[Tentun]

Hi all

Has anyone used them for the £95 assessment and consulation.

I don't intend to go through with using them for the WHOLE process as I am certain we can do it on our own but our case is slightly more difficult to the normal and we really do need some expert advice but I am just worried about paying £95 for them to just tell me basic, general information which I can read off the NZIS website anyway.

I would like some feedback on anyone who has used them - good or bad. I just feel that it's a lot of money to pay and don't want to put more money down the toilet.

Thanks so much.

[Janey]

if this is the lot based in cornwall do not bother we did before we found this forum and wasted money people on here are able to give you guidance and they will only ask you for the stuff you will need to provide anyway

[YouMeAndThree]

Personally speaking, the cynic in me says that these companies will always provide a positive initial response. Certainly that's the way it's been with all the online assessments we've done, however DH didn't 'fit' into either the short or long term skills shortages and were low on points. We thought we'd have to employ an agent in order to assist with our 'difficult' circumstances, but it's proved not to be the case. We only started looking at moving to NZ in March of this year. DH applied for a job via Seek after being given some information via (another) web forum. His online video interview was successful and we are just waiting for the letter of offer to come out (boss is currently off with man-flu according to his PA, LOL!). As the company are an accredited employer we are going via the WTR Talent visa. Fingers crossed that the visa comes through rather quickly after we apply for it, as they want DH to start work by the end of June/beginning of July :raebanana

Our initial thoughts of the move taking 12-18 months has been completely blown out of the water. For DH it's going to be more like 3-4 months!!! (I on the other hand will be left behind with our 3 daughters whilst I sort out the UK end).

So, in a roundabout way, I'm trying to say that there is an awful lot of help and information stored in the heads of these forum users - give 'em a try and save yourself a few quid. Mind you, in the scheme of things £95 isn't a lot of money.

Best of luck

Lx

[Helsandfamily]

We used them for the initial consultation, and although most of the advise that was given is readily available here on the forum, I found that it channelled our thinking a bit more than if we hadn't gone. I was expecting "the hard sell", and there was a bit of that but we were also able to ask any questions that we wanted.

On paper our application seemed very straight forward, but it turned out to be much less so, and I believe that if we had used one of the agencies we would have beenin NZ a long time ago. having said that we have saved ourselves quite a few thousand pounds by not using them, and we do now have PR, so no regrets.

[Caroline and Dave]

We used them and found them excellent. Having said that we are on a business investment visa which is different to normal visa applications and there are few people who have been this way.
The initial 95 GBP is, as already said worth it in the way that they do answer any questions you put to them ,after all,if they cannot answer them then you are not going to want to go with them. But after that I would stick with the forum as there is a vast knowledge of info here.

Dave and caroline

[Derv]

This is the one in Chester? We used them and found them excellent as our case was unusual too. They certainly took the pressure off and eased us through the whole process.

[liveAdream]

Not intending to hijack the thread. Perhaps the following line of thought may benefit Tentun.

Those people who are likely to use services like TEG will be whose situations are less straightforward or points are low.

What is the consensus how useful they are to help their client secure a job?

Or do they have better access to NZIS that enhances their client's chance ?

[Helsandfamily]

Not intending to hijack the thread. Perhaps the following line of thought may benefit Tentun.

Those people who are likely to use services like TEG will be whose situations are less straightforward or points are low.

What is the consensus how useful they are to help their client secure a job?

Or do they have better access to NZIS that enhances their client's chance ?

We did not use them for this, just for the initial consultation.
hels

[Debbie]

We used TEG for the entire application process, (expensive but got us what we wanted). We also paid for and didn't use a couple of other agents initial assessments. It's not that we like throwing money away, far from it, but it was better for us to walk away from those smaller initial assessment fees when we didn't feel comfortable with the company than risk the larger sum.

Not intending to hijack the thread. Perhaps the following line of thought may benefit Tentun.

Those people who are likely to use services like TEG will be whose situations are less straightforward or points are low.

What is the consensus how useful they are to help their client secure a job?

Or do they have better access to NZIS that enhances their client's chance ?

When we used TEG (2yrs ago now) the initial assessment paid for them to review your case and face to face meeting. For anyone thinking of paying an agent getting to know them and how they work is important because you are trusting them with your future dreams. IMO face to face is the best way to do that.

Our application was less straight forward. I had done a ton of research and thought that I should be the principle applicant. The other agencies rubbished that idea. One agency had said we could only go with a job offer, another said my OH would have to have a skills assessment. TEG took my idea on board then phoned the head of immigration in London and asked him if he would be receptive to that approach.

My OH works in IT and they suggested that he not use their job search division as his field was better covered by agents in NZ.

It is 2yrs since we used them, I have no information as to there current standards of practice. I don't regret paying as in the grand scheme of things it seemed a reasonable price to secure our future dream. You can do it by yourself and this forum is a great source of help but some of the help that is on here is from people who have learnt from making costly mistakes. A good agent should stop you making those mistakes.

My best piece of advise to someone wanting to use an agent would be to check them out well. If need be pay a few small initial assessment fees to get different opinions it's better to walk away from a small amount than to throw good money after bad.
Debbie

[L00pback]

Hi

Just my 2p's. We are currently using them to process our application. We are paying for them to do everything for us because we don't have time to do it ourselves. I need a job offer to go with the EOI so we'll be going over on a tourist visa and getting a job offer and then TEG will post the application for PR (they will have all the paperwork done and ready before we go).

We had the assesment and face to face earlier this year and I must admit I expected the hard sell but didn't get it. They just told us our options, what they can do for us and how much it would cost (glad I was sat down for the last one!).

We then went away and made our decision and decided to put our future dreams of living in NZ in their hands. So far I've not had any cause to regret that decision as they have been very professional.

Having said that, I can't recommend them fully as I'm writting this from the UK and not NZ :laugh.

Cheers

Alan & Emma

[victoria24]

we used an agent based in NZ to assess us for £97 as we were unsure where my job title would fit for the SMC category. Although the assessment was positive (fee refunded if we failed the assessment) I did further investigative work on this forum and calling INZ. It transpired that I could claim a further 50 points for my job and qualifications which the agent had missed that I discovered through NZQA etc.
In all fairness when I asked for a refund, they still disagreed with my findings but refunded me immediately on the basis that they didnt want an unhappy customer. I think in this day and age that attitude speaks volumes but the assessment wasnt all that useful as all the info is available. I suppose it depends on how much you value your time vs cost of someone else doing it and how much control you want of the process.
I usually am a fan of paying specialists to advise in their field but on this occasion I'm preferring to do it myself.

[shakyle2906]

Is this the Chester based group ?

If so, we used them about 6.5 yrs ago when we were applying to emigrate to Australia. We had no job offers at that time, no real ideas of where to locate to, and were told that the application was a lot harder to completer on your own.

We paid them the best part of £4.5k.........had a few meetings with them, and seemed to go well. Sold our house, sold our car, then i fell pregnant with our son, parents in law talked out of going...........we lost the whole lot!

Luckily we rented our house back from the company we bought it from and then got smaller car!

We approcahed them about 18mths ago to reopen the process, thinking we may not have to pay much to restart, as they found our files in their archives and all the work was done, just a matter of getting the i's dotted and the t's crossed so to speak. We were told to do this, we had to pay all the money again!

So, one word of warning, dont get yourselves talked out of it like we did, and kick ourselves ever since.

Saying that, the application process for over here is so much easier, i would have a bash at doing yourself and save yourself a lot of money!

Good luck, hope i have helped in some way!

Sharon
xx

[Tentun]

Yes, this is the Chester based group. And thank you for all your very helpful replies.

I'm still undecided about going for the consultation - but I guess if it's good news for us then we'll only have spent £95.00 and if it's bad news, they'll refund us so when I think of it that way - what's £95.00 to be told that our dreams can come true.

[james the mechanic]

what's £95.00 to be told that our dreams can come true.

I'll do that for £75:laugh