Work on a Ranch

Most travellers find work at some point on their gap year or career break in order to make their money last longer while they are away. Working overseas is also a great way to experience local culture and meet new people - both locals and fellow backpackers alike.

Real Gap can find you gap year work on a ranch in Australia with our ‘Australia Outback Ranch Package.' With this unique programme you can work on a ranch in many different parts of Australia, including some remote areas that you would otherwise never get the chance to see. The traditional stereotype of work on a ranch in Australia is that it's ‘Crocodile Dundee'-style ‘man's work.' If you're female and want to work on a ranch Down Under don't let this stereotype put you off! Plenty of women, (Jillaroos) as well as men (Jackaroos) find work on a ranch in Australia and there is a wide variety of work you can do there. If you want to work on a ranch it can help if you already possess relevant skills such as nursing experience, a farming background, building or carpentry, motorbike or tractor driving ability, horse-riding and veterinary qualifications. If you don't possess any relevant skills and want to work on a ranch this isn't a problem however. The three main assets you need to have to work on a ranch are simply a decent level of fitness, a love of the great outdoors and a willingness to get stuck in.

When you work on a ranch in Australia all of your food and accommodation is provided so, other than socialising in the evening, you won't need to spend any of the money you earn. Work on a ranch can be hard work but also a great deal of fun and, if you love the great outdoors, work on a ranch has to be better than being stuck in an office. Because many of the ranches are quite remote people who work on a ranch often forge excellent friendships and the experience really brings people together. When you work on a ranch the attitude is ‘Work hard and play hard' and the social life in the evenings is usually excellent. If you would like to work on a ranch but don't like the idea of being too far away from ‘civilisation', just let Real Gap know and we can arrange for you to work in a ranch on the outskirts of a town. Similarly if you are travelling as a couple or group and want to work on a ranch together it's usually possible to arrange this as well, (although you may need to be a little more flexible as to the location of your ranch in this instance).

The arrival point in to Australia before you start your work on a ranch is Brisbane. The first few days are spent relaxing on Rainbow Island before the programme moves to a ranch for five days of intensive, but fun, training in order to prepare you for your work on a ranch. If you prefer, at the end of the five days training you can receive an additional seven days training in order to really get you up to speed with all the skills required to work on a ranch with Real Gap's ‘Australia Outback Ranch Package for Beginners.' Once your training is finished you are then ready to start work on a ranch!

If the idea of gap year work on a ranch really appeals to you, but you would prefer to work in Africa rather than Australia, then Real Gap's ‘Private Game Farm Conservation Course' is ideal. This is a volunteer programme, so you won't be paid to work on a ranch in Africa. The work on a ranch with this project is based at a private game farm in Botswana's Tuli Block. Botswana is the location of the famous Okavango Delta game reserve and is a fantastic country in which to explore the unique African wildlife.

If you have any questions about work on a ranch with any of the above programmes then feel free to get in touch with one of Real Gap's team of expert travel advisers who will do all they can to answer them.

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