Gap Year Jobs
Work Visas

Documents Required to Work Abroad:
There are different requirements for different countries, but our information for the more popular options below assumes you are a typical graduate or younger and will wish to stay in the country for no longer than a year:

No Work Visa is required for members of the European Union [Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Sweden and the UK]:

These countries operate under an all for one, one for all idea so anyone from a member state can work in any other member state without anything more than the passport needed to cross borders.

1 year Visa to work in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Ireland, Korea, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the UK [easy to get for the youth of these countries]:

Passport holders of these countries aged 18-30 [with no dependent children], may apply within their country for a Working Holiday Maker [WHM] Visa to one of the other countries.
This visa lasts for a year from the date of entry into the country.

It allows work of a temporary nature for up to three months with any one employer, or to study or train for up to three months also, but once used in one country cannot be reapplied for to the same country as it's primary aim is for cultural education.

You can apply for a WHM from the Consulate Commission in your own country of the the country you wish to travel to.

Work Visas - to work in the United States of America [not so easy to get]:
Getting a work permit for the USA if you are a non-student is very difficult as the country is protective of its workforce and sees little reason to employ from outside of the USA.

Cultural exchange students [USA terminology for Working Holiday] will require a J1 Exchange Visitor Visa to take temporary work while those seeking a student position or Internship will need an F1 Visa; these are available from INS [Immigration and Naturalization Service], approved employers, and educational institutions within the USA.

Special J1 visas are available for immigrants seeking live-in Au Pair work.

Work Visas - for US Citizens [very difficult to get]:
'Special relationship' working holiday visas with foreign countries are all but non-existent for US Citizens, so the normal hellish channels of immigration application apply.

Australia and the USA are currently testing a lesser version of the Working Holiday Maker reciprocal visa scheme for possible introduction.

Applying for a Work Visa:
You can do this yourself but depending what exactly you are applying for you will come across varying levels of complexity and bureaucratic delays.
Official government websites should have the absolute correct information, but you may need to look to unofficial sources to help make sense of them!

To smooth the ride there are various businesses who can take care of these issues for a reasonable fee. This isn't something to get wrong - doing so could ruin you plans as mistakes can take a long time to correct.