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Enjoy a Working Holiday
What is a working holiday? Think of it as an extended stay in a foreign land that is underwritten by your own manual labor. How does that work? Amazingly there are many countries that are quite enthusiastic in their support of people taking working holidays on their shores.
If you are from the United Kingdom, Australia or the United States, you are in luck, because each of these countries allows an easy exchange or work visa for those interested.
In Australia the Holiday Maker Program permits people from the United Kingdom to stay in the country for twelve months, and work for the same employer for six of those months. The only stipulations are that the traveler must be between 18 and 30 years of age. The visa can be extended if the traveler has some seasonal work to complete as well. This means that for a year or more a traveler could do part-time work and really experience Australia in the same way as the “locals”.
Of course Americans can visit Australia on a working arrangement as well. This is quite similar to the deal offered to travelers from the United Kingdom with the exception that the visitor must be enrolled in a college or university at the time, though there are no study obligations during the visit. Working is allowed and the six month rule applies for these individuals as well, and a four month study period is also allowed. If more than four months is required (for studying) a student visa should be requested instead.
Okay, so Australia welcomes young people with open arms, what about the United Kingdom and the United States? Both countries are open to simple arrangements as well. For Australians hoping to head to the UK there are two-year Working Holidaymaker visas available to those aged 17 to 30. There is 12 month limit for working, though a visitor can open their own business during that period. For Americans the deal is not quite the same, but full time students can work or study in the UK for up to six months.
For those looking to head to America, the government has a standing reciprocity agreement with Australia. This means it offers a liberal exchange program that requires only a sponsor of the student hoping to visit. Once in the country the student may work from four to twelve months and a return home at the beginning of the academic year is not obligatory. Students from the UK have it a bit tougher, but they are able to take advantage of the J1 exchange visas that function like a work exchange program.