What Are The 88 Days?
If you’re a working holiday maker in Australia you probably have heard people talk about the “88 days”. But what exactly is it? For backpackers coming to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) or a Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462), it is a requirement to fulfil 88 days of specified work to extend the visa by another year.
These 88 days must be completed during the first year on the working holiday visa and there are some guidelines what counts and what doesn’t.
What Options Do You Have To Do Your 88 Days?
To do your 88 days you actually have quite a few options. The specified work includes jobs in Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Plant and Animal Cultivation, Mining, Construction, Bushfire Recovery Work and Hospitality.
There are also some further regulations in which postcodes and areas you have to work for it to count towards your 88 days. You can use the postcode backpacker checker tool to check if your job is eligible for your visa type.
And you can find a full list of what type of jobs are eligible on the government website. Make sure to check which visa you’re on (417 or 462) since there could be some slight differences in which jobs you can do to extend your respective visa.
Why You Should Do Your 88 Days in Hospitality
A lot of people resort to doing farm work to extend their visas. You either pick or pack fruits or work directly on the field. Backpackers who work on farms often live in working hostels where a lot of other hosted guests are staying there long-term. Usually, the owners of these working hostels have good connections in the area and are able to help you find a job. But don’t forget that the hostel owners are also running a business and there is usually no guarantee that you will get work, but rent has to be paid anyway. Another downside of farm work is also that it can be quite unreliable since you’re very dependent on the weather. If the weather is bad you might not be called in for work but you still have to give them 7 days a week availability, which makes it almost impossible to work a second job. Although there are laws in place which should ensure that you earn a reasonable hourly rate for farm jobs, there are unfortunately still a lot of places paying you solely on a piece rate. If you’re slow at picking this could mean you might only be making a few dollars an hour. And a lot of backpackers are desperate to do their 88 days, which makes it easy for farms to take advantage of them.
When I first arrived in Australia, I also planned to do my 88 days in New South Wales and pick blueberries. And while I know some people who got really lucky with some great farm jobs, it was incredibly difficult to get a job on a farm. Especially if you don’t have a car. I moved to Coffs Harbour in May 2024 hoping to find a job on a blueberry farm. And while hostel owners made it sound quite promising, the reality was that the season wouldn’t properly start before August 2024. After being in Coffs Harbour for about 1 or 2 weeks with no clear idea when the blueberry season would start, I started working other jobs, just to save up some money. In the meantime, I looked into other possible options to do my 88 days and decided that after 3 months of staying and working in New South Wales, I would move up north to Queensland in the hope of finding a hospitality job.
While you might have to pick up more than one hospitality job to achieve enough hours to be able to count 7 days per week, at least you are not as dependent on the weather as in other jobs.
Forget Cairns, Go To Mackay
When I decided to move up north to Queensland I started researching possible places to move to. If you’re looking for a hospitality job in Queensland let me tell you one thing: forget Cairns. I spoke to many people who went to Cairns and had to give up after weeks and months of trying to find a job. Although it can be really fun to live and work in Cairns, the competition there is incredibly high. Most restaurants and cafes in Cairns receive multiple resumes from backpackers looking for a job every hour. Farms in the area even put up signs saying they are not hiring because they get so many requests.
So when I did my research into what places would qualify and would have enough job opportunities available, I did not even consider Cairns. My goal was it to find a job in a cafe to gain more barista experience. So I mainly looked into places with a population of at least 50k, assuming that there would be at least a few cafes available in the area. That’s how I discovered Mackay – a place hardly ever mentioned by other backpackers. And I thought why not give it a try?
One thing that really scared me about moving to Australia and also moving up to Queensland from New South Wales was the uncertainty of finding a job. It can be quite difficult to get a job if you’re not physically there yet. However, I always managed to find at least 1 or 2 different jobs wherever I went. I was really surprised at how quickly I found a job in Mackay. I arrived on a Tuesday, had a trial on Friday and got my first job offer on a Saturday. Similarly, a friend of mine had two jobs after being in town for about 4 days.
I also didn’t expect Mackay to be this beautiful. It’s a coastal city, only 1.5 hours away from Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands. Not far away from the Eungella National Park where you can see wild Platypuses. A lot of people also come to Mackay for mining jobs, which also qualify for the 88 days or are just a great way to make some money and save. The cool thing with jobs at the mines is that you work for 2 – 3 weeks and then get a week or two off. And since this roster is the norm for this industry, the weeks you’re off still count for your 88 days. I know a few people who worked as a housekeeper or as a kitchenhand on the mine sites and got their 88 days through that.
How to Find Hospitality Jobs in Mackay
From my experience finding jobs in hospitality in Mackay is fairly easy. Even if you don’t have that much experience in hospitality. I personally only had little experience in the industry and still have so much to learn.
One of the best approaches is to go into cafes, restaurants, and stores in person with a printed CV. Be friendly, introduce yourself to the staff, and ask if they are hiring. If you don’t have any CV copies, you can print around 30 single-page copies for $3 at Officeworks.
I know a lot of restaurants, bars and cafes prefer hiring locals or travellers who show up and are eager to work. If you’re bringing the right attitude and work ethic some places will hire you even if you’re not that experienced. Make sure you have an idea of your availabilities before you drop off your CV, in case they ask you.
A good tip is also to connect to other Working Holiday Visa (WHV) people. Many jobs get filled through word-of-mouth, and other WHV girls often have tips on places that are hiring or where they’ve had good experiences working. One of my favourite jobs for my 88 days, I only got because a girl in a group chat mentioned that they were hiring.
A great tool to connect to other travellers on a Working Holiday Visa is Facebook. In the group WHV Girls in Mackay you can exchange information about jobs and housing and ask all your other questions.
It can also be a great idea to look up restaurants, bars and cafes on social media. If you can even do this before you arrive in Mackay. A lot of places post if they are hiring and you can send your CV via email. Although it never hurts to pop by in person and say hello, so they get an idea of you as a person.
Angela
Angela, the mastermind behind theslowtravelista, is a passionate traveler who embraces slow travel's essence. With a knack for immersing herself in diverse cultures, she treasures connections formed across the globe. Beyond her adventures, Angela's vibrant personality shines through her love for spontaneous hair changes, hitchhiking escapades, and culinary delights. Join her for travel insights, laughter, and unforgettable adventures.
