[wes]

Hi

I recently made my first post on this forum and have been reading with great interest everyday since i returned from NZ where my wife and myself went on our Honeymoon.

Up until this week i was adament that i could and determined to move to New Zealand to gain a better quality of life. By better quality of life i mean:

1.Living by the sea (not affordable to us in th uk)
2.Being able to surf and catch my supper (not at the same time)
3.Be able to drive to a ski resort within a couple of hours
4.Have a bigger house on a bigger plot maybe even some land, perhaps even build a house.

We had even thougt about places to live, South Island (Christchurch area) would be our first choice but i thought that Wellington would provide me with the most oportunities with regards to work. I work as an IT manager but have a lot of IT service management experiance and qualifications and the wife is a nurse.
Therefore the Kapiti coast looked a very attractive proposal.

I am now however very confused and dejected reading a few posts on here recently as i thought that based on my income (after research i believe i could earn between of $110k - $130k) that we could live a comfortable lifestyle achieving the lifestyle that we wanted without having to sacrifice too much and being able to come home every so often. We would also be bring over a minimum of £100k

Are my expectations totally unrealistic or should i give up on the idea, has anyone got any personal experiances that may help me?

Thanks

Wes and Natalie

[JandM]

Hi, Wes. Keep reading. There are some really optimistic people around as well as the ones you've evidently come across so far. Good luck!:)

[mgbridges]

If you can find a position paying in that price bracket, which you should definitely be able to do in Wellington, AND bring over $100k you'll be OK especially if your OH is earning and you don't have any kids. Please bear in mind this is of course IMHO.

Please feel free to PM me/us for more thoughts.

Anneliese

[willsken]

Based on your post I can't see any reason why you couldn't make a go of it over here.

I remember so well the feelings of doubt you get when there are a couple of threads running but there are also a lot of positive ones out there as well. There will always be people who struggle here or don't find the move the right one for them, for many different reasons. You just need to find information that relates to your position. You will earn a good salary, you have a wife that has a profession in demand and you have a very good amount of capital to bring. All I can say is what a fantastic start to have on this journey!! :yes :yes

[Flo jo]

Don't be put off by the negative posts you may have seen. Of course not everything in life is going to be rosy & some things you will pay a lot more for. We have found that all the retailers are open to haggling (which I found uncomfortable to begin with but hubby always gets a load knocked off the retail price).

Hubby is also in IT in Wellington & he earns a good salary, plus if you contract you can earn up to $200k. We can afford to do everything we did in the UK on 1 salary & that includes putting my son into daycare full-time until I start work. Our home is gorgeous & is about the same size as in the UK but we have got a view of the mountains instead of a view in a housing estate.

Everyones circumstances are different but you won't know if its going to work until you get here & put it all into perspective. I feel we are living the lifestyle & off to the Wairarapa Balloon festival on the 29th which is not something we would have gone to see in the UK. You have to live the dream & as everyone told us before we left the UK - if it doesn't work out then you can always come home but at least you're not going to reach a certain age & wish that you had done it years ago!!! If you need any further info on Wellington or the IT recruitment consultants here then let us know.

[Jennispink]

Some people might have me down for being overly optimistic at times but I whole heartedly think that the reasons behind your move should be far more than money. The reasons you listed include what we are hoping for in the long run too.

I was listening to a piece on the radio today about this attitude that we all tend to have now of I want that and because I want it I should be able to have it and have it now. While I don't disagree with the sentiment ( I am after all a product of my generation) I do think that a bit of realism is necessary and it may take us a few years to achieve our dreams but we're a lot more likely to do that in NZ than we would ever be over here. We personally don't stand a chance in the UK.

Rant over, I'll be taking myself to bed now and I will have a quiet word in my own ear:roll :laugh

[incredible hulse]

Hi Wes and Natalie. Good luck with your move. I live on the Kapiti Coast and work in IT in Welly; your expectations do not seem to be too unrealistic. An idea on some of the things you've raised:
- Near the sea - yep nice deserted beach all the way from Paekok northwards
- Surf and fish - Sometimes see surfers near Pukerua bay but not much up Kapiti. Fish a plenty though
- Ski-ing; 2 hours is a bit optimistic but 3.5 should be achievable
- House and land; most of the sections here have been subdivided so majority are on smaller plots than UK with the neighbours very close. That said there are bigger plots available but you'll pay a bit more unless you want to live further north than waikanae which makes the commute difficult. Nicesh 3 bed houses in Pram start around 350k but closer to 500k+ in reality. If you want a sea view start looking at 600k plus, and if you want to be on the beach start around a mill.

Sections are available to build on (around 200k plus for a 700 sqm section on a new development, 300k plus for acre plus sections). Build costs vary but when we looked the minimum was around 1200 per/sqm. So for a big house on a biggesh plot you wouldn't get much change from 650k+

Regards jobs, salaries - I would say your earnings expectations aren't far off. Depending on skills, number of reports, etc it maybe slightly lower than those figures. I've no idea on nursing but the health industry does seem as stretched here as the uk so I wouldn't have thought it would be a problem.

Good luck, Steve

[Tia Maria]

Hi

By better quality of life i mean:

1.Living by the sea (not affordable to us in th uk)
2.Being able to surf and catch my supper (not at the same time)
3.Be able to drive to a ski resort within a couple of hours
4.Have a bigger house on a bigger plot maybe even some land, perhaps even build a house.


Are my expectations totally unrealistic or should i give up on the idea, has anyone got any personal experiances that may help me?

Thanks

Wes and Natalie

1) Living by the sea - this is one of the areas NZ excels in, your average person can live within a 10 minute drive of a gorgeous beach. So I think you can give than one a tick.

2) Surf - Once you've decided on a final area, I'm sure you'll be able to suss out good surf beaches. Another tick

3) There are places to ski on both North & South islands. I know plenty of people who drive up for the weekend - although most places don't compare to the 'resort feel' of places in Europe. But once again this is something that is very achievable for the average person.

4) This is the only one which may not be achievable on arrival and will be very much dependent on which area you do choose and how long a commute you are willing to do. Its a very simplistic thing to say but if you need to live within a short distance of one of the major cities it will cost you more and plot sizes will be smaller.

I'm not saying its impossible to get all 4, but just that number 4 is probably the one most people compromise on.

Don't rule out Christchurch for IT jobs, especially if it ticks all the other boxes.

Cheers

Tia

[Tia Maria]

Flojo wrote:

Hubby is also in IT in Wellington & he earns a good salary, plus if you contract you can earn up to $200k

What kind of work/hours/experience would you need to earn $200k?

Cheers

Tia

[Lupin]

Don't rush to Wellington unitl you've considered other areas- it may be where most IT jobs are but not all and it's where land is expensive.

[KerryS]

What kind of work/hours/experience would you need to earn $200k?

Cheers

Tia

Not that much - contract rates are excellent at the moment. Good PMs are currently earning $125ph +

[wes]

Thanks for all of your information it is valued greatly!

Kerry - Is there much of a market for ITIL service management Contracting as well, is it a sort after skill?

Thanks

Wes