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Times have changed for young travelers. In the past a backpacker on a limited budget was subject to the same visa restrictions as any other tourist.
Today, because of reciprocal agreements between governments, young people (usually under 32) from a developed country, can apply for a one-time, one-year. working holiday visa. This gives therm the right to work and travel within the country for a full year.
Steve, a young man from Australia, is in Toronto on just such a visa. But his aim is to make his year in Canada as big an adventure as possible. So he didn’t look for the same type of work he did back home.
Instead, he got a job washing windows.
What’s so special or adventurous about washing windows, you ask? Well it depends on where those windows are. The one’s that Steve will be cleaning are on Toronto’s high-rise buildings.
They start from the top windows and work their way down lowered from the roof suspended in a harness or bosun’s chair. So it often involves cleaning city-grime encrusted windows hundreds of feet above the pavement.
It is not a job for the faint-hearted or anyone who has a problem with heights. Part of the job interview is watching a video showing what can go wrong with the equipment for this job. It’s a process that rapidly weeds out the timid.
Steve is still in the middle of training which, as one might expect, is extensive, intense and exhaustive. But once it has been completed and he’s is ready to work solo on high-rise buildings, the job can be quite lucrative.
But all I can say is, better you than me, Steve. Better you than me!
Two window washers working their way down in tandem.
It looks like quite a drop if the rope breaks! (It’s a good thing he’s wearing a helmet!)