Working Holidays..., Germany, Sweden, Austrailia, or New Zeland... Options

[Valo666]

I'm back in school right now for policing and the topic of applying to different police services has come up alot when in conversation with my family and friends. I'm really excited about applying, but I'm not sure that its the right time for me right now. I'm 24 right now and i'll be 25 when I finish up my program. Whats kinda spooking me is that if I go to apply to a police service, and I get hired on..im gonna be working for them for the next 20+ years, and I'm only gonna get a few weeks of vacation a year. And I dont know if im ready to do that yet. So I was thinking I might start saving up my $ and apply for a working holiday visa and a spend a year in another country. Just now my problem is trying to figure out where.

I'm thinking of Sweden, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. There are reasons why I choose each country, but im still weighin my options.

For Sweden, I went there last year for about a week and love it. The culture, the cleanliness, the people, the food and it reminded me alot of Canada. The downside about Sweden is that I dont speak swedish, and can only understand some of it.

Germany - I've always wanted to go to Germany. I have always been interested in their history, the amount of history that has happened there, plus its the mecca for people who love speed and cars. Once again though, downsides are I dont speak german, but can understand some.

Australia and New Zeland - Since they are both British Colonies like Canada is, our cultures are very similar. They are both subtropical (in places), people speak english, they use the metric system and spell things the same way I do..lol. I have had a bunch of friends who have either visited, done a working holiday, or have gone to school in either country and they have loved it. Just the only downside is, the AUS and NZ governments want ALOT of $ to be saved up in a bank account to show that you'll be able to survive in the country if you dont have a job right away, so that means more spending. PLus if i go to either country, I will be pretty much in that country and just that country, where as if i went to Sweden or Germany, I have all of europe to move around in.

So, im kinda torn. I wanted to see if any one here has had any experience in living in these countries either as a forigner or as a national. I'm tryin to figure this out now so I can start saving up $ so that when I graduate, I can pack up and head out right away. I also know that most likely I'll have to sell my car to afford it, but I think the reward of living some where else and experiencing another culture for a year would be worth it.

so yea, if you have any feedback, I'm all ears. Thanks.

[S8S8]

I may be a little biased, but I'd go with Australia.

Getting away for a year or two is definitely a good idea. When I was younger I did a year living and working in London, and it was one of the best times of my life.

PLus if i go to either country, I will be pretty much in that country and just that country, where as if i went to Sweden or Germany, I have all of europe to move around in.

Not necessarily true, as we're pretty close to Asia which means cheap and quick flights to lots of interesting places like Thailand and Vietnam etc. New Zealand is also a short flight away, and they have some awesome scenery over there to check out.

There's plenty to keep you entertained in Oz anyway, as we've got everything from the wet tropics to the dry outback, and even some snowy mountains down south. And if you spend some time hanging around backpacker hostels you'll still get to meet plenty of nice Europeans.

Wherever you end up deciding on I'm sure you'll have an awesome time.