Most Australian’s have an idea of what it means to live in regional Australia, but the reality is very different to the assumptions. Unless you’re living in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth, you are actually living in regional Australia! Nearly a third of the population lives ‘out bush’, which means that there are loads of opportunities you can take advantage of just by expanding your job search area. Here are just a few benefits of looking towards regional Australia for your first post-grad job.
The power of networking
Smaller communities are more likely to be home to loyal, returning customers and clients than the big cities. Whether you’re looking to go into business on your own or land your dream graduate job, clients and contacts are more likely to come to you through word of mouth and referrals – if you build up your reputation as a top performer, there’s no telling how far you’ll go! Think of how rewarding it would be to know that the people around you all agree that you’re great at what you do, and they are happy referring their mates to you to get the job done.
Your skills may be in high demand
Depending on your field, it can actually be EASIER to find work. While popular opinion is that fulltime work is hard to come by in regional Australia, the truth is that some university graduates are very much in demand. The skill set that you’ve earned at university could be a rarity outside of the big smoke and recent graduates often don’t need as much prior experience for jobs as they do in the city. It’s a win-win and might even save you some serious interning hours.
Stop and smell the roses
Before resigning yourself to a state-capital, consider the amazing lifestyle regional areas offer. Commuting, traffic, crowds and pollution getting you down? Not in regional areas! Getting to work will take just minutes and you might be lucky enough to live somewhere with free parking. Use your spare time to breathe the beautiful, fresh air, start that hobby you’ve been considering and jump on a train to get your city fix on weekends. Don’t want to choose between smashed avo brunch dates and a house deposit? You might be in luck. The cost of regional housing is much cheaper than Melbourne or Sydney. The going rate for a room in a shared flat in either major city could get you three bedrooms and a backyard in country Australia. Also, remember that regional Australia just means you’re more than 100 or so kilometres from the CBD. You only need to catch a train two or three hours away to find these bargains, and your city friends can still come and stay!
Remote working is the best of both worlds
In the modern job market it’s possible to be employed by a company that might not even be in the same state as where you live! You might find that your dream job, which used to reside in an office cubical, can now be performed from your sofa. As the NBN is in place, living outside of the city and completing your job remotely is completely possible and has all of the above benefits attached.
So there are just four reasons as to why you should look for jobs and opportunities in regional Australia. I hope to see you out here enjoying being a part of ‘the sticks’ sometime soon!
