One of the top-rated places for travelers to work in New Zealand is easily Queenstown. The town is beautiful and full of life – a place that anyone looking for adventure, the outdoors, or fabulous nightlife will be pleased to call home. With that being said, this town is also extremely expensive because of the amount of tourism here, and so anyone wanting to stay for an extended time will surely need a job in Queenstown to support the lifestyle and cost of living.
For those travelers with a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) looking to find a job in Queenstown, here is your comprehensive guide.
Most Common Jobs in Queenstown for WHV Holders:
1. Hospitality (or “hospo” in Kiwi slang)
Hands down the most common jobs in Queenstown for travelers is the hospo and service industry. There are hundreds of bars, cafes, restaurants and hotels in the area, and the majority of them are almost entirely run by foreigners (some with WHVs, and some who have gotten sponsored by their employers and/or acquired permanent residency). The main roles in this industry include counter workers, baristas, servers, bartenders, cooks, kitchen hands, cleaners and hotel front desk staff.
Any Experience Required?
Some of these roles don’t require previous experience, but others do (such as a cocktail bartender).
2. Storefronts & Tour Agencies
In addition to hospo, tourism and retail are huge industries in Queenstown. There are dozens of storefronts and tour agencies that hire foreign workers to sustain their business. This could range anywhere from a clothing or gift shop attendant to a tour agent at a storefront.
Any Experience Required?
Most likely not.
3. Outdoor Guides or Instructors
There are also some jobs in the outdoor industry, such as ski instructors at one of the local resorts or hiking guides for some of New Zealand’s most famous multi-day hikes in the area. Alternatively, you could help people go bungee jumping for the first (or seventh!) time by working as one of the bungee operators, or take people on jet boating tours. These are just a few examples of the many outdoor roles available in the Queenstown area.
Experience Required?
Mostly yes. These jobs tend to be competitive and many require certifications or some level of experience in the role. Some of them also require licenses for driving or operating watercraft.
If you are interested in outdoor work, do your research well in advance (like, a year at least) so that you can have time to gain the necessary skills or qualifications you might need in order to be hired for the role.
For example, I originally thought about applying to be a ski instructor while living here, but I didn’t really start looking into it until the season before I moved out here. If I had known how expensive it was to get certified as a ski instructor in New Zealand (upwards of a grand!) I would have done it in my home state of Colorado where I could’ve gotten certified through my local ski resort for free or very cheap in comparison. This would have also been a great way for me to gain prior experience before applying to work as an instructor in NZ, but it was too late by the time I realized this. 😐
What is the Pay Like for Jobs in Queenstown?
As of 2023, the minimum wage in New Zealand is $22.70, plus 8% holiday pay.
When I was applying for bartending jobs earlier this year, most of the starting rates for bartenders were between $23-$27 an hour, depending on the company and level of experience. This is about the same for many of the other roles I listed above. For managerial roles, such as a chef position or restaurant manager, I’ve seen these to be anywhere from $25-$35 an hour.
Some companies like to do regular pay raises for their staff and many like to promote from within the company, so if your higher ups like you and think you could positively contribute as a leader amongst your peers, they may promote you to a higher position with better pay. Since this town is so transient, with workers coming in and out of town all the time, it seems that companies here do like to retain staff in some way by rewarding good employees with a longer term visa and a higher pay rate.
We hospo workers in Queenstown are lucky to say we also get some tips. Every establishment is different, but if you work in a spot with table service such as a bar or restaurant, you might make some extra cash every week on top of your hourly rate.
Where to Look for Job Vacancies in Queenstown:
There are a few good places to look for jobs in Queenstown. Here are the three best ways to find jobs:
1. The Internet
One of the first places I would recommend looking is on job search engines. The best websites to look in Queenstown are Seek and Indeed. These will be especially handy if you haven’t yet arrived in Queenstown. I started applying to job postings on these websites before I arrived here and the job I ended up with was one of the first I applied to, while I was still in California!
2. Lakes Weekly Bulletin
The Lakes Weekly Bulletin is a free paper with all the local happenings around the Queenstown Lakes District, such as news, events, and local deals around town. They also have a jobs listing as well. The booklets tend to be scattered around town in the businesses every week for anyone to take, but if you aren’t in town yet, you can also see the latest job postings on their website.
3. Get out there and pass out your resume!
Go to the library, print out some of those resumes, and go on a tour around town. You might see hiring signs posted on windows, or you can just go inside places that you might want to work to see if they are hiring. Of course, be sure to dress presentable in case anyone wants to chat with you directly about your experience.
What to Expect in the Application Process:
1. The Interview
This goes without saying – if a prospective employer thinks your resume shows some promise, they will contact you for an interview.
The interview should be pretty standard as interviews go. You meet, they talk about the position, you talk about your experience and why you would be a great fit. One thing a little different about interviews in Queenstown is that your interviewer WILL ask you about housing. Housing here is extremely limited, so naturally employers want to know if you have a solid place to live before offering you a job in Queenstown. (I go into more detail about this at the bottom of this post.)
2. The Trial (if required)
After the interview, if your employer thinks you’d be a good fit, they might offer you a paid “trial” during which you go to work in the business for a few hours. This gives both parties a chance to assess whether this relationship would be a good fit: it gives them an idea of how much experience you have and what they should pay you per hour; and it also gives you an idea of whether you would like working in their establishment. The trial is standard in any bar or restaurant; however I’m not sure if other industries also offer a trial session for prospective employees.
3. The Offer
If your trial was successful (or your interview, if you didn’t need a trial), you’ll receive an offer of employment which should also outline the rate of pay and hours offered per week. Your offer or contract should also include all of your legal benefits as a worker (such as paid holiday).
Tips for Success:
1. Make your resume look stellar, obviously
Different countries have different ideas of what a resume or CV should look like. That’s okay – if you’re applying for a job in Queenstown, most employers are used to the various styles of resumes received. Just make sure yours looks polished and highlights your most relevant experience. (If you don’t have experience in a specific role, think about how any of your skillsets or experience in another job, school or volunteer work would also apply for that role.)
Many companies in New Zealand also ask for a cover letter. You should tailor each of your cover letters to each individual job you apply for! Don’t send out the same cover letter to every employer – your cover letter needs to be unique and specific to the role to show your interest and why you would be a great fit. (This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to rewrite a completely different cover letter every time – you can change a few sentences or paragraphs here and there to make your point more specific to each role.)
If you need help perfecting your resume or cover letter for a job in Queenstown or NZ in general, here are some great tips that I used when I was applying for jobs.
2. Apply early
I cannot stress this enough! So many people want to be in Queenstown! When we arrived in early June, there were hundreds of travelers just arriving to town (probably so they could be here for ski season, just like us) and there was a LOT of competition for jobs. Some travelers had to leave earlier than expected because they didn’t get a job in Queenstown or couldn’t find housing. I felt extremely fortunate at that time to have started applying earlier before I ever landed in New Zealand. I think this helped me significantly as my applications at that time weren’t flooded underneath so many others before me.
3. Come in the shoulder season
This goes along with the above section. The busiest season tends to be ski season, but the summer sees people coming to do mountain biking, hiking, and all the other great outdoorsy offerings on this part of the South Island. Coming in the shoulder season (spring or fall) may increase your chances of finding a job in Queenstown, and this also increases your chance of finding housing, since most people who leave town do so at the end of a season.
4. Do your research
As mentioned earlier, it’s important to do your research on your industry. Find out what companies offer the types of roles you’re interested in, what they look for in potential candidates, and when they hire. For hospitality jobs, the work is pretty self-explanatory and they generally only hire as needed. For outdoor jobs or any type of job at the ski resorts, they usually hire months in advance.
5. Have a place to stay
If you’re brand new to Queenstown, this will most likely be a long-term hostel spot or (if you have one) a campervan. It’s challenging to find housing, especially if you just moved here, so the above two options are your best bet at the beginning. If you don’t have a place to stay long-term – don’t fret. Some companies offer employee housing or may be able to set you up with some temporary housing in the meantime. For more info on this topic, check out my separate post about how to find housing in Queenstown.
Good Luck Getting a Job in Queenstown!
I hope these tips helped! Good luck and please feel free to comment below about your experiences looking for a job in Queenstown.
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