Where do I start?
i. Visa
ii. Plane Ticket
iii. Insurance
Start by getting the visa. No need to waste money on a plane ticket if for some reason you aren't permitted in. The visa requires you to have insurance, but you really can wait until you get to Australia to do this.
I. Visa
Ok, so as young people from the United States, we are really fortunate to be allowed entry to most countries in the world with very little effort on our part.
A visa is a document which demonstrates to a country that the person holding it is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued. They dictate terms and duration of a person's visit to a country and are always subject to permission of an immigration official at the actual country entry point. The authorization can be a document included in one's passport, but in more modern times the visa is electronic, and is associated with one's passport number. At the entry gate, one gets a visa stamp in one's passport.
I should take the time now to just say you'll also need a passport if you'd like to go to Australia. (or anywhere else in the world). I'm not going into detail, but here is a link which explains the process.
The visa you want to get is called "Working Holiday Visa". It allows you 12 months in Australia and permits you to be able to work for any employer. If you are getting paid on the books (tax deducted) then you only get to work for that company for 6 months. If you are getting paid under the table, then the government will never know if you keep your job for more than 6 months.
The application cost for this visa is currently $280.00. (Check here to see if there are changes).
Once you are in Austrlia on you working class visa and you have decided it's a pretty sweet deal, you may want to consider seeking a sponsorship from an employer. This will permit you to stay in the country for longer than a year and potentially enable you to become a resident
The thing about sponsorship: it's a bit of a paperwork nightmare! You also have to be "qualified" and have a pertinent skill-set. Here is the list of necessary skills: LIST . If you feel your are qualified or have experience in any the fields on this list- try hard to find a position in Australia which can incorporated that skill-set. I'd also approach your employer about the possibility of sponsorship after your employer hires you, but also well before your year is up.
Here is the government link for employment sponsorship: Skilled Worker Sponsorship . I'd seriously try and work out the kinks of the sponsorship right away with your employer, mostly because it's a long process.
If you aren't interested in staying for a year, there are other visas you can get. I'll explain some of these in a different section.
The thing about sponsorship: it's a bit of a paperwork nightmare! You also have to be "qualified" and have a pertinent skill-set. Here is the list of necessary skills: LIST . If you feel your are qualified or have experience in any the fields on this list- try hard to find a position in Australia which can incorporated that skill-set. I'd also approach your employer about the possibility of sponsorship after your employer hires you, but also well before your year is up.
Here is the government link for employment sponsorship: Skilled Worker Sponsorship . I'd seriously try and work out the kinks of the sponsorship right away with your employer, mostly because it's a long process.
If you aren't interested in staying for a year, there are other visas you can get. I'll explain some of these in a different section.
II. Plane Ticket
There is really only one place to buy tickets to Australia if you are under 26 (or are a student). STA Travel offers incredibly cheap flights, as long as you take the time to dedicate yourself to the search.
Start by going to the cheap flight page for the Pacific.
The cheapest deals will be there, and there will most likely be a flight that suits you. In general, flights out of LA are the cheapest, so I'd recommend getting a domestic flight (South West Airlines!) to L.A.
While it is often cheaper overall to get a roundtrip ticket, I'd honestly recommend getting a one-way. You never know when you'll want to come home, considering you are planning on being there for a year. You are also going to make so much money while you are there, so may as well save what you have now.
STA travel always has deals, but there are typically cheaper times in the year to travel. Autumn and Spring typically have the cheapest rates. Searching today, the cheapest flight I can find is only $670.00 for the first week of April. Back in 2011, I found a flight costing $450.00 for September. It's really quite affordable if you are lucky.
While you are using the site, make sure you use the "flexible dates" feature. Check the site over a period of a week to see if the prices fluctuate. If you can't find anything under $800.00, I'd say that you should wait for a deal or at least consider changing the month of your flight.
Start by going to the cheap flight page for the Pacific.
The cheapest deals will be there, and there will most likely be a flight that suits you. In general, flights out of LA are the cheapest, so I'd recommend getting a domestic flight (South West Airlines!) to L.A.
While it is often cheaper overall to get a roundtrip ticket, I'd honestly recommend getting a one-way. You never know when you'll want to come home, considering you are planning on being there for a year. You are also going to make so much money while you are there, so may as well save what you have now.
STA travel always has deals, but there are typically cheaper times in the year to travel. Autumn and Spring typically have the cheapest rates. Searching today, the cheapest flight I can find is only $670.00 for the first week of April. Back in 2011, I found a flight costing $450.00 for September. It's really quite affordable if you are lucky.
While you are using the site, make sure you use the "flexible dates" feature. Check the site over a period of a week to see if the prices fluctuate. If you can't find anything under $800.00, I'd say that you should wait for a deal or at least consider changing the month of your flight.
III. Insurance
Your Visa requires you to purchase health insurance. I used Bupa which I found reasonably priced, but when I actually wanted to claim visits to the Doctor's office.. it was really difficult to get a refund. The paperwork was a bit of a nightmare. If you do use Bupa, make sure you call them before you have a doctor's appointment. It's systemically bureaucratic and the forms to fill out keep changing. Call their hotline and ask them specifically what you need to provide. Then have your doctor fill out the form on that visit.
Here are some others:
Office visits can cost up to $50.00 for a copay, so it would be in your interest to get health insurance if you think you are going to have checkups. The visas require the insurance,but the government doesn't follow up on this at all. Also double check to see if your American insurance covers you while you are abroad.
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