[KelvinAng]

Hello everybody!

I'm new to the forum but have been reading the really informative posts here on and off for about six months. I've to thank everyone for sharing all your views on various issues from the immigration process to living in New Zealand. I find these chats very helpful.

I'm 29, single, male IT guy from Singapore, a small island state in South-East Asia. Ever since my month-long holiday trip to New Zealand last July, I can't help but keep thinking about New Zealand, and wanting to return as a resident.

The main reason why I've been delaying the EOI submission until recently is because of an internal debate with myself on leaving my family (Mom and Dad) behind while I try to establish a new life in a foreign land. Long story short, they gave me their blessings to go ahead and I hope that when and if I settle down in New Zealand, I can sponsor them over (although at this point in time, they say that they would rather remain in Singapore and I can totally understand that).

And so I went ahead and submitted my EOI on the 29th, hoping I could beat the increase in price due 30th July, but for some reason I was charged the new price (I've taken into account the time zone issue, and it was still 29th July in NZ when I submitted my payment). Strange. Anyway, I found out today that my EOI was selected and I'm one happy person now :D

So that's me in a nutshell. I hope to chat with and learn more from the others in the forums. It certainly makes this waiting game a lot more bearable.

Have a great upcoming weekend, everybody!

Kelvin

[Chiba]

Kelvin - welcome, from another IT guy. Good luck with the application! :)

[holland]

Welcome to the forum.

J and G

[Silverwing86]

Hi Kelvin and welcome to the forum !

This is a great place for finding answers to any questions you may have, meeting people (virtually, that is ;)) and getting some support in what, at times, can be a trying (but usually rewarding in the end !) process.

Have you got an idea yet as to where you would like to settle ?

Best of luck with your application !

Silver

[KelvinAng]

Thanks everyone for the welcome and wishes!

@Silver: Ideally I'd like to get a job and settle down in Christchurch. From what I've gathered in this forum and elsewhere, it seems IT jobs are more readily available in Wellington and Christchurch. I fell in love with the South Island during my holiday trip there last southern winter so I'm gonna try for Christchurch if possible. I've been perusing the "Locations" section of the forum quite a bit! Things are still in their early stages though so I'm (trying to) take things easy there. That said, I can't peel my eyes away from Trade Me's "Flatmate Wanted" section to see what's around and at what price.

What would you suggest?

Kelvin

[Bruckner]

Welcome to the forum Kelvin!

Emily

[KelvinAng]

Hello Emily and thanks for the welcome!

[Silverwing86]

Hi again Kelvin,

Christchurch is certainly a lovely city, we visited there during our recce trip in 2005 and enjoyed our stay there very much ! Can absolutely imagine that you would like to settle there !

Where you end up settling depends, I guess, on what kind of IT job you're looking for. I'm not very up to date on what type of IT jobs are where, but if I remember correctly, there are previous posts on this forum on that subject. Perhaps a search would cough up something helpful ?

As far as suggestions go, I think that's very difficult since it's a very personal decision. We initially hoped not to be in/around Auckland, but have settled very happily on the Hibiscus Coast (Whangaparaoa Peninsula) (approximately 45 mins out of Auckland CBD). We love it here ! We might not stay here forever (people change after all ;)), but for us this is a great place to start.

OH is also in IT, but very lucky to have brought his work with him and so is currently working from home. We didn't know initially that this was going to be the case, otherwise we might perhaps have looked elsewhere to settle. In hindsight though, we're very happy it turned out this way. (Among many other reasons) we live on the edge of a Golf Course and have an amazing, wide swept view (with a peep of the sea, as they say here :laugh), that we continue to enjoy every day :clap !

Good luck with your research !

Silver

Here's about a quarter of that view:

[KelvinAng]

Hey Silver!

Thanks for sharing the view from your home. Indeed it's very pretty!

Things are still in an early stage for me, so I'm just browsing around and exploring all possibilities. Have you been to Lake Tekapo? I thought that place is beautiful beyond possibility and I'd LOVE to stay there. However the reality is that it's just a very small village and there's probably no IT jobs there. Broadband is likely non-existent too so working from home may not even be an option... :laugh

I guess everything will eventually boil down to where I land myself a job. Like you, I wish to avoid Auckland. Born and raised in modern Singapore, I'm really tired of the "big city lifestyle". I'm glad to read though that there are also many IT jobs in Christchurch and Wellington, so I'm going to try for that first and see how things work out. That is, if I ever get there!

[Silverwing86]

Hi Kelvin,

You're welcome and thanx for the compliment !

Unfortunately we haven't had the chance to go to Lake Tekapo yet, but it is on our (long !) list of places we would like to visit. Getting an IT job there might indeed be a challenge however, there is always the possibility of using sattelite internet if regular broadband isn't available. It is very pricey and not as fast as regular broadband, but it's a solution.

We actually had to make use of it because when we applied for broadband the exchange which would supply our house was full, no ports available (in a new neighbourhood where lots of new builds are still sprouting up everywhere !) ! Obviously with OH working from home, a dial-up connection just wasn't a viable option so we went for the Satellite till a port became available, which took about 4 months.

It does mean a hefty fee ($ 900 !) for ending the sattelite contract prematurely, but luckily it's a business expense :p, so we won't be lose out personally.

I can imagine you'd like to keep away from big cities, but keep in mind that Auckland is very widespread, where we live is also considered to be part of Auckland !

Good luck with the job hunting. IT jobs are much in demand in NZ, you'll get here I'm sure !

Silver

[KelvinAng]

Hi Silver,

Hmmm yes, I haven't considered satellite internet but you're right, it solves the broadband problem in Tekapo albeit at a high cost, doesn't it? Hopefully the broadband situation improves in NZ. There's been quite some positive buzz on it from what I've been reading on NZ Herald online. If there's anything I'd miss from Singapore (other than family), it'll probably be the cheap, fast, truly unlimited and widespread broadband availability here.

Thanks for your well wishes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed :)

[eternalkiwi]

Hi Kevin,

As Silverwing said the type of IT work you do can influence where in NZ you are likely to settle. As many people on this forum work in the industry, it could be helpful to post a little background on your self and what type of IT roles you are most interested in, and then we can provide more assistance and possible job leads.

I also agree with your comments on Lake Tekapo, it is a magical spot were a picture tells millions of words!

Shawn

[KelvinAng]

Hey Shawn!

I'm a web developer and for the past few years been dealing mainly with PERL and mySQL (in addition to the usual stash of internet buzzwords and technologies). I guess I'm considered an open source type of guy. I've got little experience with Windows server side of things, and only academic experience with the Java side of things.

Do you think it might be relatively easy to land myself in such a job in Christchurch?

[eternalkiwi]

Hello Kelvin,

Java is very hot at the moment, though the open source side of things is quietly gaining momentum.

Do you have any experience with CMS or similar data/info management systems?

One advantage of web design and associated work is that location can be flexible. Therefore I would expect some work in most larger towns and cities around NZ. Being able to demonstrate what you do from your 'portfolio' of work may help with the job hunt process before you move to NZ.

Shawn

[KelvinAng]

Shawn,

Thanks for that tip. I know what you mean about the location flexibility. My last few years see me working from home. I save on food and transportation and my company saves on office expenses, so it's a win-win situation for us.

I've no experience in using any "modern" CMS other than playing around with them just for fun. So far the companies I worked in tend to use their own in-house systems which can be rather crude but does the job. I build simple systems for my clients when I do freelance work as well, usually because it's easier for them to update the web site themselves at a later stage. I tend to develop a system rather than a site, and I'm more inclined to coding than doing visual designs. That also means that my "portfolio" of work usually include other people's designs, or looking very staid.

I'll definitely try to get some interviews after I get PR approval but before I land in NZ. I've read on this forum that in most people experience a higher chance of being granted an interview they they are physically in NZ, though, so I'm not holding my breath for one while I'm still here in Singapore.

[eternalkiwi]

From my experience if you have marketable IT skills agencies are willing to help you if you have definite (booked) plans to come to NZ. So it is possible to arrange interviews and possibly initial phone interviews prior to coming to NZ. Though this is more likely for those whose skills are in hot demand.

Large corporates or Government Departments like IRD could also be worth contacting.

Have you worked much with databases?

Shawn

[Kerry and David]

Hi Kelvin,

Welcome to the forum. Your comment with regards to Lake Tekapo caught my eye, my husband and I got married at the small church there 3 years ago.
It is a spectular place. We are hoping to be out to NZ within the next 12 months, we would love to go to Lake Tekapo but I have to agree with you that it is very remote, we stayed for 3 days and visited the village and took a flight over the mountains and then travelled South. We are coming out with children so although the peace and quiet would suit us my teenage children may not agree. From memory I think we drove down there in about 2.5 hours from Christchurch so a great place for a weekend break?
Good luck with your job search.

[KelvinAng]

Have you worked much with databases?

Yes, as a web developer. Usually with mySQL in conjunction with web sites I developed or maintained. Had designed, created, and maintained databases with hundreds of thousands of records.

I was also wondering about the public sector in NZ as it appears they pay rather well (not the case here in Singapore). I might just give them a try, though I'm not sure what the work culture in the public sector there is like. Over here, most people would prefer to work in the private sector as things such as working hours, job scope, official academic qualifications matching job description, etc, tend to be much more flexible.

[KelvinAng]

Hi Kelvin,

Welcome to the forum. Your comment with regards to Lake Tekapo caught my eye, my husband and I got married at the small church there 3 years ago.
It is a spectular place. We are hoping to be out to NZ within the next 12 months, we would love to go to Lake Tekapo but I have to agree with you that it is very remote, we stayed for 3 days and visited the village and took a flight over the mountains and then travelled South. We are coming out with children so although the peace and quiet would suit us my teenage children may not agree. From memory I think we drove down there in about 2.5 hours from Christchurch so a great place for a weekend break?
Good luck with your job search.

Hello Kerry!

Yes Tekapo is indeed very magical (to me, at least). I was there last winter and found it to be extremely beautiful. In the hostel where I stayed I saw pictures of the lake in summer, and I was speechless! One of the first things I'll do if/when I return to NZ is to visit Tekapo again. Needless to say, I'd love to be married there in that church. I heard the waiting list is several months long, though, so it's not for those in a hurry I guess!