Program Reviews

difficult to work for employers. staff and location made it very worth it. came out a stronger, and more tolerant employee and i know this will help me with future jobs. excellent location and countless memories were made. social life is excellent. small resort so jobs vary greatly. It was fun to have a roll here that is detrimental to the success.

I've just gotten back from my 6 month internship and time really did fly. It was quite terrifying the first two weeks and I got really homesick but there are so many people that are in that same boat over there so it is easy to connect with others. The food was amazing and there is something always going on in Melbourne. I had the best time of my life in Melbourne. I met the most amazing people and made memories of a lifetime. I worked at The Westin Melbourne and it was amazing. I learned so much there for my future career. I got to travel to Singapore, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Sydney. I was only there for 6 months but my work was understanding and flexible:) Unfortunately, I could have done the same without the program. It did not do much for me other than already having the job when I got there and help with taxes. I did not hear much from them while I was there and that was part of the reason I did it with them so I would be guided, I might as well just gone on my own. It was not worth the fee I was charged. Other than that my time in Australia was great! Especially Melbourne!

Would not recommend! I signed up for the 1 year program. The program contract states that they find you interviews and when a job has been found you sign the paperwork and Alliance Abroad has done their job. What it doesn't state is that if you sign up for 1 year (2 placements) up front you are not getting a guarantee of anything honestly. They will attempt to get you a job but it may not be directly after your first job. You could be in limbo for a month or 2 and in addition to that they may not even find you a job or an interview. They will not give you a refund for the second placement because they fulfilled their terms of the contract by finding you the first job. The second job is just an expensive bonus for them! You pay for it but get nothing in return.

For me the first placement went well because I made the best of it but the second placement was a nightmare. I was held in limbo for 2 months without a job. I was then offered a job in a different city which I spent money to fly to, only to find I wasn't what they expected and rescinded my job offer. Alliance tried to find me other jobs but failed in getting me any other interviews. When I requested a refund, I was told that they have fulfilled their obligations by finding my my first placement which I completed and will not be issuing a refund. This is a scam!. They took money for a service they did not provide. Please use caution if you are going to use them. They have very pleasant and polite staff but the contract rules are way in Alliances favor. Don't get screwed like I did.

Also, don't be fooled by false promises. Helping you with housing refers to sending you links to housing websites you could find on your own. They are not much help in that regard. They sometimes give you a little help of areas to look in but have unrealistic expectations on what you can afford. Sure you can get a apartment next to your job but you won't be able to afford food. Or you can get an affordable place out of the city if you are willing to buy a car. Either way won't matter to them. More than likely you will end up living in a hostel and they'll be like "ah, it'll all work out"...NOT!

As for the job placements themselves, they are very candy coated and do not portray the actual jobs themselves. I was told I would be working for a restaurant in a hotel......it was a wildlife park. Not a hotel at all! How do you get that mixed up! I enjoyed working for the park because of the animals but the job itself was not even close to what I was described. Make sure to speak with employers directly. Alliance gives false information to either cover their lack of knowledge or lack of glamour of the job. I asked multiple times about the placement before I left America and was reassured it was a hotel despite my doubts since the website did not match the description. I was right.

Do yourself a favor and don't sign with this company. If you have any questions about my experience please contact me. I would be more than happy to help people avoid my mistake.

Travelling so far from home can be pretty overwhelming. There is so many things to get organized and figured out before you can finally relax but thankfully Anita at AAG helped me settle in very smoothly. She has worked really hard to ensure I secured a job and helped me with my housing situation. I am very thankful to have such an awesome team helping me throughout my stay in Australia!

After being in australia for a couple of months after traveling the east coast it was time to find a job. I had settled in sydney and applied for a number of jobs and heard nothing or just wasnt what i wanted. This is where i found alliance and they instantly found me a job and i started within a matter of days.
Without them i honestly think i would still be looking for a job and probaly thinking i need to go back home.

I would like to thank everyone especially anita! She has supported me throughout and still asks me how work is going. A true credit to the team.

Having the opportunity to work aborad was amazing. However, going through this program, I was not paid a decent living wage. It's kind of ridiculous acutally how little I was paid and how much my job wanted me to work.
I felt like there was only one job for me and no one else would look at my resume. I took a job that I wasn't totally thrilled with. On top of that, I had no idea how high the rent was here, and over half of my pay goes to that, leaving maybe $100 for extra activities after food and other living expenses. How am I supposed to see more of AU than my office with that? I paid over $2000 for this, and I was given 2 days in a hostel, and no idea where to look to live, and what price was good. I feel as though I would have been better off taking my chances and just moving here and looking for a job and actually get paid minimum wage!

Hi guys my names Pat I have been in Melbourne for almost 3 months now and it has been an absolute joy. Yes I miss my family and friends back in the states, but take yourself out of your comfort zone! You'll learn a lot about yourself just by experiencing a new country and culture. I have met a lot of friends from all over the world that really give you a different perspective then what you are used to back home. Melbourne is an amazing city with so much to offer from the food, the coffee, the nightlife, and my favorite the sports culture!

Arriving for the first time was a surreal experience, it was like the first day of Freshmen year of college and I encourage everyone to take the leap and come check out Aussie!

In six short months of living in Australia, I have seen more than I ever thought imaginable. Beaches that take your breath away, mountains that make your life seem small, and animals I didn't even know existed.
Working at the Great Ocean Ecolodge in Cape Otway, Victoria, I had no clue what to expect. It has exceeded my furthest expectations. Kangaroos bounce past my doorway and windows each morning and night, koalas hang above me in the treetops when I set up my hammock, and everything I had thought seemed so dangerous about Australia, has become beautiful in its own unique way. I've eaten gourmet meals at the Sydney Opera House while the Harbour bridge glows in all its glory. I've swam alongside the sea turtles of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. I've hiked the tallest mountain in Tasmania to see the sunrise over the Franklin river. Still none of this will compare to the feeling you get when you realize you live in AUSTRALIA! That feeling will never fully sink in or go away. I have met some of the best people I will ever know and made friends that I know will last a lifetime! This experience has been the BEST decision of my life.

I still can't seem to get over the fact that I'm finally here in Australia! Anita from AAG has been the greatest support system I could ever ask for. From the initial job seeking process, preparing for my move and then to constantly checking that I'm alright now that I'm here... she's been awesome! Her and the rest of the AAG team are super friendly and I would highly recommend AAG to anybody that is looking to spend some time working abroad.

Living on an island has been an interesting experience. Since most of the time I worked breakfast shift, I have the rest of the day off and will have activities like scuba diving and skiing available for me. And most evening I would head to the beach to watch beautiful sunsets. Its definitely a luxurious working life. One of the difficulties I found was mainly having to do a lot of overtime as living on an island, the resort does not have access to a lot of human resource and are usually under staffed. Overall it was a very interesting and wonderful experience that I feel everyone should give it a try.