Sophie(24)

I've always loved outdoor sports — snowboarding, mountain biking, kayaking. After my sports instructor training in Den Bosch I worked two seasons as a ski instructor in Austria. But the real adventure sports industry is in New Zealand. Queenstown is literally the adventure capital of the world — bungee jumping, jet boating, skydiving, heli-skiing, canyoning. I had to go.

At 23 I was just within the age limit for the Working Holiday Visa. I flew to Queenstown with NZ$5,000 in savings and within a week found work as an outdoor guide at a rafting company on the Shotover River. Seasonal work pays NZ$25-30 per hour plus tips. In peak season (December-March) you work six days a week and save quickly.

The WHV lets you work for twelve months, maximum six months with the same employer. After the summer season I switched to a ski school at Coronet Peak for winter. The combination of summer and winter sports makes Queenstown unique — you have year-round work as an outdoor professional. My employer at the rafting company offered to sponsor me for an AEWV.

The AEWV application as an outdoor instructor wasn't straightforward. My employer had to prove no suitable New Zealander was available, and I had to have my qualifications recognized. My NZQA assessment of my sports instructor diploma took six weeks. Additionally I needed a Swift Water Rescue certificate and Wilderness First Aid — standard in NZ's adventure sports industry.

Life in Queenstown revolves around being outdoors. After work I mountain bike at Queenstown Bike Park, on weekends I do alpine hikes in the Remarkables and in winter I board every free day. The community is young, international and active. You share a flat with French, Brazilians and Japanese who are all here for the same thing — the adventure.

Queenstown is expensive, especially for housing (NZ$300-400 per week for a room). But if you're willing to share and manage your money smartly, it's doable. My long-term plan is to start my own outdoor business — multi-sport tours for European tourists, using my Dutch and German language skills as an advantage. Via the Entrepreneur Work Visa route that's possible in a few years. My tip: start with the WHV, prove yourself, and opportunities will open up.