Work and Travel Requirements | IMPORTANT Facts
Who doesn't dream of spending a few weeks or even a few months getting a taste of the cultures of other countries like New Zealand, the USA, or Australia after high school, before college, or during semester breaks? Of getting a look at a new working world, taking a vacation at the same time, and doing it all as cheaply as possible. Work and travel makes that possible and lets you see the world through new eyes. We'll now explain in detail what requirements you should meet in advance for a work and travel trip. But what is work and travel in the first place?
For anyone who hasn't come across the term yet: work and travel is, as the name suggests, a mix of working and vacationing. You don't just travel to another country, you get deep insights into its culture and its working world. As a rule, you take on jobs to top up your travel budget a bit. The job options are limitless here, ranging from hotels and restaurants to language teaching, farming, or animal care.
Work and Travel Requirements at a Glance
Of course, the requirements vary somewhat depending on the country and its specific entry regulations. Still, some things are generally the same, so you should definitely keep the following points in mind:
- A passport that is valid for at least 6 more months. (Only for trips outside Europe)
- a valid, dedicated work and travel visa
- the minimum age (usually between 18 and 35)
- in many cases, though not all, good English skills are required
- financial reserves (country-specific)
- police clearance certificate (country-specific)
- health certificate (country-specific)
Requirements That Are Highly Individual
If you look into the work and travel requirements you'll quickly find that every country and every job has its own individual requirements. Sometimes it's your age that throws a wrench in your plans. There are countries where you can be 30 years old at most, and others where you can be as old as 35. Depending on the job, you may also need certain vaccinations. It's simply all quite different. But probably the most important requirement is the valid visa, because not every visa is meant to allow you to work in the country in question. There are very specific work and travel visas for this.
Countries like Hong Kong, Argentina, Chile, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Uruguay, Israel, and Taiwan, for example, offer the so-called working holiday visa. If you only want to do work and travel in Europe, you naturally don't need a visa for it and have it a bit easier.
In any case, it's important to check with the relevant country's embassy about which visa is the right one for your planned work and travel trip. Depending on whether you still receive child benefit (Kindergeld) in Germany, you should also find out whether you remain entitled to it during your trip. The responsible employment agency (Arbeitsagentur) can give you more information on this.