A woman who took a part-time job in another country is crediting the experience as the ideal work-life balance.
Sirirat Nensewicz is a 27-year-old who recently spent two months on Pumpkin Island off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
The content creator told SWNS that she worked for 24 hours each week — cleaning, gardening and bartending around the island’s eco-resort.
In return, the traveler, originally from Hamburg, Germany, received a free place to stay.
“It was an unreal experience,” she said, adding, “I managed to live on a beautiful island, working only 24 hours a week for accommodation and additional pay of over $800 AUD ($540 USD) fortnightly (every two weeks).”
Nensewicz said she only had to pay for her groceries and her phone bill — which equaled roughly $270 a month.
The idea to move to Australia came by accident, in a way, as Nensewicz said she was originally just visiting the country on a working holiday visa.
“As a first-time visa holder, I had to find 88 days of specified work to be eligible for a visa extension if I wanted to stay in Australia longer,” she told SWNS.
Nensewicz said that after beginning to look for places to work in Queensland, she handed her resume to more than 100 potential employers without any luck.
Nensewicz recently spent two months on Pumpkin Island off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Sirirat Nensewicz / SWNSWhile on the job hunt, Nensewicz came across Pumpkin Island and applied for a job.
Two days later, Nensewicz was an official employee on the island, which is 8.5 miles off the coast of Yeppoon, Australia, per SWNS.
“I remember arriving by a tiny boat shared with people visiting the island on the first day and having to off-load their luggage,” she said.
Nensewicz told SWNS that she worked for 24 hours each week — cleaning, gardening and bartending around the island’s eco-resort and in return, she was given a free place to stay. Sirirat Nensewicz / SWNSShe added, “The island was very small with only the managers living there full-time and the previous two workers.”
When she wasn’t cleaning bathrooms or bartending during “sunset happy hours,” Nensewicz would spend time “lying in a hammock and swimming,” she said.
Nensewicz’s groceries were delivered via boat once a week — the same one that would bring in tourists.
“The rest of my money was saved or put towards things I wanted,” she said, adding, “It made me appreciate life and the little things a lot more, as the island gave me space to think.
She said, “The people were so open-minded, and they have a great work-life balance.”