[nickydwuk]

I am a nurse and to submit my EOI with enough points I need a job offer - however it seems that most DHB's won't make a job offer until PR or a work permit have been granted. I need PR as I can't afford to pay the school fees for my 2 boys otherwise (without PR I understand they would be classed as international students and be liable for those fees). How have others got round this or is there no solution? :(

[Farfields]

Hi,
Our experience may not exactly help, but should give you hope. My GF got a job offer after a phone interview. We are in OZ and made a weekend trip to Christchurch for my job interview. She previously emailed the hospital and arranged for an informal chat, and the following week had a phone intereview and was offered a job. This was before we had even applied for EOI. It has taken us 3 months to have PR approved and they have held the job during the time it has taken.

Don't give up yet, you can do it.

FF.

[IanW99]

If your children are under the age of 16 then state schools are free.

You only need a PR if they are over 16 and want to attend tertiary education and you don't want to pay international student fees.

So you can get to NZ with just a work visa if that is your only problem.

But as you are a nurse, I would recommend you arrive on PR if at all possible as the only down side would be it tends to take slightly longer.

If you are having problems with the DHBs directly then have you tried the agencies yet? They did all the leg work for us and made it possible to get a job offer from the UK.

Ian

[nickydwuk]

Thanks for that. I am in contact with some agencies so hopefully they can help. My older son will be 16 nearly 17 when we arrive but I'm not sure if he will want to go to school or try and work. As the school year runs from Feb to Dec he might wait for the new school year by which time we should have got PR. :)

[benandclare]

Hi there
I have applied for a job on line in ChCh via the CDHB website under 'search jobs' - just kept looking until the right sort of job came up. I then emailed them to send me the JD and applied online with an attached CV. :yes

I had previously done this but they wouldn't look at me as my NZ Reg hadn't come through - but the second time it had and the feedback was brill. They emailed me and prearranged a 'chat' and at this we prearranged an interview by phone a week later. At the interview they verbally offered me a job and we have negotiated a provisional start date - immigration permitted. I have since put in EOI and been selected, now awaiting the next bit - if it takes too long i will renegotiate a new start date.

Good luck with the process - and dont be put off - i personally think it is just as easy without an agency and they may be put off an agency as they will have to pay for the service and so will you!!!

Hope to get there by Sept :exit

TTFN Clare :raebanana

[IanW99]

Our eldest was also 17 when we arrived and although he should have been able to attend state school (up to the age 18) they were not interested in letting him attend.

As a 17 year old from the UK should have already done his exams then I don't think that there is much point really for them to attending anyway.

His best option would be to go to tertiary education once you have got your PR.

If you do apply for PR within NZ then be aware that they don't always process the PR quickly (I pressume that they know that you are here and you don't need it in a hurry?). If this happens to you and you are running out of time for start of term then would recommend a trip to immigration to hurry them up. We had to do this and they processed our PR the next day (we had previously been told by them that it may take 6 months).

One point I was going to make in my last post is that of course although the schools are free there are still costs associated e.g. uniforms, books, stationary and donation.

Ian

[Lupin]

Find the website for the district healthboard (DHB) for each area you'd consider moving to and just apply direct. Most are used to receiving applications from overseas and often even have an area with specific immigration advice.

Get your police certificate and medical done now and start familiarising yourself with the PR forms now as they can slow up the application process for PR. You'lll also need to get NZNC registration and it's worth familiarising yourself with that process too and perhaps even applying now as they can drag their heels!

Good luck....we ended up with a choice of about 9 places with jobs at the time we were looking that we wanted to live in :)

[Lupin]

however it seems that most DHB's won't make a job offer until PR or a work permit have been granted


May I ask where you got this information?

[Lupin]

Had a little spare time this am :o

Auckland District Health Board current vacancies

http://www.aucklandhealthcareers.co.nz/joblistings.htm

Waikato District Health Board current vacancies:

http://www.waikatodhb.govt.nz/WDHB/jobs.asp?content=270

Bay of Plenty District Health Board current vacancies:

http://www.bopdhb.govt.nz/careers/SearchVacancy.aspx

Capital and coast DHB current vacancies:

http://www.ccdhb.org.nz/careers/vacancies.htm

Hawkes Bay district health board currrent vacancies:

http://www.hawkesbaydhb.govt.nz/web_content2.asp?ID=100001811

Tairawhiti District Health board (Gisborne and East Cape area) current vacancies:

http://www.tdh.org.nz/employment_opportunities/default.asp

Taranaki District Health Board (click the link to careers with us on the left hand column)

http://www.tdhb.org.nz/

And here's a link to a complete list of NZ DHBs:

http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/wpgIndex/Links-District+Health+Boards+Contents

HTH, Lupin :)

[nickydwuk]

May I ask where you got this information?


I contacted Otago DHB and they replied saying that ' Some work toward gaining residency before they come- this is fine, but we will not generally offer a position until this is sorted as it means we have to hold the vacancy for 6-12 months which we cannot accommodate generally- there are exceptions to this occasionally.' I took this to meanthat residency needs to be sorted before applying - also another agency - Accent- mentioned it to me as well.

I am applying for my registration now 'cos I know it takes time. I don't need to start job hunting until the new year but am still undecided whether to use an agency or go direct. It seems divided at the moment.

[IanW99]

Some work toward gaining residency before they come

I believe that the DHBs are looking for some genuine commitment to the immigration process as I am sure that many get cold feet way before they get to NZ.

So the more things that you can do towards getting to NZ the more seriously they will take you.

As said by others, if you get registered with nursing council now etc then you are showing some commitment and you are already part way to moving.

And if it isn't obvious from the other posts, you can definitely get a job offer before submitting your EOI.

Ian

[IanW99]

There always seems much debate on whether you should use an agency to help find a job, so I was wondering if there was any actual experience that could be shared on the matter?

For example,
i personally think it is just as easy without an agency and they may be put off an agency as they will have to pay for the service and so will you!!!

I would agree that it should be just as easy but if two ways are just as easy then it doesn't matter which to choose, does it?

I'm sure that the agencies make money but there are no fees that nurses have to pay (and if you are with an agency that charges then change to one that doesn't).

I have seen no evidence that a nurse hired via an agency is paid less than one going direct? But has it happened to anyone that you know of?

I would be suprised if most DHBs are put off by using agencies and AFAIK they all appear to use them?

From an immigration perspective, I would expect the agencies are much more likely to have jobs available for those who want to move to NZ?

So any feedback good or bad may be useful to those yet to get nursing jobs?

Just for the record we went through an agency and didn't have any problems.

nickydwuk you may find this useful for otago if you do decide to go with an agency.
http://www.tonix.co.nz/vacancies.aspx?geoid=33&page=vacancies&tonix=search

And a couple more agencies just for good measure.
http://www.genevahealth.co.nz
http://www.healthrecruitment.com/

Maybe there should be a post to rate agencies?

Ian