Working Holiday Jobs Australia: Farm, Hospo and 88-Day Checks

Most working holiday jobs in Australia fall into a few groups: farm and harvest work, hospitality, and other regional jobs that may count towards a second or third visa. This guide covers where those jobs are advertised, how to apply, how to check that your days will count, and how to spot the scams that target backpackers.

Important: this is general information, not legal or migration advice. Visa rules change, so check everything against the Department of Home Affairs and the Fair Work Ombudsman before you rely on it.

Who can do working holiday jobs in Australia

There are two working holiday visas. The Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) and the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) cover different passports, with different age limits and requirements. The UK, Ireland and Canada are on the 417 list. The US and some other countries use the 462.

Many readers of this blog hold passports that aren't part of either programme. That includes Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. If your passport isn't listed on the Home Affairs pages, this route isn't open to you, and any agent who says otherwise should be treated with suspicion.

Do you actually need 88 days?

To apply for a second working holiday visa, many holders must complete three months (often counted as 88 days) of specified work in an eligible regional area. For a third visa, the requirement is generally six months during the second visa.

There are exceptions. For example, UK passport holders applying for a second or third 417 visa on or after 1 July 2024 no longer need to do specified work. Check the current rules for your passport on the Home Affairs specified work page before you plan your trip around regional jobs.

The main types of working holiday jobs

Farm and harvest work

This is the classic 88-day route: picking, packing, pruning, planting, and work with livestock. It's seasonal, so the type of work and the location move with the harvest calendar. Expect early starts, outdoor work in heat, and hours that depend on weather and crop volume.

Pay may be hourly or piece rate (paid per bin, bucket or kilo). In horticulture, pieceworkers are entitled to at least the minimum hourly rate under the Horticulture Award. Use the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than trusting a figure in an ad or a hostel chat.

Hospitality and tourism

Cafes, bars, hotels, resorts and tour operators hire a lot of working holiday makers, especially in cities and tourist areas. Most hospitality work in major cities won't count towards a second visa.

Tourism and hospitality can count as specified work in some areas, mainly northern and remote or very remote Australia. Eligibility depends on the postcode and your visa subclass, so check the postcode list on Home Affairs before you accept a role on that basis.

For bar work you will usually need an RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certificate. The rules depend on the state or territory, and some states don't accept another state's RSA. Check the state regulator's site before you pay for a course.

Other regional work

Depending on your visa and location, specified work can also include fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling, mining and construction. Not every job in a regional town counts. A retail job in a regional town, for example, is generally not specified work. The industry and the tasks matter as well as the postcode.

Where working holiday jobs are genuinely advertised

Start with sources where you can see who the employer is:

• Workforce Australia, the government's job board, which includes harvest and seasonal roles.
• Mainstream job boards where employers post under their own business name.
• Employers' own websites, especially larger farms, packing sheds, hotels and resort groups.
• Hostel noticeboards and staff, which can be useful for leads. Verify the employer yourself rather than relying on the hostel's word.
• Walking in with a printed CV. This is still common for cafes and bars.

Avoid social media posts that give no business name, only a phone number and an upfront fee. That's where most of the problems below start.

How to apply: a short Australian-style CV

For farm and hospitality roles, employers usually want to know quickly whether you're available, reliable and legally able to work. Keep your CV to one or two pages and put the essentials at the top.

What to include

1. Name, Australian mobile number, email, current town. A full street address isn't needed.
2. Work rights line: for example, "Working Holiday visa (subclass 417), valid until March 2026." Only state what's true.
3. Availability: dates, whether you can start immediately, and whether you have your own car. Many farms are not reachable without one.
4. Relevant experience: physical, outdoor, customer-facing or shift work, with short, factual bullets.
5. Certificates: RSA, first aid, forklift licence, or a White Card for construction. List them only if you hold them.
6. Referees: names and contact details, or "available on request".

Example bullets

Here are a few honest examples for someone with retail and gym experience applying for packing-shed work:

• Worked 8-hour standing shifts in a busy supermarket, including early starts and weekends.
• Restocked and rotated chilled produce to meet daily date-checking routines.
• Trained two new starters on till and stock procedures.

If you've never done farm work, don't imply you have. Simply saying you're fit, punctual and comfortable outdoors is more useful to an employer than an invented harvest season. Not sure whether to send a PDF or a Word file? See PDF or Word CV in Australia?.

If you want help adapting a CV from your home country into a shorter Australian format, the QuickApplyPilot remote and international jobs tool can suggest edits for an overseas application. It won't confirm your visa eligibility or whether a job will count as specified work. You still need to check those on Home Affairs.

A short message when applying by text or email

Hi, I'm [name], on a [417/462] Working Holiday visa valid until [date]. I'm in [town] with my own car and can start [date]. I've done [relevant experience, briefly]. Is the [role] still available? My CV is attached. Thanks, [name]

Scam checks before you accept any job

Backpackers chasing 88 days are a known target. Before you accept a job, check the following.

Check the business

• Look up the ABN on ABN Lookup. Check that the business name matches and the ABN is active.
• Check the employer is registered to employ working holiday makers. The ATO requires this. If they aren't registered, your tax may be wrong.
• Labour hire licensing: several states and territories require labour hire providers to be licensed, including Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT. If a contractor rather than the farm is employing you, check the relevant state register.
• Confirm the postcode of where you'll actually work against the Home Affairs specified work list, not the postcode of the contractor's office.

Red flags

• You're asked to pay for the job, or to pay a bond or accommodation deposit before you've seen the place or a contract.
• Someone offers to "sign off" your 88 days for money, or without you doing the work. This is visa fraud and can put your current and future visas at risk.
• Cash only, no payslips, or vague answers about the hourly rate or piece rate.
• Accommodation or transport costs are deducted from your pay in amounts you didn't agree to in writing.
• The employer wants to keep your passport.
• Unpaid "trial" days that go beyond a genuine short skills demonstration. Fair Work has guidance on unpaid trials.

Unpaid volunteer work generally no longer counts towards specified work, so a "free accommodation for work" deal is unlikely to help your second-visa application. Many of the warning signs in fake visa sponsorship job offer scams apply here too.

If something goes wrong, the Fair Work Ombudsman handles pay and workplace issues. Your visa status doesn't stop you from seeking help.

Keep evidence for your second or third visa

If you need specified work for your next visa, treat record-keeping as part of the job.

Keep	Why
Every payslip	Shows employer, dates, hours and pay
Bank statements	Show the payments actually received
Employer's ABN and contact details	Lets your work be verified
A daily log of dates and hours	Helps you count your days accurately
Employment verification form (Form 1263 for the 417)	Often requested; check the current form on Home Affairs
Tax and super records	Your end-of-year tax and super will need them

How days are counted (full-time weeks versus individual days, and how part-time work adds up) has specific rules. Read the Home Affairs guidance rather than assuming that 88 working days of any length will count.

A simple spreadsheet works well for this. The column ideas in our job application tracker spreadsheet adapt easily to tracking employers, dates and hours.

Quick checklist

• Confirmed my passport is eligible and whether I need specified work at all
• Checked the job's postcode and industry against the Home Affairs list
• Looked up the ABN and any labour hire licence
• Checked the award pay rate on the Fair Work calculator
• Agreed pay, deductions and accommodation in writing
• Paid nothing upfront to get the job
• Started saving payslips and a daily log from day one

None of this guarantees you'll find work quickly. Seasonal demand varies by region and month. It does make it much less likely that you'll lose weeks to a job that doesn't pay properly or doesn't count.