[BoroCraig]

Hi Everyone,

We are hoping to be in NZ end of April and I will be earning about the same in NZ as I am in the UK (slightly more if anything), however we have to send home a large chunk every month to cover loans etc which we can't afford to pay off at the moment. Having worked things out I believe we'll probably only have somehwere between $300-$500 a month left after paying bills and buying food etc - is this enough to explore NZ, take the kids to zoo's and other places etc or are we daft to think we can cope doing this?

Also, what are the banks like in regards to overdrafts and what are the charges like? I've banked with Lloyds for many years and pay £25 month fee for particular account but regularly go upto £1000 overdrawn and don't get charged anything extra - any NZ banks offer similar deal?

Any thoughts most welcome.

Thanks,

Craig

[snailandthewhale]

it's about $50 for a family to go to auckland zoo, you'd practically pay that in £s in the UK.
Campsites are cheap and the beaches are free. I spend a lot less entertaining the little ones here as there are so many great playparks and it doesn't rain THAT much.

[Moorf]

Having worked things out I believe we'll probably only have somehwere between $300-$500 a month left after paying bills and buying food etc - is this enough to explore NZ, take the kids to zoo's and other places etc or are we daft to think we can cope doing this?

There's only two of us, no kids (2 dogs), and I personally would be worried if this was all we had left over each month - have you taken into account such things as doctor visits, dentists (expensive!), school trips/additional schools costs, savings?

As I said, this is just a personal opinion....

[Alan]

Personally when I go I want to ensure I take a clean slate debt wise. Your figures would frighten me to be honest and the thought of using your credit facilities to increase that debt is not going to help IMO.

From all the posts you will have enough to do just getting settled both emotionally and financially without this. Do you really want to burden your new start like this?

[zardell]

Please be careful...

It would only take another NZ interest rate increase or the exchange rate to improve in favour of the GB£ and all your calculations would have to be recalculated.

I would find being skint in a new country with nothing to fall back on or no-one to help out a pretty bleak prospect.

But maybe you have family in NZ?

Julie

xx

[dharder]

I think that would scare me, and I couldn't do it. But I'm not much of a risktaker in any case.

The most problematic aspect about your calculations for me would probably be the number of unknowns there. Are you sure what you pay for rent? Are you sure what the school donations are (ours just went up by $110)? Have you calcluated enough for telephone and broadband, etc?

I find budgeting very difficult, but especially when I don't really know what to expect. I think during our first few months here we are really just figuring out how much everything is, where to go shopping for what, what an average weekly shop will realistically cost us, etc. And of course we are spending a lot more than I'm hoping to eventually, but right now, I'm glad we have the resources to find out everything in good time.

Had we come here on a very tight budget, I would have been much more stressed than I am anyway.

Good luck,
Daniela

[shakyle2906]

HI

I agree with Moorf and Zardell.

There is always something that crops up each month that you havent accounted for.

For example, i have had a lot of trips to the Drs lately. Over the last 3 weeks or so i have spent the best part of $150 on Drs fees and medication. Then yesterday, hubby went to Dentist as his tooth was sore, 10 mins later he was having tooth extracted and we had a lovely bill for $120


As regards to schooling, my little one started back this week. Luckily his uniform was ok, as had only had since July, but i had to pay $60 for the school year for school fees and $42 for stationery. The uniform alone in July cost us $300. As you can appreciate, there is always something that crops up with them throughout the school term. As we both work full time, Kyle goes to after school care 3-5pm each day - that alone costs us $90 approx a fortnight. Holiday programmes are also quite pricey - in half term in October i had to pay $32 a day for the 2 wks - which can add up, especially over the Christmas/Summer holiday period, with it being anything from 4-6wks! We are not able to claim any help with WINZ (Work and Income) as we earn too much - something like $10 a week too much or after school care and holidays would have been paid practically in full. They also dont pay Child Benefit like they do in the Uk, which if i remember right is about £70 a month, but always came in handy for things!

Is there some kind of deal you can do with your loans when you move over ? Have you told the companies you are emigrating ? Perhaps you could offer to pay a smaller amount, i appreciate it would take longer to pay off and probably have interest added, but may be an option.

The last thing you want to do is move to a new country and be scraping as soon as you get over here.

Sorry if i have scared you, but these are just some of the things you would need to take into consideration.

Hope i havent put you off, it is worth the move, we love it over here, but you need to be prepared.

Good luck and if i can help you further, please feel free to PM me.

Sharon
x

[ndheah]

Only have a few hundred would scare me, my wife and are budgeting right now, and we are looking at saving like $1000 / month and that's with spending a lot on toys/rent (2.5k in rent alone, and $300 in toys)

I don't know how I could handle only having $300 left...My wife and I are getting rid of our student loans before we make the move, if possible, take a cut in living where you are, and throw everything you can to get those loans taken care of.

[snailandthewhale]

Presuming BoroCraig can't get rid of the debt at present, I guess the question could be, are you better off skint in the UK or skint in NZ?
I wonder how much disposable income they have in the UK? They may already be existing at a level which a lot of people would find unacceptable.
I think it also depends how much help you have from family and friends at present.
There are a lot of hidden extra costs here, but, some things are significantly cheaper, car insurance and childcare for example.
Having said that, I think it would be a mistake to emigrate without having enough funds to return to the UK.

[JandM]

There are a lot of hidden extra costs hereCan you tell us some for instances, please?

[Nick88]

Can you tell us some for instances, please?

The whole problem is that they are hidden, I'm afraid. Plus they vary with each family and their circumstances. It is one of those 'How long is a piece of string questions?'.

I agree with everyone else, Craig. NZ is a lovely place to live, but the shine quickly comes off it if you have no money. Struggling financially is tough wherever you are, and in fact is worse in a beautiful place cos you can see things you would like to do but can't due to the cost or having to work all hours to keep up with your commitments. I am speaking from experience, here.

I strongly recommend arriving with a clean slate, or even better a nest egg for those just-in-case expenses.

[zardell]

Another thing to be mindful of is that even though you may have PR, should the worst happen, for instance you loose your job(s) or fall ill and have no income, you are not entitled to claim any benefits ie Unemployment/Sickness Benefit until you have lived in NZ for 2 years.

Now, I'm not suggesting that anyone would come to NZ with the intention of not working and claiming benefits, but when you originate from the UK you know in the back of your mind that your entitlements are available to you should you hit a bad financial patch and we all can hit a bad patch through no fault of our own.

I feel that if you have no savings behind you, it is important that you earn enough in NZ (or anywhere for that matter) to save for the unexpected.

I think that all this has to be taken into consideration when you live in a new country - IMO you must be financially secure enough to allow for the unexpected.

Julie

xx

[JandM]

Quote:
Originally Posted by JandM
Can you tell us some for instances, please?

The whole problem is that they are hidden, I'm afraid. Plus they vary with each family and their circumstances. It is one of those 'How long is a piece of string questions?'.

Oh, I see, I think - you mean general unexpected expenses? I was thinking you meant there were things that everyone was going to encounter that we wouldn't have thought of due to our UK background.

[BoroCraig]

Well,

Thanks to everyone who gave their opinions on my message - I have to say that I didn't expect such negativity, I thought there may be more people out there who had been in a similar position or who have struggled through but obviously not.
The bottom line is that we either stay in our comfort zone here and accept/put up with all the reasons why we want to move in the first place 'and' have the same debt to pay or take a chance. I'm not willing to wait for 5 years to pay off debt and then hope I can get another job offer like I've got now, you only live once and the worse that can happen is it ends up being an expensive holiday (although you can easily spend £8-10K going to Florida these days).
Time will tell.

[JandM]

All the very best. I hope it works out just like you want it to.

[5kings]

Hi Craig

We are in a sort of similar situation.

In the UK things should start getting easier financially in the next few years, we were lucky to be able to get on the housing ladder in the UK before prices escalated. We do have debts, but will be able to pay them off when we sell the house, and hope to bring about £30K with us (but that will have to include moving costs too)

According to the cost of living calculator, we will be pretty strapped for cash in NZ on one wage, but I figure that will be a temporary thing, and if I can get a part-time job until I can go for the job I really want then I think we will still try and get there.

I understand what you mean about taking a risk, we are unlikely to be able to get back on the UK housing ladder if we do have to come back to UK, due to debts in the past, and rising house prices, so we are risking a bit of security I suppose. Like you said you only live once, and we are going to give it a go, and if we struggle for a couple of years then so be it. That's my current plan anyway!!

Good luck!

Helen

[dusk]

Hey,

if you're going to take the plunge and head of to NZ with the debts you might want to consider getting in touch with http://www.payplan.com/ they can negotiate with the people you have debts woith and negotiate an affordable payment each month - obviously this means it will take a bit longer to pay off, but often they can negotiate a freeze on the interest or even a reduction in the total to be repaid.

it's certainly worth investigating whatever you decide to do, its a free service and independent of the banks etc so your confidentiality and credit rating aren't hurt by either talking to them or dealing with them.

Good luck!

[snailandthewhale]

All the best Borocraig, whatever you decide to do.
Personally, I'd tell anyone to give NZ a go.
I'd just hate to think that anyone spent their last £s to get here and then hated it and found themselves stuck here.
Good Luck!
K

[Caco]

Well,

Thanks to everyone who gave their opinions on my message - I have to say that I didn't expect such negativity, I thought there may be more people out there who had been in a similar position or who have struggled through but obviously not.
The bottom line is that we either stay in our comfort zone here and accept/put up with all the reasons why we want to move in the first place 'and' have the same debt to pay or take a chance. I'm not willing to wait for 5 years to pay off debt and then hope I can get another job offer like I've got now, you only live once and the worse that can happen is it ends up being an expensive holiday (although you can easily spend £8-10K going to Florida these days).
Time will tell.

I'm in a similar path myself, different only by the fact that I will sell everything ( house, cars,TV, fridge...etc.) pay all our debts and go...without a job offer...if I get one before selling our stuff, I will definitely go for it, just like you say, if we end up back home, broke...we would consider the NZ experience like a long vacation. We have no kids, with kids I will probably stay here.
We have a say here, "you won't cross the river if you don't get wet" ( el que no se moja no cruza el rio"
Cheers, go for it.
Saludos!

[benandclare]

Go for it guys :cheers

[Angelonthemove]

We are in a similar position as we lost our buyer on our house after arriving so had to scrap together to survive. It's taken 18 months to get fully on our feet again. We have a huge mortgage as a result of not selling house, still can't sell it.

But having visited the UK recently I say go for it you only live once. Talk to payplan people I think its a great idea. Citizen advise are good too, a friends of mine works for them and I have used them in the past re debts. They can definitely do something about freezing your interest.

Just take your time and plan well, Nz will still be here waiting for you. Good luck.

[Paul]

Hi Everyone,

We are hoping to be in NZ end of April and I will be earning about the same in NZ as I am in the UK (slightly more if anything), however we have to send home a large chunk every month to cover loans etc which we can't afford to pay off at the moment. Having worked things out I believe we'll probably only have somehwere between $300-$500 a month left after paying bills and buying food etc - is this enough to explore NZ, take the kids to zoo's and other places etc or are we daft to think we can cope doing this?

Also, what are the banks like in regards to overdrafts and what are the charges like? I've banked with Lloyds for many years and pay £25 month fee for particular account but regularly go upto £1000 overdrawn and don't get charged anything extra - any NZ banks offer similar deal?

Any thoughts most welcome.

Thanks,

Craig

Craig
I would address your debts in the UK before even considering a move personally, especially where kids are involved.

If you are having to send home money to pay off Uk debts whilst setting up new life then that is an added worry (and also what if exchange rate turns against converting $ to £)
Also the amount of spare money after fixed bills etc seems very small for a month. What if car goes wrong, dentist, doctors etc?

I would start planning your new life in NZ for the future but deal with existing issues as a matter of priority

Best of luck

[Nick88]

I agree with Paul. NZ is a low wage economy, and it can be a bit of a struggle getting by to start with (lots of costs). If you have the added burden of debts in the UK you will find it even harder, and the whole thing will not be enjoyable.

I truly understand your impatience to get out of England, wild horses couldn't drag me back there....but you need to be able to set yourself up with as little fuss as possible, as there will be enough stress already.

Clear the debts first, and then make sure you can arrive with a few quid to pay for the inevitable extras. Honest mate, NZ is no fun when you are skint.

[Jennispink]

Hi Craig
We're in a similar situation.
If our house ever sells we will just about break even but still have an everlasting overdraft that we pretty much live in.
Me and OH are of the opinion that skint here is pretty rubbish but we're used to it. Being skint in NZ can't possibly be any worse and things can only get better for us because we can conceivably send OH to work in NZ as he won't just be earning just enough to pay for childcare. So hopefully once we're sorted we should be better off in NZ.

We know all that may take some time but we feel the struggle will be worth it.

Hope that sends some positivity your way:)

[Nick88]

Craig, have you read this thread?

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11476

They are earning a teacher's salary, and still struggled. I presume they didn't come here with debts hanging over them, too.

Hand on my heart, I'm not trying to be the Grinch here, but you will be making life extra hard for yourself if you come over with debts. Setting yourself up is more expensive than you expect, there are always lots of little things you didn't anticipate.

[zardell]

Me and OH are of the opinion that skint here is pretty rubbish but we're used to it. Being skint in NZ can't possibly be any worse



Oh, but it can - you'll have no support - from anywhere. If things go really sour, what are you going to do? Will you have enough for a return ticket if you can't cope?

I'm with Nick 88 here, don't want to be Grunch, but there's a difference between being short of money and having non.

PLEASE be careful.

Ask yourself this. If you were in England and you were really desperate, where would you go, who would you turn to, what would you do? Once you've answered that question then ask yourself if those resources would be available to you in NZ and be honest with the answer.

Don't assume that because NZ may need your skill that you are going to walk into your ideal job, find the right rental as soon as you step off the plane and it's all going to be a land of milk and honey. Hey, for many, that's exactly how it works, but make for contingencies - what if all that doesn't happen for you and things don't immediately fall into place?

I know that they say that money isn't everything, but it sure helps when you are trying to get a new life 12,000 miles away from home.

Take care,

Julie

xx

[5kings]

Hi all,

All these posts are making me quite anxious about the money side of things, but I wonder if I can ask a cheeky question to get a bit of perspective? ;)

I am wondering if those who are finding NZ wages difficult to cope with, are coming from really well paid jobs in the UK. Not all areas of the UK pay the same salary. My OH UK salary (plus our tax credits, and child benefit all added up) when converted into NZ $ is the same as his predicted NZ wage would be, so if we got any NZ tax credits (or whatever they are called) we'd actually be better off.

Our UK mortgage works out the same as NZ mortgage with rental being cheaper. We buy our clothes from the supermarket, or in sales, and are generally tight with money.

If we sell our house we can come over to NZ debt free, and with about £20K emergency money.

I think if you come from a really well paid job you will be more affected by the so called low wages, but if you come from an area in the UK that has low wages you might not find that side of things such a culture shock. We have said ideally we want to try and leave between £5-£10K in a Uk bank account with my Mum and Dad, so if we do want to come back to the UK we can, and will be able to sort out rented accomodation.

Just my opinion, if your wages and mortgage are the same when converted to NZ$ I can't see why it would be so difficult. In our case things sshould improve as I will be working (hopefully) too. If you are used to decent UK wages but take a drop in pay in NZ I can understand it may be a problem, but not everyone is on great pay in the UK.

Helen

[IanW99]

...
I am wondering if those who are finding NZ wages difficult to cope with, are coming from really well paid jobs in the UK. Not all areas of the UK pay the same salary. My OH UK salary (plus our tax credits, and child benefit all added up) when converted into NZ $ is the same as his predicted NZ wage would be, so if we got any NZ tax credits (or whatever they are called) we'd actually be better off.

Our UK mortgage works out the same as NZ mortgage with rental being cheaper. We buy our clothes from the supermarket, or in sales, and are generally tight with money.

If we sell our house we can come over to NZ debt free, and with about £20K emergency money.
...


Not sure that anyone on this thread are actually finding NZ wages difficult to cope with, they are offering their opinions that $300-$500 per month spare would be Ok to get around and see a bit of NZ with but doesn't leave much room to cope with any changes that may be unforseen e.g. car breaks down could mean that you won't have any spare cash for 6 months etc.

It is also assuming that the sums have been done correctly as even a small mistake could be devastating.

If you want any feedback on your own circumstances then would be interesting to know which area you want to settle in and how much you are expecting to pay on rent?

I know that graphic designers are on a salary range of $30-70K, what wage is your OH hoping to get?

Ian

[snailandthewhale]

I agree with you, Helen, as long as you have a small emergency fund, for flights back to the UK etc. I'd tell anyone to give NZ a go.
If you are used to watching the pennies, you can quickly get used to watching the cents.
Julie made some very good points, but, some people can't rely on family help in the UK anyway, and for those who can, hopefully the same help could be forthcoming if you were in NZ and found yourself in financial dire straits?
Good luck whatever you decide.
K

[5kings]

Not sure that anyone on this thread are actually finding NZ wages difficult to cope with, they are offering their opinions that $300-$500 per month spare would be Ok to get around and see a bit of NZ with but doesn't leave much room to cope with any changes that may be unforseen e.g. car breaks down could mean that you won't have any spare cash for 6 months etc.

It is also assuming that the sums have been done correctly as even a small mistake could be devastating.

If you want any feedback on your own circumstances then would be interesting to know which area you want to settle in and how much you are expecting to pay on rent?

I know that graphic designers are on a salary range of $30-70K, what wage is your OH hoping to get?

Ian

Hi Ian,

To be honest, we are still in very early planning stages so far, and have no idea where we will end up, probably North Island somewhere. I have looked on various property websites for ideas of rental prices. I have estimated between $350-$400 a week rent.

As for OH, we can only estimate about $45K a year, he has been a designer for 10 years so he may get more, but i figured if we go for a lower end of the scale estimate, we might be surprised. I am hoping to get a job as an early years teacher, but I have to do a year training in NZ first, so we have at least one year on one income, which may well use some of our savings.

As I said we are in early planning stages, and keen, but I am on a fact finding mission, and won't be coming over to NZ until I am sure we can manage.


Helen

[zardell]

My OH UK salary (plus our tax credits, and child benefit all added up) when converted into NZ $ is the same as his predicted NZ wage would be
Helen



Hi Helen.

I'm presuming that you've worked out your finances in percentages as opposed to a straight UK£ to NZ$ conversion?

When you earn $'s you therefor spend $'s and if you need a big percentage of those $'s just to make ends meet and you are not to able to save for the unexpected, that's when I (personally) would be worried.

Ian was right when he said that we were trying to reply to the OP question of $300-$500 a month being enough to get around and see a bit of NZ, but the thread has progressed into a 'How much is enough' thread.

Whats not enough for one may well be plenty for another, but all I can say is make sure that's there's money in your pot for contingencies.

Julie

xx

[IanW99]

Hi Ian,

To be honest, we are still in very early planning stages so far, and have no idea where we will end up, probably North Island somewhere. I have looked on various property websites for ideas of rental prices. I have estimated between $350-$400 a week rent.

As for OH, we can only estimate about $45K a year, he has been a designer for 10 years so he may get more, but i figured if we go for a lower end of the scale estimate, we might be surprised. I am hoping to get a job as an early years teacher, but I have to do a year training in NZ first, so we have at least one year on one income, which may well use some of our savings.

As I said we are in early planning stages, and keen, but I am on a fact finding mission, and won't be coming over to NZ until I am sure we can manage.


Helen

Thanks for putting some figures in, makes it easier to see your situation.

From what you have said I can give you some feedback.

From own experience I can say that without any loans, rent or mortgage a salary of NZ$45K is more than sufficient to live on (this is actually slightly above national average which would have to include paying rent or mortgage).

Assuming that you could pay your rent from the £20K in savings for the first year. After this time you would also be bringing in an income, I don't see that you have any big problems regarding monies.

I'm quite sure that you can get by on less than NZ$45K and also that your OH may get a higher salary than this also, so you may actually be able to get by without using your savings at all. You may also be able to get a part-time job to help for the coming year.

So, as long as you don't anticipate using much of this £20K on things when you arrive such as a car (really is just for emergencies), and you will definitely be working as well in a years time then I think that it is realistic and I'm sure that you will be fine.

Of course if these assumptions are not valid, or you don't secure employment before your savings are depleted then living on a single wage of NZ$45K whilst paying $400 per week in rent would IMO be very tight.

Ian

[incredible hulse]

We go through about 3.5k a month excluding mortgage or any form of loans; that's for a family of 4.
We have a couple of months a year when this gets up to 4k a month when paying for insurance, yearly services, etc. 45k pa personally would be just enough for us and wouldn't leave anything for savings, pension provision, big holidays, etc. but it would be liveable.
Steve

[5kings]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to say thanks for all the information. We have been putting a lot of thought into a possible move to NZ, and obviously wouldn't want to put ourselves, or our children in a situation where we were realy struggling to make ends meet.

We are still going to give it a shot though, and acknowledge we will have a few tough times until I also get a job, but figured as long as we have enough money for plane flights to the UK, and have a bit put aside in a UK account if we do decide to come back. As I said earlier, we will have a bit of money to take with us for emergencies, and if necessary we could use that for rent until I get a job, and I will also be able to look for part time work.

I want to say sorry to the OP for kind of hijacking the thread! I hope he has found this as useful as me.

Helen

[Ziggy]

Sorry to but in on your thread but all thi talk of just scraping by to make ends meet are a bit worrying. What would be a decent annual income for a family of 4 to live comfortably on?
Julia x:confused:

[IanW99]

Sorry to but in on your thread but all thi talk of just scraping by to make ends meet are a bit worrying. What would be a decent annual income for a family of 4 to live comfortably on?
Julia x:confused:

Sorry Julia, IMO there are way too many variables to give a reasonable answer to this question.

How much capital you are bringing over, whether you will just buy a house, have to pay mortgage or rent etc. Standard of living my idea of comfortable may not be yours. Where you are going to be based, obviously areas around the cities are more expensive than rural locations etc.

It also depends on how good you are at budgeting? Some people are really good and could get by happily on a lot less money than others.

If you answer some of these questions then I'm sure that someone will be able to give you their experience.

Ian

[jshack52]

Hi

we have just moved and we to have a loan to pay in the UK. If you use a money transfer company they can usually fix the exchange rate for up to three years so at least you know how much you will be sending each month and it makes it easier to budget.

If you are used to working on a budget in the UK you will be fine on $500. Car insurance and utilities are cheaper in NZ so you may find you get a saving there which you are not expecting?

The way we looked at it was that if you earn roughly the same then you would have had the same commitments in the UK and would have the same amount left there, at least in NZ there are lots of free things to do and its not as depressing.

In our area (north shore auckland) there is an annual outdoor theatre that runs for 4 months. There are loads of free things to take the kids to, playgroups, singalongs at the library, teddy bears picnics in the park and then there is the beach which is also free.

The auckland zoo is $18 per adult instead of £18-20 which is a huge saving.

The only thing i would say if that if your kids are little and still need milk and nappies then these things are much more expensive than in the UK so i would send those over if you have a container. Nappies, cream and milk have really shocked us and eaten into our budget.

Nappies as about $16 for 24 nappies which is ok for the smaller packs but they dont have bumper packs here. The only brand that does is huggies (which i find leak more than the cheaper brands) and they are about $55 for 90 nappies which is still more than pampers in asda uk at £9.00 for the same size box.

But also bare in mind that nappy cream is $19 a tub (sudacrem or bepanthem) and you need to use this at every change with NZ nappies as they are not as good as pampers or even the cheaper asda brand nappies, as they do not have a gel core so they tend to leak if not changed all the time. This means you are using double the amount of nappies you would use if you normally use pampers baby dry that lock the wetness away and last longer with no need for creams.

baby milk is about £23 per tin and they do not have the UK brands. You can get Nurture which is farleys in the UK. I have swapped to this from cow and gate premium but i do remember that Farleys in the UK was around £5 a tin so it is almost twice as expensive in NZ. Farleys is still the cheapest brand here too so the other are even more.

This may not be relevant to you, but may interest other users with babys who are budgeting for their move.

If you have PR you can apply for working for families tax credits but it is not as much as in the UK so check this out too - there is an online calculator on the IRD site. The amount is says you get includes your child benefit payment, this is not on top of the child tax credit as it is in the UK.

http://www.ird.govt.nz/calculators/keyword/wff-tax-credits/

In general stuff is more expensive here for general day to day things like cleaning products, sun cream, washing products, tinned and jars of food. Meat and veg is cheaper or the same. Clothes are the same price i would say.

Hope this helps.

jess
xxx

[Tia Maria]

jshack52 wrote:

The auckland zoo is $18 per adult instead of £18-20 which is a huge saving.

A zoo pass is great value:

www.aucklandzoo.co.nz/fotz/index.php

Pays for itself in no time if you've got kids. :nice1

Cheers

Tia

[Paul]

Hi all,
....I am wondering if those who are finding NZ wages difficult to cope with, are coming from really well paid jobs in the UK. Not all areas of the UK pay the same salary. My OH UK salary (plus our tax credits, and child benefit all added up) when converted into NZ $ is the same as his predicted NZ wage would be, so if we got any NZ tax credits (or whatever they are called) we'd actually be better off.................

.............I think if you come from a really well paid job you will be more affected by the so called low wages, but if you come from an area in the UK that has low wages you might not find that side of things such a culture shock...................Helen

These are good points I reckon and this is probably the ultimate problem that will stop us making the jump if anything. I could personally never hope to earn as much in NZ as I do here (others of course can and indeed do) so factor in a massive initial paycut (probably 60% paycut in my case) and you have to be really really sure that NZ can offer something significant over and above what we have in the UK

Guess the main point I'm trying to make is that it will be a very personal decision based on your own existing circumstances that affect whether you can survive on low wages/low disposable income

[Jennispink]

Oh, but it can - you'll have no support - from anywhere. If things go really sour, what are you going to do? Will you have enough for a return ticket if you can't cope?


Hi Zardell

I didn't mean it to sound flippant. We don't have anyone to turn to here either so we have to rely on ourselves either way.
And I'd far rather be feeling the pinch in a country where I can see a clear future. The UK just seems far too risky. I'm in a job that is actually in real terms taking pay cuts year on year when all inflation factors are taken to account, with no forseeable way of making our outgoings any less. The only way for us to be better off in this country would be for me to chop an arm off and retire on disability!!:D Not an option I'm willing to try:no

Again I don't mean to be off hand I just really want to show the positive side for people who might be in a similar situation.