The Working Holiday Visa is designed for holiday makers, but there is a little bit of a loop-hole that easyjet uses to allow you to work a one year contract.
British citizens coming to Oz, can only work for the same company for 3 months, so keep having to change jobs, but this requirement does not apply for Aussies going to the UK.
Once you Italian passport comes through, you will have to leave the UK on your Aussie Passport, then re-enter on your Italian one, just to make sure that there is no record on your Aussie passport that you overstay your visa.
Your base salary as a probationary crew member is around £9000. After probation (usually 6 months), it goes up to around £10,600. This means that for the first 6 months your take home pay will be around £600 per month plus flight pay.
Flight pay is depends on the length of the sector. With the Summer schedule I averaged around 70 sectors per month (120 Hours). With the winter schedule, it is around 50 sectors per month (80 Hours). Each sector pays roughly £8 - £18. Plus you then get commission, £5 - £20 per day, depending how much you sell. One guy got £600 in a month from commission alone. You should budget that you will take home £1200 a month, realistically you will get more than that, but it is best to be conservative.
What most trainees fail to completely understand, is that you are going to be completely broke for the first few months! You are paid monthly, in arrears, so you won't get your first pay check until about 4 - 5 weeks after you start training, but this will be your base salary, less uniform, travel and hotel deductions. Here is a breakdown of my monthly pay...
End of Month 1 £450
End of Month 2 £500
End of Month 3 £650
End of Month 4 $1050
End of Month 5 £1300
IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT REFERENCES Most Aussies seem to have to wait ages for their airside ID's. This is because the references have to come all the way from Australia. I waited 4 weeks. Very boring! The only way to avoid this is to go over your 5 year history very carefully, and ensure that it is exactly right. You need to have the correct names, addresses etc. All gaps of 14 days or more, must be explained. Then once you get the job, you need to advise all your references that they will be contacted by EasyJet for a reference. This has to be provided in writing, and the original posted to Luton by the referee. I reccommend buying some Registered Post envelopes form the post office, about $11. Give them to your references, so they can use them when they post them.
Sounds all very frustrating,
which it is, but necessary in the current climate of aviation security.
Good luck to the Aussies, we need more of us!!!