[H & Rick]

Well we still have not decided if we will be taking the big step, Rick is still in two minds and has brought up a variety of questions.

Not sure if anyone can answer them for us……..:p

Is there any prejudice towards the British?
Do you feel you are seen as an immigrant?
Do you feel you are accepted in your working environment or do you feel like an outsider?
Was it easy to make friends other than ex-pats?
How long did it take you to find a job in a skill shortage area?

What’s your answer to these questions?

[Smiler]

Hello Heidi

Is there any prejudice towards the British?
- We haven't found any.

Do you feel you are seen as an immigrant?
- Only in the "here's the POM's' happy, joking kind of way over a 'debate' or two with friends. Some of whom have parents that arrived here from the UK lol!

Do you feel you are accepted in your working environment or do you feel like an outsider?
- Can't answer that work from home, sorry.

Was it easy to make friends other than ex-pats?
- Yes, more so for me in the country though.

How long did it take you to find a job in a skill shortage area?
- OH had job before we came out and was offered it while we were in the UK. Job offer and shipped out in 10 days, but we were close to the PR being given anyway. He'd been flinging his CV round for about 4 months prior to that.

HTH.

[M&J]

Hi

Is there any prejudice towards the British?
No I don't think so, I find everyone treats people as they find them.

Do you feel you are seen as an immigrant?
Again no, I go out on farms everyday and all are interested in why we have come over and where we are from. I think most people I have met think it is a really brave move and are very welcoming.

Do you feel you are accepted in your working environment or do you feel like an outsider?
Again no, we have a laugh at my pronunciation of place names, I alway get them wrong.

Was it easy to make friends other than ex-pats?
We have only been here 4 months so it is still early days, most people say it takes about 12 months.

How long did it take you to find a job in a skill shortage area?
OH found his job on our reccie, I have struggle as I worked in Marketing in the Uk and living in Hamilton there are very few of these jobs around. So I have gone back to my farming roots and have a job herd testing which is great as it is outside inthe sunshine, pay isn't brill though!!

Jo

[Anita & Marco]

Hi

My ideas/experiences about these issues:

Is there any prejudice towards the British?
I am not a Brit, but do not see any blunt prejudice to Europeans.

Do you feel you are seen as an immigrant?
I definitely at times feel as seen like an immigrant, but in general that is not a problem to me. In a young country like NZ everyone is in a way an immigrant in my view.

Do you feel you are accepted in your working environment or do you feel like an outsider?
I feel like accepted in my work place, but I do not feel accepted in the job market. I have been working from a few weeks after arrival, but not in the jobs I would like to have and that would fit my experience from overseas. I (and my partner as well) have experienced 'fear' by employers to employ someone with English as a second language.

Was it easy to make friends other than ex-pats?
Most of my friends are expats, but that is mainly because I started running the Welly Rocks Meet Ups and met a lot of great people that way. Also my colleagues are 90% expats.

How long did it take you to find a job in a skill shortage area?
I am not working in a skill shortage area - hence the problems in the job market.

Hopefully this is of any help.

Cheers,
Anita

[thezorbster]

Hi Heidi

My viewpoint on your questions:-

Is there any prejudice towards the British?
Certainly nothing malicious experienced. There has been a little joking banter about Brits bringing over loads of money but this has been really light hearted, especially when they realise we are not in that category. I would say that if people openly flaunt their wealth they are looked on a little less kindly. People have been incredibly welcoming and accepting.

Do you feel you are seen as an immigrant?
That's what we are and it's not a problem. It doesn't stop you being accepted, people just seem generally curious as to why we wanted to come.

Do you feel you are accepted in your working environment or do you feel like an outsider?
Speaking for my OH as I'm not currently working, he has settled well and already appears well respected for his work and has fitted in really well with his work colleagues. Been for meals with 2 of them

Was it easy to make friends other than ex-pats?
Haven't been here long but have met more kiwis than ex-pats.

How long did it take you to find a job in a skill shortage area?
OH was offered a job before we arrived but had a few interviews lined up in Christchurch for IT for our arrival date and had already had a couple of phone interviews so didn't find that a problem at all.

Hope this helps your decision making process. Don't forget it doesn't have to forever and it's not an easy decision but after going through the PR process isn't it at least worth a try?

[Pookeko]

Hello!

I thought I'd answer this from two sides, just for a bit of a different perspective.
1. as a Kiwi moving to UK (compare and contrast to your opposite experience!)
2. general experience as a Kiwi with Brits moving to NZ

Answers as 1. :
Is there any prejudice towards NZers (in UK)?
You mean apart from most people being unable to not mention Australia in the same sentence? No nothing bad at all, everyone where we have lived (West Midlands and now Warwickshire) have been pretty friendly.

Do you feel you are seen as an immigrant?
Yes absolutely most definitely yes, we will never be seen as anything else. No matter how much my accent has adapted I still sound foreign :p That's fine, I'm a NZer living in UK. I have British citizenship but I am never seen as British. We are asked where we are from on a daily basis (or at least every other day). It is a bit wearing but people are just curious.

Do you feel you are accepted in your working environment or do you feel like an outsider?
Initially I was the Kiwi, then after I settled in (6 months or so?) and things moved on, new people joined etc I am a person who is a Kiwi. I didn't come into work as "the Kiwi" I came in to work as myself, so once people got to know me I was just me. I am still the Kiwi because some people I work with like to point it out on a daily basis but only in a friendly way. My other friends aren't bothered. In fact some are planning to visit me next year so they are very happy I'm a NZer!

Was it easy to make friends other than ex-pats?
Not super easy to make good friends (took a good few years), but work place friendships not a problem (depending on the work place). I don't know any other NZers here (apart from my husband but he doesn't count hehe).
I have preferred to take a "when in Rome" attitude and try to fit in.

How long did it take you to find a job in a skill shortage area?
Ooh job skill shortage? Nay I'm not a job skill shortage person (I'm a random admin person). It took less than a week to get a job over here. Paid nothing but it was a job!!

Answers as 2. :

Is there any prejudice towards the British?
Yes. Brits are poms and Brits who complain are whinging poms. Doesn't matter if NZers complain or even complain more than Brits do! This is since the 60s. I think this is because when some Brits came over they complained about how NZ wasn't as good as Britain and how this or that wasn't good enough. This made people think "well if you don't like it go home then", but do you know what? They didn't! They stayed and complained!! :o
But don't worry, it's totally natural to compare your new country to your old. I think NZers can forget that, and that when they went to the UK they thought of lots of things that weren't as good as in NZ, and no doubt complained about them too!! It's just that I wouldn't complain about them to English people. I would feel rude.

Do you feel you are seen as an immigrant?
I would think yes if your accent hasn't changed. Otherwise, if you have a can-do strong silent type attitude and you mumble and inflect at the correct moments, you're as Kiwi as paua fritters :D . I think if you make the effort to fit in with Kiwi ways then probably not (after a while). It depends on the person I guess, and how you see yourself. Many people were born in Britain but have lived in NZ their whole lives/most of their lives and they are NZers and see themselves as NZers and you wouldn't know otherwise. So you can't assume all NZers are NZers born & bred, so I hope it's like Anita said - though I have to say I don't particularly feel like an immigrant :p - half of my family tree has been in NZ for around 1000 years!

Do you feel you are accepted in your working environment or do you feel like an outsider?
I don't know, I've never worked with any Brits in NZ. Beware complaints and mentions of how "we don't do it like this in the mother country"!! But seriously, I would hope you would feel accepted. I think if you are yourself, once people get to know you then that's what you are to them.

Was it easy to make friends other than ex-pats?
I should hope so, though it can depend where you live and how out-going you are. Some places, like Wellington, have a higher proportion of people moving from overseas or other parts of the country, so I think people are more eager to meet new people and make friends.

How long did it take you to find a job in a skill shortage area?
Pass, but as a returning Kiwi not long I hope!! (for husband)
I have to say I don't know about skill shortage, more like job shortage, but I hope that's not the case anymore.

[Tia Maria]

Hello, we're based in Auckland in a high expat area, OH is in IT.

Is there any prejudice towards the British?
Not that we have come across, I have met one snotty lady who disliked all immigrants but I told her seeing as there were plenty of Kiwis living in my home town she could consider it a fair exchange!

Do you feel you are seen as an immigrant?
Nope, but as I live in an area of high immigration very few families go back more than one or two generations.

Do you feel you are accepted in your working environment or do you feel like an outsider?

Most of the people in my OH's office are not Kiwis and there is quite a high turn over of staff. I don't think there are any 'outsider' issues.

Was it easy to make friends other than ex-pats?

Yes, mainly through the school my children attend but I should point out there are lots of advatages to expats friends, they know what you are going through, they are quick to help and they are quick to befriend you as they know what it is like to be new.

Don't forget expats are from all over, I have American, South African, Canadian, Brazilian, German, Japanese, Australian and French expat friends as well as those from the UK. Also the area I live in has a lot of Kiwis from elsewhere in NZ so they aren't strictly 'locals' either.

How long did it take you to find a job in a skill shortage area?

The OH got a job in IT in about a week, started a couple of weeks later.

Pookeko wrote:

You mean apart from most people being unable to not mention Australia in the same sentence?

Ha ha! :laugh There was a 'Flight of the Conchords' episode all about this, its set in the USA but same kind of thing.

Cheers

Tia

[gil]

Well we still have not decided if we will be taking the big step, Rick is still in two minds and has brought up a variety of questions.

Not sure if anyone can answer them for us……..:p

Is there any prejudice towards the British?
We haven't come across any at all.
Do you feel you are seen as an immigrant?
Not where we live (Bucklands Beach) because we look caucasian. Macleans College has 40% students Asian (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese). It's never been brought up in conversation apart from the "What made you.." type of questions.
Do you feel you are accepted in your working environment or do you feel like an outsider?
Very accpeted, there are kiwis, Maori, S Africans, Brits, Aussies. People look at what you can offer, not where yuo come from. And being Welsh, there's always the rugby :(
Was it easy to make friends other than ex-pats? WE are mainly friends with expats and have a fab social life :D

How long did it take you to find a job in a skill shortage area?
Hubby elected NOT to take up a post in his skill shortage area and we both found work within 3 months of starting looking.

What’s your answer to these questions?
Hope that helps too,
Gil
xx

[andrewandjane]

hi Heres my two pence worth...


Is there any prejudice towards the British? No

Do you feel you are seen as an immigrant?
Kind of felt like one when we first got here and were a bit green, a second hand car deraler tried to sell us a heap for quite a bit as he thought all uk pople where loaded, i kept quiet at work, going shops etc for a few weeks as i thought i'd stand out a mile but dont anymore!

Do you feel you are accepted in your working environment or do you feel like an outsider?
feel accepted as theres more than a fair share of UK people in my office anyway.

Was it easy to make friends other than ex-pats?

Made friends quite easy but mainly through our kids and going to stuff


How long did it take you to find a job in a skill shortage area?
a few days! found the job first then though hmmm maybe we should move to NZ

[wilson182]

Heres my experience....

Is there any prejudice towards the British?
Have not experienced any at all, apart from friendly, well intentioned "Pom" leg pulling. People just seem genuinely interested in why we emigrated and chose NZ.

Do you feel you are seen as an immigrant?
No we don't, but at the end of the day we are. I try to be respectfull of that fact.

Do you feel you are accepted in your working environment or do you feel like an outsider?
I never been made to feel as a outsider and in both my jobs I have been the only "pom".

Was it easy to make friends other than ex-pats?
Hmmm, we have made some very good kiwi friends - did we find it hard? I don't think so. It depends on how you make friends generally I think. I get my leg pulled by OH and my English cousins because I also know a lot of expats, but that will be through the forum and because there a quite a few English in this part of the country. Its natural because you have such a big thing in common.

How long did it take you to find a job in a skill shortage area?
It was the first job OH applied for and the boss wanted him to start straight away!!!! We still had to sort out somewhere to live LOL

Good luck with your decision, I'm sure whatever it is it will be the correct one for you.