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You can drive on your license from your home country, as long as it is valid and not expired. You can also drive on an international driver's license. Remember, in Australia we drive on the left!
Australia has arrangements with 19 countries where passport holders from those 19 countries can get an ‘Australian Working Holiday Visa’. This is a special visa for 18 - 30 year olds that allows entry into Australia for 1 year (extendable to 2 years) and allows the holder to work with a limitation of 6 months in any one job.
The 19 countries that have access to this visa are:
United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Japan, Republic of Ireland, Republic of Korea, Malta, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Hong Kong, Finland, Cyprus, France, Italy, Belgium, Estonia and Taiwan.
We recommend you do! At various times of year, hostels and backpackers can get very full. We have heard countless stories of backpackers having to pay top dollar to stay in a hotel for lack of anything cheaper available!
When you work in Australia, employers are required to deduct tax from your pay. You can often end up paying too much tax because of the way this system works. You can claim any of this extra tax back when you do your Tax Return. These can be done at the end of Financial Year (July), or when you have finished working, or even after you have left Australia.
Australia is very spread out. Public transport such as buses, trains and trams do exist and are quite easy to use in the main cities. However if you wish to travel to another city, you will usually find that flying is the best option (Australia is huge!)
The short answer is definitely. You will need a TFN within 28 days of starting work or else you will pay around 48% tax on your pay. With a TFN, your pay will be taxed at a normal rate somewhere between 15% and 29%.
If you know exactly when you are going to return home from Australia it makes sense to buy a return ticket because it is invariably cheaper than buying 2 separate one-way tickets.
If you do not know exactly when you are going to return, consider getting an ‘open return’ ticket. This means you buy a return ticket with a return date that can be altered some time in the future for no extra cost. This gives you a lot more flexibility for deciding when to return.
This is a good idea for two reasons. Firstly, you will get a good exchange rate by sending your money through the bank at the bank rate. This rate will be better than the rate you would get exchanging it at the airport for example.
Secondly, you will have Australian money ready to use as soon as you arrive. You will not have to use a foreign credit card and pay fees while you arrange for money to be transferred and wait for it to clear...this all would have been done in advance.
All employers in Australia must provide ‘Workers Compensation Insurance’ for their employees. This insurance covers workers for work related accidents, only while you are at work. It does not replace regular travel insurance, which covers you for accidents outside of work. We recommend you purchase travel insurance. Generally travel insurance must be purchased from your home country.
When you go through immigration into Australia you may be asked to prove that you have ‘Sufficient Funds’. This refers to having enough money to live on until you find work. There is no set rule here and the immigration officer is able to assess each person on a case by case basis. It is well known that AU$5,000 is definitely considered Sufficient Funds, however unofficially they will accept less.
With this in mind, we believe any amount less than $3,000 could be risky. If you are traveling on a one-way ticket, you may have to prove that you have enough money for a return or onward ticket on top of this.
To prove sufficient funds, take documents with you that may include: recent credit card statement (showing credit limit), bank balance or other document showing you have access to Sufficient Funds. These documents can be from your home bank or from your Australian bank.
Employers in Australia generally have to pay a compulsory 9% superannuation contribution. This means that an additional 9% of your before tax pay must be paid into a superannuation fund.
This is the Australian version of the pension or retirement saving. It basically forces Australians to save 9% of their gross earnings over their lives; they can then access this money when they retire. As a non-resident, you can claim this money back from the government when you leave Australia.
The majority of people who visit Australia survive several snake and spider bites - shark bites are the one to try and avoid... But seriously, this is not worthy of much concern. Consider yourself lucky if you encounter these things!
Yes - as long as it is not locked to a network from your home country. If so, remember to get it unlocked before you leave (some American phones will not work in Australia).
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