UK to Australia · Working Holiday Visa 417
Bring your tickets.
We will find you the site.
Australia is short of tradespeople and has been for years. If you hold a British passport and you are under 36, you can work here for up to three years with no farm work required. This page covers everything that is true wherever you land. Pick a city above for what changes.
No farm work. No sponsor.
No Australian experience.
18-35
AGE YOU CAN APPLY
50
VISAS, BACK TO BACK
15%
TAX TO $45,000
6 months
PER EMPLOYER, AS A RULE
Three 417 visas with no specified work requirement, and a six-month limit with any one employer, which is what labour hire is built for. Checked with the Department of Home Affairs on 22 September 2026.
Confirm yours at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before you book a flight.
WHERE RE RECRUIT
The states we recruit in.
Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia, with offices in all. Your rate barely moves between them, so the real question is what it costs to live once you are there. Cheapest to dearest is $97 a week, or $2,522 over six months.
MELBOURNE
Strongest for civil and infrastructure
The biggest pipeline of the four and the widest choice of civil work. It also has the highest rent, so more of the rate goes back out the door.
ROOM in a share house $220 to $350/week
getting to work $57/week
living costs, all in $602/week
BRISBANE
Strongest for CONSTRUCTION AHEAD OF 2032
Seventeen venues to build before 2032, and a construction pipeline forecast to run from $53 billion to $77 billion by 2026-27. Low rent and a $5 commute on top.
ROOM in a share house $200 to $350/week
getting to work $5/week
living costs, all in $505/week
PERTH
Strongest for MINING, RESOURCES & FIFO
More than 136,000 people already work on WA mine sites, and the sector keeps needing more. Rent is the catch, and a flat $2.80 fare takes some of the sting out.
ROOM in a share house $200 to $300/week
getting to work $28/week
living costs, all in $533/week
ADELAIDE
Strongest for DEFENCE, HOUSING & CIVIL
The only state to grow its housing completions last year, on top of a submarine program worth close to 10,000 jobs. Costs here are the lowest of the four.
ROOM in a share house $190 to $290/week
getting to work $62.50/week
living costs, all in $518/week
WHAT THE WORK PAYS
Straight out of our salary guide.
The same figures we publish for employers, so they are the ones our consultants quote. The headline roles are here. The full guide runs to thirty.
Carpentry and Cabinet Making.
| ROLE | PER HOUR | PER YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| Leading Hand Carpenter | $45 to $55 | $95k to $110k |
| Qualified Carpenter | $40 to $45 | $80k to $95k |
| Shopfitter | $40 to $50 | $80k to $95k |
| Qualified Cabinet Maker | $38 to $40 | $75k to $85k |
| Painter | $38 to $40 | $70k to $80k |
| Trades Assistant | $36 to $40 | $65k to $80k |
| Labourer | $36 to $37 | $60k to $75k |
Electrical Trades.
| ROLE | PER HOUR | PER YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| Leading Hand Carpenter | $45 to $55 | $95k to $110k |
| Qualified Carpenter | $40 to $45 | $80k to $95k |
| Shopfitter | $40 to $50 | $80k to $95k |
| Qualified Cabinet Maker | $38 to $40 | $75k to $85k |
| Painter | $38 to $40 | $70k to $80k |
| Trades Assistant | $36 to $40 | $65k to $80k |
| Labourer | $36 to $37 | $60k to $75k |
Plumbing Trades.
| ROLE | PER HOUR | PER YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| Leading Hand Carpenter | $45 to $55 | $95k to $110k |
| Qualified Carpenter | $40 to $45 | $80k to $95k |
| Shopfitter | $40 to $50 | $80k to $95k |
| Qualified Cabinet Maker | $38 to $40 | $75k to $85k |
| Painter | $38 to $40 | $70k to $80k |
| Trades Assistant | $36 to $40 | $65k to $80k |
| Labourer | $36 to $37 | $60k to $75k |
Civil Trades.
| ROLE | PER HOUR | PER YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| Leading Hand Carpenter | $45 to $55 | $95k to $110k |
| Qualified Carpenter | $40 to $45 | $80k to $95k |
| Shopfitter | $40 to $50 | $80k to $95k |
| Qualified Cabinet Maker | $38 to $40 | $75k to $85k |
| Painter | $38 to $40 | $70k to $80k |
| Trades Assistant | $36 to $40 | $65k to $80k |
| Labourer | $36 to $37 | $60k to $75k |
