Working in hospitality in Australia is a sort of obligatory step for all those who decide to live in Australia; there are many reasons: finding a job in hospitality is extremely easy especially when language skills are not excellent – the sector is in fact populated by many Italians.
Lexicon useful for understanding the article:
*casual: occasional; comparable to what we know as a “contract on call”, the employer has no obligations towards you, just as you have no obligations towards him. However, a casual contract requires a regular payment and and the payment of the superannuation.
*superannuation: is the Australian pension fund, you can access this fund only once: when you retire or before leaving Australia – in the case of WHVs. Working Holiday makers who apply for the superannuation before leaving the country receive 35% of the total paid-in (or in other words, that fund is taxed at 65%).
You may be interested in: Working in Australia – a complete guide
Working in hospitality in Australia: practical guide
The RSA: the course for administering alcohol
How much does a waiter make in Australia?
Work as a barista in Australia?
What is the level of English required to be a waiter in Australia?
How to make a resume to work as a waiter?
The availability for your roster – working hours
Can I find a sponsor as a waiter?
You may be interested in: the Australian labor market
RSA: the course for the responsible service of Alcohol
Literally, the Service of Alcohol Manager is a certificate required to work in any business that administers alcohol, be it a pub, restaurant, casino or café next door.
To obtain it you must be over 18 years of age and in virtue of possession of the aforementioned you are severely punishable for incorrect administration of alcohol (for example if you serve alcohol to someone already intoxicated you risk a $10,000 fine).
Advice: since in Australia it is mandatory to have the RSA to work in hospitality, we advise you to do so before starting your research (it costs between $24 and $50 and you will have to hand in a copy in all the places where you will work).
You can get your RSA here: https://www.eot.edu.au
How much does a waiter earn in Australia
The salary in Australia is the incentive to look for work and not the sore point as in Italy.
- Salary is paid weekly sometimes fortnightly – every two weeks
- Your pay depends on your age: your salary depends not only on the level at which you work but also on your age, so even with the same hours of work and educational qualifications, a fifty years old man earns more than a sixteen years old boy
- The minimum hourly wage for an adult (age 20) is approximately $27 per hour;
A waiter is generally classified at level 2-3, below the government tables with hourly-weekly wages.
Obviously, the net hourly wage of the full-time worker is lower than the casual one because they are entitled to holidays, sick leave and various benefits.
A casual worker is only paid for his effective working hours.
Working in hospitality – casual contract:
Working in hospitality – full time contract:
You may be interested: How much does it cost to live in Australia?
Working as a bartender in Australia
If your choice to work in hospitality excludes the possibility of working in the evening, then you could opt for a morning job as a barista, but be careful: to work as a barista in Australia it is essential to know how to make latte art!
Do I need to speak English to work in hospitality in Australia
Level of English: within a restaurant there are different positions, each of which requires different skills and levels of English.
To be a waiter – which means taking orders!! – you must have a level of understanding that does not make the customer nervous with your “sorry what?” and an equally good level of communication to converse with the kitchen – especially when it’s very busy nobody cares to struggle to understand what you’re trying to say.
You might be interested in: working in hospitality based on your level of English
If you think you are not at this level then you probably cannot be waiters or take orders at the cash desk in the case of places with counter service, but you could aspire, as a beginning, to a runner position – simply the one who takes the food from the kitchen to the service room.
It is a rather widespread opinion that working in the hospitality sector – hospo in Australian and tourism in Italian – is the best solution to get by as soon as you arrive Down Under, regardless of your level of English.
Our advice, in case you are completely ignorant of English, is to look for an English school as soon as you arrive in Australia!
Book a consultation with our agents now to find the perfect school for you!
How to write a resume to work in hospitality in Australia
In Australia the resume is used in an absolutely different format from ours: many require a cover letter, written references and some even a motivational letter.
Moreover, you must consider that you have to write everything in believable
English that isn’t too vocabulary-worthy nor worthy of a child’s lexicon.
Do you need your CV translated? Buy one in our shop!
Present a simple, clear and essential document in which you highlight your strengths, whatever they may be.
Become aware of your abilities and, above all, of your ability to adapt: are you a quick learner and can easily learn new tasks? Say that. Are you insecure and it is not easy for you to settle in new situations? Don’t boast about non-existent experiences.
Write an introductory letter in which you present yourself: nothing pretentious, a simple introduction of who you are, of your ambitions and something that sets you apart.
Be positive and launch yourself.
Availability for the roster to work in hospitality in Australia
You decide whether to work a lot or a little, so give an availability that you can actually satisfy and don’t change your mind at the last minute.
In Australia it is the norm for a casual or part-time worker to have other casual or part-time jobs, so you choose how much to work from week to week by communicating to the shift manager what hours you have at the other job.
If you were hired part-time and want to stay that way, they won’t fire you just because you refuse to work more hours or because you choose not to work during a holiday: understand what you want to do and communicate it to others!
Ergo, don’t give complete availability if instead you prefer to work only four or six hours a day, sincerity pays off!
Before leaving we will answer one last and thorny question:
Can I get sponsored working as a waiter in Australia?
Yes but…
…it’s best that you book a consultation with one of our agents to explain your case and be sure of it!