[Leccy-Lee]

Where do i start?

Well in just 2months i be heading over to NZ with BUNAC with my 12mths visa in tow. With a hope/dream to later find permenant work and stay on..

So much is worrying me right now, not so much with the temp visa and 6-7mths i plan on "exploring" NZ to find my feet, although i had planned to take a nice sum of cash and thanks to my empoyers i may now only be turning up with about £1500 on me for 6mths :confused:

What worries me more is the long-term future in NZ, i plan to after 6-7mths of travelling/casual work to try and find full work as an Electrician and hope to then apply for work visa and then after that PR from within NZ. Some of my worries:


How easy it is to get a 2yr visa with a job offer?
When i then go down PR route from within NZ, is it easy still to get NZQA assesment ect from inside NZ?
Also can i get medicals inside NZ (or need uk records)?
Can i still get a police check from NZ?
Suppose my biggest worry is cash tbh, by time i been travelling etc for 6mths my funds will be next to nothing and then applying for jobs/visas and registration courses and even then buying tools etc i will need is terrifying me (not practical or costly to import my tools i dont think)?
Will NZ employers take me seriously when i apply job and point out i am living in a hostel/campsite and dont have my tools etc with me and only on a temp 12mths visa?
How will i find a place to life when wont have enough cash etc for bonds or deposists?


Oh the sleepless nights :wah
If only i had a wealthy relative! Makes me sigh when the books and advise i read say "have a friend back home or family as a backup funds if you need it" LOL sadly not all of us have that luxury, theres me with my very small savings(£2000 tops) and a dream.. Can i make it work?
I will be doing WOOFING and casual work in m y 6-7mths travels so hope that will help, but that will likely be swalloped up in my travels and living costs, so when it comes to settling down its going to be hard, and thats my worries.

I cant leave it any longer, i put off this plan and trip for 2years+ now in the hope to save more cash, but one thing has led to another and it hasnt happened, so really no chance to delay it anymore (and visa / flights all paid for now anyhow) just worried if i can make it work, else i either end up homeless and unemployed in NZ or on a flight back home to nothing...

Anyway there, thats depressing enough, so i will end on a high note, in fact that whatever happens i am going to be in NZ in just 10weeks time, and see where life takes me...

But would love to hear from anyone thats gone from a temp visa to job and PR application inside NZ, and also if anyone ever managed thier "dream life" on such a whim and a pray (and such meager funds!)

[KerryS]

Ok, you sound a bit stressed out, so to answer some of your queries first:

How easy it is to get a 2yr visa with a job offer?
Easy - if you have a job offer in place you can just complete a form for a work permit and an empoyer supplementary form.
When i then go down PR route from within NZ, is it easy still to get NZQA assesment ect from inside NZ?
Yes.
Also can i get medicals inside NZ (or need uk records)?
Yes - and they're much, much cheaper here too as you can get them done at any doctor. Although obviously if you have a medical problem they may ask for further investigation/clarification from a dr back home if ncessary. (I have a 10cm titanium rod in my leg and they asked for a report from my consultant in the uk to clarify what, where, when, why etc. There were no probs and he just faxed it over and I included it with my medical report and had no other probs.)
Can i still get a police check from NZ?
Yes. You can apply online for one.
Suppose my biggest worry is cash tbh, by time i been travelling etc for 6mths my funds will be next to nothing and then applying for jobs/visas and registration courses and even then buying tools etc i will need is terrifying me (not practical or costly to import my tools i dont think)?
Personally I would bring tools etc with me. If you already have them then it seems pointless to buy more. Can you bring them when you arrive and store them if necessary whilst you are travelling? I would imagine professional tools wouldn't be cheap to replace.
Will NZ employers take me seriously when i apply job and point out i am living in a hostel/campsite and dont have my tools etc with me and only on a temp 12mths visa?
Yes - they don't care where you are living. Plenty of people get jobs when on temp visas (working holiday, Bunac or whatever) and employers are usually happy as long as their visa is valid.
How will i find a place to life when wont have enough cash etc for bonds or deposists?
Possibly more complicated - even flatshares ask for a deposit, although this wouldn't be huge amount (usually 3x weekly rent). Personally I would try and ensure that you have enough put by to cover this.

I was in pretty much the same boat as you - I arrived in NZ with virtually nothing. I'd been travelling for 18 months before I got here, and had only worked once in all that time. My funds were really low - under $1000 and I had no visa and wasn't sure about how I would go about getting any work. Thankfully - one of the people I'd met whilst in Australia was a professor at University of Auckland, and he offered me a job and sorted out my work visa.

My advice would be to stop worrying about the small details and think about the great time you'll have when you get here...

[Leccy-Lee]

Thankyou, you really dont know how much better your post has made me feel.

I will def look into bringing my tools over, although it wouldnt be much really, just 2 toolboxes and 2 drill boxes. But i couldnt bring them on flight, so maybe would have to ship them, and are there many cheap storage sites etc in Auckland? (Sorry too many questions, i shall do some googling!)

Thanks again, your right i am about to go on an adventure of a lifetime and hopefully put start to a new lifestyle and home/future so i should be excited and happy (and indeed i am) just cold-feet kinda thoughts run through your head now and again.

[R&A]

Take a few deep breaths and try to think happy thoughts. :) Easier said than done i know! There will come a time when all these questions will be a distant memory and the panic will be a dot in the distance (she says trying to convince herself as the panic rises:laugh )

I agree with all that kerrys said. I just wanted to add that my OH is a NZ trained electrician and since he has been living in the UK he has found many tools to be much cheaper here and he decided it was worth buying new tools and shipping them back home when we move in august. Just another opinion to add - hope it doesnt add to your confusion.

Try not to worry too much, have a great time!

[KerryS]

Lee - if you only have a couple of boxes of things then use a shipping company such as Seven Seas. They will send what you need for quite a reasonable price, and it's door-to-door delivery. There was a thread somewhere about shipping small amounts of things which had other recommendations.

There are loads of storage depots all over Auckland, but I don't have any idea of price.
Companies off the top of my head are:
Crown Self Storage (these are all over the city)
Smartbox (although prob too big for your needs)
Storageland
Space Station

If you do a yellow pages search there are probably loads of options for you to check out.

[urban78]

Hi Lee,

Don't worry I'm sure you'll be fine and once you get to NZ everything will fall into place :)

My partner and I used a company called Excess Baggage Company from London to ship a couple of boxes from there to Auckland. They will do it by ship or air but we chose the fast option cos we needed our stuff asap. We were very happy with their services, and with the handling agent in Auckland. They gave us a call on the day our boxes cleared customs and delivered it to our door. It took just 7 days for it to get to NZ and we sent everything on the day we departed from London Heathrow :laugh We found their details on the TNT magazine (the one for Kiwis, Ozzies and South Africans in London), a lot of excess baggage cos. will advertise there as well. You can give them a ring or here's their website for details:

http://www.excessbaggagecompany.co.uk/

http://www.tntmagazine.com/

All the best for your adventure,

Jen :)


Thankyou, you really dont know how much better your post has made me feel.

I will def look into bringing my tools over, although it wouldnt be much really, just 2 toolboxes and 2 drill boxes. But i couldnt bring them on flight, so maybe would have to ship them, and are there many cheap storage sites etc in Auckland? (Sorry too many questions, i shall do some googling!)

Thanks again, your right i am about to go on an adventure of a lifetime and hopefully put start to a new lifestyle and home/future so i should be excited and happy (and indeed i am) just cold-feet kinda thoughts run through your head now and again.

[Leccy-Lee]

Thanks all,

I am still a bit anxious, but def feel better than my stressed self last week!
Really looking forward to getting out to NZ now..

Still unsure of my tools issue, really not sure my old dusty greasy tools worth spending time and cash to ship over, when i can just buy some new out there (hand tools dont need too many really, and power tools can come later) Still checking out some those links to see what costs would be though, thanks.

[willsken]

Lee, if you only have a small amount of tools to store, I have a very empty garage that could have a small corner for them. You are welcome to ship them to me. We are in Hawke's Bay so it may not be practical but.... PM me if you want to, save money on storage fees. :)

[Leccy-Lee]

Wow, that is an incredibly generous offer thankyou. I will have to look into shipping costs and decide if its worth it and get back to you, thankyou very much.

[leeb]

Lee,

Whilst i can't help with most of your questions. I can tell you that a good friend of mine did exactly the same thing as you and funnily (spelling) enough his grand scheme of saving money before he left meant he had about £1500 when he arrived in NZ. He's still there now nearly a year later and hasn't looked back. He managed to fund himself through all of his travelling and is currently touring south island. I've not got many details about what he did but if you PM me I'll give you his email address and he might be able to let you into a few of his secrets. Trust me he was never the best person when it came to money handling so I'm sure you'll be fine.

Lee

[zardell]

Lee.

It cost my hubby and absolute fortune to replace his tools here in NZ. Mind you, he's a diesel mechanic, not an electrician.

Have a good look at some NZ websites and compare prices.

Yours may be old as you say, but it may be that shipping them over turns out to be the most cost effective method in the long term.

And if Nics prepared to store 'em for you - well you're laughing. Don't tell her I've told you though, but Nic makes a cracking Full English Brekkie, so make sure you go early in the morning to pick up your tools .....LOL.

Julie

xx

[Leccy-Lee]

Hehe i'll bear that in mind Julie :)
And Lee, pm on the way :)