[Taffy]

This is an interesting topic because I've seen the side of issue it seems no one else has seen - the Kiwi side.

I attended a seminar put on by New Life New Zealand and the local (Hamilton) Business Development council. It was a seminar for employers, who were experiencing great difficulty in finding skilled workers for their businesses. Well, it could have been a class of 5 year old kids. No one had a clue about employing someone from overseas. It seemed to petrify them completely. No one understood visas, qualifications and all believed it would be a mammoth chore to employ a foreigner, or that they would have to train them from scratch, or they would get fed up or homesick within a few weeks and leave the job. I would even go so far to say that international experience is intimidating to some. So saying that it's who you know is probably 90% correct. Of course, not everyone needs to know someone to get a job, but many many people do. It doesnt have to be a friend, it could be someone you speak to in the park, someone who turns up at a party you're invited to - all manner of places. Understanding that word of mouth is by far and away THE most powerful tool in NZ is absolutely essential.

KH, you and many other people like you know exactly what you are capable of. The sad truth is, Kiwis don't know, and by being foreign you make them uneasy. I've been here more that 3 years now, and I'm still not treated as a 'kiwi'. People talk to me differently, like they're not quite sure how to act. But, having said that, friendships I've developed with NZers have evolved in to an equality, where being comfortable around eachother is no longer an issue.

One thing I would be 95% confident in saying is that if someone recommends you for a job, you'll get it. The attitude change is instant, because the recommendation establishes trust.

NZ may have cities, but (and I'll probably be shot for this) I think a great many NZ'ers themselves are still small town people. Nervous of the unknown, cautious of the outside world. Trust is very important, and finding it is the biggest mission of all. It took me 6 months to find a job here, in the oh so skilled shortage IT industry. I too was told 'no problem for you to get a job, crying out for you there'. In the end, I got a job because someone I knew, knew someone who needed my skills and recommended me. Dawns partner Gary, got his job because Dawn was chatting to the hairdresser she went to see. Every opportunity NZ has ever presented to me was because I knew someone, somewhere.

Finding employement is a part of Kiwi culture that no one realises exists. It IS part of the culture, and in some cases can be the biggest culture shock of all, because it was so unexpected.

I wish you luck in finding a place you belong in Mr KH. If I had any advice for you, it would just be to tell everyone you meet all about you. Someone will know someone, thats for sure.