[paulandjodie]

Hi All,

My wife (and baby bump), my son and I are really hoping to emmigrate to NZ later this year (maybe early next year), and we obviously have lots of questions (some fairly trivial) which we would love to hear your thoughts on.

Apologies if these have been asked before (although I couldnt find any specific answers), just want to be thorough :D

Just some background on us first though; We are both 27, have a 2 and a half year old son and another on the way. I work full time as a technical consultant (mainly Oracle database stuff), and my wife is a recruitment manager for a call center (part time). We own our home which would need to be sold when we make the move. We dont have any family or friends in NZ.

So to the questions:

1. Is it worth making a 2 week visit (for myself) to look for a job/attend interviews, and if so what point would be the best time to do this as I think I will need to secure a job offer before getting enough points to submit an EOI.

2. Is it worth trying to go straight for PR or would it be better to get a WP first then just going over and getting a job and then applying for PR. Just worried about selling everything up here and then not being given PR once over there and having to come back with nothing! Hopefully I'm worrying about nothing.

3. What are childcare costs like compared to the UK (we currently pay £4ph/$10 (ish)) for full time childcare, but would only be looking for part time childcare in the medium term. And while on the subject what is the schooing/nursery like?

4. We were hoping to live close to Wellington, although we are fairly flexible (depends on where the work is), are there any areas to avoid or which are particularly nice? If it helps I do alot of mountain biking and also would like to be fairly close to the coast.

5. The biggie is really cost of living compared to UK? Such as, running a car (road tax\insurance\fuel), taxes/utilities (council tax, gas/water/electric), internet and phone etc...

6. The most important question (for me), is it possible to get UK tv? especially things like SKY Sports (not sure I can live without my football!!), and the wife watches all the usual rubbish soaps... It wont sway our final decision either way, but is a 'nice to have' :D

7. What is the average cost of moving belongings from the UK? (I know this depends on alot of factors), but is it going to be a £2k or more like £10k?

I'm sure we have lots more questions, but I think this covers most of our initial ones.

Thanks for reading :D

Paul

[Lupin]

Quick reply here:

1) Not sure because I'm not familiar with your line of work; hopefully someone else will be able to comment on that. Bear in mind though that when you come over to have a look-see it will only be as a tourist, however long you come for, so you can only get a tourist's perspective and therefore you are likely to fall madly in love with NZ :D

2) See my response to 1.

3) Can't help much with childcare costs as I don't use them but as for schooling, I love NZ schooling as do plenty of people but others are lukewarm about it. Do a search for "schools" "education" etc here and read the differing views. It depends on what you're looking for for your kids, but if it's a top global education system, you're in luck :D

4) I don't know Wellington at all I'm afriad but plenty of people on this forum are form there and will give you specific advice, I'm fairly sure your decent area/coast/mountain biking needs will be met there.

5) The million dollar question!!! We doubled our income (GBP to NZ$) and seem to be roughly in the same boat as in the UK financially.

6) I should think so, perhaps with SKY. Lots of UK TV on free to air NZ tv anyway adn you might just get into NZ sport (dh currently watching All Blacks V France)

7) Somewhere between the two, closer to the lower figure if you're moving an average home and closer to the larger figure if you're adding in flight costs.

HTH, Lupin

[RayBCO]

Hello PaulandJodie,

I am not in NZ yet, but I do know that Oracle consultants of any sort are valued all over the world...so no worries there. As far as moving costs these will be picked up by the employer just to get you I imagine..

You should hang out for the best salary and negotiate, with many benefits and relocation package. I am in the process of negotiating relocation packages now and my job is not near as in demand as yours will be IMHO.

Friend of mine has emigrated to Australia, I know different country and all, but the point is he is an Oracle consultant with Financials and he negotiated a great deal with relocation, healthcare and other benefits thrown in...so hold out for what you are worth. May be a good idea to check out the specialist IT agencies too.

I hope you get to realise your dreams...I am grabbing mine with both hands !!!

Take care, RayBCO

[paulandjodie]

Wow! You really think that I would be lucky enough to find a job that actually offered a relocation package?

I dont have experience with financials, more the database side or Oracle, but I have seen a job in NZ for a senior technical consultant at around $100k which is probably the kind of job I would be looking at. Problem is that they won't consider you unless you can legally work in NZ.. Thats why I'm thinking of going out for 2 weeks, just to show some commitment!

[Caroline and Dave]

[QUOTE=paulandjodie;135102]



6. The most important question (for me), is it possible to get UK tv? especially things like SKY Sports (not sure I can live without my football!!), and the wife watches all the usual rubbish soaps... It wont sway our final decision either way, but is a 'nice to have' :D

Hi Paul and Jodie,

As has already been said you will be able to get Sky Sports.As to the soaps,they are about 6months to a year behind so Jodie can watch all the rubbish again:laugh

[jeedho]

Hi

If you are really thinking of moving 12 000 miles to live in a different culture, experience a different way of life then I would rethink your motives if, as you say, you cannot live without British TV.

Jeedho

[paulandjodie]

lol @ Jeedho... thats why I said its a nice to have, not a necessity, after all theres more important things in life than TV :D

[able]

I don't know about that jeedho - welcome to the forum by the way - even going to a place that's culturally closer to the UK than most can still cause culture shock. In many of the posts I've read here it's the "lack of the familiar" that can unsettle people. Having a few "home comforts" while you settle in to a new environment probably isn't a bad thing. Even if you don't make much use of them, the fact that they are there can help. I certainly wouldn't question anyone's motives for that - I'd applaud them for for being honest with themselves and thinking ahead. :nice1

[lockstock]

[ after all theres more important things in life than TV :D[/QUOTE]


....eh? what?:confused:

[debnjohn]

1. Is it worth making a 2 week visit (for myself) to look for a job/attend interviews, and if so what point would be the best time to do this as I think I will need to secure a job offer before getting enough points to submit an EOI.
I would say yes. For the sake of 2 weeks wages and the £600 odd air-fare, I think it is worth the investment. What you are considering is going to cost a lot more than that (on all levels)
2. Is it worth trying to go straight for PR or would it be better to get a WP first then just going over and getting a job and then applying for PR. Just worried about selling everything up here and then not being given PR once over there and having to come back with nothing! Hopefully I'm worrying about nothing.
Sorry Paul, no idea on this one, We were lucky enough to get PR before the fact (in the good old days of 100 points pass mark). I admire those that take (IMO) a much bigger risk coming over without PR.
5. The biggie is really cost of living compared to UK? Such as, running a car (road tax\insurance\fuel), taxes/utilities (council tax, gas/water/electric), internet and phone etc...
Depends upon your wage, and whether you are bringing over equity to secure a low/no mortgage. Car cheaper, council tax cheaper, everything else more expensive (by comparison average wage/actual cost)
6. The most important question (for me), is it possible to get UK tv? especially things like SKY Sports (not sure I can live without my football!!), and the wife watches all the usual rubbish soaps... It wont sway our final decision either way, but is a 'nice to have' :D
Basic package on Sky ($34 month) has UK TV. Digital free-to-air (Freeview) only has a few channels, but you get Coro St.
7. What is the average cost of moving belongings from the UK? (I know this depends on alot of factors), but is it going to be a £2k or more like £10k?
You should be able to find some good info on old threads somewhere, with recommendations. Nowhere near £10k (unless you are bringing a few cars with you :) ) I think we paid about £3.5k for a 20ft container (3/4 contents from a 4-bed house)
Paul
Cheers,
John.

[paulandjodie]

Thanks John,

Can I ask where you got the cost of air-fair from? Checking on British Ariways the cheapest return flight I can find is £1100!

Paul

[IanW99]

Flight costs depend on airlines and time of year that you want to travel.

BA are certainly not the cheapest for flying to NZ would suggest Air New Zealand or Singapore Air - these seem to be the most popular (there is a poll on the forum which rates peoples experience of the various airlines).

Many of the airlines run special web offers which are always worth checking e.g. Air New Zealand have offer if your outbound travel is between 1st May and 30th June for £614+ depending on the day of travel.

Always pays to shop around for flights.

Ian

[debnjohn]

Thanks John,

Can I ask where you got the cost of air-fair from? Checking on British Ariways the cheapest return flight I can find is £1100!

Paul

As Ian says, shop around. NZ Air and Singapore airlines both have regular sales. I personally prefer Singapore (world class service and direct to Christchurch), but for you heading to Wellington it'd be worth putting in a search somewhere like http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/ or http://www.travelsupermarket.com/

Cheers,
John

[eternalkiwi]

Hi Paul,

If it is feasible for you I would recommend a 2 week visit first. This can help you learn more about what NZ is really like and get a feel for the nature of work that is related to your line of work.

There are usually a few Oracle DBA and development roles on offer in Wellington, with a few of the larger organisations and government departments currently recruiting (IRD, Telecom, Datacom etc). Websites like Seek & Search4jobs would provide a good selection for you.

Popular mountain biking areas near Wellington are around the South, West and far North of the city. Most areas of Wellington city provide a good living environment, with the key things to be cautious of being exposure to wind or dampness. The Southern suburbs are also very close to the coast which wraps around the south and eastern parts of the city.
There are also parts of Lower that provide both coastal and mountain biking areas.

Shawn

[Tia Maria]

PaulandJodie - here is a thread where I listed some childcare costs. One thing to bare in mind is it is based on Auckland, but it should give you an idea:

www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?p=133989

Cheers

Tia

[jubjub]

Use something like expedia or ebookers to check out flights, most folks that have come over seem to use Air NZ or Singapore

Your no 5 is the hardest, so I will give you an idea, car tax equivalent (rego) is around $200 a year, it varies a little and has gone down to $185 recently. Internet (broadband) and phone, our package with telecom is around $90 a month without any calls being made. Car insurance is not compulsary, and you only have to have buildings insurance if you have a mortgage, contents insurance also seems to be an optional extra. Total we pay $200 a month that includes life, two cars (third party f & t) and contents/buildings we have s three bed home with double garage, nothing fancy in it.

Container costs depend on how much you are bringing, its amazing what they can fit in, ours cost 3500 pounds for 20ft, that was the contents of a small 4bed house & garage (2 yrs ago)

Reccies, well we did not do one, we had nothing to lose really, left enough to get home again in a UK account, and went for it.... (we got pr before flying though!) luckily it worked out for us. Some folks have done the secure job offer on a reccie and had to come out alone, would Jodie be up to staying behind by herself to sell up/organise packing?

It will be hard work, but in my humble opinion, kids are the best way to get to know people, your toddler could go to playcentre, where mums go too, and get to chat, also music and playgroups, swimming lessons etc. Then there are the antenatal classes (if you are over here before the birth). Just be prepared for sacrfices like readily available baby sitters, a mate to have a drink with etc... at least for the first few months until you settle or learn to trust your new friends.

You will get to know folks through work, there is an IT shortage in Auckland, not sure about your particular skills though (hubby is mcse, networks stuff)

[paulandjodie]

@ Tia Maria... Thanks, that is very helpful information... seems to be alot less then UK, but then I guess the places are probably harder to come by.

@ jubjub... Thankyou for all the info... Especially the container costs. Does that include the cost to move the container to your home or just the cost from UK to NZ? Do you have to arrange through a removals firm?

Thanks all

[Lupin]

Most moving quotes are door to door. We went with Crown adn it was a little under GBP3.5K and was door to door including packing and unpacking.

[paulandjodie]

Thanks, that is better than I expected to be honest...

Still a bit confused about which visa route to go down as dont quite hit 100 points on skilled migrant visa without a job offer, and cant apply for alot of jobs without a valid work visa which is very confusing.

Any ideas about which route would be best?

[paulandjodie]

Hi All,
Up to now it has been Paul posting the Q's, but I have a very female minded question! Can anyone advise what the maternity care is like in NZ and the after care / health visitor equivalent?

[jubjub]

Hi All,
Up to now it has been Paul posting the Q's, but I have a very female minded question! Can anyone advise what the maternity care is like in NZ and the after care / health visitor equivalent?

Both myself and Tia Maria did a thread each about our pregnancies (both Auckland though) and currently nippaandpippa has one on the go for her current pregnancy in Christchurch..

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3136&highlight=pregnancy
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9491&highlight=pregnancy
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10197&highlight=homebirth

That should keep you going for a bit..... :)

[eternalkiwi]

One possible option that may encourage potential employers to offer you a Job is to apply for a Working Holiday visa.
While (from memory) you cannot come to NZ on a WHV with children, it does give you the right to work in NZ, which may make you a more attractive candidate when applying for jobs before you are here.

Certainly not a sure bet, though it may provide a couple more options for you.

Shawn

[paulandjodie]

Hi, thanks for those links jubjub, they were really interesting. We will def be having bubba here in UK and then will hopefully visit NZ in the early months to check out the culture and explore. For me considering this move is about doing the best for my family, its will be hard to leave friends and family but knowing that me ,paul and my kiddies are striving towards our dreams and being happy means more than anything! It all very exciting as well as a bit nerve racking, I really cant wait to actually come and see NZ think the whole journey from leaving UK to travelling to exploring NZ, even though only for 2 weeks initially will really help to seal the deal and give the added drive to realise our dreams - how sad do I sound!:-)

[sunnyb]

Hi, sounds really exciting. We are in the same boat and wondering whether to move before of after baby is born - nothing like having a deadline !

You said that you would plan on going out to NZ soon after the baby is born so I just wanted to check whether or not you were aware of the potential dangers of flying long distance with young babies.

I'm not sure of all the details as I still have it on my list of things to check out, but I believe that there is a strong link between flying under 6 months of age and subsequent cot death (Ann Diamond made people aware of the risk some years ago when she lost her baby after a trans atlantic flight). I think it's somthing to do with the decrease in oxygen in the cabins on long distance flights.

It may be nothing, but thought you'd rather know so you can research for yourself.
Regards, B

[paulandjodie]

Yeah I had considered that but when I looked into it, most of what I found said it wasnt a concern, although its a worry full stop really. Thx xx