Stop, Look and Listen:Taking a Working Vacation in Australia

"Young people shouldn't lose themselves in impractical dreams of striking it rich; they should pay the greatest attention to safety," warns Lin Song-huann, "patriarch" of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia.

When it comes to a working vacation, "vacation" is the operative word. The idea is that you might as well do some work while you're on that vacation. An Australian Working Holiday Visa (not a tourist visa), applied for in Taiwan, entitles one to work in Australia for a year, and can be extended for another year in Australia. But you can't work for any one employer more than six months. Consequently, the kind of work available is very limited. If your English is poor, job options are even more limited, and you may end up confined to options in Sunnybank, the main Chinese neighborhood of Brisbane.

Gavin Zhuang, 24, took a break from his studies at a technical college and determinedly made his way to Australia, unconcerned about whether his family approved. "I just decided to give it a go-to make some money and experience a different sort of life."

In Brisbane he searched on the Internet and found a job in a chicken factory, preparing cuts of chicken by removing skin and bones, at piecework rates. For over 10 hours a day he works in a refrigerated room. His earnings have increased as he has grown more adept at the task. He started out making A$400-500 per week. Three months later, he is earning A$800-900. "But it's very taxing work-much like the work done by workers from Vietnam or the Philippines in Taiwan."

"My goal is NT$1 million!" Apart from traveling, he wants to return home with significant savings.

But Zheng Yuqin, who has emigrated to Australia and frequently comes across Taiwanese on working vacations there, points out that you can't count on saving much on such a vacation. Most people can only find jobs on farms. And picking strawberries, grapes and potatoes is seasonal work. Sometimes there will be no work at all. Then, when harvesting, you'll be so busy there will be no time to stop for lunch.

Take picking strawberries. The top wage is about A$18-19 per day, but one is constantly bending over. Most people find it exhilarating on the first day, but can't stand up on the second day. What's more, the cost of living in Australia is three times what it is in Taiwan. When you subtract what you need to spend on food and rent, there's often nothing left over.

Wu Weirong, a graduate of National Kao-hsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, went to Australia last October. Her first job was at a restaurant owned by Chinese from Vietnam. When heavy rains flooded the restaurant early this year, her family wanted her to return to Taiwan. But since Wu had already laid out the money on her plane ticket, she felt reluctant to do so. "How could I return empty handed?" With great determination, she found another job-as a dim sum chef at the Lai Lai Restaurant. Her dumplings, daikon radish pancakes and eggrolls are all very popular with the restaurant's customers.

"I'm leaving one month to visit Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns," she says excitedly.

Travel is the main point of a working vacation, but if you buy or rent a car you've got to pay special attention not to drive too fast.

Anna Chu, who works at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, has several times had to help youngsters on working holidays in Australia handle the aftermaths of car crashes. In Australia, you drive on the left side of the road. When you're accustomed to driving on the right and unfamiliar with the roads, it's easy to get into accidents if you're not careful.

"The high number of serious auto accidents in recent years is causing a lot of concern," says Chu. Some Taiwanese on working vacations have died or been paralyzed. And some people invite trouble by breaking the law and then can't return to Taiwan. As a mother herself, Chu deeply feels the pain that these young people's parents must feel. What's more, medical care in Australia is very expensive, with a day in intensive care running to A$2000. Getting seriously ill in Australia could pull you under financially, so it's essential that those going on working vacations there get health insurance.

When on a working vacation, you've got to stop, look, listen and assess the various risks first. Don't press ahead at all costs. Being prudent, the worst-case scenario is that you'll simply have to return to Taiwan before you want to.

Wu Weirong makes daikon radish pancakes at the Lai Lai Restaurant. Praised by the establishment's Taiwanese customers, the pancakes sell well and taste great. They're a source of much pride.