Hello.....

[Markhood]

HI.. I only just signed up to this forum so please forgive me if I'm in the wrong end.

My partner has (at long last) seen the light and wants to get things moving on our move to NZ. She wants to hang fire till our little man (now 1) gets to 2 and a half years old. That will be this coming January.

I work for a city council as a senior training officer and she is an online film editor with Granada television.

I've seen loads of companies offering services and making all sorts of promises but would really like some advice from people who have made the leap before I start spending my cash.

Thanks chaps

[MotherBear]

Thanks chaps

Eh? There are a few of us chapesses on here, too, ya know and we can be pretty darned helpful when the wind is blowing from the right direction.

Anyway, I'm only teasing. to the forum, Mark. Glad to have you with us.

As we don't have any info on how far you've gone into researching NZ immigration, I'll start off by asking if you've ventured onto the Immigration NZ website yet. Ideally you need to start off by looking on the Long Term Skill Shortage List to see if either yours or your partner's job title is on there. If it is one of you can apply for Permanent Residency under the Skilled Migrant Category. This operates on a points system - the more points you get the better chance you have of getting in, but you do need a minimum of 100 to be able to apply.

Before I swamp you with more links and info, have a read through those 2 and see if there's anything in there that fits your circumstances.

Good luck.

[Taffy]

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the forum from me too

[keeweegal]

Hi Mark, from another chapess!

KG

[Cindy]

Hiya Mark, welcome to the forum and wish I could help but we're taking the more risky route and getting ourselves on NZ soil to hopefully land a job. Good luck with everything!

[ebianca]

And yet another Chapess to welcome you on board.

Feel free to join in the fun and ask any questions- we are generally a helpful bunch.

As for companies offering services I presume you mean with the immigration process? Most people mange it quite well on their own and with help from people on places like this is they get a little stuck but some do use 'consultants' to take a BIT of the pressure off but most do charge quite a lot for the pleasure.

[kokopeli]

Hi Mark, I'm a northern chap with a training background. Most employment-related training in NZ (vocational and management sides) revolves around NZQA Unit Standards. (see National Qualifications Framework - National recognition for your skills and qualifications [ NZQA ]. These are competency based and are very similar to the stuff offered in the UK by the Institute of Leadership and Management (aka City & Guilds).

If you can drive your way around the Unit Standards, you'll be fine. Like most of these things, some of them are good, but a lot of them are shocking to work with. In my experience, students have to spend more time recording their evidence to prove their competence than they do actually learning or developing the knowledge or skills in question!

If you want to stay with the training role in NZ, you could check out the local government websites and polytechnics, as well as the private training providers such as NZIM. Most of them like to keep a steady supply of tutors on their books....

Hope that helps.

[Markhood]

"Oh" what a lovely warm fuzzy feeling this forum gives off.

It's like the little snug in my local boozer.... one of the few things I'll miss about the UK should i ever get off this isle.

To be fair it's not that bad really.... it's just not the same anymore as when I was growing up and it's not the country my grandad went to war for or the country I pay 40% tax for.

I had a quick look at the Long Term Skill Shortage List and neither of our post titles are on there ( I expected that ).

Lindsay works in TV and has seen jobs in the past with TVNZ that she could go for. It's not easy being here though as companies need you available for interview.

I'm a recruitment/training specialist for the City Council in Leeds.

What were planning is this.....

1..sell the house here in the UK
2..get hold of a work to residency visa (i think it's 9 months initially)
3..go to NZ and rent a place
4..look for a job from within the country
5..get busy becoming a kiwi

Thanks for the comments guys

[Markhood]

Hi Mark, I'm a northern chap with a training background. Most employment-related training in NZ (vocational and management sides) revolves around NZQA Unit Standards. (see National Qualifications Framework - National recognition for your skills and qualifications [ NZQA ]. These are competency based and are very similar to the stuff offered in the UK by the Institute of Leadership and Management (aka City & Guilds).

If you can drive your way around the Unit Standards, you'll be fine. Like most of these things, some of them are good, but a lot of them are shocking to work with. In my experience, students have to spend more time recording their evidence to prove their competence than they do actually learning or developing the knowledge or skills in question!

If you want to stay with the training role in NZ, you could check out the local government websites and polytechnics, as well as the private training providers such as NZIM. Most of them like to keep a steady supply of tutors on their books....

Hope that helps.

Hi... I hear what you're saying regarding quals etc..... NVQ's * C&G now require almost 80% portfolio work. As a trainer coming from a working background i find it hard to send students into the world as either a photographer/ graphic artist or even as an IT savvy individual when all they have really done is read a book and pass a test......

I've always said I could probably fly Concorde in theory by reading a book and there are loads of dudes driving around the Uk who have passed a test......

Thanks for the advice....

Cheers

[MotherBear]

"Oh" what a lovely warm fuzzy feeling this forum gives off.

It's like the little snug in my local boozer.... one of the few things I'll miss about the UK should i ever get off this isle.

Ooooh, don't comments like that make you feel all . What a nice thing to say, Mark. We've been called several things before, but I don't think 'warm and fuzzy' came into it . I wonder how that would come across in an advertising campaign. 'Come join Move To NZ - the warm and fuzzy forum.'

Lovely baby you have there, Mark.