Working Holiday Experiences?

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cfortuna
cfortuna

Hi everyone! I'm currently planning a working holiday in New Zealand, probably starting in late March or April and staying for a year (or until I run out of money). I've chosen to do and plan everything myself instead of going through a program in order to save on a program fee. For those who have also done a working holiday, I'm wondering what your experiences were with finding work, and if you had any awful experiences that I should steer clear of. I'm looking at seasonal work to get started out with (mandarin picking, etc), but I'm thinking about doing something longer term later on, perhaps an administrative job in one of the bigger cities. What resources have you used to find work? And for those who have gone through programs, would you recommend it? Was it very easy to find work?

Also, I'll be a solo traveler, so for other solo travelers, did you have any particularly bad hostel experiences? I've stayed in hostels in Europe with no problems, but I was always with a group. I don't mean to be paranoid, I just want to avoid any negative experiences as best I can! There are obviously lots of amazing things in New Zealand that I can't wait to see and do! :)

I'd appreciate any advice anyone has to offer!

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westwood
westwood

www.picknz.co.nz for seasonal work
www.trademe.co.nz for ordinary jobs. (probably the biggest source)

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cfortuna
cfortuna

Thanks!

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westwood
westwood

If someone really wants to go to a country with high visa costs, they'll suck it up and pay.

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kereru
kereru

The only prob with April on is that the fruit season is almost over once the grapes are picked, until the kiwifruit come in May, but far less seasonal work. If you have trade skills get to Chch as quick as you can as the rebuild ramps up.

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flexo24
flexo24

Hi cfortuna

I came across to NZ in the same position as yourself on a WHV just over 2 years ago. Flew directly into Christchurch and made my way up to Wellington which is where I'm now based.

Labour and building work is still available in CHCH, however if you want more of an office job then I would recommend either Wellington or Auckland. You said you might want an office job later, so why not get one right away instead of fruit picking? All the cities have job agencies for both temp work and longer term work, so when you first arrive, make sure you sign up to as many as you can.

I'm now on a full work visa, so if you need to anything else, feel free to throw me a PM and I'd be more than happy to help/answer any questions

Ali

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cfortuna
cfortuna

Thanks very much flexo24! My logic is that I would like to be able to see as much of the country as possible, and working seasonal jobs in different places seems to be the easiest way to do that. The office/more permanent job would be for building my savings back up later on before heading on to my next destination. I will keep the temp agencies in mind! Sounds like it might be the best way to find administrative jobs

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