THE CAREERS AND HIGHER EDUCATION MAGAZINE FROM THE INSPIRING FUTURES FOUNDATION


Work and travel in a land down under - Clare Rogers
Last year Clare Rogers decided to take a year out to work and travel in Australia before heading to the University of York to start a BSc in Biochemistry.

I have always dreamt of visiting Australia and knew that if I had any chance of doing and seeing everything that I wanted to do then I would need to work as well as travel. 
I decided to book my trip through BUNAC so that I’d have the reassurance of full support while I was working and travelling.  I also booked a BUNAC group flight with a stop-over in Bangkok, so that by the time I arrived in Sydney I had already made friends with others on the Work Australia programme.  I even ended up living with two of them! 

BUNAC’s partner organisation in Australia, IEP, really made it easy for me to settle in to the Australian way of life.  They made the whole process of moving to the other side of the world and adapting to living in a foreign country much less daunting than if I were doing it on my own. They helped me set up a bank account, sort out taxes and I also found my first job and accommodation through them.

Clare Rogers - Work and travel in a land down under

I worked in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for about three months each.  I wanted to get some office experience during my trip, so signed up with a few employment agencies in each city.  They found me long term work very quickly and I gained some great office work experience, performing general administrative duties.  I also got to meet and work with lots of Australians who were all really friendly, and I managed to save up loads of money for travelling.

While I was working I booked into long-stay hostels which are designed to accommodate working holiday travellers.  I met a lot of people who were doing the same thing as me from not only the UK but Canada, New Zealand, America and Europe as well.  It was a really great way to make friends and meet new people, especially for someone travelling on their own.

My time in Australia was simply amazing.  I learned so much more by living and working in the country instead of just travelling.  When you pass through a country you usually only meet other travellers, but working gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of Australians as well and get to know them and their culture.  The country also has some unbelievable scenery and wildlife – there’s so much more to it than Neighbours!
Clare Rogers - Work and travel in a land down under

My whole experience participating on Work Australia gave me so many highlights that I’ll remember for a lifetime!  The one that stands out above all others is swimming with whale sharks in Exmouth.  They spend every winter around Exmouth, so you are guaranteed to see them and snorkelling next to them is incredible.  I jumped in the water, looked down through my mask and was face to face with an 8m long whale shark!

I also spent four days camping at Uluru sleeping in a swag out in the open.  It’s amazing how many stars you can see at night because it’s so isolated.  We saw Uluru change colour in the sunset which was an awesome experience.  However many pictures you see of this amazing place, you’re never quite prepared for just how huge it really is.

These experiences are just the tip of the iceberg… I surfed Bondi Beach, cuddled a koala, snorkelled in the Great Barrier Reef – it absolutely was a once in a lifetime experience, and it didn’t even end in Australia.  My BUNAC group flight allowed me to fly home via Auckland, Honolulu and Los Angeles.  I spent about five weeks in New Zealand travelling around the North and South Islands, skydiving, glacier hiking, white water rafting, canyoning and black water rafting along the way.  In Hawaii I travelled around the four main islands, went whale watching and visited Pearl Harbour.  When I reached LA, where I’ve been to before, I flew down to Mexico and took a tour from Mexico City to Cancun which rounded off my trip perfectly.

I would recommend to anyone who has even a slight inclination to spend time in another country to consider one a of BUNAC’s amazing work and travel programmes.  I had the time of my life and can’t wait to dust of my backpack and do it all over again after I’ve graduated!”