Hello KW, hello everyone,
after reading through the posts in this threat, I'm tempted to ask a reverse question:
Has ANYONE from any country EVER lived somewhere, where getting a job because of your qualification is the norm and getting a job because of who you know is the excemption? I think it's a myth. And I must confess, I too thought it would be different in NZ.
(I'm not talking about sales and marketing people here. They usually do stunning careers in a short time, no matter where in the world they work, because their job is to make people believe and do something. They are trained in that. Convincing someone to hire you is their finger exercise. That's different from the people producing a product, teaching or researching etc. They aren't trained in that. We are those foolish idiots still believing in earnest work and earnest pay and so on.)
I am experiencing a similar situation in the media industry in Germany. Its 100% only about who you know. To an extend that you wonder how any website, brochure or ad campaign ever get done at all, since all positions are filled with the beer buddies, friends, nephews and wannebe "I studied design" -daugthers.
I sometimes can't help myself thinking that we are all living in corrupt, dark Mordor, trying to find our little friendly Hobbit Land. But once we get there we still act like Mordor citizens. Rushing around, working us to death, trying to find meaning and approval in life through work and recognition of work. Is moving to NZ an outer journey, or an innner one? I guess we have to learn to become Hobbit citizens (I'm mainly talking to myself here), then, my feeling says, we will also find those jobs.
My husband and I are moving from Berlin to NZ in 3 months!
Greetings, Petra