Cricket, surf, Crocodile Dundee, Home and Away…Think you know Australia? Experience the dream! Get off your sofa and get yourself down to the place where adventure and laid back lifestyle are right on your doorstep. If you’re aged between 18 and 35, you can live and travel anywhere in Australia for one year and work in an area related to your agricultural career while getting to know the real Australia.
Equipeople invites you to experience Australia through this unique work experience cultural exchange programme. We are offering you the chance to live and work with a family enterprise in regional areas throughout Australia.
As part of the exchange programme, visitors have the support and backing of our partners in Australia, which have been offering young people a quality rural exchange experience for over 23 years. Most placements are family based, however some may be in shared accommodation with other young people.
Equipeople provides you with application and visa assistance, a screened and quality placement, whilst our Australian partners ensure you are met at the airport when you arrive and they hold an introductory orientation to prepare you for your time in Australia allowing you to meet other trainees from all over the world!
You will receive full assistance and support from our office and our Australian partners.
Type of Placements
- Agriculture: broad-acre dry land crops (wheat, barley, canola, lupins, oats or peas), some irrigated cropping, dairy, sheep, pigs and beef.
- Farm Mechanics: working with agricultural machinery, maintenance and repairs.
- Trade and Practical Skills: Welders, carpenters, plumbers, electricians and qualified chefs.
- Horticulture: nursery, cut flowers, fruit orchard, vegetables and tropical fruit.
- Agri-Home: working inside the home, caring for children and out on the farm.
- Equine: breeding studs and stallion placements, show jumpers, eventing and dressage, polo and polocrosse.
- Apiary: Queen bee and honey production.
Our Australian partners work hard to match you with a host in your chosen placement area so you get the best experience possible.
Programme Requirements
Applicants MUST meet the following requirements:
- Be single and between the ages of 18 and 35
- Have at least one year’s practical ’hands on’ experience within the industry they wish to be placed
- Hold a current driver’s license for at least a year and have an international driving permit (easily obtainable from the AA in Dublin)
- Be fit and healthy and open to new ideas and cultures
- Be free of any criminal record
- Commit to 3 to 12 months away from home
- Hold comprehensive travel and medical insurance for duration of the trip
- Have a return air ticket
Participants should also:
- Be mature, flexible, open-minded, committed and willing to make adjustments.
- Be able to develop a stable relationship with a host family and fellow workers and become part of a working team.
- Be polite, conscientious, courteous and avoid cultural political and economic value comparisons that might lead to conflict with hosts.
- Expect to work long hours at certain peak times in the season. Farming in Australia can be labour intensive.
- Be willing to try new experiences and participate in activities.
As this programme was devised to enable young people to see and experience a different culture, participants are considered to be trainees. Although the majority of people we send to Australia are very experienced and are going to a responsible position, for the purposes of the visa they are known as trainees. Our trainees get to meet like-minded people from different parts of the world, and theses contacts often become life-long friends. Trainees get together at organised events, and are encouraged to socialise during their placements.
Costs Involved
- Equipeople’s fees are €430.50 including VAT, which includes a non-refundable deposit of €123.00.
- Depending on programme / Partner Agency Fee ranging from AUD$925.00 to AUD$2,800.00 (includes 10% GST)
- Visa Application Fee AUD$485.00 (for the Australian Embassy)
What’s Included?
- Placement
- Visa processing and support
- Airport meeting
- Orientation seminar after arrival about tax, visa’s, travel, Australian lifestyle/culture
- Tax benefit, assistance and general support
What’s Not Included?
- Travel and Health Insurance (we can help arrange for you an insurance that meets the minimum requirements set by the programme)
- Flights
- Fees for the Australian Embassy
For more information on the Visa and Application Process for Australia click here