Working Holiday-Maker Visa

Working Holiday Maker Visa: It is available to a person aged between 17 and 30 who is a citizen of a participating Commonwealth country. Permitted to remain in the UK for an extended holiday of up to two years with employment permitted for up to 12 months of that time.

How this all began...

I first started thinking about taking off on an adventure in January 2008. I was thinking about my life and realized I was living settled and secure but there's nothing to stop me from roaming the planet. I firmly believe God has kept me single for a reason; nothing in life is an accident. A million thanks to each of you who have told me to just be myself and that God has a plan for my life that's bigger than anything I could come up with! Although so many people seem to think that my singleness is somehow my fault (there are apparently a wide variety of reasons!) and a problem that needs solving, that "problem" has given me the freedom to venture into the beautiful unknown of living, working and travelling in the UK (with occasional ventures into Europe).

I think the final event that made me start pursuing living abroad was when my mom was watching Miss Potter and I walked in at a part when Beatrix is working on her farm. I made the comment, "That's how I want to live" and my mom's response was, "Honey, there's nothing to stop you from doing anything you want." Little did she realize that when I went upstairs a few minutes later, it was to start researching options for living in the UK.

When I was 18 I lived in Potosi, Bolivia and taught English in a little Christian school for five months. I lived with a Canadian family but I took Spanish lessons and experienced life in a third world country where the customs, food, and language were all strange and new experiences. This time around I wanted something a little more familiar and the UK seemed like a good option.

I applied for my visa in July and my flight leaves October 3 for Gatwick airport (near London). I was generously offered a place to live in Hook, Hampshire (1 hour west of London by train) with a couple who are relatives of one of our neighbours in Surrey, BC. They'll pick me up from the airport and hopefully help out with getting my bearings. The understanding is that either side can call it quits at any time, but at least I have a place to start off. I don't have any work lined up yet - it takes up to two months to process the paperwork for setting up a bank account (required for working) and I want to do a bit of travel before I start working.