36 hours to get it right

[whale]

I arrive on Auckland on Monday lunchtime from UK. I have an appt with a potential employer on Wed am before flying to Christchurch in the afternoon to meet another potential employer on Friday and flying back to UK Sunday afternoon. In that time I am trying to get an idea whether moving to NZ is the right thing for the family (wife and two kids 9 & 5 + two dogs) and if so whether NI or SI is better! How would you make the most of the limited time? I am new to the forum and NZ so any thoughts would be much appreciated.

[Taffy]

Wow, what an itinery! Trying to make a life choice in that space of time would certainly be difficult! It takes that amount of time to get over the jet lag

I would have to say just make the most of your trip, and go where the work is initially. You'll have all the time in the world to see where you want to settle when you get here, and be able to make a full family decision

[Dawn]

Righto! 36 hours to make an informed decision eh? I don't think so matey Sounds to me like you're just gonna have to do the gut feeling thing. Lots of us came over here blind. We came without knowing what we were coming to. Some of us have stayed, others haven't. Personally speaking, our family, that includes three kids and 2 dogs, chose to just jump in with both feet. We were either gonna like it or not and we wouldn't know until we got here and did it.

You talk about the right decision - what's the 'right' decision anyway? What's right now may not be right tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. Don't look at it like that, nothing's set in stone man, nothing's forever. IMHO, you have to take every day as an adventure. The people that come with set ideas, a plan for how they want it to be, expectations of what their new life will be like are often the ones that pack up and go home. The people that succeed are the ones that are open to any and every opportunity and are adaptable enough to change their opinions on everything they thought they knew overnight

Come, soak up what you can of NZ whilst you're here and whatever decision you make will be the 'right' decision because it'll be your decision. Don't pressure yourself over right and wrong coz there isn't any.

Trust yourself buddy.

[whale]

Thanks for the thoughts - I realise that the time available will only give me a minute glimpse of life in NZ. If I get a warm feeling from the people I meet and get offered the job then that may well be enough. Thanks

[zummerzet_lou]

Hiya Whale.

WOW - that's quite an itinery you're got there. Firstly, good luck with the interviews.

I'm coming out in a couple of weeks time, but only for 1 interview, and flying back home a couple of days later .. and like you, want to try and suss out NZ as much as I can given the time. Not sure that's really going to be possible,but figure at least I'll get a "taste" of what's to come.

We initially fancied the SI, but most of the jobs are on the NI (in IT anyway), so have opted to start our journey there. As Taffy said, once we are here, we will have the luxury of time to explore and make changes.

all the best, and I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on,

Lou

[jandk]

Seems very little time for an informed decision the best thing to do is read other peoples posts and listen to the good and the bad. Some people like the south island little quiter very very scenic and Christchurch is a rapidly growing area , more seem to prefer the North , i find Auckland too busy and traffic is horendous yet i have a friend on Waheiki island who catches ferry to work and loves it. I moved to Tauranga a little quiter but a lot of industry so its like being at work and holidaying all the time.
Dont arrive with rose tinted glasses pays not good houses not so cheap anymore unless you are bringing money to cover property things can get tough! but lifestyle especially with the kids can more than make up for it , but hey thats my opinion everybody will and should have their own.
Like a previous post said open mindedness is the best way to enter into a new life , English is spoken but it isnt England its a whole new life!!!

[MotherBear]

Hi Whale and welcome.

To get a foot in the door, I think perhaps concentrating on getting a good job would be the priority rather than pondering on which would be the best place to live. It would be great to be able to pick and choose where you'd like to go, but that wouldn't be much use if the only job on offer is in a different area. If you get offered both jobs and neither one is better than the other, then you have the awkward decision of which one to choose. If only one is on offer or is suitable for you, that is probably the one you'll have to run with, whether it's in Auckland or Christchurch. I'd go along with the others who say you can always move around once you've been in NZ a while and have a better idea of the country. Getting the job in the bag is the most important thing initially, as that will form the basis of your life there. There have been several members on here who had their dream destination and went there only to find there weren't any jobs or the place wasn't so ideal in the end. They moved elsewhere and have been happy and content.

There always has been and always will be the old north/south divide with some swearing that North Island is the best place to be, but others are equally adamant that the South Island is wonderful. No doubt both are right because it's where they are happiest. Everyone is different so the choice has to be yours alone.....if you are given the choice .

The best of luck with your interviews. Hope you can manage to get some rest in between all the dashing about.

[whale]

Well I survived the week and got the job offer from Timaru - loved it down there. Thanks for all the advice.

Pressure is on now as I need to start the new job in July. Trying to work out the priorities for the next few days/weeks/months and working out how to break the news to relations that we will be off in 3 months.

As priorities become clearer I am sure to have lots of questions.

Here's to July.

[MotherBear]

That's great news. Glad to hear you survived and came out with flying colours. It's good that you liked the area, too, which should help with settling down.

Are you taking the dogs with you? I ask because I think they need about 6 months to complete all the various procedures and tests ready for export.

[nickydwuk]

Well done on the job offer - good luck with breaking the news to rellies. Hope it all goes well.