If you’re going to work abroad, you’re going to want to do it right—and where on Earth could be more right than New Zealand? Jade forests, towering mountain peaks, and thousands of miles of pristine coastline will be your everyday reassurance that you made the right choice in exploring New Zealand jobs for expats.
New Zealand jobs for expats are calling
The question of how to get a job in New Zealand is exceptionally easy to answer—just apply for and receive a Working Holiday Visa! New Zealand makes finding jobs abroad as simple as opening your internet browser and answering a few questions (although a fee may be required). Once you have your visa, you’ll potentially be set to work in New Zealand for a year.
In terms of visas, New Zealand is extremely accessible to travelers from all over the world. Once you save up for that lengthy flight, everything else will be good as gold, and you’ll be ready to start finding work in New Zealand. Thanks to the backpacker culture, New Zealand jobs for foreigners are a dime a dozen—it’ll just be a matter of knowing where and what you should be looking for.
Adventure-focused work abroad programs in New Zealand
We’ll cut to the chase. We know it’s likely that you’re an adrenaline junkie looking for a little joie de vivre in your work abroad experience. Known for bungee jumps, skydives, and steep slopes, there is no better place to begin your search for adventurous work in New Zealand than in Queenstown.
1. Hit the slopes with EA Ski & Snowboard Instructor Training
If you have an extreme love for extreme sports, you’ll be happy as pie working at a ski resort. EA organizes accommodation, training, and instructor qualifications, and will help you find a job at a resort of your choice. Here, New Zealand jobs for foreigners pay a pretty penny during the winter months, as tourists flock to Queenstown from around the globe to hit the legendary ski slopes. Making bank by teaching European tourists how to ski while in the shadow of the Remarkles will be, in a word, remarkable.
- Type of work: Ski instruction
- Where: Queenstown
- More program info
2. Tame the wilderness with Pure Exploration
Getting paid to spend your days outdoors in a place like New Zealand sounds too good to be true, but Pure Exploration makes it possible. With this program, you’ll learn leadership and outdoor skills, as well as gain guide qualifications and first aid training. Once the program ends, you’ll be more than ready to lead your own wilderness tours. Pure Exploration also includes 12 weeks of accommodation and all necessary equipment, making the transition to Kiwi life that much easier.
- Type of work: Tourism, Adventure Guide
- Where: Queenstown, South Island
- More program info
3. Work on a farm with New Zealand Internships
An honorable mention that we can’t overlook: New Zealand farm jobs for foreigners. Agriculture and horticulture are huge industries in New Zealand, and thus, the demand for workers is always high. Seek out kiwifruit and avocado farms, vineyards, and apple orchards, or even small, family-owned farms, and you’ll surely find job openings (just keep in mind that many farms operate seasonally).
- Type of work: Agriculture, Farming, Horticulture
- Where: Auckland, Dunedin, Hamilton, Hastings, North Shore, Palmerston North, Queenstown, Rotorua, Tauranga, Wellington
- More program info
Farm life might not be glamorous, but the adorable animals forecast is looking pretty good.
People-focused work abroad programs in New Zealand
If you’re a little less reclusive, and a little more of a people-person, there are plenty of opportunities in New Zealand that will let your personality shine. Bars and restaurants hire year-round, and Kiwi families are often on the lookout for additional help. These opportunities are great for expats who want to avoid seasonal lulls.
4. Get to know the locals with New Zealand Internships
New Zealand Internships offer paid experiences in a few sectors, but their hospitality program sounds like the best for expats. They will help you find job openings around both the North and South Islands as bartenders, baristas, wait staff, and more. The cherry on top is that the roles are primarily nine months to a year in length, so you’ll be able to hunker down and save some cash without worrying you’ll be on the job hunt once again when the season ends.
- Type of work: Hospitality, Bartending
- Where: North or South Island
- More program info
5. Find your inner child as an au pair with GeoVisions
Au pair jobs are more than abundant in New Zealand, on both the North and South Islands, in both urban and rural settings. If you consider yourself patient, and a little go-with-the-flow, you should absolutely consider becoming an au pair (it’s worth noting that a love of children is also somewhat crucial). GeoVisions offer orientation, assistance setting up a bank account, the opportunity to meet up with other au pairs, and a guarantee of at least 30 hours of work per week. Alternatively, check out Au Pair Link for a similar experience.
- Type of work: Au pair, Childcare
- Where: North or South Island
- More program info
Au pair jobs in New Zealand are easy to come by for foreigners who are great with kids.
6. Spend your days in stadiums with MS Data Agency
As a stadium reporter with MS Data Agency, you’ll be looking at muscles rather than using your own! Communications meets sports here; MS Data Agency is currently looking for candidates all around New Zealand who can collect and transmit sports data via their mobile app. Currently, coverage is needed for all sports, so you may even gain the opportunity to get up close and personal with the All Blacks. No experience is needed, but the work is only part time...how could you pass up being paid to watch sports all day, though?
- Type of work: Communications, Journalism, Media, Sports
- Where: North and South Island
- More program info
Choose your own adventure!
There are a ton of other work opportunities in New Zealand year-round, and it’s worth noting that there are work programs that will help you find something that’s ideal for you! It might take a little extra elbow grease, but if none of the aforementioned seem like your cuppa, companies like InterExchange, BUNAC, Oyster Worldwide, and Greenheart will help you tailor your working holiday to your needs and wants.
[Browse All New Zealand Jobs for Foreigners]
Pack your bags—it’s time to work abroad!
Pro tips for expats
We don’t want to send you south without sharing these helpful tips first! Before finding work abroad programs in New Zealand, know that…
- Seasons are flip-flopped. If you’re a native of the Northern Hemisphere, that is. It will be necessary to give up your summer at home if you’re interested in certain seasonally-driven jobs, such as working on vineyards or chilling at the ski slopes.
- Hospitality jobs aren’t tip-based. And it’s kinda awesome! No matter where you choose to work in New Zealand, you will be guaranteed at least the federal minimum wage (which stacks up well against other Western minimum wages!).
- Don’t waste your visa! Ah, the working holiday visa. New Zealand is a gem for making it so simple to work within such beautiful confines! That being said, make sure you’re confident that you’re ready to go before applying—once you’re granted your visa, you only have a year to actually use it. Then, it expires...for-ev-er.
- Apply for the right jobs. The working holiday visa is a one-off; it cannot be renewed, but it can potentially be extended under certain circumstances. It is also not the correct path to residency or citizenship if that’s what you’re looking for, so don’t waste your time. Don’t apply to jobs listed as “permanent” or that are seeking citizens specifically—you’ll absolutely be ghosted.
- Come with a safety net. Although one of the prerequisites for receiving the working holiday visa is a certain amount of cash in your savings account, officials don’t always check. However, we still highly recommend you bring savings with you! Depending on the time of year you arrive, it can take a minute before you find steady work, and if you think hostel bed bugs are bad, cold city streets are worse.
- Consider buying a car upon arrival. That probably sounds like crazy advice, and thanks to an extensive public transport network it won’t apply to everyone. However, it’s actually quite easy to buy cheap, old bangers from departing or upgrading expats, and they can prove to be exceptionally helpful if you find work in the more remote parts of New Zealand.
- The wildlife (most likely) won’t kill you. Need we say more?
With so many options for New Zealand jobs for foreigners, you should be more than set for your sweet as working holiday in the Land of the Long White Cloud!