While "gap years" in Australia have traditionally been the preserve of students and graduates, more Irish people in their mid to late twenties are spending at least a year Down Under before joining Ireland's rat race full time.

Graduates who immediately step into the chase for job promotions and home ownership may gain a head start on peers who take a year out, yet many Irish employers take a positive view of job candidates who have travelled and worked abroad in the belief that they are mature, resourceful, well-rounded and independent.

Caoimhe Armstrong, a 27-year-old Dubliner who now lives in Sydney, sees working in Australia as a "rite of passage" for Irish people. She has spent the last year combining travel around south-east Asia and New Zealand with stints of work in Australia.

"I had seen so many of my friends take off for Australia and come home with nothing but good things to say," she said. "For me, it was about experiencing new countries but also about taking time out from my own life in Ireland.

"I put serious thought into the idea when I received an inheritance and after I'd left my job to go back to college full time. I figured if I didn't do it then, I would probably never do it." Ms Armstrong, who had been working as a reservations agent at a tour operator in Dublin, spent half a year travelling before looking for work in Sydney. She has been working there for the past five months, with a six-week break to travel around New Zealand and Fiji.

The Dubliner was originally given a week's assignment as a receptionist at a mortgage and loans company in the city's central business district. They liked her so much they asked her to stay and even gave her another position after she returned from her six-week trip.

"They rehired me to work with their corporate services team," Ms Armstrong said. She plans to work for one more month and come back to Ireland at the end of March. While Ms Armstrong is unsure what the future holds for her at home, she has no regrets.