LIVE IT UP!

Aussie Girls Work New York Fashion Week

When the 12 month J1 Student Work and Travel visa came into play we knew this was an awesome opportunity for Aussie tertiary students to experience the culture and lifestyle of America and maybe even gain some career experience as well.

For five IEP Work USA participants who share a love of fashion, this visa opened the doors for them to work at the world famous New York Fashion Week.

Mareesha of Victoria had contacted IEP from New York, in an effort to reach other IEP members who were interested in volunteering at the Fashion show where she had already lined up work.

You’ve got to love the speed in which social networking can work. A short message sent out over Facebook about the chance to volunteer with top Aussie designer Kit Willow led to a group of our IEP girls gaining some pretty incredible experience in both fashion design, creation and fashion photography.

Mareesha enjoyed working alongside other talented Australians at such a prestigious event but admits it wasn’t all lights, camera, action.

“Although our roles weren't glamorous, I was mainly hand sewing and beading, and Caroline (another IEP participant) was often sent on 'Devil Wears Prada' missions, it was great to see the organisation of the show: casting the models, fittings, seating arrangements, and juggling the creative side versus the selling side.” Mareesha said.

Another Work USA participant, Chitti, had embarked on her American adventure with the hope of working in photography. Their contact at Willow introduced her to friends who worked for Fly Productions and they offered Chitti an internship to work with them on four shows during Fashion Week. Chitti worked the door at two shows, giving her plenty of opportunity for celeb spotting, but it was the backstage and runway photography work that provided her with a real taste of working in fashion photography.

The Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2010 took place from the 10-17 September 2009 at locations throughout New York including Bryant Park and New York Public Library.

Apart from Kit Willow, other Australian designers on show this year included Toni Maticevski, Anaessia (Michael Angel) and Lisa Vanikiotis.

It was not just the hands on experience that proved worthwhile for the IEP participants, but the opportunity to network with people within the industry, leading to other possible internships and even paid positions.

The pilot visa, which was recently extended for another year, has provided hundreds of eligible Australians with the opportunity to pursue their professional career, while travelling throughout the United States.

Australians or New Zealanders interested in the 12 months Work USA program need to be full time tertiary students who have completed at least a year of their course already or recent graduates who plan to enter the USA within 12 months of finishing their degree.

If you’re interested in working in the USA and think you might be eligible, feel free to email me at naomi.joyce@iep.org.au

The Organised Traveller Vs The Spontaneous Traveller

There is an unspoken belief that a true backpacker carries her life on her back, throws caution to the wind, chooses her path day by day and stumbles across gorgeous little dwellings that will house her for the night and offer her the true cultural experience that a backpacker craves.

Then there is the organised traveller who books every aspect of their trip down to the airport shuttle and who selects the restaurant for dinner directly from Lonely Planet’s highest recommendation. There is no room for spontaneity or surprise as the schedule does not allow it.

In reality, a combination of both styles of travel usually delivers the most satisfying trip.

While the organised traveller may be taking the safer route and sometimes the less exciting one, with no opportunity to change direction based on local advice or the people they meet, they do have time to compare prices and quality so will often end up with the better hostel, tour or mode of transport as well as paying less by paying in advance.

The impromptu traveller can end up spending more money and more time attempting to book accommodation and transport as they go, meaning less choice and running the risk of having to trawl from door to door looking for a hostel with an empty bed, perhaps ending up having to fork out for a hotel due to lack of options. (Working in hostels in London and Edinburgh, these type of travellers are ones I’ve met many a time and had to break the news to them that there is no bed for them to lay their weary head)

An impromptu trip more often than not leads to more exciting and fascinating stories as the path they travel on winds around some crazy corners which at the time might be scary or annoying but in reflection are the basis for brilliant travel stories.

There is something exhilarating about not knowing where you are going, who you will meet and where you’ll end up, although there is also something comforting about knowing you’ll have a place to stay when you arrive at your next destination.

There will always be both sorts of travellers on the road and as long as there is a pack on their back and a sense of adventure in the air, they will always have a place on the backpacking trail.

Are you a planner or spontaneous traveller?

If you have an questions about working holidays you can contact me at naomi.joyce@iep.org.au

American Summer Camps-what it's really like

There's an exclusive club in the United States that every year, more Aussies are signing up to. Stories from inside the club that are leaked to those who aren't involved speak of rituals, chanting, secluded locations, outrageous costumes and performances and a group mentality that will never be fully understood by those in the outside world.

The club is summer camp.

The 'world' to which over 15000 American children escape to every summer and where camp counsellors from around the globe join forces to educate, support, entertain and motivate kids, is a world often so far removed from the real world that there can never be a full understanding of what summer camp is like until you've been.

Recently, one IEP Summer Camp USA email really struck a chord with me and made the desire to join the club stronger than ever. The following is summer camper Kate's, experience at an American camp, an experience that has had an enormous and positive impact oh her life.

My camp, Camp Rim Rock, finishes up next week, and it will be the end of my 14 week stint in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia.

I never realised how close the staff would become over the summer. It feels like I have known some of them for ages, and I know we will stay friends after camp.

There aren't any real downsides, I mean I have been on-duty up to 23 hrs a day, 6 days a week for 14 weeks and it is tiring but worthwhile for all the fun and friends. I have never had so many dress-up opportunities or chances to do crazy things like be dunked in a dunk tank, sing about Walmart, perform interpretive dance and magic tricks, learn to ride horses, generally sing and dance a lot, teach American kids how to play pass the parcel, cricket and AFL and just have pretty much non-stop fun for three months. It is hard work but unbelievably rewarding.

While I was initially apprehensive about working at an all-girls camp, it has turned about to be an advantage. No one cares what they look like, the kids are free to dance like crazy and run around camp without the pressure of boys.

It is so hard to sum up what has been the best summer of my life. I have been living a 'simple' life, walking outside to use the bathroom, always having dirty feet, rarely making contact with the outside world, sleeping under the stars every now and again and being outdoors all day. I would do it again in a heartbeat and can not put into words how much fun I have had. It is not the job itself that has made my experience, but the people I have worked with who turned the summer into an adventure to remember.

Thank you IEP for making it all possible!!

Kate

 

It is stories like this that keep camp counsellors going back for more year after year and encourages other Aussies to take the plunge and join the club that is Summer Camp USA.

 

Applications for Summer Camp USA 2010 program are now open and you can find out more about how to work at a camp in the States by clicking Summer Camp USA.

 

You must love kids, be aged 19-35 (skilled 18 year olds will be considered) and be available for 8-10 weeks between May/June and August.

 

Email me if you are an Australian and want to know more about Summer Camp USA naomi.joyce@iep.org.au

 

 

12 month J1 USA Visa Set to Continue! Great News!

We've been on a rollercoaster over the past few months. Us, being the crew at IEP as well as every eligible Australian university or TAFE student who has wanted to work in America for a year and have been waiting on tenterhooks to find out if the Exchange Visitor pilot program visa was going to continue.

We were told yes, we were told no, we were given the possible end date of the visa, we were told it might continue for a few extra months and with so much uncertainty, we had been pushing to get eligible applicants over the line by 31 October, and by that  I mean over the border line of the US of A.

Then, out of the blue came that gorgeous email from the US State Department declaring that the pilot program would be continuing for at least another year at this time. Like music to our ears.

And so the frantic rush began, we wanted to get the message out there to everyone and anyone who ever glossed over our website and then thought they wouldn't get on the program in time or that they needed to finish their final semester before they went over.

Let's face it, this was a pilot program and it takes a bit of time for word to spread that this sort of incredible opportunity is out there. People want to hear from others who have done it and two years just isn't enough time to gather enough momentum.

So we're grabbing this extra year with both hands and holding on tight.

I'm sure there are those of you out there who have never even heard of this visa and won't know what all the excitment is about so here is the low down.

The Work USA program allows Australian or New Zealand passport holders who are full time tertiary students and who have completed at least a year of their course already or recent graduates who plan on entering the US within 12 months of finishing their course, to work anywhere in the USA in practically any field for up to a year.

This kind of flexibilty and freedom is pretty rare when it comes to US visas which is why the extension of the program is such exciting news.

IEP is currently a registered sponsor of this visa and on our Work USA program eligible Aussies can spend a year working and travelling in America with very few restrictions. They don't need to work in their field of study and they don't need to have a job lined up before they go over.

Of course there is more to the program and if you are interested you can learn more about it at our website Work USA

Any questions can come through to me at naomi.joyce@iep.org.au of course, I might still be out celebrating the good news!

Working at a Ski Resort in Canada

There is something exciting about working at a Canadian ski resort that draws thousands of young Aussies in every year. Whether it is the unknown of living, working and playing surrounded by snow unlike any snow found here in Australia, maybe it is the images of the party lifestyle that communal living conjures up or maybe it is the appeal of living in a country where the culture is familiar and yet strikingly different that leads to Australians between the ages of 18-31 packing their parkas and making their way to the big, beautiful country that is Canada.

There are a number of myths that do need to be dispelled and some facts made clear, as the Canucks gear up for their next winter season and their first bout of recruitment in Australia and New Zealand through IEP's Work & Ski Canada Job Fairs.

Before jumping on in and making your way to Whistler (because let's face it most Aussies haven't heard of anywhere else) there are a few pointers that can save you time, money and bitter disappointment.

• Make sure you are able to stay for an entire season. If you need to return to uni at the beginning of March, chances are employers are not going to be interested in hiring you. With most winter seasons running from late November until April (or even May) resorts do not want to re-recruit half way through the season because half their staff turned in their lift passes and headed home. 5-6 months is generally required.
• Many employers will hold independent job fairs in Canadian cities at the beginning of October. If you rock up in November or December hoping you can land a job and a bed in staff housing, chances are you'll be competing with hundreds of others with the same idea. With most jobs already taken, you could end up spending way too much money on hostels and too much time on panicking that you won't find a job. On IEP's Work Canada Fully Loaded program, you will get the inside scoop on which employers are holding their interview days in Canada in October, so you don't miss out.
• If you can't arrive in Canada that early, then securing your job before you leave Australia is definitely the best idea. IEP holds job fairs in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland in August, taking the hassle out of the recruitment process.
• There is more to Canada than Whistler! There is no doubt that Whistler is a massive, beautiful resort but Canada literally has hundreds of resorts that offer a more unique Canadian experience where life is cheaper and more laid back. Whether you are after massive slopes, a party lifestyle, a more wholesome lifestyle, a great place to learn to ski or even an employer that isn't a resort but is set amongst some picturesque scenery, there is an option out there for you. Don't limit your choices by insisting on heading to the resort your brother/cousin/mate worked at-there are SO many options out there.
• The pay will probably suck. Many ski resorts pay anywhere from CA$8-$15 an hour but keep in mind the experience you are having and the awesome benefits many employers offer. Free or heavily discounted season passes (sometimes to more than just their own mountains), free and discounted meals, cheap housing, cheap rentals and snow equipment purchases. Many employers will run staff trips and parties.
• You will need working rights for Canada. The most common option is a working holiday visa. For Australians you need to be over 18 and apply before your 31st birthday. The visa is $190, proof of funds is AU$4000 and you can apply at www.whpcanada.org.au (if you are on an IEP program we can help you with getting the visa).
• Don't expect time off over Christmas and New Year (unless the resort closes on these days) as this is usually the busiest time. Similarly, for 2010 if you have a contract for the entire season, you will probably not be allowed time off to go and check out the winter Olympics in Vancouver.
• Employers don't control the snow. Expect less hours at the beginning of the season especially if the snow starts falling late and make sure you have enough money behind you to get by.

Wherever you end up, working a winter season in Canada is bound to be one of the most exciting experiences of your life. Keep your options open, remain flexible and make the most of the incredible winters Canada is famous for.

If you have any questions about working a winter season in Canada (or a summer season) you can reach me on naomi.joyce@iep.org.au

 

WYSE Work Abroad Film Competition-Win US$2000

Do you have some great footage of your time overseas or are you on a working holiday right now and have access to a video camera? Here is your chance to make some serious dosh from your own travel video!

The WYSE Work Abroad Expand Your Horizons film competition is the perfect opportunity to showcase your creative film-making talents and provide insight into your overseas working holiday experience to encourage other young people from around the world to take the plunge and head overseas.

As members of WYSE, IEP and our parent organisation, BUNAC are inviting you to enter this competition and go in the running to win US$2000 to help you on your future travels.

These days it is so easy to whip out a camera and film your adventures so instead of just putting it up on Facebook and forgetting about it, why not put a little thought into it and make an exciting 2-3 minute video? It might just win you the major prize.

The video can be of any aspect of your working holiday adventure-hard at work, hard at play, or of a particular experience that made your trip that extra bit special.

Interested?

What do you need to do?

1. Create a 2-3 minute video about your working holiday experience. Feel free to use your creativity with your video—it can be about work, play, or anything that highlights your experience and motivates others to participate on a work exchange program!

2. Submit your videos to WYSE Work Abroad You Tube Group

3. Notify WYSE Work Abroad that you’ve entered the contest by emailing your name, title of your video, and WYSE Work Abroad member organisation that you’re representing (IEP/BUNAC) Email mailbox@wyseworkabroad.org

Entries to this competition will close on 15 August 2009 so you’ll need to get a wriggle on. For competition Terms and Conditions visit the WYSE Website

You can email me at naomi.joyce@iep.org.au if you want to find out if you're eligible to enter or to let me know when you have submitted an entry.

*Footage must be of a working holiday that takes place between November 2008 and August 2009

IEP Wins Australian Business Award For Service Excellence

There are only certain times in life when it's ok to brag...in IEP's world, the time is now. We're super excited to have won an Australian Business Award for Service Excellence!

The Australian Business Awards (ABA) are for all sorts of businesses and organisations and the awards are offered over a range of different categories. With 1588 entries, there were 83 awards and IEP scored one for the high level of service we provide our enquirers and members.

We might be a small team, but we really make an effort to be approachable, understanding and available when people want to ask us questions. We know that going on a working holiday can be nerve-racking and exciting at the same time, we've all done it ourselves, so no matter aspect of their trip enquirers or travellers want to ask about, we're there for them.

 We also try and be available in different ways, on email, phone, Facebook, Twitter, travel and career expos and you can even drop by, sit at our desk and have a chat.

As a non-profit organisation with a young team (87% of our staff are under 30) we do our job  because we love travel, we believe in the positive impact a working holiday has on a young person and we want to take the hassles out of the planning side of things for those of you going away. It may sound corny, but after saying for years we pride ourselves on providing individual attention it's really rewarding to be recognised with an ABA.

Winning this award will motivate us to continue working with smiles on our faces. Of course, when you're dealing with excited people going exciting places, it makes it pretty easy to come to work.

If you have any questions about your own working holiday you can contact me on naomi.joyce@iep.org.au

Helluva Hostel

The concept of the hostel to the 'un-travelled' mind is hard to comprehend. A room with anywhere from 4 to 100 beds, shared bathrooms where thongs are considered protective foot-wear and a kitchen where food that is purchased, labelled and stored in a communal fridge will have a 90% chance of disappearance by the next morning.

The 24 hour in-hostel bar where a group of loud, international travellers play drinking games until the wee hours of the morning and a 24 hour reception where the staff wish they could trade in the late night check-ins for a shift in the bar.

There is a unique vibe in a good hostel. A friendly, open, anyone's welcome to play, vibe. Yet in some hostels, the vibe does not exist. In its place are groups of school kids, the occasional grumpy couple in their 60's who didn't know what a dorm was...they just knew it was cheap and the very odd middle aged man who stays for 4 months, doesn't seem to work or travel and sits at the bar attempting to chat to every young female that enters the bar hoping to make new friends...completely unaware that this hostel has lost its vibe.

Before you go whinging about the clientele of the hostel which received awesome reviews on Hostelworld, take a moment and consider why these people are staying at these hostels.

A summer season in many destinations is pumping, beds are full and parties are ongoing, when the weather cools and travellers venture to a warmer spot, the beds still need to be filled. To the hostel owner, a couple of older couples, school groups and families will pay the bills and ensure the place stays open until the busy season comes round again.

There are some hostels that are busy year round and the managers are able to hand select the type of hosteller they book in. They can choose the travellers in their early twenties with a backpack and an 'anything goes' attitude. However, is this even fair that in order to keep the vibe of a place happening, other types of travellers are turned away?

Some of the most interesting travellers I've met have been the older, adventurous couple with plenty of stories under their belts, the middle aged man who was incredibly tall and our conversation began with him joking about fitting into the hostel bunks and the 10 year European boy staying at a London hostel with his school who asked me if I spoke Spanish. No. French? No. Then with a shocked look on his face, "Do you only speak English." Embarrassed I admitted I was Australian, as if it were some sort of an excuse.

Next time you travel and the hostel lounge room is filled with more unique style travellers of different ages rather than your 20-something, dred-locked backpacker, take a moment and have a chat. Your journey could offer more than just another round of drinking games.

What's in a Name? Backpacker or Working Holiday Maker?

For many backpackers who hold a working holiday visa that allows them to take a job overseas and travel extensively at the same time, the terms backpacker and working holiday maker are interchangeable. They aren't one or the other, they are both.

Speak to a young professional, a few years out of university who is making the move overseas to gain international work experience using their working holiday visa and they'll tell you in no uncertain terms, they are not a backpacker, they're a working holiday maker.

At the recent ATEC Backpacker Conference in Darwin, one of the hot topics being discussed was the idea of developing an all encompassing title to address the international student market and the backpacker market. Depending on where you stand they are all young people living temporarily in Australia, injecting money into the economy. For those who deal with each party individually, the two couldn't be further apart.

Backpackers travel extensively, perhaps working to fund their travels and living a care-free/party lifestyle. International students generally focus on their studies, work few hours and travel is rarely a priority.

When two groups of people are so vastly different, there is no need to refer to them all under the same umbrella, otherwise confusion is sure to follow.

In the IEP Sydney office we meet travellers from all over the world who come to us as part of the Work Australia program. We offer them job and accommodation assistance, trip advice and general Aussie information. The type of traveller we meet varies greatly from the backpacker who wants desperately to live in an outback pub, meet real Aussie characters and see something completely different. You get the backpackers who want to work in hospitality in Cairns and do the well-trodden road trip up the coast partying with other travellers from around the world, and then you get the working holiday maker.

A university graduate with experience under their belt and a plan to spend 12 months in either Sydney or Melbourne working in their chosen field, living with Australians and experiencing a typical Australian city life. They might do a short tour at the end of their trip but as a working holiday maker, not a backpacker, they are here to work.

Although this type won't take offence to the term backpacker, it is more the way they are represented to employers that concerns them. They want to be seen as a professional from overseas and too often employers see they are on a working holiday visa and assume they are the party animal, dread-locks and thongs type.

As the gap year grows in popularity, both here and overseas, a working holiday is often a career choice, not an extended holiday so keeping the terms backpacker, working holiday maker and international student clearly separate is the best way to differentiate between each type of young foreign visitor.

If you would like to know more about IEP's working holiday programs email me at naomi.joyce@iep.org.au

The K-Rudd Bonus-Stimulate the Aussie Economy Before Travelling OS

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas…again

 

With the Government’s Stimulus package on its way to inflate our bank accounts, there has been plenty of chat about how to spend our extra pocket money. $900 to most young Aussie’s is a lot of money and will be warmly welcomed, especially by those of us who are planning overseas travel.

 

Now as the money is meant to be stimulating the Australian economy, we don’t want you instantly converting your dosh to pounds, euros or US dollars, however there is no reason you shouldn’t put your cash toward your working holiday plans. There are plenty of costs involved in heading off on a working holiday, and plenty of little extras that might make your time overseas that little bit better, so to get you in the working holiday spirit, IEP has a few ideas for the perfect Stimulus Spending Spree...

• IEP’s Fully Loaded programs: The price for IEP’s Work Britain, Work Ireland or Work Canada Fully Loaded is just $250 each. Kick start your working holiday with banking, tax and employment assistance, and ongoing support for the duration of your working holiday.

• Flights The $900 may not cover the entire cost of your flight but it would certainly take care of a good chunk of it. With airlines in the midst of a pricing war, you can get flights to LA for as little as $999!

• Travel Insurance: No matter where you are going or what you plan to do there, you need travel insurance. Six months worldwide, fully comprehensive insurance with IEP will cost you $786, but policies are also available for any length of time, from one month to one year.

• Lonely Planet: whether it is to plan your travels after Summer Camp USA or find the best place to live and work in Canada, a Lonely Planet guide is a great way to get yourself pumped for your working holiday, IEP sells guides to all of our destinations for just $35.

• Backpack: An essential for any young traveller, a good backpack can cost anywhere from $200 to $500. Do your research before making your purchase, and ensure it will last you for the duration of your overseas trip.

• Digital camera: The perfect way to ensure you never forget all of your amazing adventures overseas. You can get a brand new compact digital camera for around $300, or why not make the most of your stimulus package and upgrade to a digital SLR or video camera?

• Ipod: Ask any traveller who has spent more than 10 hours on a single bus trip what their number one travel item is, and they will say their Ipod. Load it up with all your favourite music before you leave home, but don’t forget to leave space for your summer camp anthems and all the music people will share with you along the way! You can purchase a new Ipod for as little as $200.

• Spanish Course: Heading overseas on Volunteer Peru or Volunteer Costa Rica? IEP can organise a Spanish course to get you settled into your new home. Courses can be arranged for any length of time, just contact IEP for a quote when you are ready to apply.

 Happy Stimulus!