[sapphire002]

Hi
I,m Michelle from the forrest family,OH has been offered a job in Hamilton NZ.
We have 3 children 10,5 and 3. Our eldest has Autism, we have been told that we might have a problem with getting him in.

My OH was offered the position with an accredited employer and they would be funding the move, IE freight, flights, medicals etc, and the free services of a immigration consultant as well.

OH was offered salary of $NZ65,000 plus 17.65 bonus, is this enough to live on, based on a family of 5 with full residancy status ?

Over here (Cheshire that is) me and the OH are on £38,000 which is a lot more if you convert it to NZ$ compared to only the salary mentioned.

We have only just put our house on the market, but its Christmas 2007 so hopefully get a sale before summer 2008, my OH's NZ employer has stated that they will wait as long as it takes for him. He is Telecoms/IT (Cisco) engineer.

when we put everything down on paper we really cannot decide what to do for the best, HELP !:no

We have really not a lot of family over here in the UK, so a part of me says yes lets go for it.

But the things like can we afford to buy a house ? or run two cars ? or can we have enough money to live rather than just survive ?


Big help needed ? Thanks

Michelle

[ourquest]

Compared to most people your move is very low risk. Particularly as you are getting relocated etc. You could essentially try it for a while, and if it doesn't work out you could return to the UK without having taken a large financial step backwards. And not having much family in UK etc makes it substantially easier to make the decision. My decision (if I was you (but thought like me!))would definitely be yes.

[mclarity]

Hi
OH was offered salary of $NZ65,000 plus 17.65 bonus, is this enough to live on, based on a family of 5 with full residancy status ?


The answer to this question depends on how much capital you will be bringing with you from savings and sale of UK house. If you have to take out a 90% (or more) mortgage in NZ then I think that a $NZ65,000 salary (even with the bonus) for a family of five is quite lean.

[IanW99]

Hi Michelle and welcome to the forum.

It is going to be difficult for anyone to answer your specific situation without a lot more information, for example do you like your luxury or are you frugal?

A general rule of thumb for wages is that if you double your UK wage value then this is similar to what you need to earn in NZ in dollars to live a comparable lifestyle. This of course assumes that all things stay equal e.g. if you didn't have a mortgage in UK then you can't have one in NZ either.

In your example you say that you (both) earned £38K in the UK so you would need to earn NZ$76K. You have included what your OH will earn but are you also planning on also working?

If you post how much capital you expect to bring to NZ and what sort of property you are wanting to buy in or around Hamilton then I'm sure that more feedback can be provided.

Ian

[sapphire002]

Hi IanW99
Firstly let me say that these forums will become a lifeline here and in NZ if we get there and I appreciate all the help the members will hopefully give.

We shop at Sainsburys instead of Tesco, so I suppose I'm in the middle there really !

We are selling a 3 bed detached house over here which has a big mortgage on it, so we want probably something the same'ish.
But a cheaper mortgage !!!!!

I suppose hamilton is rural so cant see houses being over expensive ??

I would also appreciate help from any member who has got a special needs child or who knows someone who might have done this immigration thing!

I dont currently work as such but raising 3 kids with one of them special needs is really a full time job in itself.

hope that gives more insite.

Thanks

Michelle

[IanW99]

Thanks for the feedback, not sure that it is helping much though.

For your spending habits, was more interested in whether you would shop around for goods at the best possible price or just buy from the first place you see it? Do you have to have the latest model car or any older banger is fine? Do you go out of the way to look for a bargain etc...

From the information that you have provided so far, I do advise that you do consider things carefully and ask for as much advice as you can as so far I get the impression that you might have difficulty?

1. You are effectively taking a pay cut (assuming 2x salary estimate)
2. I wouldn't consider Hamilton rural (certainly not on a NZ scale) and doubt the house prices are as cheap as you may think.
3. Mortgage interest rates are much higher in NZ than the UK so if you do end up taking a similar amount then this would reduce your effective income even further.

What we really need to know to advise, is how much capital you expect to release from your house in the UK when you sell, from that and the average house prices in Hamilton we can work out your approx mortgage costs etc.

As posted by mclarity, if you have a big mortgage then you may find it difficult.

It isn't all doom and gloom, the NZ salary offered is well above the national average and of course many families get by on much less than this.

Ian

[sapphire002]

Hi Ian

In answer to your question, Yes I would shop around for bargains and if there is a deal to be sought then I would find it. I mean even to the extent of buying from Ebay for some bargains.

We have an 2002 plate car and a 1998 banger as you put it.

So any car with wheels and drives, A to B would do.

Capital, well thats a tricky one, if we sell the house for what we want then we might have about $NZ110,000, but if we just get shut of the house so as to move then it might only be $NZ60,000 but we would be leaving some here in a UK bank for a fall back plan, Flights etc..

I suppose we could live with $NZ2000 per month on a mortgage.

it also depends on if the working for families credits etc is available like it is over here..

Thanks

Michelle

[migratory birds]

Why NZ? And not somewhere else?

Cost-of-living seems quite high - home prices not a bargain, food about 1/2 again as much as the US (I know you're in the UK...no idea what food proces are), books/board games 2X as much, petrol ($7/gallon as it should be).

Great that they're paying for the move...but once you're there, what is it you're looking for in a new country and does NZ offer it?

Good luck - you're asking the right questions now before you get too far into it.

Check these sites for more on homes:
http://www.realenz.co.nz
http://www.realestate.com.au
http://www.homesell.co.nz
http://www.trademe.co.nz

[migratory birds]

On autism, there was a thread on Asperger's started by a father whose son has this type of autism. You may find some answers there.

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11622&highlight=asperger+child

[Tia Maria]

sapphire002, welcome to the forum! My initial reaction is that you would experience a decline in your standard of living financially. However, you are not alone in this, most migrants to NZ take a big paycut (about 40% for us) and have to make some serious changes to the way they live initially. So really you need to decide whether the paycut is worth it.

We kind of looked at it as similar to making a career change. If you were working in a bank and decided to become a teacher, you would have to retrain and have a lot of initial expenses while you study. Then you would start at the bottom, this can be hard whne you may have gone far in your previous career choice, (it also means a starter salary). You will have to deal with a lot of unfamiliar situations and challenges. You will often question whether you have done the right thing and many of your new teacher colleagues will drop out in the first year.

However, if you do survive the initial challenges and financial discomfort you could find yourself in a job you love, which can be very rewarding with long holidays that allows you to see more of your family. You could also have the knowledge that you are achieving something new and exciting rather than staying with something that will be the same for the next 30 years of your life.

A 'country change' is exciting, challenging, scary, tiring, expensive and rewarding - and that's just in the first week. It gives you the chance to make some pretty big mistakes and achieve some pretty big gains. This appeals to some, while others think 'actually life is pretty good where I am'.

You will struggle with money at first, but nearly everyone I know has achieved a payrise in the first year - whether from their employer or by changing jobs. Those that have made it work for them feel like the luckiest people ever and maybe even a little smug. Those that move on or struggle nearly always feel they have achieved something and learnt a lot. Whether it was a chance for themselves to explore the other side of the world, or just the knowledge that NZ wasn't for them and with no more 'what ifs' nagging them.

Check out my 'reluctant budgeter' thread and see whether it fills you with horror, or the feeling that you could do that. :D

www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10799

Cheers

Tia

[Tui2too]

Hi Michelle, we're a family of five as well with hopes of moving to nz, OH is considering a job that pays 60K but we'd fund the move ourselves. I was interested in your post because the numbers seem similiar.

We'd be bringing in about $260,000 nz after the sale of our house here and after paying for flights etc. When I calculate taking off taxes from the gross 60K salary, minor pension contributions, food, electricity, small mortgage etc there is nothing left---(nothing for dentist, birthdays, shoes and we are very frugal people!) we are beginning to sadly realize that this dream is probably not possible on this salary and maybe we should look for something that pays more similarly to what OH earns here. I am beginning to think this living on half the salary in paradise is only workable if we could be mortgage free and that looks dismally impossible.

I'm going to follow replies to your post and read with interest what you discover because I'd love to be proven wrong (I keep thinking my calculator must be broken because I want this to work out so much!)

Good Luck!!!!!!

[dharder]

But the things like can we afford to buy a house ? or run two cars ? or can we have enough money to live rather than just survive ?

Not sure anyone can answer that for you, to be honest. I think it would almost entirely depend on the size of your mortgage. Have you looked around trademe or some other real estate agens websites to get a feel for what kind of prices people are asking in that region? That might give you a better idea.

I think $2000 a month on $65,000 could be quite a lot, but it might be done. Have you calculated how much that would give you? Maye $300,000? Will you be able to find what you need for that?

As others have pointed out, if you can work out the housing costs, you will get a clearer idea.

We are a family of 6, currently pay $1000 a month for housing, and I have guesstimated that we need about 70,000-75,000 to survive.

Of course in our case, those are just ideas, we haven't tried it yet...

Good luck,

Daniela

[IanW99]

Hi Ian

In answer to your question, Yes I would shop around for bargains and if there is a deal to be sought then I would find it. I mean even to the extent of buying from Ebay for some bargains.

We have an 2002 plate car and a 1998 banger as you put it.

So any car with wheels and drives, A to B would do.

Capital, well thats a tricky one, if we sell the house for what we want then we might have about $NZ110,000, but if we just get shut of the house so as to move then it might only be $NZ60,000 but we would be leaving some here in a UK bank for a fall back plan, Flights etc..

I suppose we could live with $NZ2000 per month on a mortgage.

it also depends on if the working for families credits etc is available like it is over here..

Thanks

Michelle

Some basic information for you regarding prices.

Average house price in Hamilton is currently $360K

If you could put in $100K then this would leave a mortgage of $260K

Let's assume that your mortage rate will be 9.5% then your monthly repayments would be approx $2275 (repaid over 25 years).

If you got a fixed rate mortgage of 8.9% would still be approx $2165 (repaid over 25 years).

So doesn't look good if you think you can only afford $2000 per month.

Have you considered renting (which would be recommended anyway for the first 6 months whilst you get settled), rentals in Hamilton appear to be going for under $400 per week with your capital of $100K earning 7.75% which would give you another $150 per week.

If that was acceptable then you would be much more comfortable.

Ian

[ourquest]

Have you considered renting (which would be recommended anyway for the first 6 months whilst you get settled), rentals in Hamilton appear to be going for under $400 per week with your capital of $100K earning 7.75% which would give you another $150 per week.

If that was acceptable then you would be much more comfortable.

Ian

I agree with Ian (I usually do) regarding considering renting. Owning might seem preferable on the surface, but it is the more expensive option and the investment potential of property is not looking good over the next few years (?), as NZ appears to have just exited its boom period. You could buy your own property and actually have negative equity in a year or two, as well as being stretched by the mortgage payments as Ian and others have calculated here. And as more investors realise this there will be more and more properties available for sale at lower prices...this is what drives a "chicken or egg" drop in prices to begin with. And in this case you will be glad you waited before buying.

And of course you will not be a very informed investor if you arrive and buy. Far better to learn the market, areas and house quality by renting first.

Overall (in terms of moving or not moving) it is going to be a case of priorities. Would you swop money for experience? I still feel that as you are having much of your relocation paid for it makes sense to try, as your experience is going to cost you a lot less than it has cost others, and many of them still claim to have made the right decision, irrespective of whether they have dropped their "standard of living".

Money only really affects us at the time when we have it or not. But the wisdom, experience and excitement of relocation could build on your character well into the future, and the statement you make to yourself by being brave enough to make the decision will help you with every decision in the future. Maybe it is for this type of character development that money is best spent.

So I for one support you obtaining as much real information as you can, and genuinely hope that you find a way to make the numbers work in your favour, so that you may gain all the other benefits.

[IanW99]

...
it also depends on if the working for families credits etc is available like it is over here..

Thanks

Michelle

It looks like you may be entitled to Working for Families Tax Credit, if you can claim this benefit, then it would appear that you would be entitled to between $94 and $140 per week for 3 children (depending on salary and bonuses).

Try Estimate your Working for Tax Credits (http://www.ird.govt.nz/calculators/tool-name/tools-f/calculator-wfftc-estimate-2008.html?id=righttabs) for yourself. The IRD has lot's of other useful information regarding benefits etc, so well worth visiting.

Note: I haven't check to see if you are able to claim this, just the approx value if you can.

Ian

[zardell]

I am beginning to think this living on half the salary in paradise is only workable if we could be mortgage free and that looks dismally impossible.
I'd love to be proven wrong (I keep thinking my calculator must be broken because I want this to work out so much!)




I'm not going to try and prove to you that living on half the salary in paradise isn't possible because actually (for some) it is, but it really depends on how much of a lifestyle change and in some instances how many sacrifices one is prepared to make to gain your idea of paradise.

For example, does your idea of paradise include living by the sea and fishing for your own food, or would you rather nip to Woolworths (NZ equivalent of Sainsbury's) and not count the cost? (Not that it isn't possible to do both of course!)

Do you want to live in a brand new 4 bed/2 bath home with a big mortgage or would you be happy living in a 'do-er upper' with a smaller mortgage? Which is your personal gain/sacrifice? It simply boils down to one man's meat etc. That's why your concerns are so very justified and also why your questions and others like it are so difficult to answer.

I know what you are saying, yes it would be wonderful to be mortgage free, but very few of us sold our UK homes, took the profit and bought the 'NZ Lifestlye' outright. Then again...

NZ is stunningly beautiful, no argument there, but wonderful scenic views from the windows of a house that you can't afford to live in (rented or mortgaged/at home or abroad) doesn't help if you're skint!!

I know how it feels to be in the depths of a UK winter and dreaming of a better, warmer life, but for some, trying to turn that dream into reality can actually turn into a nightmare.

Keep working on that calculator, because something is telling me that it probably isn't broken and that your calculations are right, although having said that anything is possible if one is prepared to accept change.

Yes, I am playing devils advocate here, but someone has to ...

Julie

xx

[veronica]

might sound daft but is it worh going back to the employers and saying that the salary seems too low and to acheive a similar standard or living it would need to be higher. It has been said before that NZ companies often offer UK people too low a salary. Also would you need an immigration consultant or could you go it alone even with the autism problem.

[sapphire002]

might sound daft but is it worh going back to the employers and saying that the salary seems too low and to acheive a similar standard or living it would need to be higher. It has been said before that NZ companies often offer UK people too low a salary. Also would you need an immigration consultant or could you go it alone even with the autism problem.

:roll Hi Veronica

OH could try to ask for more, But They have offered services of a consultant FREE & $NZ3,000 settling in spends plus 2 months rent paid for a property.

So not sure if they would go for any more !

Thanks

Michelle

[sapphire002]

I agree with Ian (I usually do) regarding considering renting. Owning might seem preferable on the surface, but it is the more expensive option and the investment potential of property is not looking good over the next few years (?), as NZ appears to have just exited its boom period. You could buy your own property and actually have negative equity in a year or two, as well as being stretched by the mortgage payments as Ian and others have calculated here. And as more investors realise this there will be more and more properties available for sale at lower prices...this is what drives a "chicken or egg" drop in prices to begin with. And in this case you will be glad you waited before buying.

And of course you will not be a very informed investor if you arrive and buy. Far better to learn the market, areas and house quality by renting first.

Overall (in terms of moving or not moving) it is going to be a case of priorities. Would you swop money for experience? I still feel that as you are having much of your relocation paid for it makes sense to try, as your experience is going to cost you a lot less than it has cost others, and many of them still claim to have made the right decision, irrespective of whether they have dropped their "standard of living".

Money only really affects us at the time when we have it or not. But the wisdom, experience and excitement of relocation could build on your character well into the future, and the statement you make to yourself by being brave enough to make the decision will help you with every decision in the future. Maybe it is for this type of character development that money is best spent.

So I for one support you obtaining as much real information as you can, and genuinely hope that you find a way to make the numbers work in your favour, so that you may gain all the other benefits.

Hi Ourquest

Thanks for the pointers, But our little problem is that there is a clause in the OH's contract that states he must work for them only for 2 years or face repaying the whole package back to them IE $NZ20,000 which is what it stacks upto.

Regards

Michelle

[nickydwuk]

Hi Michelle, we're a family of five as well with hopes of moving to nz, OH is considering a job that pays 60K but we'd fund the move ourselves. I was interested in your post because the numbers seem similiar.

We'd be bringing in about $260,000 nz after the sale of our house here and after paying for flights etc. When I calculate taking off taxes from the gross 60K salary, minor pension contributions, food, electricity, small mortgage etc there is nothing left---(nothing for dentist, birthdays, shoes and we are very frugal people!) we are beginning to sadly realize that this dream is probably not possible on this salary and maybe we should look for something that pays more similarly to what OH earns here. I am beginning to think this living on half the salary in paradise is only workable if we could be mortgage free and that looks dismally impossible.

I'm going to follow replies to your post and read with interest what you discover because I'd love to be proven wrong (I keep thinking my calculator must be broken because I want this to work out so much!)

Good Luck!!!!!!

We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 teenagers). We hope to live off my salary of $47,000 +. We are bringing approx $260k as capital for aproperty. We are hoping to either buy outright (South Island) or with a small mortgage of no more than $90,000. I have done a rough budget using figures from Tia Maria's Money Diet thread and other info I have gleaned. Although it is tight, I have factored in some money for saving & holidyas and come out slightly ontop. In know things will be tight but we have a budget to work on and if needs must OH will get a part-time job to supplement my income. I believe it can be done. It will just need some hard work, self belief and pulling together of the whole family. We are also having to pay for our relocation so we know that this is it for good.

If you are used to a fair bit of disposable income then maybe you will need to rethink but if you are willing to sacrifice some luxuries at least for a while then go for it. We are. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[IanW99]

...
We'd be bringing in about $260,000 nz after the sale of our house here and after paying for flights etc. When I calculate taking off taxes from the gross 60K salary, minor pension contributions, food, electricity, small mortgage etc there is nothing left---(nothing for dentist, birthdays, shoes and we are very frugal people!) we are beginning to sadly realize that this dream is probably not possible on this salary and maybe we should look for something that pays more similarly to what OH earns here. I am beginning to think this living on half the salary in paradise is only workable if we could be mortgage free and that looks dismally impossible.
...


You don't say what location you are planning on heading for, if you can keep the mortgage payments low and are very frugal then it is definitely possible on a wage of $60K.

The current average wage in NZ is approx $44,500 of which you would be well above. Many people are living at or below this level, so it definitely can be done. The real question would be if you were prepared to accept this?

BTW, NZ does frugal in a big way, if you wait for seasonal or sale items you can pick them up at vastly reduced costs. For example, many items may have as much as 75% discount if you are prepared to wait / shop around.

Ian

[IanW99]

Hi Ourquest

Thanks for the pointers, But our little problem is that there is a clause in the OH's contract that states he must work for them only for 2 years or face repaying the whole package back to them IE $NZ20,000 which is what it stacks upto.

Regards

Michelle

I would see this as a good sign, if the company can afford to pay an additional NZ$20K now, then after working for them for a period of time, they should be able to actually pay you this amount in salary (or at least an additional $10K per year). After all, if they don't pay the current employee then they are likley to lose them and have to go through the process all over again and pay out $20K to another employee.

It should also be noted, that most people don't get offered the package that your OH has, which must mean that they really need him. This definitely puts you in a strong position for negotiating a better deal (when you feel the time is right).

Ian

[incredible hulse]

As people have said it comes down to a personal perspective of living standards, expectations, etc. Personally 65k wouldn't be enough for us - our outgoings are around 3k a month before mortgage for a family of 4 and from a previous poll this was also the case I believe for the majority. There's lots living on much less and loving it but we don't live with many luxuries and we still rake up that figure. We also don't currently save at all and pension provision, insurance, etc is non-existent. You would probably be entitled to some form of tax credits also though as the NZ govt seem to like tax breaks based on no. of kids/earnings.

With cisco skills I would have thought job opportunities would be fairly good and without knowing experience levels hard to say but the the salary talked about would be bottom end of the field. I think our network guys are in the 85-115k range. Hamilton hasn't got the most IT work up there, and unless the area has a real draw maybe worth looking at Welly or Auckland (Christchurch also bigger market than Hamilton). Gen-i/telecom would be interested straight away I suspect and possibly Fujitsu (the job isn't with Fuj working at Transpower is it btw ?)

In terms of Welly housing you would be looking at 400k+ for a 3-4 bedroom house starters in a nice-ish area.

Special needs ed - must say I am bitterly disappointed with the NZ system for this btw.

[sapphire002]

As people have said it comes down to a personal perspective of living standards, expectations, etc. Personally 65k wouldn't be enough for us - our outgoings are around 3k a month before mortgage for a family of 4 and from a previous poll this was also the case I believe for the majority. There's lots living on much less and loving it but we don't live with many luxuries and we still rake up that figure. We also don't currently save at all and pension provision, insurance, etc is non-existent. You would probably be entitled to some form of tax credits also though as the NZ govt seem to like tax breaks based on no. of kids/earnings.

With cisco skills I would have thought job opportunities would be fairly good and without knowing experience levels hard to say but the the salary talked about would be bottom end of the field. I think our network guys are in the 85-115k range. Hamilton hasn't got the most IT work up there, and unless the area has a real draw maybe worth looking at Welly or Auckland (Christchurch also bigger market than Hamilton). Gen-i/telecom would be interested straight away I suspect and possibly Fujitsu (the job isn't with Fuj working at Transpower is it btw ?)

In terms of Welly housing you would be looking at 400k+ for a 3-4 bedroom house starters in a nice-ish area.

Special needs ed - must say I am bitterly disappointed with the NZ system for this btw.

Hi Incredible Hulse

Thanks for your comments.

I have been offered the job with Alcatel-Lucent on a project for Telecom NZ all to do with there IPTV rollout.

Funny that, I was offered a phone interview with another large ISP out of Christchurch , can't remember there name, I turned it down when I got the offer from AL.

Its just that I dont know if other big firms over there would stump up $NZ20,000 to get us all over there on a PR visa.

Hamilton does seem a bit out of it for IT, compared to some of the other towns, My real interest is Cisco (CCNP) and with AL I would not be doing much Cisco kit, but Juniper and Alcatel stuff.

If we brought $NZ110,000 over with us, we sould still need a mortgage of at least $NZ290'ish to fulfil over needs.

Michelle (OH) can shop quite frugally, but I don't know that we could really be that frugal. There's only so much frugal someone can take..... :yes

We also know have been granted our Statment of needs for our 10 year old.
Louis (He's the one with Autism (ADHD)).

We fought the UK education system for nearly 4 years to get that.


Well that me done for know.

Thanks for reading.

Regards

Richard & Michelle

[pinkpiggy]

Hi Michelle, welcome to the forum.

I read your post with some interest. We live in Hamilton and it's definitely not rural although there are lots of green areas. You can easily live on the outskirts of Hamilton if you want to be a bit more rural though.

I'm not going to answer your questions about finances etc. as other people are offering advice on this subject except to say that perhaps you could try and obtain a higher salary from Telecom before your OH accepts the offer.

What I will answer is your question re your child with autism. I have a son with aspergers and have so far found Hamilton a great place to be for him. There are a lot of organisations in and around Hamilton for children (and adults) with special needs. I work for an organisation that helps people to lead everyday ordinary lives. I have been given 10 days per annum carer support for Joe. This means that we can pay someone to look after Joe to give us a break from time to time mainly to allow us to have some 1:1 time with our other son.

Some of the organisations you could have a look at are parent 2 parent and autismwaikato.

http://www.autismnz.org.nz/branch.php?id=3
http://www.parent2parent.org.nz/

Hope this helps in some small way to make your decision a little easier. Feel free to PM me if you want any more info.

[Sam B]

I think that special education provision is as much as a postcode lottery here as it is in the UK. I work for Special Education in Hamilton, and I think the services are generally good, certainly better funded than those that I left in Cornwall. The fight that parents have for "ORRS funding" is roughly as difficult as it is to get a statement in the UK.

[incredible hulse]

The fight that parents have for "ORRS funding" is roughly as difficult as it is to get a statement in the UK.
Possibly, but not our experience (although we are still awaiting results of our ORRS application), or that of several other people we know. ORRS is specifically for only 1% of children whereas I do not know of any specific restriction on statements. That said there are other options if ORRS is not granted but this is very specific to the school.

PP - regarding the carer support; Have you found a carer ? We have 10 days also but are struggling to find anyone interested (The amount provided is very small)

[markw55]

Just a quick note about the salary offer.

The total rem package being offered sounds like it is a little light.

You can check the robert walters salary survey here:
http://www.robertwalters.co.nz/resources/salarysurvey/NewZealand.pdf

This shows telecoms engineers in wellington getting 80 -110k. I don't know if this is you but it would be worth checking.

NZ is at a period of full employment and is crying out skilled people at the moment. Most people who have the right to work in NZ are choosing between offers.

In your situation you probably don't have the right to work yet. Permanent residency can take around 2 years so basically your first employer will act as your sponsor for your move. After two years you would then be looking to move on or upwards in the company to a better offer. In the current property market renting makes very good sense - it also allows you to find out what kind of house and what part of the country you want to live in. If you come over now and buy a house you are likely to pay too much, because you need somewhere to live. House prices are not going up in any dramatic way over the next 6-12 months. They could also be about to drop a lot.

I would consider talking to a good recruitment agent in Wellington to see if there is anyone else over here who would better the offer, but overall the relocation package is good and worth $10,000 a year to you.

If you go ahead it is a good idea to have the package as the company will reimburse up to $20,000 in agreed expenses so that you control the shipping company, arranging somewhere to live etc. That way you can also make sure you get the whole $20,000 and not find that the company finds the cheapest possible options to save costs.

Good luck with the decision.

[britzy]

Hi ,we are in a similar situation to you with regards having a child with autism (age 9).Like you we dont know whether we will get a medical waiver for her,despite this we have decided to go for it and are awaiting our NZ nurse registration ,with possible jobs already lined up.It is quite frightening selling the house all the financial commitments etc,not knowing whether our daughter will get a waiver or even ORRS funding ,then she will need a section 9 agreement to go to a special school but its worth a very good try.Good luck with everything and I sincerley hope everything works out for your family. Helen

[sapphire002]

Hi ,we are in a similar situation to you with regards having a child with autism (age 9).Like you we dont know whether we will get a medical waiver for her,despite this we have decided to go for it and are awaiting our NZ nurse registration ,with possible jobs already lined up.It is quite frightening selling the house all the financial commitments etc,not knowing whether our daughter will get a waiver or even ORRS funding ,then she will need a section 9 agreement to go to a special school but its worth a very good try.Good luck with everything and I sincerley hope everything works out for your family. Helen

Hi Helen

My hubby has a job already,but i,m still very unsure if Louis would get through immigration due to his autism,my OH company is paying for an immigration consultant to do the paper work,but i still feel very uneasy about the process.
We went to the Manchester expo and was told by two immigration officer's Louis would be turned down,as he has autism and adhd,this information has stuck in the back of my mind, and it seems from other comments ORR's funding is very hard to get,like you i have put my house on the market and hope we don,t sell before immigration has made a decision.
Louis has had his medical just to find out what would be picked up,and the doctor did say a referral was needed.
It may be a idea just to get your son,s medical done first,to see what is said,and its not to expensive,so that way if you think by reading what is on his medical he would not be accepted,then at least you have not shelled out lots of money .
My problem also is that we have just got a statement of needs for louis,which has been a hard battle as we did live in Manchester but Louis was educated in Trafford,so no one would start the statementing process so we decided to move ino Trafford as that is where all the good schools are,and finally got one,so with all this in mine we still have no idea what to do.
This forum as been great,lots of good people with lots of advise.
Hope all gos well for you.

Michelle & Richard.:confused: