Seeking some info before taking the plunge

[Luane]

Hello all!
I've been wanting to emigrate to NZ for some time now but never seem to be able to get the information I need to make a definite decision. I hope someone can help me with these:

1. When going over to NZ in the hope of finding an offer of employment, what kind of place would I be most likely to find affordable accomodation?
2. What are the most effective ways of finding employment (newpapers, recruitment agencies, etc.)?
3. Any suggestions on what to do about cell phones, to be able to still communicate effectively back home (South Africa)?
4. What is the cost of a 6 month work visa and where is/are the permit offices, or how do you go about applying for a work permit?
5. What documents would I need with me to apply for a work permit/visa?
6. What does an average day cost (basics, i.e. food, cheapest kind of accomodation, etc)?

Hope to hear from someone soon.
LG

[Taffy]

Hi Luane,

Welcome to the forum

To try and answer your questions:

1. If you are on your own, and want flexibility then backpackers hostels are cheap as temporary accommodation. There are also many places to rent, depending on your needs. Prices will vary greatly depending on which city you want to live in, and in what area you choose.

2. This depends on what type of employment you are looking for. Long term skilled employment is usually on Trademe.co.nz or Seek.co.nz, and with employment agencies etc. Another good option is to contact employers direct.

3. Cell phones aren't a great option for international calls, but if unavoidable it will be cheaper to have an NZ mobile than a SA one.

4. Visa costs vary depending on where you apply. There are branches all over the world, and in most big cities in NZ.

5. Documents required will also vary depending on your job. For work permits, usually some evidence of qualification/experience is needed. For a short term work permit you wouldnt need a medical, but you may still require a police certificate.

6. Again assuming you are on your own, day to day living wont cost you much. The biggest difference to living costs will be your accommodation, but as for food etc, not much at all.

I hope that goes some way to answering your Q's!

[migratingfishswim]

NZ emigration expos are run in SA (i think by opportunities nz) - they are a great place to talk to employers, NZ immigration, housing providers, removals, etc etc etc!

expos also take place in NZ for recently-arrived migrants, the one i've heard of is Migrant Expo Provide Access to Job Fairs, Immigration & Settlement for Migrants

look at the NZ immigration dept. website for skills shortages - can you do any of those jobs? if so, use google.co.nz to find out who the employers are

NZ immigration website has a downloadable pdf with prices for all visa types - will tell you how to apply and what documents to provide.

smaller towns have lower cost of living than cities, same as everywhere :-)

Cost of living in New Zealand has a really useful cost of living calculator, suggesting amounts for basic living

that site also provides cost of housing and tons of useful info

[keeweegal]

Have a look at the main pages of Move to New Zealand here too

[MonkeyControl]

Hello Luane,

Addressing Point 3:

When Me and Bunstar first arrived we were travelling round the North Island in a Campervan, but I had set up 'Skype' on our laptop P.C. which we brought in our hand luggage, and our folks back in Manchester U.K. also had Skype set up in their P.C.'s. We found that we could video call back to the U.K. via Wi-Fi from campsites over here, in fact the first question on arrival at a new campsite was generally 'do you have Wi-Fi?'. Even with 'pay as you go' style Wi-Fi access, video calling in this way was very reasonable, but of course you need a laptop P.C. in the first place.

The main reason for the laptop for me brings me to your Point 2, job-hunting. A quick search on New Zealand YELLOW? for employment agencies or suitable areas of employment in the local area will usually generate a good list of doors to knock on to keep you busy for the next day or two. I bought a cheap local mobile phone and updated my C.V. with the number as a couple of agencies seemed less than keen to call me on my U.K. mobile phone. Maybe it was the call cost to them, or maybe I just looked more commited to them with a local number on my C.V., I don't know, just an observation.

This yellow search followed by door-knocking certainly worked for me in Engineering, but your field of work may require a different approach, (Priority One, or NZ Herald perhaps). Good Luck anyway.