Work and Travel England: the complete guide

"Work and travel" used to mean something fairly loose: turn up, find a bar job, figure it out. In England in 2026, it's more specific than that; what you're actually allowed to do depends entirely on which visa route you qualify for, and those routes vary a lot by nationality, age and the kind of work you want.

This guide walks through the real routes available right now: the Youth Mobility Scheme for general work and travel, the Seasonal Worker visa for agriculture; and the Government Authorised Exchange visa for structured internships, plus what to do if none of those apply to you, and what to sort out before you land.

There's no single "working holiday visa" open to everyone. Instead, three main routes cover most work-and-travel scenarios in England, each with different eligibility:

• The Youth Mobility Scheme visa, the closest thing to a classic working holiday, open to a specific list of nationalities.
• The Seasonal Worker visa for agriculture, horticulture, and poultry work is open more broadly by nationality but restricted to those sectors.
• The government-authorized exchange visa for structured internships and work experience placements arranged through an approved scheme.

A standard visitor visa or visa-free tourist entry does not permit any paid work in England; that's the mistake to avoid before anything else.

This is the UK's dedicated work-and-travel visa. You don't need a job offer, a sponsor, or to meet a skills or salary threshold; you can work in most jobs, be self-employed, and study while you're here. Discover how to apply to a work and living visa in UK for this summer. 

• Eligible nationalities and age limits: 18-35 for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Korea; 18-30 for Andorra, Iceland, Japan, Monaco, San Marino, and Uruguay; 18-30 for British Overseas Citizens, British Overseas Territories Citizens, and British Nationals (Overseas).
• Hong Kong SAR and Taiwanese nationals go through a ballot before they can apply.
• Duration: up to 2 years for most eligible nationalities, up to 3 years for Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
• You'll need at least £2,530 in personal savings, held continuously for 28 days before you apply.
• You can't have held a Youth Mobility Scheme visa before; it's a one-time route.

If your country is on that list, this is almost always the route to use. Check current fees, exact requirements, and application steps on gov.uk before applying, since visa rules are updated regularly.

As of mid-2026, there's no general youth mobility route between the UK and the EU. EU citizens (including Germany, where a lot of "work and travel England" searches come from) are not currently covered by the Youth Mobility Scheme. A UK-EU youth mobility agreement has been under negotiation since the 2025 UK-EU Strategic Partnership Agreement, with a summit expected in early summer 2026, but as things stand, it isn't finalized or open for applications.

Until that changes, the realistic options for EU citizens are a student visa (which allows part-time work, typically up to 20 hours a week in term time, alongside a course), a graduate visa after completing a UK degree, or a skilled worker visa if you have a job offer from a licensed sponsor, which is harder to get for entry-level or short-term work. It's worth checking gov.uk periodically for updates if a UK-EU scheme is what you're waiting for.

If you want farm work rather than a general working holiday, the Seasonal Worker visa is the specific route for it. For 2026, there are 42,900 places available: 41,000 for horticulture and 1,900 for poultry.

• What it covers: picking, packing, and processing fruit, vegetables, and flowers (horticulture), or poultry production.
• Duration: up to 6 months in any rolling 10-month period for horticulture; poultry roles run between 2 October and 31 December.
• Age: 18 or over, with a valid job offer and certificate of sponsorship from a Home Office-licensed scheme operator.
• Application fee: £340 (from 8 April 2026).
• Pay: at least the National Living Wage, £12.71 an hour from 1 April 2026.

Crucially, you can't apply directly to a farm; only approved scheme operators can sponsor Seasonal Worker visas. For horticulture, the licensed operators are Agri-HR, Concordia, Fruitful Jobs, HOPS Labour Solutions, and Pro-Force; for poultry, AG Recruitment and Fruitful Jobs. Apply through one of these, not through a farm or a third party claiming to place you directly; that's also the safest way to avoid the exploitation issues that have been documented in this sector in the past.

If you're a student or recent graduate looking for a structured internship rather than casual work, this is the route most legitimate UK internship placements use.

• You need a degree or to be studying towards one equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree or higher.
• Your role must be supernumerary, additional to normal staffing, not filling a vacancy, and supervised, at a minimum skill level equivalent to NVQ Level 3.
• Pay must be at least UK National Minimum Wage.
• Maximum duration: 12 months.
• Application fee: £340 (from 8 April 2026).

You apply through an approved exchange scheme (often run through a university, professional body, or a Home Office-approved "overarching body"), which issues the sponsorship reference you need for the visa application you can't apply for this visa independently of a scheme.

• Gov.uk's Find a Job service lists genuine UK vacancies, including seasonal and hospitality roles.
• For seasonal agricultural work specifically, go directly to the licensed scheme operators listed above rather than general job boards.
• Hospitality and tourism recruiters in seasonal destinations (coastal towns, ski-adjacent regions, festival season) often hire in bulk ahead of summer.
• University careers services and exchange programme offices are usually the fastest route into a government-authorized exchange internship.

Be cautious of any scheme that asks for a large upfront placement fee with vague details about the actual employer or visa route. Legitimate schemes are specific about which visa category they sponsor.

• Hospitality and tourism: pubs, hotels, cafes, and seasonal resort towns are the most common entry point for Youth Mobility Scheme workers.
• Agriculture and horticulture: covered by the Seasonal Worker visa above, physically demanding but well suited to short stays.
• Retail and events: seasonal spikes around summer tourism, Christmas, and major events create short-term openings.
• Internships and office-based placements: through the Government Authorised Exchange route, common in business, engineering, media, and research fields.

Once your visa is sorted, a handful of practical things make the first weeks much smoother:

• Book your first 1-2 weeks of accommodation before you arrive; finding a room without a UK address or references can take time.
• Apply for a National Insurance number as soon as you arrive; you'll need it to be paid legally.
• Open a UK bank account early some employers won't run payroll without one, and it's easier to do in person once you land than to arrange from abroad.
• Budget for the Immigration Health Surcharge if it applies to your visa, and register with a GP once you have an address.

Sort your UK eSIM before you fly, too. It's one less thing to deal with once you land and means you can job hunt, sign tenancy paperwork, and set up your bank account online from day one instead of hunting for a SIM card in an unfamiliar city. Sim Local's guide to how UK eSIMs work covers the basics.