Teachers, can you help?

Hello all

I'm currently looking into the possiblity of moving to NZ. Still currently researching the possibility and have read a great deal on various websites and on this forum.

All being well, we are hoping to make the move in 18-24 months.

I would be very pleased to here about your experiences of the application process (ease, time it takes, etc), the NZ education system, if UK teachers are valued (or not), moving to NZ, ease of finding work and anything else you may be able to share with me.

Thanks

Monkey

Secondary teachers are on the priority list as the 'baby boom' is now moving into the secondary system, but primary teachers are still wanted especially in the Auckland area.

I hope to move to NZ in September and had an interview with a NZ recruitment agency in London in Feb. They are called Multi Serve.

I found them on the net by accident and they have been really helpful. I am now on their books and they have asked me to contact them a month before I arrive so that they can have interviews and school visits set up.

Have a look and see what you think www.multiserve.co.nz

Fisheress

Fisheress

You are clearly much further on through the process than I am. Thanks for the infomation, I will check out the link you sent.

I am a secondary teacher, so I hope the demand will still be there when we hope to move, which as I said won't be for a while yet. The prospect of setting up interviews before I go will be great.


Again, thanks Fisheress.

Hi Monkey
Do yourself a real favour and accept the fact that when you finally arrive in beautiful NZ and start teaching, you are gonna have to wait for some time (anything from 6-10 weeks before you get paid. Even then you are likely to start at the very bottom of the scale. In my case 35000 UK pounds pa to approx 10,000 uk pounds (sorry keyboard has no pounds key). I was assured that if I provided all requested paperwork I would have no problems.. I did and still encountered all the problems.. lies and cons are used to get you there I have now returned to the UK having wasted many, many thousands of pounds, given up a very good job because I was lied to and conned by the poxy kiwi 'system'. I am happy to provide evidence and many tales of cons and incometencies. Yes I am bitter and no I was not naive having travelled extensively prior to this experience. What really gets me is noone ever said sorry. Just ask and I'll tell you all about it !
Wilson :icon_frown:

Wow wilson, sounds like you had a bad time of it.

Where in NZ did you go? What were the 'lies' and 'cons' they used? And to what end did they use them?

Its common knowledge that you wont get paid anything like you did in the UK, but the rest of it sounds quite shocking, and quite out of character from my personal experiences.

[Monkey]

Wilson

I'm sorry to hear of your bad eperiences in NZ - I hope now you are back that things have improved for you!

I certainly would like to know more! Tales of what has happened to you especially with regards to teaching and what 'lies' you were told will be very very useful for me. I hoped to hear more from teachers in NZ who have moved from the UK, so far you are the only one who has posted - so please, if it doesn't make your blood boil too much, please let me know what happened.

Monkey

[fisheress]

As I said, I'm going out as a primary teacher and I think you've got to be realistic that the wages don't compare with the UK........I'm not going to NZ to be a millionaire. Also, if you go to a new country, I think it's only right that you expect to start at the bottom and work up ( although my recruitment agency said it wouldn't be unheard of to go in at the top of the scale or even get a management job).

You have obviously had a bad time of it, Wilson :icon_frown: and I do know that admin offices etc are useless especially with timings........still waiting for my ITA.... but I hope that not too many people are put off by your experience. I know I haven't been.

Fisheress ::):

[wilson]

I went to south Auckland and to be fair to the school they did eventually try to helpwith my problems with lack of pay. My initial response from the finance dep't at the school after waiting for weeks for my pay was "Don't worry it's always like this. You should get something (pay)sorted by august/november".

Next I tried to talk to Oasis recruitment who recruited me. They simply shrugged and told me to accept the fact that I was in beautiful NZ ! They MARTIN STRANG informed me that they were aware of problems with pay but that I had to accept that I had moved to a new country. My frustration was that no-one ever told me this BEFORE I decided to go ! They were at a loss as to how they could help.

I contacted Charles Brown at Teach NZ and waited for him to get back to me. A while later I contacted him again. He lied that he had tried to contact me at school and had sent me e-mails .... the school office confirmed no contact calls from him had been made. He did eventually help but only after a long phone call.

The next great one was waiting 7 weeks for the relocation grant paperwork. I eventually had to copy the paperwork from a colleague who had received it the day before the deadline. I completed it and sent it to Wellington. A week later it was returned with a note telling me that I had 'not completed it correctly'. At the top of page in question was a note asking me to "tick the relevant boxes". This I had done. Frustrated and confused I spoke with Wellington to ask exactly what the problem was. The response..."You did not put crosses in those boxes that do not apply to you" !!! From here I was simply advised to tick them all anyway and return the form....COMPLETE TOTAL INCOMPETENCE.

Give it a go if you are young free and single, but if you have to support a family. Think VERY seriously.

[saraian]

Hi Wilson

Seems like you had a really rough time and it must be so very frustrating for you. More so when you got the run around, as much as you did, from all the different people.

I'm really sorry that it didn't work out for you.

I have to say though, that whether you are young free and single, or with a family makes no difference. If you have the money to support yourself for a set period of time, with or without a job you should be ok. I think it's wise to make sure you can live for a given period of time after your arrival.

The kiwi's are well know for their laid back attitude, although in your case Wilson it was a little more than this, i'm sure. Yet it has to be said that our own country has all the incompetencies that you highlight in your mail. It took me over 8 weeks to get a wage in this country because of various cockups!

The main point I'm trying to make, is not to have such high expectations. You still have to work and encounter the daily problems and incompetencies of things beyond your control. You will still have financial worries, you still live your daily up and down life, wherever in the world you live. But whether you are on your own or a family with young children, is irrelevant to me. I want my kids to have a spirit of adventure. How many children are lucky enough to get the oppotunity for the life that most of us are embarking on?

Life is an adventure, NOT to be wasted. If it all goes belly up, a least you had a go and you can get on the plane and start again. Yes you could lose money, that's because life is a gamble, but this gamble is one worth taken. I think so anyway!!

[nattydread]

Well said saraian, couldn't agree more.

Really sorry that it didn't work out wilson.