Hotels, restaurants and cleaning companies hire many workers without a degree. In Australia you can find work as a room attendant, kitchen helper, cook or cleaner. Many people start here because the work is easy to learn. This guide shows the jobs, the pay in Australia, the papers you need and the safe way to apply.
| Legal minimum pay | $26.44 an hour ($33.05 for casual workers) |
|---|---|
| Education | No degree for helpers; training for cooks and chefs |
| Visa | Cooks and chefs can be sponsored; cleaners and helpers usually cannot |
| Language | English |
| Hours | Shifts, weekends and holidays are common |
The main jobs
- Room attendant or housekeeper. You clean hotel rooms, change the beds, clean the bathroom and bring fresh towels. You work fast, because each room has a time limit.
- Kitchen helper or dishwasher. You wash dishes and pots, clean the kitchen and help the cooks to prepare food.
- Cook. You prepare meals. This job needs kitchen experience and often training, and it pays more.
- Cleaner. You clean offices, shops, hospitals, schools or buildings. The work is often early in the morning or in the evening.
- Waiter or service staff. You serve guests. For this you must speak the local language or English well.
The work is on your feet all day. Hotels and restaurants are busiest on weekends, in the evening and on holidays, so that is when you work.
Who can do this job
- You are fit, quick and careful with details.
- You are polite with guests and work well in a team.
- You accept shifts, weekends and holidays.
- You can speak and understand basic words in the local language or in English.
Past work in a hotel, a restaurant, a hospital or a private home helps. For cooks, proof of training and letters from past kitchens are very important. Men and women both do these jobs.
How much you can earn in Australia
Since 1 July 2026 the national minimum wage in Australia is $26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 for a 38-hour week. Casual workers get at least $33.05 an hour. Hotel and restaurant workers are paid under the hospitality awards. Weekends, late nights and public holidays pay more, and award pay rose by 4.75% in July 2026.
All amounts are in Australian dollars. The Fair Work pay calculator shows the legal pay for each job.
The visa reality: cooks and chefs are on the skilled jobs list, so a restaurant or hotel can sponsor them. You need training or solid kitchen experience, and proof of it. Room attendants, kitchen helpers and cleaners are not on the list. Care work for older people is possible through the aged care labour agreement, with training.
Hours and extras
Full-time work is about 40 hours a week, but the days change from week to week. Some hotels give staff a meal on each shift. Some resorts and hotels far from the city offer a room for staff. Always ask what the room and the meals cost, and get the answer in writing. Tips are possible in service jobs, but do not count on them.
What you need before you can work in Australia
This is the most important part of this guide. Pay in Australia is high, but Australia does not have a simple work visa for jobs that need no training. Be careful with anyone who says it does.
The main work visa is the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482). For it you need:
- An employer in Australia who is an approved sponsor and offers you a job.
- A job that is on the government’s list of skilled jobs.
- Skills and at least one year of experience in that job, and enough English.
- A salary of at least about $79,400 a year in the main stream of this visa.
Some lower-paid jobs can still get this visa through a labour agreement. This is a special deal between one employer, or one region, and the government. It exists in fields such as aged care, meat processing and some regional areas. The employer must already have the agreement.
The visa can last up to four years. It has no upper age limit. The government fee for the visa is high, about $4,000 for the main applicant.
Costs to plan for
Australia is an expensive country. Rent is the biggest cost, mostly in Sydney and Melbourne. Smaller towns and regional areas are cheaper, and they are also where many employers cannot find workers. The visa fee, the English test, the skills check, the medical exam and the flight all cost money before you earn anything. An employer may pay part of it, but the law does not make them pay your visa fee. Plan your budget before you start, and do not borrow money for a job that is not confirmed in writing.
These are guides, not live vacancies. We are not an employer.
How to apply safely
- Search on Workforce Australia and SEEK, the main job websites. Add the word “sponsorship” to your search.
- Apply only to adverts that say the employer can sponsor a visa.
- Send a clear résumé in English with your skills, your trade papers and letters from past employers.
- If an employer answers, ask if they are an approved sponsor or have a labour agreement. Ask for this in writing.
- Apply for the visa only on the official Home Affairs website. If you want help, use a registered migration agent.
Mistakes to avoid
- Accepting a job where the room and food are taken from your pay, without knowing the amount.
- Working extra hours without a record. Write down your hours every day.
- Believing an advert that promises a hotel job with “no interview”. Real hotels always speak to you first.
- Paying for a uniform, a “training” or a job offer in advance.
Your rights as a worker in Australia
- You must be paid at least the legal minimum for your job, the same as an Australian worker.
- Your employer must give you a payslip and pay money into a retirement fund for you, on top of your wage.
- Nobody can ask you to pay for visa sponsorship. This is against the law.
- Your employer cannot cancel your visa. Only the government can.
- The Fair Work Ombudsman helps all workers for free, whatever visa they hold.
Protect yourself from fake job offers
- Never pay for a job or for sponsorship. In Australia this is illegal for the employer and for you.
- Be very careful with adverts for “unskilled jobs in Australia with free visa”. For most people outside the Pacific region, this visa does not exist.
- A real employer does not hire by WhatsApp only and does not ask for a “visa deposit”.
- If someone gives you visa advice for money, check that they are a registered migration agent. The public register is on the website of the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority.
Questions people ask
Can I get a hotel or cleaning job in Australia without experience?
For starting jobs such as dishwasher, kitchen helper, room attendant or cleaner, often yes. Experience helps you get hired and is needed for cook jobs.
Do hotels give a room to staff?
Some do, mostly resorts and hotels in remote places. It is not a rule. Ask about the price and the conditions before you accept.
Can I get a work visa for Australia without a trade or training?
It is very hard. The main work visa is for skilled jobs. A few lower-paid jobs are possible through labour agreements, mainly in aged care, meat processing and some regional areas.
Is there an age limit for the 482 visa?
No. The temporary 482 visa has no upper age limit. Some permanent visas do have one.
More guides for Australia
- Factory jobs in Australia
- Driver jobs in Australia
- Construction jobs in Australia
- All jobs in Australia for foreign workers
- How to apply for jobs in Australia
- Australia work visa guide
Last checked: November 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and pay change, so always confirm on the official websites before you decide. We are not a recruiter and we never ask for money.
These are guides, not live vacancies. We are not an employer.