Dream of living and working somewhere exotic? Consider Fiji as your destination! The idea of moving to Fiji can seem like a dream, but it is possible to turn this into a reality of lots of foreigners find work here every year. The most popular industries which hire international staff include the travel, tourism and hospitality industries.
Hotel, Tourism and Hospitality Jobs
Over one million tourists visit Fiji every year and this is the best way to find paid jobs.
Fiji has numerous luxury resorts offering holiday work opportunities. Here are the resorts and available positions:
• Likuliku Lagoon Resort: Lifeguards, scuba-diving instructor, fishing boat captain and crew, windsurfing instructor, nature guide.
• Kavika Falls Villa: Kayaking guides, scuba diving instructor, snorkelling instructor, fishing boat captain and crew. Hiking guides, mountain biking guides
• Yasawa Island Resort and Spa: snorkeling instructor, sailing instructor, sea kayak guide, fishing boat captain and crew, windsurfing teacher, tennis instructor, scuba diving instructor
• Turtle Island: scuba diving instructor, golf pro, snorkeling
Guide to Working in Fiji
Find out more information about this destination.
History
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Fiji was called Viti by its native people. These natives were a blend of Micronesian, Polynesian and Melanesian cultures and lived a relatively harmonious life dating back approximately 2500 years. In 1643, Abel Tasman set sail to Indonesia and stumbled upon the islands that are now know as Fiji. Nobody returned to see these islands until Captain James Cook, 130 years later. At this time people avoided the Fiji islands due to the reputation of the people as being ‘crazed cannibals’.
During the late 19th Century the High Chief of Fiji ceeded the Islands to Queen Victoria and Britain controlled their colonial subjects until Independence in 1970. Fiji is now a Republic with a democratic parliamentary system similar to other Western Countries. Also in the 19th Century many Christian missionaries came to live and preach. At present nearly all Fijian are Christians and many practice their faith enthusiastically.
People
With around 800 000 people living in Fiji it is the most populated in the South Pacific. Fiji is a multi-cultural society with more than 50% being indigenous Fijians and about 44% Indians (primarily Hindu and Muslim belief). Others that populate the island include Banabans, Polynesian Rotumans, and Tuvaluans and some European and Chinese settlers.
The Fijians
The Indigenous Fijians adhere to a traditional system that involves a hierarchical ladder with the chief at the top. Most Fijians still bind to village life where clans of people live on the same land that is controlled by the chief. The chiefs power and his family claims are hereditary. The common people do not have any substantial say in the goings on of the village and traditionally Fijian women are not treated as equals when making decisions in the family. This is the traditional way of life for Fijians although some of the village people leave the village to work in towns or other countries. Those away from home are still expected to contribute to their village and provide financial support. Many of the younger generation Fijians find this tradition difficult to live by due to western influence.
Fiji-Indians
Indians that reside in Fiji are the descendants of labourers brought over to work the sugar cane plantations in the late 1800’s. Many of the Indians assumed residency in Fiji even though the contracts that they were under lasted only five years. The Indians dominate the business and sugarcane industry of Fiji today and make up 44% of Fiji’s population.
Rotumans
The Polynesian island of Rotuma is a state of Fiji however is quite different in its culture and tradition from the native Fijians. Families structures differ in that the Rotumans have individual houses with distinct boarders, The people in the villages are not particularly controlled by the chiefs and the village clan. Women in Rotuma are also treated with greater respect here and have primary responsibilities in family decision making. Rotumans are known for their good nature and fun humor.
Lifestyle
Indigenous Fijians live co-operatively in a lifestyle based on sharing within large extended families. Bures, the traditional name for their dwelling – are single room structures with bamboo woven walls and thatch roofs. Families perform all the activities of daily living under one roof in these intricately designed structures. The kitchen resides outside of the bure and is a simple separate building with a firewood oven under the ground (lovo). Bathrooms are covered pits in the ground somewhere in the back of the bure. Villages often contain a mix of bures and other typical building structures however there are some villages around Fiji that are mostly or entirely made of the thatched dwellings.
Village homes do not have definite boundaries making for intimate living. It is unusual to find a Fijian family living on land outside of a village. Chores such as washing, fishing, cleaning, cooking and minding the children are all shared activities done by the people of the village. Many villager live without the luxury of electricity or clean running water making money only by selling produce and handicrafts. Rugby and volleyball are popular sports amongst the young Fijians and a game is often going in the village with many spectators. The discussion of village politics over a bowl of yaqona (kava) is a typical evening in a Fijian village.
Indigenous Fijians own approximately 80% of the land in Fiji with some being sub-leased mostly to Indian sugar cane farmers, industries and tourist resorts under the discretion of the village elders. The money from the lease goes to improving villages and new projects and more importantly education and expensive ceremonies such as weddings and funerals.