How To Get Backpacker Work In Cairns
You can find backpacker work in Cairns by applying for jobs in person or online. If you're on a Working Holiday Visa in Australia, Cairns is an amazing place to find regional work! With a tropical climate, endless natural wonders, and a vibrant community of both travellers and locals, you will love hanging out and working in Cairns for a few months. If you're hoping to find backpacker work in Cairns, our guide will show you how!
Finding Backpacker Work In Cairns
Finding backpacker work in Cairns is relatively easy as long as you are dedicated to your job search! Before you find a job in Cairns, it's important to consider your goals with this new job. If you are trying to find regional work that will count towards your Working Holiday Visa, you must be specific about your job search and ensure it adheres to the visa rules. But if you're just looking for any job to fund your travels in Australia, you can be more lenient about the job you choose.
Working Holiday Visa Work Requirements
A Working Holiday Visa is one of the best ways to explore Australia for backpackers. For those who want to extend their visa for an extra year or two, you have to complete a designated amount of regional work. You must submit proof of your regional work with your visa application, and the Australian government is pretty strict! But if you find a job that fits the regional work requirements, you should have no problem extending your Working Holiday Visa.
Whether you're on a 417 or 462 Working Holiday, you can find the full list of requirements for regional work on the Australian Home Affairs website. So the job you find in Cairns as a backpacker must meet all the requirements if you want it to count towards your regional work.
Here is a quick summary of the regional work requirements, but again, read the Home Affairs website in-depth to double-check everything before you accept a job!
- The job must be in an approved industry such as tourism and hospitality, plant and animal cultivation, fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling, construction, bushfire, flood, or COVID recovery work.
- The location of the job must be in an approved postcode (some jobs only count in Northern Australia or disaster-affected areas)
- You must work the required amount of days at the job (88 days for a Second WHV, 6 months for a Third WHV)
- You must have official payslips to prove the work you've done
General Backpacker Jobs
Some backpackers are not looking to extend their Working Holiday Visa, in which case you don't have to worry about the requirements! Maybe you're just taking a year to enjoy Australia, travel, explore, make new friends, and have cool experiences. You don't actually have to work at all on your Working Holiday Visa, but most backpackers do because it's nice to make some money to fund your adventures.
Plus, working in Australia is a fun way to meet people and gain valuable experience. It's a great way to engage with the local community, and it gives you a reason to stay in one place for a while and really get to know the area. While working in Cairns, you'll be living in paradise! Use your days off to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef, visit tropical islands, swim in waterfalls, hike in the rainforests, and tick experiences off your bucket list like skydiving. Having some extra income will also make it easier to book the best tours in Cairns!
See the best of the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns!
How to find backpacker jobs in Cairns
Whether you want to complete your regional work or just make some money for fun adventures, here are the most common ways to find backpacker jobs in Cairns. Searching for jobs in Cairns is no different than searching for jobs anywhere else! You can go the old-fashioned route and apply for jobs in person, or you can search online. Either way, putting in some effort and staying dedicated to the job search is key.
Apply for jobs in person
Australians appreciate a genuine, face-to-face conversation with potential employers. If you're applying for any sort of job that requires customer service and personality, like hospitality and tourism, applying in person is a great way to go. Bring a resume to hand to your potential employer, and be ready for a friendly chat.
Cairns is full of hospitality and tourism work opportunities. There are countless cafes, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs that always need staff. With a booming tourism industry, there are also lots of jobs at resorts, hostels, liveaboards, boats, and tour companies. If you're showing up to Cairns in peak tourism season, just walk around the city and hand out resumes. This is a great way to meet people and show off your personality, which can lead to an immediate job offer.
Search for jobs online
In today's world, almost anything can be done online, including finding a job! This is a great job search method for those who like to plan in advance. If you don't want to arrive in Cairns without a job waiting for you, start applying for jobs online before you get there. You can also apply for jobs online once you arrive in Cairns, but it doesn't hurt to begin the search in advance.
General job search websites like Seek, LinkedIn and Indeed are super handy. There are also more backpacker-specific job search platforms online, such as Backpacker Job Board and backpacker Facebook groups. Some jobs may require an in-person interview once you arrive, but you may be able to secure a great job online before you even set foot in Cairns!
Get recommendations from other backpackers
Another one of the best ways to find backpacker work in Cairns is just word of mouth. If you've just arrived in Cairns and you're struggling to find work in person or online, chat with other backpackers in your hostel or on your group tour. Lots of backpackers pass through Cairns, and many may have recommendations for jobs they have heard of or done themselves.
Even if you're visiting other Australian destinations before arriving in Cairns, chat with other backpackers about their Cairns experiences. Many backpackers in Australia visit the same places, so chances are someone you meet has been to Cairns. Some jobs may not be advertised, and other backpackers can give you great advice about their own work experiences.
When is the best time to work in Cairns?
Though anyone could find work in Cairns year-round, peak tourist season in Cairns may lead to more work opportunities as opposed to low season. The wet season in Cairns runs from roughly December to March, with January and February being the rainiest months. Tourism tends to drop at this time, meaning less work may be available for backpackers.
But you never know when your skills may be needed! If you're working in an industry that is unrelated to tourism, you may be able to find work at any time of the year. Or if you're looking for farm work, such as fruit picking, your best chance of finding work will be during the prime fruit season. You can always find work in Cairns, but researching your chosen industry will help you learn about the peak season for finding jobs. If you decide to start your job search in the low season, it may take longer to find work. But putting yourself out there never hurts! Consistency and dedication are key to finding work in Cairns, or anywhere in Australia!
