Working Holiday Visa

Did you know there is a really awesome opportunity for persons under 30 or 35? It's called a working holiday visa and it allows a person to stay for up to a year in another country, sight-seeing and working around. There are many countries that offer this visa to encourage travel for younger people.

I wanted to share this because it seems like not a lot of people know about it and it's what I got to allow me to travel to New Zealand for a whole year! There is an age maximum so I'm going to take advantage of it until then. :) The really great thing about this visa is that it allows you to work and earn money while you travel. When you're gone for a year, it really helps to find ways to refill the coffers.

There are many ways to make some cash while travelling. WOOFing is really popular in Australia and New Zealand. WWOOFing stands for Willing Workers on Organic Farms or World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. In other words, you put in a few hours of hard physical work for some pay, and sometimes, a place to sleep. With Woofing, you don't need a work visa. But what if you see a great opportunity to earn some cash waitressing or, say, baking? That's where the work visa comes in. No need for under-the-table deals. :D

My life in a backpack!

Working holiday visas generally last for a year and cannot be regranted, but there are some exceptions. New Zealand, for example, will grant a second one (for persons under the age max) if you go through SWAP.

I'll be heading to New Zealand soon and my plan is to continue posting about my adventures there. (Is anyone else excited to see what a kiwi grocery store looks like? No? Just me?) From reading around, it seems wifi in kiwi land isn't as reliable, nor as freely available, as it is here but I'm sure I can make it work. What are my plans? I have no idea! In fact, I only just confirmed a place to stay for my first two weeks in Auckland a few weeks ago. We'll just have to see from there. :P

I also want to share some resources I've been using to help prepare for this trip:

Nomadic Matt - a great travel blog from a professional traveller. Matt gives great tips, price brackets, and highlights for many destinations. He also gives really good advice on how to save up money to travel in the first place.

Work Away - one of many websites that helps to connect travellers with locals. Locals post an ad about what kind of help they need around their property in exchange for accommodation and sometimes food.

HelpEx - another help exchange website

Make Every Dollar Count - a great article about ways to save money while abroad, like using specific debt cards and credit cards for fewer fees

Working Holiday Starter NZ - a company that specializes in helping people through the working holiday process and supporting them throughout the year

To say I'm excited is a major understatement. This is going to be amazing and I want it to start right now! I hope you will enjoy a glimpse of New Zealand throughout my adventures. :)

The Completion of Chapter SAIT, The Start of Chapter Kiwi!

School's out for summer! *cue song*

Finally finally finally, I have officially graduated from SAIT's two year Baking and Pastry Arts program. Certainly, while you're in the thick of it, time seems to move slowly, but as you near the end, time flies by in a flash. The last day was a mix of emotions - relief of being done, sadness from leaving good friends and teachers, and excitement at what's to come. But trust me, life will only get more and more interesting.

The last two things we made this past week:

Caramel pear cake

Passionfruit curd, white chocolate mousse,
chocolate hazelnut crunchy crust

Chef set up a display of everything we made in this class. I think we were supposed to help ourselves and eat some of it but no one touched it. Too pretty!

Was this program worth it? Is it worth going to school for baking when you can learn it at home? Yes and yes! It is very important in this day and age to be properly educated in this industry before heading out. One of the main reasons is that few places will hire someone with no industry experience or training. Home baking is COMPLETELY different from commercial baking, despite how the Food Network makes it look like. But let's start with the first question.

Attending SAIT was the best move for me for several reasons. First, it was affordable. Specialized baking schools can be extraordinarily expensive, reaching over $10,000 cad per semester! A famous and more expensive school may help snag you more prestigious placements, but in the end, you will receive a similar education and how far it takes you depends on the individual. Second, it was relatively close. I looked into moving to Ontario, even France, but I didn't feel the difference in education was worth the cost. Third, I chose the two year program over the one year because the two year program is more comprehensive. If you have the time, I recommend the longer program because the time will allow classes to go into more depth on each topic. Two years is still very short but it's double the one year program!

The Chefs at SAIT are all extremely knowledgeable and dedicated to passing it on. The teaching staff is really the treasure of the program. All the Chefs came from the industry and thus have real world working know-how. It makes for great stories and even better lessons - tips, tricks, and things to watch out for.

Now, home-educated baking vs school-educated baking, which is better? Unless you are a hardcore home baker bordering on pro, school-educated all the way. Why? Isn't it enough to know how to bake cookies and ice a cake? Maybe, if you only want to work at a cupcake store or a coffee shop. But if you want to go further, a program like SAIT's is one of the best ways to do it. A school program gives students the chance to experience a variety of things, like sugar and chocolate, that can be difficult and expensive to do on your own. Also, internships give you the real experience of being in the industry. Is this really for you? The baking and pastry industry isn't easy. It more often than not involves standing continuously for 8 or more hours  (sometimes with no breaks), lifting heavy equipment and ingredients (20kg bags of flour), working in crazy hot kitchens, and a host of other conditions.

That's not to say there aren't easier jobs in the industry and that home education is useless. On the contrary, almost all bakers start at home. I am just an advocate for formal education as it can help to cover gaps in knowledge, introduce you to a variety of niches, and open many more opportunities than may be available otherwise.

Rant over. :p

So now that I can close that chapter of my life, I am super excited for the next. I'm leaving Canada behind! Can you guess where I'm going? It's a place filled with lots of "kiwis" - all three kinds!

One last look at SAIT

Sensational Desserts

One more week! One more weeeeeeeek!! Can I scream that any louder? Probably, but I live in an apartment and I try not to scare my neighbors with random outbursts. :)

For the last two weeks of my two year program, I am in a class called Sensational Desserts. It's a class filled with a mish-mash of things that didn't fit in any other class.

This week was filled with trifles, sweet confections, and an ice cream party.

Cherries, chocolate mousse, citrus cream,
cherry and brandy foam

Orange and basil gelee, strawberry compote, coconut granola
and black tea foam

Pomegranate and cotton candy lollipops

For the ice cream bar, we got to play with ice and some power tools!

Popsicle stand out of a block of ice

Passionfruit and white wine granite in an ice shot glass

Souffle glacee

Salted caramel ice cream

Making ice balloons

We got to make ice balloons. Fill a balloon with water and freeze for about 4 hours. Then take off the rubber and blow torch a hole into the side. The middle will still be liquid so pour out the water and you get an ice cup!

Peeling an apple using a power drill. :)

Happy Easter!