Seasonal Jobs Down Under

While many countries are feeling the pinch, Australia is faring better than most with unemployment levels falling. And as we head into summer down under, seasonal jobs are back in demand, for skilled and unskilled workers alike.

Opportunities for skilled worker

If you have professional skills and qualifications behind you and are prepared to be flexible about where you live, you'll find these welcomed by a country with a relatively strong economy and a dispersed population. Several sectors in particular are officially classed by the Government as 'Migration Occupations in Demand'. These include engineering, health and medical, IT, accounting and the trades. It's a surprisingly long list including professions as diverse as Cartographer, Archivist, Radio Journalist, Dietician and even Seafarer!

Enjoy the great outdoors

But if you're coming to Australia you probably didn't come here to be cooped up indoors. If you've come for the great outdoors why not see if you can work in it too? What better way than to do this than muck in and help out with the harvest? You could try mango picking up north in Darwin or grape harvesting in Berri. The Australian government publishes a 150 page guide to harvest work online detailing which areas grow what produce when. Harvest work can also help you extend your working visa with special dispensations made for agriculture workers. But city slackers be warned, life on a farm or orchard starts early, generally around 6am to beat the afternoon heat.

Fancy something a bit more glamorous? How would the word Jackaroo or Jillaroo look on your CV? Experience life on the ranch at a sheep or cattle station, learn how to saddle and ride, shear some sheep, shoe a few horses and maybe even fell a few trees, while you get your hands dirty building fences and pens. Companies like Jackaroo Jillaro can put you through your paces and help get you in the saddle with in depth training both in the classroom and in the field. They even say they prefer taking on newbies, so there's no excuse not to try out your inner cowboy.

Get a working visa

However, the first thing to get sorted before you get started is your working visa. Australia is part of the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa scheme, geared towards younger travellers looking for short-term employment. The visa lets you stay for up to 12 months even if you don't plan to stay for the duration. Partnerships currently exist with 19 countries, including the US, Canada, Thailand and various European ones, for people between the ages of 18 to 30 with no children. While you can stay for the year the Visa only covers you to work for a maximum of 6 months with any one employer, making it the ideal way of combining work and travel.

This article was written on behalf of Gumtree. Gumtree lists thousands of job vacancies across Australian regions and capital cities. Visit Gumtree for part time jobs in Sydney, full time jobs in Perth and other cities.