How To Find Farm Work in Australia - The Official Backpacker Job Guide

Introduction

G’day, fellow backpackers! If you're currently in Australia, eager to complete your 88 days of farm work and secure your working holiday visa (WHV), you're in the right place. With over 110,000 backpackers granted their WHV in 2023, the competition for farm jobs is undeniably fierce.

As a fellow backpacker who's been in your shoes, I understand the challenges you face. In this guide, drawing from my own experiences, I'll walk you through the most effective approaches to securing farm work in Australia.

Method 1 - Social Media

Honestly, it's an outdated method, but still incredibly viable. There’s an abundance of Facebook groups dedicated to finding farm work in Australia. It's not surprising, considering that practically everyone has a Facebook account, making it a convenient platform for employers and backpackers to connect.

Here are some of the most popular groups you can explore. If you search for 'backpacker jobs' on Facebook, you'll discover literally 100s of others too:

Facebook: Working Holiday Jobs Australia
Facebook: Backpacker Jobs Australia
Facebook: Farm Work/Fruit Picking Jobs Australia

Pros:

• Employers often post job listings themselves, allowing for direct communication with candidates through private messages.
• Let's face it, almost everyone has a Facebook account (Zuck may or may not have bribed me to say that). There's no need for additional sign-ups or payments.

Cons:

• The competition is insane, seriously join the groups and you’ll see, for every post there's 100s of candidates jumping on it. It’s very hard to stand out.
• There are a tonne of fake job ads and scams on there, so be careful.
• You’ll end up joining a 100 groups and getting constant annoying Facebook notifications. I still do, to this day, and I’ve been in the country 5 years.
  

Our Tip: Advertise yourself - Create a post on there with a compelling bio that highlights your experience and job preferences. By doing this, you can attract employers to you instead of waiting for job listings to come up. It's a fantastic way to stand out, and it's almost like employers are reading your cover letter without you having to submit it.

Method 2 - Job Boards

Stepping up from the informal world of Facebook groups, job boards provide a more organised approach to finding farm work. On these platforms, farm work employers post their job listings and evaluate candidates in a structured manner.

With a variety of job boards available, let's take a closer look at some of our favourites:

Gumtree

Pros:

• Quite a good selection of backpacking jobs and even has an inbuilt message service like Facebook does allowing for direct contact
• Free!

Cons:

• Not specifically a job board, nor does it cater specifically for backpackers.

Backpacker Jobs Now

Pros:

• It’s our platform! Brand new and we worked closely with farmers and backpackers to create the perfect platform for backpacker jobs in Australia
• Completely Free!

Cons:

• We’re the new fish in the pond, and still growing our employers list

Our Tip: We recommend signing up with us today, it’s a good thing for backpackers that we are new, there aren’t 1000s of other backpackers on here yet, meaning you can snag the jobs that come up with less competition.

Method 3 - Contacting Farms Directly

Since you made it this far through the article we’re going to reveal our secret sauce. Here is a list of rural employers and their contact details. Completely for free, thank me later…actually can you thank me now and share this article?

For privacy reason, I have left out their surnames, address and phone numbers. But you can use their Company names to Google if they have listed it public on their websites.

Now, it's time to channel your backpacker confidence. Take that list of farm employers and their contact info and work through it, one by one. Reach out and inquire if they have any job openings. Trust me, by the time you make your second phone call, those nerves will be long gone.

Pros:

• A direct and proactive approach can lead to job opportunities that may not be widely advertised.

Cons:

• It’s nerve-racking, and you may get some rejections. But trust me, its one of the best methods.

I hope you enjoyed this article! If you're still on the lookout for farm jobs, please consider signing up! It's completely free to do - so why not?