Lauren and Derik, an American couple who traded their conventional lifestyle for a life abroad, and the team behind Living in Another Language – one of this year’s best travel blogs for working holiday visas – give working holiday visa advice on health checks, freelance work and the joys of their year in New Zealand.
Q: What kind of work did you do during your visa?
A: I’m currently self-employed as a web designer and travel blogger. I absolutely love my job!
Q: How did you find this work?
A: During our time in Korea (where I was teaching ESL to young children and Derik was teaching business English to shipyard VIPs and engineers), I started dabbling with web design as well as growing my travel blog. I was interested in seeing if I could work full-time based on the skills I had learned, and moving to New Zealand gave me the perfect opportunity to jump head first into it!
Q: What was your favorite job, and why?
A: We actually moved to New Zealand thinking we would skip around and do various jobs at various places during our year here, like most working holiday participants do. However, Derik got an awesome opportunity working in management, and after sending out a few feelers my schedule is constantly full with this freelancing gig! We also found a wonderful little cottage along the beach, and would hate to leave it until we absolutely have to!
So to answer your question, my favorite job is doing what I do now. I love helping people achieve their [online] goals and dreams! I also love inspiring and motivating others; I pour a lot of love into my travel blog as well as design business.
Q: Where do you think are the best places to work in this country, and why?
A: There are so many different opportunities for those on a working holiday visa! Whether it’s being a tour guide, working on the ski-slopes, picking fruit, pruning vines, farming, or working at a coffee shop, there’s something for everyone!
Employers in New Zealand are pretty receptive to those on working holiday, and just as long as you start out putting your best foot forward, you can create amazing work relationships and get pretty awesome referrals for jobs down the road!
Q: What was your best travel adventure in between jobs?
A: Since I am self-employed I basically can schedule in a holiday whenever works best! Derik on the other hand gets 4 weeks of [paid] vacation every year. We love taking road trips around the south island on the weekends, but having an occasional legit holiday is always nice too! Since my husband currently is working on a contract, it’s a little difficult for him to get away in the middle of a building project.
That being said, when we first arrived in New Zealand last June, we spent a month traveling around in a campervan to find what area of this country we liked the most. It was by far our favorite adventure since being in New Zealand, and a memory I will always cherish! If you’re ever over here on working holiday, a camper van road trip is a MUST!
Q: What was the biggest shock settling into this country, during your first few weeks there?
A: Honestly, moving from Korea, it was actually refreshing getting back into an English-speaking, western culture again! The thing that shocked us the most was the cost of eating out. The fact that a simple Eggs Benedict for breakfast would cost you at least $20 is ridiculous to this cheap American!
Q: How did a working holiday change your future (as, I presume, it has)?
A: Traveling and working abroad is an experience you cannot measure. The life skills you learn from becoming part of a new culture, work environment, and being outside of your element are absolutely priceless. My husband and I have lived and worked abroad since February 2012, and I don’t see us going home anytime in the future. We love what we do, we love embracing the unknown, and we love the memories we are making together!
Q: Do you have any advice for people who want to go on a working holiday?
A: I would encourage you to check out the posts I wrote about living and working in New Zealand if you find that it is something you’re interested in! I think working holiday visas are a fantastic way to get out there and explore the world, but not spend all your money doing so! If you have specific questions that are not answered within the text above or within my posts, feel free to send an email to: [email protected]
Check out Living In Another Language for tips on how to get a New Zealand work visa, how to find jobs once you arrive in the country, and quirky details on Kiwi country. You can also find Living In Another Language on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Ready to work and volunteer your way around the world? Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and RSS/email. Until the next adventure! ~ Kelli
Photos courtesy of Living In Another Language.