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according to type of job and, of course, is relative to the cost of living. Many companies active in this sector point out that they are skilled at teaming the candidate with the right job and use contacts across the country to source employment opportunities. Amy Baker reports.
Wages are very important and rate of pay is of great interest,” says Guy Hughes, Director of Language Schools New Zealand in New Zealand, underlining that for those students looking for paid work placements after a period of language study, remuneration is an important consideration when considering which jobs to undertake.
However, other operators in the field point out that this is not always the priority. Rebecca Pocock at Instituto Hemingway in Spain, observes, “It is generally always the placement itself that attracts students rather than the pay. We deal a lot with undergraduate students who are looking for that extra experience to set their cv apart from others after graduation.”
Generally speaking, there seem to be two types of client looking for jobs in the paid work & travel sector – those looking to fund their trip overseas through their working activities, who value remuneration and prompt payment above all else, and those looking to undertake a targeted placement primarily as a cv-enhancing endeavour.
Hughes makes a point that Joanne Sayer at Twin UK in the UK, agrees with – the general trend is dependent on nationality. He says, “Czechs and Brazilians are looking for work quickly due to the cost of getting here and the currency [exchange rate] at home. Others, such as Swiss and Germans, are not so focused on this.”
Sayer adds, “Whether students choose paid or unpaid internships depends on their country of origin and economic background. We do find that we have more Spanish/French interns booking unpaid internships than we do Polish, for example.” She notes that if money is the most important criteria, then students will choose “the best paid job or the one which starts the soonest over what they will actually be doing”.
Paid jobs in any country normally involve the hospitality industry as well as, possibly, retail, and agricultural positions, depending on the country. In Australia, Ueli Stauffer of Cairns College of English points out that fruit picking work is widely available, although not suitable for everyone. Wages can vary from AUS$15 (US$12) per hour for hospitality work to AUS$20 (US$16) per hour for fruit picking. “Female students tend to prefer a job in the hospitality industry, such as housekeeping,” he says. “Most certainly, higher wages attract a lot of students, but we need to tell them that fruit picking is very physical work and the sun in north Queensland is extremely strong.”
In New Zealand, where, as Jayne Hatak of New Zealand Management Academies (NZMA) points out, there is a 30-year low in unemployment, jobs are also widely available in the hospitality sector. “Most working holiday makers can expect to get jobs in hospitality,” she says, underlining that NZMA offers a one-year and two-year programme for those not on working holiday visas, which enable part-time work during the course and a six-month open work permit upon completion of the diploma.
“It is a great time to come to New Zealand,” says Hatak, “especially those who are finding it difficult to work, travel and study elsewhere.” Average wages in New Zealand start at around NZ$10 (US$7) per hour and rise to NZ$17-20 (US$11-13) per hour for supervisory roles in a hotel or bar jobs. “Of course, porter roles and some waiting jobs attract tips, and there can be perks such as meals supplied,” adds Hatak.
In Canada, the range of paid jobs on offer is wide-ranging, says Paula Jamieson of Global Lifestyles Canada (GLC), who gives many tourism-related examples, such as fishing resort worker and cruise ship attendant as well as log home builder and dog sledder. She boasts, “The economies of British Columbia and Alberta are excellent, with some cities boasting unemployment rates at their lowest in 40 years.”
Joe Solomon, Manager of Opus Paid Work and Study, a branch of Aspect Education, oversees placements in Ireland, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. He underlines that as well as earning money, paid jobs allow for integration. He cites the example of Aneta Gromerova, from the Czech Republic, working in the Body Shop in the UK for UK£5.70 (US$11) an hour. She says, “After a few months, I did not have a problem understanding British accents. And I am moving into my colleague’s flat, as we have become friends.”
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