(Newswire.net — January 17, 2015) — Problem number one – You are young, lack work experience, and there are absolutely no prospects available to you.
Problem number two – You recognize that your own small corner of the world isn’t giving you a broad life experience or interaction with different atmospheres, which is becoming an increasingly valuable resume item in a global workplace.
Problem number three – You’ve dreamed about skiing the snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies, hiking the Australian Outback, or touching the face of history in the old City of London, but think, “That would be fantastic… and really expensive.”
The solution to all three problems comes in the form of a new and increasingly popular trend in the international travel community – a vacation called the “working holiday.”
A working holiday gives a younger person the opportunity to subsidize holiday costs by working full time in a destination country. It’s an increasingly popular way to get international experience and be paid at the same time.
In fact, the working holiday community is often the preferred source of labour for seasonal jobs in the travel and tourism sector. The ski lift operator at the resort, the maid in the hotel and the bartender at the restaurant are often international travelers, there to work during their shift, but ski, party, and network in their off-hours.
The whole idea of a “working holiday” originated in Australia and Europe, where it’s not uncommon for students to have a “gap” year (a gap year is a year between graduating high school and beginning post-secondary education, where students learn about themselves and identify what they’d like to study.).
A working holiday is very different than a traditional work permit for immigration purposes. “We get confusion about a working holiday versus traditional immigration all the time,” says Jürgen Himmelmann, CEO of The Global Work & Travel Co. “Most countries have programs in place for younger people. The working holiday visa requires some paperwork, which we help with, but once the paperwork is secured, the traveler is free to work.”
“We have a lot of young people who were intending on working, and recognize it’s just as easy to work in a completely different place and gain some international experience along the way.”
Himmelmann says the most common destination for Australians tends to be the ski resort areas of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. “We have clients who are ski lift operators, snow removal operators, wait staff, bartenders, cleaning crew, you name it.”
Conversely, Canadians tend to find the sunny beaches of the Gold Coast attractive, and end up working in a lot of the hotel operations that dot the popular community south of Brisbane called “Surfers Paradise.”
Working with a younger clientele can be challenging, admits Himmelmann.
“A lot of our travelers are young, inexperienced and have never been on an airplane, much less worked in a foreign culture. We stress that this is a fantastic way to get paid to see snow and go skiing every day, but at the start and end of the day, they are there to work,” says Himmelmann. “If someone treats it like a four month party, it’s just not going to be a successful trip.”
A typical placement lasts between four and six months. “We work with each traveler at finding them a job opportunity that’s fun and attractive, but also in line with their own skill set. If someone has never waited tables in Australia, we don’t want to line them up with a waiter job in Canada. We also make sure they have all the tools they need – whether it’s a mobile phone that will work in a foreign country, or accommodation for the first week until they get on their feet.”
Most travelers head home at the conclusion of their trip, but Himmelmann says some keep coming back for more. “One of the unique benefits we offer is unlimited job opportunities. If someone finishes a term in the BC mountains and wants to work in Banff, we make that happen.”
A working holiday can be extended (within reason) but is not a substitute for the traditional immigration process. “It’s a holiday. It’s a working holiday, but it’s not the same thing as legally immigrating. If anyone has intentions of moving full time, that’s a much longer and far more complex process which is best handled from their home country.”
The requirements for a working holiday vary from country to country, but typically require a traveler to be under 30 and free from a criminal record.