For those looking to sustainably build a wide variety of life experiences in a foreign country, taking a working holiday in Canada is a fantastic option. Canada can offer you the best of both worlds: the job market to sustain your travels and the diversity to give you the desired experience. The International Experience Canada (IEC) Working Holiday program can offer fantastic benefits to travellers looking to broaden their horizons while sustaining themselves.
This is perfect for young people who want to have the opportunity to see the world before launching entirely into their careers. Don’t believe us? Here are some of the five most significant benefits of taking a working holiday in Canada.
You Fund Your Travels
One of the huge positives of the Working Holiday visa in Canada is that you don’t need to save enough money to fund your entire stay in Canada. In addition, a working holiday in Canada allows you to gain an open work permit, which lets you work anywhere you want in Canada, provided you land the job.
This means you can support yourself financially for a prolonged period, allowing you to extend the length of your stay and improve the quality of your life during your stay. On top of that, the nature of your open work permit allows you to work in several different jobs for different employers in vastly different environments.
On top of this, a wealth of international experience can add a lot to your resume and give you that edge over other candidates when applying for long-term work after your holiday.
You Can Build A Wealth of Diverse Work Experience
If you’re travelling under IEC 2022, your open work permit gives you vast freedom with your occupation. You get to try out many experiences you wouldn’t get anywhere else. In addition to this, depending on your country of citizenship, a working holiday visa in Canada can allow you to stay in Canada for up to 24 months.
During this time, you can move around the country and take whatever holiday jobs that are available in your area. Some great examples of jobs undertaken by those on a Canadian working holiday visa are as follows:
- Retail work
- Food and drink servers
- English teachers (2nd language)
- Summer Camp coordinators & counsellors
- Tourism and Hospitality work like tour guiding or working in a hotel
- Farm and ranch work
- Skiing or snowboarding instructor
- Internships
- Fruit-picking
Finding working holiday jobs while on IEC 2022 is relatively straightforward, thanks to working holiday job agencies such as:
- com
- com
- ca
- com
As a result, you can build up experiences in several different jobs over a short period, giving you the chance to gain a unique work experience in a foreign country, learn several new skills and possibly discover new forged paths..
Meeting New People
As you are often changing jobs, cities and even provinces, you will have the opportunity to meet many people from diverse backgrounds, nationalities and all walks of life.
As a working holiday in Canada tends to last significantly longer than a tourist excursion, you will also have the opportunity to get to know the local Canadians and immerse yourself into their culture.
This will not only allow you to be exposed to many different types of people, but also gain a wealth of fantastic new experiences through those people.
Fully Experience Canada
Working multiple jobs all over the country allows you to experience Canada, which few foreigners get. Your open work permit will enable you to work in some of Canada’s beautiful cosmopolitan cities and Canada’s world-famous picturesque wilderness through different jobs.
You will get the chance to learn about all aspects of life in Canada from different perspectives. Within weeks, you could move from serving tables in the heart of the bustling metropolitan Toronto, to tending to farms in the most remote parts of rural Canada.
Very few other programs can lead to having such diversified experiences that you will likely carry you through for the rest of your life.
It Can Lead to a Long-Term Sustainable Life In Canada
Because you can stay in Canada for over a year in a working holiday program, you may become eligible for gaining a work permit or permanent residency in Canada if you decide you don’t want to leave.
Those looking to gain permanent residency in Canada after completing their working holiday, may be able to do so via the Canadian Experience Class program under the Canadian Express Entry system. This allows any skilled worker living and working in Canada for longer than 12 months, to get permanent residency in Canada.
However, there are several ways to extend your stay after your working holiday visa in Canada expires. This article by Canadianvisa.org gives a full breakdown of some of these pathways.
Enjoy a Life-Changing Experience in Canada
A working holiday in Canada gives you a life changing experience you will never get anywhere else. From the number of different jobs you’ll work, to the people you’ll meet, to the areas you’ll inhabit; a Canadian working holiday can give you the unique opportunities your life may have been missing. To find out how to apply, look at this handy guide and gain an experience of a lifetime with International Experience Canada (IEC).
