[Kookyduke]

Hello! First I want to say how wonderful this site is. My family and I have decided to begin putting our ducks in a row to immigrate to New Zealand, and the information we have found here has been invaluable thus far. Every one is warm and friendly and extremely helpful.
Now to the questions. I am a Paramedic here in the US as well as a Firefighter. (In the US, especially in this part of the country, most firefighters are also Paramedics and we pull double duty. Not a bad gig) I know that the New Zealand Fire Service doesn't accept overseas training and requires everyone to start from square one, so that route is out. What I have found, though, is that Paramedics do seem to be in a bit higher demand. I believe I am figuring out that there is a difference between Paramedics and Ambulance Officers, who have a Bachelor's of Paramedic. Are the terms interchangeable? If I see a job posting for a Paramedic, do they mean a Paramedic with a Bachelors or just the certified training?
I have seen ads for Paramedics with Search and Rescue Training, which I have quite a bit of, I just wonder if that training will count for anything in New Zealand.
Second part of the question is: Do I need a job offering before I can get a Work Permit? One option for our plan is to do it in two Phases where I come over first, find a job and housing and then, once I am settled enough and know we have a good chance of being allowed to stay, move the rest of the family over. Though I hold no college degrees, I have a lot of varied skills, and am willing to do most anything to get established in the country.
OK, that's a big chunk. Thank you for any information you can give. I am going to continue to pour through the endless tomes of information here on the site to see if I can find answers to other questions.

[NZ Hopeful]

I can't answer I'm afraid, I just wanted to say Hi and good luck! :)

I'm sure someone will be along shortly with an answer to your question!

[BkyMonster]

Do I need a job offering before I can get a Work Permit?
Usually this is the case. In some cases when applying for provisional residence (PR) you will be given a WTR (work to residence) permit instead.

One option for our plan is to do it in two Phases where I come over first, find a job and housing and then, once I am settled enough and know we have a good chance of being allowed to stay, move the rest of the family over. Though I hold no college degrees, I have a lot of varied skills, and am willing to do most anything to get established in the country.


This is probably your best plan if you don't have enough points to apply for the EOI (expression of interest) for PR.

Be sure to check that with a job offer you can meet the point criteria for acceptance of your EOI so you can get PR. :)
If you aren't coming in with a skill on a LTSSL or ISSL (Long term and Immediate skill shortages lists, difference is ISSL is more regional and helps employers hire, where LTSSL gets you extra points on the EOI) make sure your salary meets the standards set forth by NZIS. 45k NZD/year I think? Or was that changed recently...I forget.

Was that enough acronyms? :exit

Good luck!

[JandM]

Hello, and very good luck with everything.:)

[dilanium]

Sorry I can't answer any of you questions, just wanted to say hello and welcome!!1

[IanW99]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.


...
If you aren't coming in with a skill on a LTSSL or ISSL (Long term and Immediate skill shortages lists, difference is ISSL is more regional and helps employers hire, where LTSSL gets you extra points on the EOI) make sure your salary meets the standards set forth by NZIS. 45k NZD/year I think? Or was that changed recently...I forget.

Was that enough acronyms? :exit

Good luck!

Yep, it was changed:-

Offer of Employment must be:-
* full time (on average, at least 30 hours a week)
* for at least two years
* with an annual base salary of at least NZ$50,000 (gross)

Ian

[Tia Maria]

Park City Partner's OH is training to be a paramedic in NZ so might be able to help with some of your questions about how in works in NZ.

If she doesn't spot this then send her a PM.

I think you maybe need 3 (or is it 5?) posts before you can send a PM, so you'll have to find something else to post first!

Cheers

Tia

[SharpBlade]

Hi,
I knew an American paramedic , also firefighter, who worked for NZ Red Cross, teaching first aid classes and higher levels too (not search and rescue but sort of). This might not be the ideal job for you but maybe it is worth a shot to start with ?
Good luck, Laura

[Kim39]

Kookyduke,

Unsure whether you have taken a look at the St John website,but you'll find the info probably from that.

http://www.stjohn.org.nz/

As an ex Ambulance man from the UK, my thoughts are, you would by pass a lot and be moved into the higher echelons of the service, due to your training. Maybe a small re-train and you'd be up there as the advanced Para status.

Kim

[Kookyduke]

Very helpful everyone. Thank you very much. I have checked out St John's, and that seems to be the most lucrative way to go. I am going to have my skills assessed and see where I lay in the order of things.

My other question then is: Can I bring my family over while I am on a work Visa? Can my children go to school there? If no to either, then when can they come? My wife is a stay at home mom right now, but she would like to go back to work when we get there. Her intention is to go back to school once we gain residency in NZ (too expensive before then) and become a Midwife. Are we looking at a separation that is over a year long?

[BkyMonster]

If you get a work visa your family can come over on family stream work and student visas. These are tied to your work visa. :)