[coldnovascotia]

Hi All,
This is my first post. I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. I'm a new teacher and am frustrated with the lack of jobs here, and also with the less than desirable climate. Hubby and I are contemplating making a (big) move. I was wondering if you would recommend New Zealand. Thanks!

[dilanium]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm not in New Zealand. I will be arriving on July 3. However, as with any other place, no where is for everyone. This forum is a great source of information, and there are varying opinions on here as well. Also there are a number of teachers on here who I am sure would be willing to share their experiences in that profession with you.

However, no one can tell you if it's right for you and even if it looks right in writing you might find that it's not a place you want to live.

But being that I'm going, and to me it looks good on paper. I like the government policies, the number of outdoorsy activity opportunities, and the supposed laid back happy attitudes that I've heard about. I would say you should go. :)

Good luck no matter which path you end up taking!

[Kayaker]

My wife is an English teacher, I'm a medical x-ray tech, and we are waiting for final approval of our Invitation to Apply (ITA), which you submit after your Expression of Interest (EOI) is selected by Immigration New Zealand.

For you, there are two important first steps:

Go to http://www.immigration.govt.nz/ and complete the worksheet to find out whether you have the minimum 100 immigration points or more. Then, if you do,

go to http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/ and apply to see if, on the basis of your training and experience, you can be registered as a teacher in New Zealand. Do this BEFORE you spend money to lodge the EOI.

Finally, if all looks good, you can submit your EOI online and hope for the best.

Good luck! and welcome to the forum!

[StevieD]

Yes!

Welcome, good luck, have to agree with Liz, you can't say whether a place suits everyone. We know a Canuck here and he likes it too.

[JandM]

Hello, and welcome to the forum. :)

[kanatakiwi]

Hi All,
This is my first post. I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. I'm a new teacher and am frustrated with the lack of jobs here, and also with the less than desirable climate. Hubby and I are contemplating making a (big) move. I was wondering if you would recommend New Zealand. Thanks!

Hi have a friend who lives in Amherst so have heard about the shocking winter weather you have had there in the last few years!

As others have said its a very personal thing about your feelings about a country, so think you will need to ask more specific questions to get more detailed answers. I am semi-retired and moved here with my Kiwi husband who wanted to come home after 14 years in Canada. He loved it in Canada, but home is home. I still think of Canada as my home, but I like NZ , and think it has many attributes, in many ways its a great little country. It has an informality about daily life, a good social system, great cultural experiences and outstanding outdoor lifestyle and scenery.

But it has its faults, and I am always a bit concerned when I read about people who think they can get away from everything they don't like about their life in Wherever by coming here. This is not paradise despite what the Tourism NZ ads portray. There is an underclass here with the associated drug crime and poverty issues. Wages are not that high and living expenses are high. Petrol is over $2 a litre for instance.

So I would encourage you to think it through, ask lots of questions on this forum and maybe you will decide this is the place for you.
Good luck
Gloria

[cani]

Welcome and good luck whatever you decide.

[Leanne]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm not in NZ...still in Winnipeg and planning on being there by September. I have thoughts on what I would like to happen, but in the end, who knows. If it turns out that I end up coming back to Canada at a later date, then so be it. It will have been one heck of an adventure!

But no matter what anyone 'recommends' to you, it may or may not be the place for you. We are all so different in what we want and need in life.

Best of luck with whatever decission you make!
:)

[Moorf]

YES!! :raebanana:raebanana

[benhila]

Welcome to the forum!

Just like the others said, whether or not NZ is the 'right' place for you will depend on your unique set of circumstances, likes and dislikes, values etc. We loved NZ as tourists and we love it as new-comers although we do realise now that 'real life' here are not as care-free as when viewed through 'tourist glasses'. One thing you can be sure of though is that the weather here is much better than in Canada, even in windy Welly! I also think that it helps if you have a back-up plan and somewhere to return to if things don't work out the way you hoped they will. Best of luck!

Hila

[mgbridges]

We (me, OH & 6yr old son) have been in Auckland now for almost 10mths and I can't honestly say 100% one way or the other if NZ is for me so I'm not sure I'm qualified to comment. As others has said everyone has different expectations, wants, needs so NZ won't necessarily be the right place for everyone (e.g. read Wiki's post in the Leaving NZ thread).

What I would say is if you have never been here you need to research, research, research and then research some more. If you can possibly afford it consider coming to visit NZ but try to see it as more than a holiday - eg. visit supermarkets, employment agencies, doctors, dentists, furniture & homewear stores etc. so that you can a good feel for costs and the limited choices that there are here. Go to a few 'Open Homes' as well so you can see what the housing is like.

If you can't afford a visit then you need to do as much reading as you possibly can and not just the tourist guides. This Forum is a great place to start and there are various books available about NZ from an immigrants point of view.

It would be a HUGE step to emigrate but at the very least you won't be sitting in Canada thinking 'what if?' which would be something to be proud of.

HTH
Anneliese

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

Simple answer, Yes!

Despite feeling decidedly ill with acute bronchitis at present and out of work heading rapidly towards 'don't know how we're going to pay the mortgage' territory.

Neither of those things are NZ specific though, could be the case anywhere.

Would rather be ill and destitute in NZ than the UK.

[victoria]

I grew up in Canada & the family moved back to Blighty when I was in my early teens. I have always kept my fondness for Canada but memory can be selective. New Zealand is Canada without the bite (except for those pesky sandflies!!!) A lot of the towns could have been straight from the area I grew up in. There is a general friendliness & more so in the SI. The feeling of community spirit is good as well as attitudes towards children. The material side is .. uh ... simpler.I've found that although there is a strong americanism in speech(teens mostly),media & business, the overall feel is of a good comparison to the ethos of Canada. Must be the scottish forebears influence? A really good plus is you can escape the snow!!!!! Welcome & good luck with your research.

[willsken]

YES, YES , YES!!!!!!!!!! :clap:clap:clap

[gil]

And YES from me too! :nice1

Gil

[benandclare]

YUP YUP YUP and YUP :raebanana:raebanana:raebanana:raebanana

[nippa&pippa]

LOVE IT! :clap

[castleclan]

Welcome to the forum.
We are still deliberating and researching as this is one huge move when established as a family and in a career. I would have loved to have been in the position to move when younger but it has only just become financially viable and a visit last year really started us thinking.
I'm a teacher too. How many years have you been teaching as I think there is a minimum requirement here?
Good luck with your research and future plans.