Well, you have just arrived in Cairns, your funds are getting low and you need a job quick. Before you do anything there aresome essentials that all backpackers in Cairns need to do before they can land a job. There are many different types of jobs in Cairns that backpackers can find work in. The majority will find fruit picking jobs near Cairns as that is a job locals just do not want to do. Others will find work at a restaurant or bar (especially if you happen to be blessed in the looks department and are female). Some lucky ones will find work on a dive boat-it helps to be a dive instructor but many do find jobs as “boat attendants” even with no qualifications. The best way of finding a job is to register with the employment agencies-all you need to do is get some resumes printed off and drop them off at their offices. Be sure you dress appropriately for the type of job you are looking for even just to deliver your resumes. Below are the main job agencies in Cairns.
Job Agencies
•JobSearch Australia NewZealand will help you find a job, help with your tax file number, bank account superannuation and pretty much everything else related to work. •Staffing Solution will help you find a job in tourism or hospitality. •Signature staff specializes in hospitality jobs in Cairns.•Drake International are also very good at finding temporary jobs.Online Resources for Cairns Jobs•Career One is the biggest online job website in Australia.•Travellers at Work is another useful resource for backpackers.•Backpacker Job Board is definitely worth a try.•Jobseeker Backpacker Ads is another good webpage for backpackers. •Jobs 4 Travellers is also worth a look at. •Gumtree is a great resource for backpackers and also has some jobs. Fruit Picking Work for backpackersMany backpackers get fruit picking jobs in order to get their 2nd visa, and in Cairns it is mostly available all year round. The closest locations are Tully, Atherton Tablelands and Mareeba all about an hour away from Cairns. Usually accommodation is provided by the farm, and pay can be either per hour or per quantity picked. Females are often given less strenous but equally tedious packing jobs. Since most farmers pay the legal rates you should be able to save quite a bit of money if you put your mind to it. For jobs try the Harvest Trail and the fruitpicking.orgwebsites. If you join Job Search Australia New Zealandit includes access to the Harvest Trail guidebook.Tully and Innisfail are mostly banana picking, there is little else going on there. Work is usually available all year round but you might find it more difficult during the Dec-March wet season. Banana picking is probably the hardest out of all the picking jobs since the bunches are very heavy. Innisfail is less than an hour south of Cairns, and Tully is another further hour away. Both Greyhound and Premier bus services will take you there. Mareeba is an hour west of Cairns and is much dryer so is a much better choice than Tully in the wet season. Crops include lychee, banana, mango, peanuts, avocados and papaya so there is work all year round. You can get there with the Transnorth bus servicewhich leaves from the Cairns Central Shopping Centre. Atherton is also accessible with the same bus service and includes similar crops.
Restaurant or bar work
If you are a qualified chef then you will be very much in demand in Cairns. There are always lots of jobs going and they just cannot seem to get filled. Check the Cairns Post newspaper on Saturdays and Wednesdays. If you are not a chef, then you will have to try a little harder to get a job as a waiter/waitress or bar attendant. You should definitely register with the employment agencies, and look in the Cairns Post newspaper, but don’t stop there. Get on your best working clothes and go door knocking. Don’t go at 7 or 8 pm at night when everybody is flat out-go in the early afternoon when the people you need to see have more time to devote to you. Take your resumes for those places that seem they might want you but just don’t have any openings at the moment. You almost certainly will need a Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate (RSA) which you can get online from someone like Etrainu. Needless to say you should get this before you start looking.
Hostel Jobs
Hostel jobs can either be paid or in return for your accommodation. Most are just in return for your accommodation and usually entail a couple hours of cleaning/housekeeping. Most of the paid jobs involve driving such as picking up guests from airports and doing city drop offs as well as other work. You might get really lucky and get a job on reception, but few hostels accept backpackers for this sort of work as the software might be tricky to use, and you are usually required to be able to sell Cairns tours which takes a long time to learn about.