Work Opportunities at Little Devil Backpackers
As a Working Hostel, part of our job is to assist our guests find farm or processing jobs. However we are not a farm and by and large do not employ people directly ourselves, which means we help you find work with other employers , while you stay with us.
There are hundreds of seasonal farm job opportunities available for our guests from late October until May each year. Some available jobs include: Strawberry ; blueberry, apple; and cherry picking/sorting. We are also located right next door to Tassal, one of Tasmania’s largest salmon processing factories which has limited job opportunities all year round for people wishing to work for at least 6 months.
A few points that you will need to know:
- FREE SERVICE FOR OUR GUESTS: We help people to find a farm job as a free service to our guests only. If you don’t plan on staying with us, we are not a job agency so don’t bother asking us for a job.
- WE DO OUR BEST: to find you a job, but jobs are NOT guaranteed. There may be some waiting involved before you get a job, but experience has shown that virtually everybody who stays with us in the fruit season , will get a job, however a little patience may be required.
- LEAVING WITH THE JOB WE ARRANGE FOR YOU: We go to considerable trouble to develop a good relationship with local farmers and businesses to be able to find a job for you. We also go to a lot of trouble and expense to organize the necessary paper work and provide transport where needed. We charge you no fee, nor do we get paid from your employer for finding you a job. The only way we earn money is by providing accommodation. Jobs are limited, therefore leaving with a job we have provided you not only severely inconveniencies us but it reduces our ability to assist your fellow travelers to find work by depriving them of the job you take.
So we ask you to pay us and your fellow travelers enough respect by continuing to stay with us for the duration of the job we organize for you. For those of you who do not feel the need to pay us such respect, then a job search fee equivalent to your deposit will be charged.
- CHANGING JOBS: Changing jobs inconveniences everyone, it costs a considerable amount of money in administration and compliance costs as well as the cost of induction and training for your employer to register you to start working with them. We have a responsibility to your employer to provide them with a certain number of reliable workers who turn up to work on time EVERY day. Changing jobs without prior consultation with us or your employer is therefore strongly discouraged and laziness will not be tolerated by your employer or by us.
- ARRANGING YOUR OWN JOB: You are of course welcome to find your own job and as mentioned above, our help finding you a job comes free of charge however, if you request us to find a certain job for you and you then refuse the job we find for you or leave within the first week, without first coordinating with us or your employer, then a job search fee equivalent to your deposit will be charged.
(This is designed as a deterrent to discourage people who have no intention of taking a job we arrange for them and to discourage people from accepting 2 or 3 jobs at the same time, trying each a day or two before selecting the one they like best.)
- SACKING OR BEING FIRED: If for whatever reason you prove to be unsuitable for a job provided and are sacked by your employer, then being mindful of our responsibility to farmers and employers to provide them with good quality , reliable workers, depending on the circumstances of your dismissal, we may subsequently find it difficult to recommend you for work with another employer.
- TRANSPORT: It is advantageous when looking for a job to have your own transport, but it is not essential. Some jobs are within easy walking distance or a short bicycle ride from our hostel. For other jobs further away, we can provide you with transport. The transport we provide is run at a significant financial loss purely as a service for our guests. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to pay fully for the costs involved, so we do request a nominal fee of $2.50 each way, to help us defray some of the expense involved.
- ARRIVE EARLY: The early bird catches the worm, as they say. The main game for most people is cherry picking which starts around mid to late December with some varieties starting in early January each year. The actual date of commencement of work however is highly weather dependant and varies each season.
The number of choice jobs available is limited, so is the accommodation. So if you plan on arriving in late December without a job, don’t expect to be able to find a cherry job. Similarly if you have a job already lined up don’t plan on arriving until late December or early January, don’t expect to be able to find any accommodation. Dorm style accommodation is normally booked out from 1st December each year, and tent sites for campers are usually full by 15 December each season.
Cherry jobs are highly sought-after, so people start arriving in October/November to be first in-line for the best jobs. For those people arriving early, a number of pre season jobs are available doing strawberry picking which starts around late October and runs right through until May. There is also apple thinning which starts in early December, then apple picking which starts around the end of February each year and also runs through until May.
Many companies and farms have already selected and finalized their work force by early December each year. Apple pickers are usually selected from amongst workers who have previously worked for the farmer doing thinning or are selected from amongst the best workers during cherry season. If the farmer likes the quality of your work, you will most likely be offered a job with the same farmer for apple season. Good money can be made for hard workers. But again, arriving late means fewer job opportunities.
- LEAVING: Upon check-in we require you to provide us with a check-out date. We need this so that we are able to take forward bookings.
If you do not know your check-out date or choose not to provide us with one, then you are automatically regarded as a medium term residential guest, with payment made on a week to week basis. This does not mean you are only staying for one week but it does mean that we require at least 7 days notice (or payment in-lieu) prior to your departure.
We hope this information helps you to properly prepare for your Tasmanian work experience by explaining the services we provide and by helping you to understand what is expected of you as a seasonal worker.
We wish you a happy and profitable seasonal work experience and trust you enjoy your stay with us as much as we enjoy having you.
David Sinclair
Managing Director