Working on a farm in Australia
If your nationality allows it (and you are under 30/36 years old), it shouldn’t be difficult for you to apply for the Working Holiday Visa, which allows you to live and work in Australia for a year.
However, if you want to renew the visa and stay for a second year, during the first one you’ll need to work for 88 days on a farm. To obtain the third year, during the second one you’ll have to work for 6 months on a farm.
Alternatively, there are other jobs that count towards the requirement, such as mining and jobs in remote areas (for example construction and hospitality).
However, farms are the most common and easiest to find.
But what’s it like to work on a farm? And how do you find one?
The two categories of farms
There are two broad categories of farms: those that treat you like a slave, and those that treat you like part of the family.
I’ve tried both, and while the latter are certainly the best, the former also have their advantages.
In both cases, the job is usually hard or boring, but it will certainly make you stronger and help you grow a lot.
Don’t wait until the last few months, and accept even if the job isn’t the best. Instead, start and meanwhile keep looking for something else.
The farms that treat you like a slave
Certainly, the farms that treat you like a slave are the easiest to find, and the most common jobs are picking and packing.
These farms hire dozens of backpackers all at the same time, as soon as the season arrives, and they have no problem replacing you in a second if something goes wrong.
Usually, the contract is casual, and the pay is $28 per hour.
This gives you the right to quit from one day to the next, and I don’t recommend doing otherwise because they will fire you on the spot as soon as they know you plan to leave. Furthermore, if there is no work, they won’t think twice about giving you various days off in a row, wasting your time and money.
Additionally, we paid $120 rent per week.
If you are hired as pickers, it means you will be sent to the fields to pick fruit or vegetables, usually under sun and rain without exceptions. Hard work, but it will make you stronger.
If you are hired as packers, you will be in the warehouse packaging products. Very boring.
On the other hand, in this type of farm, you will have the opportunity to live with dozens of other guys, spend time together, and make new international friends. Where I worked, there were about 40 of us all living in the same “village,” located within the farm, and it was still a good experience.
The farms that treat you like part of the family
After 2 months at the first farm, I received a much better offer through an Australian friend.
So, I moved south to a small town in the middle of nowhere where I was hired to drive tractors for wheat seeding. Here, the situation is completely different.
Working on the farm, it’s just me, the boss, his father, and a man around 70 years old who drives another tractor next to me.
The tractor is modern, enclosed, with air conditioning. It’s self-driving: once I’ve taken the line and set the desired speed (9km per hour) with a couple of levers, I don’t have to do anything until I reach the end of the field.
So, I can look at my phone, study a new language, or listen to a podcast.
The shifts are 12 hours a day without exceptions for 6 weeks, with one day off every 2. The pay is $35 per hour, free private accommodation, a free car, free fuel.
The boss picked me up at the terminal when I arrived in town by bus, sometimes invites me to dinner with his wife and kids, and has taken me to visit various natural attractions in the area. We went to the farmer’s social event, and they always care if I need anything.
On the other hand, I’m alone in the middle of nowhere, and I have to drive an hour and a half (3 in total) to reach the nearest supermarket.
How to find a farm job
There are millions of ways to find farm work, but the most effective is definitely word of mouth, especially for the second category.
Other methods include driving from farm to farm and asking, responding to advertisements on Facebook groups, trying job search apps like Backpackers Job Board and Gumtree.
There is also an app that shows you all the farms in Australia, along with their email, address, and/or phone number. You can then call, email, or go in person and inquire. It’s called Wikifarms.
Finally, you can try working hostels, hostels in remote areas where you can stay and be assisted in finding work.
Once you embark on your trip in search of farm work, be ready.
Bring all your belongings and get yourself boots and clothes suitable for work. Usually, once you find a farm looking for staff, you’ll be asked to start the next day.
You’ll hardly need a resume, and experience is unlikely to be required. However, at least a basic level of English will be necessary.
Ready for this new experience? It will be tough months, but you’ll see they’ll pass quickly, and it won’t be so bad after all!