Work and Travel in Gold Coast

WORK IN GOLD COAST ALL YEAR ROUND

All year there are farms that need help. Whether it be picking fruits or planting produce and trees there is something to do. You probably won't be on the beach when you are doing this as most farms are about 20km from the coast.
If you have your RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) and RSG (Responsible Service of Gaming) you can get work thy will be paid or be for accommodation in the main towns. You will have more luck with this over summer but it is possible to find this at all times of the year. if you don't have these qualifications you can still find work but perhaps at not as many places.
As this is the Gold Coast there are many beaches and the surf clubs are always looking for volunteer lifeguards. This again is dependant on experience and qualifications and is more available in the summer but beaches are open year round and as such this is a viable option.
Construction is also an area where work can be found all year around. During the rainy season (January) the work is harder to find.
There are several hostels and hotels that will offer accommodation for work - you are better contacting them directly for more details.

SEASONAL WORK IN GOLD COAST

SPRING

What kinds of work are available in the spring time in Gold Coast. Remember to keep work that is all year round in the section above and not mention it again here.

SUMMER

Summer is the time for music festivals- these take place from Brisbane in the North all the way down to Byron in the South. Festivals are always looking for workers to take on various different roles. If it is a multi-day festival, they usually offer free accommodation in the camping section and you may even be able to go into the festival to see the acts for free one of the days! The line-up is often not bad. One of the most sought after positions is as a bartender as they get paid quite well (approximately $25/hr and increasing after 8 or 10 hrs). Besides the normal tax requirements that you would need to be able to work in Australia, an RSA certificate (Responsible Service of Alcohol) is needed which can easily be done online, there are a few different avenues you can obtain this from so google it and decide which one takes your fancy.

Often bartenders are sub-contracted by the festival management (such as this one http://www.xmacpeople.com.au), so you may need to find a promotional company who are hiring contractors to work for a particular festival. Every festival is different and their bar contract may have been won by a different management company or will have a combination of a few different companies, so have a look around for a few others.

Here is a brief list of the major festivals, keeping in mind there are quite a few smaller ones popping up as well.
- Falls Festival
- St. Jerome's Laneway Festival
- Woodford Folk festival
- Soundwave Festival
- Future Music
- Blues Festival

AUTUMN

What kinds of work are there in Gold Coast in autumn? Maybe it's harvest time, but do people need the help of foreigners for either cheap labour or expertise? This is the kind of thing we need to know here.

WINTER

Skiing in Gold Coast - does it exist? Is there plenty of opportunities for people to get work in Gold Coast in the winter? What kind of skills are needed at this time of year? Please update this section and let fellow travellers know what you have learnt if you have worked in Gold Coast in the winter or if you are a host and live here and can share your knowledge.

ATTITUDE TO FOREIGNERS WORKING IN GOLD COAST

The Gold Coast is a travellers hub so seeing travellers working on the Gold Coast is quite common. That being said, some places have been known to take advantage of travellers and foreigners in terms of working standards and pay. Usually this is more common in the city and not so heard of with farm and family work.
Most Australians love to meet travellers and will be willing to help you out. Also, if you meet people they will give you connections to people they know that can offer work or accommodation.
There are plenty of people from all curves of the earth on the Coast so if you are travelling and feel homesick, chances are you will be able to get a fix from somewhere!

The Gold Coast is well known for its breathtaking beaches spanning down the coastline of the South East corner of Queensland. With it comes the laid back beach culture which becomes more prominent as you travel further South. It has long been a popular tourist destination attracting visitors of all ethnic backgrounds. These combined factors mean that the attitude to foreign workers in the Gold Coast is not of anything worthy to note as they are not treated particularly differently. Towards the Northern end of the Gold Coast, Southport is an area saturated with those of Asian decent thus if your skills will be better valued in association with knowing a particular Asian language, that would be the area to go to. You will find a wide array of Asian cuisines and grocery stores readily accessible as well. As you move further South along the coastline, the beaches become saturated with more serious surfers. Coolangatta and Rainbow bay are popular beaches with great surf and the waves are often busy as the surfers wait their turn. This area will find higher concentrations of South Americans. Again, it doesn't matter which country you have arrived from, which area you end up working in, there will always be a warm welcome from the locals and employers. Of course there are always individual exceptions as seen in any country.