Going round in Circles!

[Carolking58]

new to this - have been on the NZI website and like others spent hours there. I think I'm fairly intelligent but feel totally incapacitated when I try and work my way round it. It doesn't seem to give me any chance to explain things (so to speak). We are debating whether to go EOI or holiday visa then get work permits etc.

My hubby is an HGV 1 driver - have spoken to agency over there - no real concerns about getting a job. I'm a senior lecturer in childcare - hold HNC Childhood & Youth Studies and Certificate in Education (post compulsory). Have 18 years work experience in this category. Also hold Enrolled Nurse qualification. Have been offered a job in Hamilton (what's it like there - we quite like Christchurch as an option) but either seem pretty OK.

Any tips for best route. obviously just want to be sure about selling up house, giving up jobs etc. Middle daughter doing GCSE's next summer so can't go till then. ? going for holiday in August (got to fit it in to my holidays) to have a looksee. Likes others have said - feels scary although we're happy to take the chance.

I also have Diabetes type II but if we can get there on holiday visas then work permit (hubby with me with open work permit I think - am I right?) would really want to take 6 months off then look for work. Trying to get transcript of nurse training expensive, v. time consuming.

Is it better to just get there - live off some of the money of sale of house then get jobs. Concerned about where do we put belongings (anything we don't sell) and cats? Presume we can't arrange to ship all over if we're on a hol. visa rather than work.

Any and every bit of help available greatfully received.
CK58
:icon_rolleyes: :icon_rolleyes: :icon_rolleyes:

[Welshgirl]

Hi Carol & welcome to the forum :icon_biggrin:

I know what you mean about the NZIS site, it can get a little complicated to say the least, and you can get lost in it all, but half the people on this forum probably ended up here because exactly the same happened to them, so don't worry!! :icon_wink:
I can only help you with some of the queries in your post I'm afraid, but I guess any little titbits of info will be useful to you, but I'll tell you about what we did.... so here goes......
We came over in November '04, my husband on a WHV and my daughter and I on a visitors visa. We started off in Tauranga which, whilst being a beautiful place, did not offer the job opportunities that we needed, so it was suggested by some friends of ours already in Hamilton that we move there. So we did, and we love it! It is a vibrant city with plenty of job opportunities, the people are great and there is a lot to do. Not so much scenery as Tauranga, but you don't have to go far to find some!! When my husband found a job, he applied for a work permit and we also got a sudent permit for our daughter for her to start school. We are just about to apply for PR, now that we are settled and are sure we want to stay here.
I guess we did it the risky way - some people sort out getting PR from the UK, then come over, but we sold our house, gave up our jobs and just decided to go for it, and live on the profit from the house sale for a few months. We had nothing to lose and everything to gain!!
You can bring your cats with you but beware, it will be very expensive, so only bring them if you are extremely attached to them and couldn't bear to be parted from them! There are various threads on this forum somewhere about bringing animals into the country which you might want to seek out.
As for shipping your belongings over, you can do that as soon as you like, but only if you are sure you want to stay. Again, depending on what you are bringing, that can be expensive too - we sold everything and started afresh when we got here. Other than that, whatever you don't want to ship/sell I guess will have to go into storage or get someone to look after it for you.
I just realised how long this posting is, so I'll shut up now :icon_redface:
Hope you enjoy your holiday here :icon_biggrin:

[Carolking58]

thanks 4 yr reply - sounds pretty much what we're thinking of doing. I have a job offer in Hamilton - are there suburbs to the city - anywhere in particular you would recommend? housing over there presumably cheaper than here. is there anything in particular you miss?
will catch up l8r as have to take son out now.
thank you so much
CK58

[Welshgirl]

Yes, Hamilton is divided into various suburbs - Flagstaff, Chartwell, St.Andrews, Rototuna, Te Rapa, Pukete, to name but a few..... No particular areas to avoid really, just depends what sort of house/area you'd find acceptable!!
Housing prices vary considerably from area to area - again, depends what sort of a house/area you're looking for! Generally it is cheaper than the UK. $300-$400,000NZD (about ?115-?150,000GBP) will get you a nice 3/4 bedroomed house in a good area, but obviously there are houses around for less.
Mortgage companies will lend you up to 4 times your annual income as a rule, so get an idea of how much you'd be able to borrow before you start looking for houses! :icon_eek: icon_exclaim.gif
Renting is an option if you're not in a position to buy. Rent-to-Buy is also available with some houses/landlords.......
There are some things I miss, but they are outweighed by the things that I don't miss! Be prepared for the odd bout of homesickness though..... when you can't pop round your best friends for coffee and a chat, or you can't find those favourite sausages you used to be able to get back in the UK..... :smiley19: !! People have compared what they miss/don't miss on a thread somewhere on this forum - see if you can dig it out, it's really interesting! But most people agree they wouldn't change anything and are glad they moved to NZ!

[selchie]

Hamilton sounds a lot nicer than our brief impression when we here on holiday in 2001. Of course we only saw it from the highway, and were cranky.

We were back in NZ last November, and read about the unveiling of the Riff Raff (Rocky Horror Picture Show) statue, and how Richard O'Brien led the crowd in the Time Warp. Great stuff!

Oddly enough, we didnt like Hamilton when we first saw it.

It's only since we've moved here and took the time to look around that we changed our view.

I doubt we would ever live anywhere else now!

[selchie]

It's good to have another option when/if we get to look for a NZ home.

[Carolking58]

Hi guys
thanx for more comments re. Hamilton. have to admit now feel really confused bout the whole thing. Shall we shan't we? hubby up for it and wants to go now but ?? concerns for me bout how rest of family will feel - elderly parents left here? daughter 15 not quite as keen. Son says - "I don't want to move".
presume others have had these conflicts - any suggestions - what makes it the best place to be in your opinions? Did it take time to adjust to perhaps a slower pace of life? did you miss too much? Am I paranoid/worrying too much? don't know how I feel totally bout giving it all up here?
any help gratefully received. ps will my sony ericson P910i work over there - it's got my whole life on it?
thanx - reply if you can.
CK 58 :icon_question:

[Zemanova]

Hi Guys

We have been in Cambridge for 5 weeks and we think Hamilton is great. It is near enough for us and has everything we need; i.e. Great gardens and riverwalks, shops, airport and entertainment. It is also ideally situated for Auckland (wouldn't be going there too often however), both coasts and the thermal region.

Buying just outside Morrinsville and moving in 4th of July !!


Pam & Dave

[beenAwhile]

[quote:8398df63ed="Carolking58"]Hi guys
elderly parents left here? daughter 15 not quite as keen. Son says - "I don't want to move".
presume others have had these conflicts[/quote:8398df63ed]

Perhaps this is a bit after your original posting but I'll provide my two-penneth anyway...I find it quite therapeutic !

When my family came down to NZ we had to leave our son in the UK with his grandparents for 18 months to finish his schooling. It was hard on everyone as you can imagine. I had to come down when I did as a job offer was open at the time.

My daughter was 19 when we came here and she couldn't wait to leave the UK. However, she has had her ups and downs since arriving but is settling now (two years later). She did a year at Uni and then worked for 6 months. Now she is working FOR the Uni and studying part-time. It's a very felxible setup and is working well for her. She has a few friends but still misses home and old friends occasionally.

Like your son, my son really didn't want to come. Although he came for a holiday during his school break, which he really enjoyed, he really didn't want to leave his friends - and girlfriend. Imagine the guilt trip my wife and I went through when he had to leave.

Anyway, he had a tough first few months but is settling now. He has adopted Kiwi ways faster than all of us and now has steady employment with a local plumbing and roofing firm (Uni was never an option - even though he got the requisite 'A' level grades). He will be starting his apprenticeship soon - tradesmen are in short supply here and do very well financially when qualified. He has a couple of good friends and his UK girlfriend is coming to visit tomorrow for three weeks ! He has trips to the South Island (whale-watching etc) and North Island booked up - in his boy-racer car unfortunately...

You will all feel home-sick from time to time and you will undoubtedly experience problems that you weren't expecting before you got here. But you will get through them, and it will not take THAT long before things here start to feel as familiar as things back home. You and your children will quickly appreciate the benefits and opportunites that NZ has to offer. Don't lose sight of that...