LIVE IT UP!

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!

To Tour or Not to Tour?

Speak to any avid traveller and they will state loudly and proudly that they don't  'do' tour groups. They'd rather do their own thing, stay for a decent amount of time in one place and meet locals rather than other Aussies on a bus. Fair Enough.

However, there are tour companies in existence for a reason and before you decide whether you're a solo traveller or a group junkie, you need to figure out what you're looking to get out of your trip.

My first ever travelling experience was right here in Australia. I wanted to explore the Outback and then journey down the east coast going Sky Diving and snorkelling and whatever else I could cram into my mid-year uni break. I had no one to go with and no idea what I was doing so I joined a Contiki group, which allowed me to cram in as much as possible and explore our gorgeous country without having to do my first bout of travel alone as a 19-20 year old. The best part of this trip was the people I met, and it was my time with them that convinced me to go to the UK on the Work Britain program.

Five years down the track and with plenty of travel under my belt, a Contiki trip doesn't suit me anymore, but I do recognise that having that option open to me for my first trip was what infected me with the travel bug and led me down the path I am now on.

Over the years I have travelled to Thailand with my sister, on a Shamrocker Tour in Ireland, Busabout hop on/hop off style bus trip in Europe, a Fanatics tour for a ski trip, Anderson Tours to see Robbie Williams in Paris and various independent solo travels in the US, Canada and Europe.

I don't have preference as every method of travel has positives and negatives. I loved the ease of meeting people and travelling with no worries on an organised tour, I loved the crazy adventures and laughs I shared with my sister that we can look back on together now, I loved the anonymity of travelling alone and meeting new people in every city...whichever way I look at it, I love travelling!

One of the highlights of a working holiday is that you can sample all the different travel options available to you and go with the one that feels right on the day you book your trip. There is something incredibly liberating about having the world at your doorstep, and when you're living somewhere like the UK or USA, you will get plenty of opportunities to make the most of your location. Tour or solo travel, as long as you get to see the world it's gotta be a good choice, right?

PS Don't forget if you are on an IEP program, we can help you with travel plans as well!

Nabbing Your Dream Job Overseas

There is no denying that times are tough for job hunters both here in Australia and overseas, but while the IEP crew are encouraging everyone to be as flexible as possible when looking for work, suggesting that hospitality, retail and temp office work are better options right now than career related work, we don't really want people to give up on finding their dream jobs while on a working holiday. Plenty of people are doing it as we speak so, for a little bit of employment inspiration, here are some girls on Work USA who are making their dream jobs a reality.

Bec

Bec landed her PR job in LA after a lot of persistence and effort when she first arrived. Now she is living the glamorous life of red carpet events and socialising with the stars. Her clients include Jada Pinkett-Smith, Mary J Blige, The Wayans and Jim Caviezel.

“I work with one other person in a boutique celebrity PR firm so my job is very hands on. I write press releases, put together press junkets, walk the red carpets at premieres and events with clients, work with publications and other media. I basically handle everything to do with the clients public image. There are a lot of parties and events to attend even without clients, my boss takes me to these to network, which is everything in this town.”

Has she been lucky enough to meet Will Smith? “Yes I've met Will and he's one of the nicest guys in the world! He told me "Stay focused in this town baby girl" what more can I say....”

Nathalie

After landing an internship with fashion label Escada in New York, Nathalie was ready to pursue her dream of working in this ritzy industry, in one of the most fashionable cities in the world. She shared some insight into her American lifestyle with us.

"My fashion marketing internship with Escada is going really well. I really love it here. It's not like Devil Wears Prada thankfully! Although the part about celebrities, fashion shows and exclusive parties is true. I feel so lucky to be a part of it all. I still can't believe it."

 

Wendy

 

Another Work USA participant Wendy found herself amongst the lights and buzz of NYC. With a desire to work in the journalism field, Wendy knew she had to really put herself out there if she wanted to be taken seriously in the Big Apple.

 

"I lost count of how many jobs I actually applied for before I even got an interview but with persistence, a resume tailored to the US market and a perfectly worded application letter I finally scored an awesome job at News Corporation working for the New York Post newspaper. By keeping in contact with another company I was interested in working with I have also secured once in a lifetime opportunities for work experience at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival and American Film Market in Los Angeles."

These are just three examples of real young Aussies chasing their dreams overseas and making it happen for them. Whether your working holiday dream is to work from pub to pub meeting the locals; to operate the lifts at a Canadian ski resort or to gain awesome career experience in your field, keep hold of that dream and work hard at it, but be willing to take a stab at any sort of work while you keep looking.

A Craicing Day to be Irish...to be sure

                                                                                 Every year when 17 March rolls round, St Patrick's Day excitement takes over and the Irish come out in force. These days, it doesn't matter if you can't actually make it to the Emerald Isle for all the festivities because for some reason, this is one national holiday that other countries just love to be a part of.

You don't find Australians celebrating America's Independence Day or the French running around draped in an Aussie Flag on Australia Day and yet, come St Paddies, everybody wants a piece of the action.

It may seem that at this time of year all the Irish come out of the woodwork (unless you live in Coogee, NSW and then you know where they've been hiding all year) but really, when the Guinness is flowing, the Irish tunes are being sung at the top of one's lungs and you start to wonder if the Irish rainbow only consists of different shades of green, it seems everyone wants to stake their claim on some Irish heritage.

I'm guilty of it. I was born in Australia, my parents we born here, my grandparents were born here but I have some distant relatives who were in fact, actual Irishmen. So on St Patrick's Day, armed with my traditional Irish surname, I recite poetry, tap my foot whole-heartedly to an Irish band and tell anyone I meet that I too, am Irish.

Being the friendly lot we are (the Irish that is) everyone is welcomed with open arms to share a tale or a song over a pint and enjoy the brilliant craic that comes with St Paddies Day. 

It is this overwhelming friendliness and 'good times' attitude that makes Ireland feel like it's St Patrick's Day all year round and why it is next on my working holiday destination list, to be sure, to be sure.

PS Win a 7 Day Shamrocker AdventuresTour around Irealand when you join IEP's Work Ireland program. Entries to the competition close Friday 13 March 2009.

Super Bowl Mania

For those of us who aren't American, the craze surrounding the infamous Super Bowl seems a little out of proportion. The millions of dollars spent on advertising, the millions of viewers tuning in to watch this one game and major celebrities like Bruce Springsteen and Jennifer Hudson offering half time entertainment, it's just all so elaborate!

Of course, when Americans do something, they do it big and the Super Bowl is the perfect snap shot of American culture that leaves expats a little overwhelmed and very excited when caught in the feverish build-up.

When you've heard snippets of information over the years about a massive cultural event and then you find yourself in the thick of it, there is something incredibly surreal about the whole experience.

Whether it be during the season final of a football match in England, where a rowdy crowd squeezes into the local pub, dressed from head to toe in team colours, booming their team's song and downing a few pints to warm up their vocal chords before the game begins and you are standing amongst it all, not sure who is playing, who should win or why you care...but when you're right there surrounded by so much passion, you end up caring more than you planned as you hug the stranger next to you smiling through tears as the team in blue score the winning goal.

Then there are the cultural occasions when you are more than just a spectator...Every year, the town of Brunol, Spain comes alive with the La Tomatina festival, as thousands upon thousands of people dance their way into town, high on excitement and for many foreigners, the unknown. Trying to understand why young men are climbing a wooden pole slathered in grease in an attempt to grab a ham that sits smugly at the top. Unsure of whether to laugh or cry when the first barrage of tomatoes hit and groups of Spanish men chant and grab at the clothes of tomato covered women. When the first hoses reveal themselves from neighbouring houses and the craziness settles a little, travellers look at each in bewilderment at what has just taken place and what they have been involved in.

Each culture holds a little craziness of their own and rather than sitting back and watching it all on You Tube, the best memories are created when you jump in, grab a tomato and start throwing.

Living Like a Local

Late last year Australia was crowned with the bronze medal in friendliness. Beaten to the post by Germany in second place and Canada taking the prestigious first place.

The HSBC findings were reported in Forbes magazine and were based on how easily ex pats found it to fit in to their new country and whether they were able to make friends with the locals.

Australia's results reported that 91% of expats interviewed managed to socialise with real Aussies...reinforcing the welcome stereotype that us Aussies are a right friendly bunch.

This result is even more impressive when you have lived overseas and discovered it can be mighty hard to crack the local crowd. Once the excitement of speaking to a foreigner passes, once all the jokes that can be made about sport and how someone says 'tomato' have been made, it is not uncommon for the locals to return to their close knit group of friends leaving the expat searching for somewhere to fit in.

The Perfect Fit

It is at this moment when that expat hears a familiar accent, someone from their home country and they enthusiastically strike up a conversation with their new found friend, a strong bond forming simply because they share a common geographical history.

It is often easier to stick to your own kind when overseas which is why you will find Shepherd's Bush in London as over-run with Aussies as Whistler in Canada. There is a freedom about being on the other side of the world with people who seem like your friends and family from home...without any connection to the actual people you know at home.

It's liberating and comforting at the same time...not to mention inhibiting. While you party with those who share the same accent, flag and maybe sport's team, you are cutting yourself off from the unique and exciting opportunities you gain from making friends with locals.

Surround yourself with a bunch of Aussies and there is no way you'll pick up the funny accent to take home with you, you will probably miss out on the best local hot spots, completely avoid a local delicacy and most importantly, if all your friends are Aussies, you'll have nowhere to stay for free when you return on future travel adventures.

Now that is something worth breaking the mould for.