restaurant. Or retail. Or vineyard. Actually, Iâd kind of like to be close to a beach. I really know nothing at all about Australia outside of what Iâve seen on TV nature programs.
29%? Ouch. Is there a lot of cough unreported off-the-books kind of work going on there? Not that it would be recommended, of course.
Yeah I definitely wouldnât be going to Australia to earn money, thatâs for sure. Mostly just to fulfill my dream of living on every continent.
Iâd want to work in a surf shop on a chill beach with decent waves but not too many people. Would consider a resort if there are some out of the way that beat the crowds.
Also, how would the dating scene be in Australia for an American woman? I only ask because Taiwanâs notoriously a bad scene for us (though I havenât had too much of a problem) and I wouldnât mind getting out a bit 
Iâm Australian and hung out with all the backpackers, so I know quite a bit about it!!!
If you have a WHV youâre actually classed as a resident. So you pay the same tax as the rest of us. You need to apply for a TFN, though, otherwise youâll be paying 30~40% without one. The first $6000 that you earn is tax-free; your employer will set up a super fund for you and take money out of your pay for it (a superannuation fund = pension fund) - since youâre only a temporary resident, you can apply for the money back when you leave. Keep all the paperwork when you first sign up with your job!!!
On a WHV, youâre limited to working at the same place for no more than 6 months. You can study. If you spend at least two-months working on a farm somewhere, you can apply for an extension at the end of your time and stay for up to two years. Donât go through agents for farm work unless you know theyâre reputable - though you should be OK.
Donât trust the Asian-run businesses. 99% of them are dodgy. Theyâre the cheapest places to get plane fares, however (though they do jack the prices up for a white face).
Some people stick to one city; some people work for a few months, make some money, go blow it travelling, and start working wherever they end up when they donât have enough money to go on. Which seems to me like a better way to play it but itâs whatever floats your boat!
Dating scene is fine for everyone, providing you find samples that meet your tastes!
$150 a week living out of a van sounds awfully optimistic to me!! Your average meal out will be around $15 - $6/7 for fast food, $10 for an asian-run place, $15 min for an Aussie-run place, then we go up from there. Fruit and veg are generally decently cheap, pies used to be cheap and still are in the country. In the city, youâre looking at around $180/week for a room in a sharehouse⊠not necessarily in the middle of the city. Usually includes internet/electricity. However much you think is the max someone could possibly charge for something, add a few dollars and then youâll have the Australian price. Fuel is on a cycle - Itâs cheaper during the week and more expensive on the weekends. Goes up 30c a litre on a public holiday. Learn to accept this, grumbling about the corruption is NOT appreciated by anyone.
But it IS an awesome place for a trip. I donât think Iâd go back to live, but Iâd go back to backpack in a heartbeat. Iâm longing to go to Airlie Beach for a few months.
This is PROBABLY the best site for would-be backpackers: tntdownunder.com/
If you want to do it, GO. Seriously. You ainât gonna do it just thinking about it XD
gotta agree with all tsukinodeynatsu has to say⊠right on the money. i have a few taiwanese friends in australia doing working holidays at the moment and they seem to be having a good time, staying short times in country places, earning money picking fruit for a month or two then going to the coast to live for a month, then back to the farms, etcâŠ
Airlie Beach is where iâm from tsukinodeynatsu⊠iâm longing to return there as well!
Iâm not the biggest fan of Australia, but if I was from Airlie Beach Iâd never have left!!!
Though it must be fairly strange to be a âlocalâ resident in the middle of a mostly transitory community. I guess youâd either have to live outside the âfunâ bit or get used to all your friends leaving.
(btw, LOVE your avatar XD)
Thatâs a big change.
Interesting that they are changing it only for one country and it is not reciprocatory.
Australia invites 16m BritonsâŠ
Who writes those headlines, Sky Newsâ K-man?
They certainly donât want to invite most of those â16 million Britonsâ to come over, cause most of them will not be qualified for whatever holiday jobs they can offer.
Excellent news. Now if they would also raise the age limit to 75 for Americans, Iâd be a very happy camper!
I donât know what people harp on about reciprocity. Just because one country makes a change doesnât mean others must follow. There is a worker shortage in Australia right now so getting in on a WHV is not a bad thing. Some people will turn this into permanent residency opportunities.
My point was that they need workers and are changing it for one country only. Reciprocity would be one explanation why, which is not the case. There are other reasons then which are not mentioned. Workers from other countries are just as good.
True but you need also to understand UK and Australia have signed a new arrangement that also allows Australians to work in the UK. This is just part of that deal. So thatâs why it is a bilateral arrangement that does not include other countries.
Now it is clearer. It is a deal and Australians are getting something in return. One hand washes the other.
Australia extended the age limit for WHV and UK allows for an additional third year.
The first article did not mention it and I thought it was strange why Australia would do that.
Maybe the Australians will migrate to Newcastle or Hull 
Double Sheilas?
That youth mobility scheme is just what young Australians use for a year or two, then return home. Extending the age eligibility from 30 to 35 of it wonât have any meaningful impact, in my opinion. By 30 a lot of people are looking to settle down.