More and more young Spaniards are packing their bags for Australia, Ireland or Canada with a clear objective: work for a while, improve English and, in the process, save good money. But not everyone returns with their account as full as they imagine.
“How much have I saved in almost two years living in Australia?” Henar Díaz begins by asking in a video that he has published on his social networks. He does it with a notebook in his hand and the promise to give objective data about what he achieved after a year and eight months working with a Work and Holiday visa.
How much money was actually brought from Australia
First, he reveals what he had in his bank account when he returned to Spain: 3,500 Australian dollars (about 1,958 euros). To that is added the tax returnsthat is, the annual tax refund that workers receive, with 3,200 Australian dollars (1,790 euros). “We are already adding up, we already have almost €4,000 back, which is not even that bad, but we have one last category left.
And finally, it explains a third source of money that many are unaware of: superannuationa pension fund that is automatically withheld from your salary in Australia and is designed to retirement. Temporary workers, like Henar, can recover a portion when they return to their country, in their case 35% of what they have accumulated. In this way he received another 2,323 Australian dollars (1,300 euros).
In total, he saved 5,048 euros in savings after almost two years in Australia. “It may not seem like an extremely high figure, but for me the life experience was the topic of travel, and there is no money to pay for that… or yes, because I no longer have it,” he jokes in the video. And Henar explains that he did not deprive himself of anything. He traveled to more than seven countries: Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Hawaii, Japan and China, among others; and toured practically the entire country.
The video has generated debate on social networks: while some applaud her for her sincerity and for prioritizing experiences over savings, others are surprised by how “little” she manages to save despite high Australian salaries.