Q: I moved to Oz just over a month ago and left my old life behind. Im not really enjoying my new job but am running out of money. I dont wanna get a flight home though but fancy the opportunity of doing some fruit picking up north. Is it good money though and is it work risking what I have here? Help!!!
A: Some fruit picking pays good money, but be warned, it's VERY hard, often back breaking work and it usually takes a at least a couple of weeks before you get good enough (and tough enough) to earn good money. That's because the jobs with the best earnings potential are always paid on a 'piecework' basis e.g. per bin, bag, kilo, tonne or whatever. Accommodation (if supplied) is generally pretty basic and most of the jobs are of course well out of town and can be difficult to get to unless you have a vehicle. If you're staying at hostels in the fruit picking areas, they're usually good sources of info on what work's available, what's involved in it and the potential earnings. As to whether it's worth risking what you already have, you haven't given enough information for anyone to even take a stab at advising you. Whatever you do, don't give up and go back home. A month isn't nearly long enough for you to make a sensible decision.