STUDYING AS A MATURE STUDENT FOR 2 YEARS AND MORE.

[Sonia]

Dear All
I'm presently in a full time job in the uk but i am seriously wondering what it would take to become a resident/citizen of NZ? So i'm looking at becoming a mature student (over 40) and hoping to get a degree to become a teacher.

I will be able to fund myself but on comparing the study entry for NZ it does not appear to be as wide reaching as Australia i.e more choice of courses etc. I also work in the probation service and did not see anything on the skills list for this particular employment again unlike Australia where you can get 40 points towards probation.

I would love to get some clear cut information for anyone else. So here's hoping for lots of replies.

Thanks.

[Pulsarblu]

Hi Sonia, welcome to the forum.

Perhaps you have to get it straight what is your purpose of migrating to NZ? Many of us want to move to NZ for many reasons but we have similar common one, that is for a change of environment and NZ great surroundings suit us.

I cannot say for you but from your question, are you thinking of coming to NZ for study (main reason) and then perhaps finding a related job (second reason). Have you consider living long term and permanently in NZ? Migrating as everyone knows is a very important and perhaps most important decision a person can make in his/her life, so you must consider it carefully. That said, if you finally decided to come to NZ for study, then with the two years here of education, you can gain some very important points towards Skilled Migrant Category although you have to choose your course carefully that suit NZ long term skill shortage list.

I would say that you can obtain degree in many other countries, even at home, not necessary NZ or Aus.

Just my opinion because again migration is a serious thing and we here at this forum knows this and so does NZIS which makes new potential migrant more difficult (i.e. only attracting genuine migrants) to come in.

Cheers and good luck...
pulsarblu

[Sonia]

Thank you very much for your reply. Yes my reasons are genuine - basically i've reached a point in my life where i want to do something that will really help the community. I have a friend in NZ & also feel by studying there, i will be getting used to the country. I've previously worked as a teaching assistant and i would like to be involved in the education environment again. So it is a big step for me, not only to study but to do so in another country where my hard work will be recognised. i would also like to put my probation work experience to good use. So yes i have thought long and hard about this and wish to start the ball rolling in the right direction!

[Pulsarblu]

Hi Sonia,

That is great! :icon_biggrin: We hope to see you in NZ someday! I am however not sure about probation service in NZ, perhaps someone in this forum can comment. If I am not mistaken, you have to get yourself registered with an agency before you can work in the education or maybe probation work.

pulsarblu

[MotherBear]

[smilie=welcome.gif] Sonia,

I've trawled through the Immigration site, but can't find anything for Probation Officers.

As for studying in NZ, I assume you've read through the blurb on the NZIS site? It appears that, before you can enter NZ on a student visa, you have to have an offer of a place at a polytech or uni. Then, it also says, you need to provide evidence that you intend to leave NZ again when you've finished your course. This seems a bit odd when they are crying out for teachers. Perhaps they send you off to gain experience in other countries before letting you back in again? :017: I've tried to research details regarding mature students, but it doesn't appear to differentiate, from what I've seen. Possibly the first step, if you want to study there is to approach several colleges/universities in your chosen area to see if they will accept you. That would give you some idea of whether this is a viable option.

Good luck with making your choice.

With them wanting a guarantee that you'll leave, all it means is they don't want people staying on a student permit when they are no longer students.

Once you have finished your course, NZIS will grant you a visitors visa to enjoy some time in NZ afterwards.