[Adders]

Hello all,

My husband and I have recently been considering (hoping for!) a move to New Zealand and I've been lurking about the forums for roughly a week now. We're attracted to the change of pace and the overall lifestyle. We both work WAY too much at our current jobs! :no

I'm curious about how many hours a week would be considered average full time employment? Anyone mind to chime in here? I am an accountant and DH is in IT / research, but really I'd love to hear a broad spectrum of answers.

Thanks!

~Adders

[vitalogy]

38-40 hours seems pretty standard in my experience.

[mgbridges]

My OH works in IT management and works (ie. is in the office) roughly 40 - 45 hours per week. However this is more to do with the fact that his commute takes less time so despite leaving the house later than he used to in London he arrives in the office earlier. At the end of the day he is also home earlier so we (me & DS) see more of him. He may also go into the office early or stay later because he has taken time out during the day to go to the gym.

In London it was not uncommon for him to see our son on Monday morning and then not again until Friday evening purely because of leaving so early and arriving home so late. Not helped by having a commute that ranged from between 1 - 1.5hrs!

I know there are some forumites who haven't found it to be the case but from our experience 38 - 40 hrs fulltime seems pretty standard. I also personally feel there is more of an attitude of acceptance that people have lifes outside of work and families which come first so there is more flexibility.

For example a mum I know works in the office 9am - 2.30pm then does more work from home in the afternoon/evenings meaning she still does a fulltime job (& gets fulltime pay) but can still spend time with her kids. She needs the fulltime money, isn't having to spend most of it on childcare and gets the family time she wants whilst the company she works for gets the skills of a fulltime employee.

Rambling again, sorry...

HTH
Anneliese

[nippa&pippa]

My OH does 40hours and his workplace is flexiable about starting and finishing times. He usually start anytime from 7am and home by 4:30-5pm and home by midday on friday (all his choice)

[benhila]

Hi

I do a 40-hours week (accunts) and Ben (IT) a slightly shorter 37.5 one. As others said the commute is much shorter than it usually is in the UK and start and finish hours are quite flexible too.

Hila

[dharder]

I work 40 as standard, but fairly flexible as to when I start and finish, as long as I do the 40 hours in a week. I have a 40 min commute these days. Most people in my office who live north of the bridge start very early and leave earlier to get around the worst traffic, and that seems to be no problem (this is IT Project Management, btw).

From the 1st of July, there is also the same part time working rule in place as in the UK. That is under certain conditions, you can ask for reduced hours (with reduced pay, of course), or flexible working arrangements, and your employer will in general have to comply (or prove that there are compelling reasons why they can't).

Daniela

[KerryS]

I'm a contractor on an hourly rate, so the more hours I put in the more I take home - obviously this isn't the case for salaried roles though. I generally do about 40-45 hours a week, although at busy times (UAT, project go-live, etc.) I have done over 60 before now, but that is quite unusual circumstances though.
Most people where I'm currently working come in early and leave early to avoid traffic. I prefer to do it the other way round, and I start late and finish late - well if you can call 6pm late that is! I'll get home by about 6.30 at the latest, which is way sooner than I ever did in London.

[Familyofmonkeys]

Oh works 40 hours and has 'core hours' and the rest are flexible. They are pretty flexible about working from home occasionally to fit round family commitments. Like many north of the bridge....he usually leaves home before 7am (unless really bad night sleep with kids) and it usually home between 5-5.30pm depending on how long he take for lunch etc.....much, much better than we had in UK when he often didn't get home until after 7-7.30pm. When he does need to do overtime, he does it at home in the evening with a glass of wine to hand :)

[dusk]

our jobs in NZ (when we start them!) will be 40 hours, our current jobs in the UK are 37.5 hours a week so we're actually going to be working more!

[gonzo]

Hate to be a killjoy here, but my working experience was somewhat different, often worked a 55-60 hour week, always in before eight and rarely left before 6.30 and I was often the first to leave, I could feel my superiors eyes burning in the back of my head as I closed the door, also was expected to work at the weekend if the workload was high, and it always was. Only four weeks holiday a year and sick pay had to be earned as well. After fourteen months packed it in as health was deteriorating.
My wife however has had a much more positive experience and works between 35-40 hours a week for a caring employer.
I wont say where I worked other than had NZ and X in the title. Needless to say staff turnover was mind blowingly high. But as the human resources officer said at my exit interview -always another pom that can be lured in with the prospect of residency, churn and burn was the maxim (I think they had a hot line to NZ immigration)

By the way I think the CEO was named NZ businessman of the year!!

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

For the vast majority 40 hours is a standard working week in NZ.

[shakyle2906]

Hi

I am able to work 8.45 to 5.15 so that i can take our son to school by 8.30 and then walk around corner to work.

Hubby works 7 till 5 which works great, as he picks son up from after school care which is up the road, then its back down main road to pick me up.

Works well for us!

Sharon
x

[M-Squared]

Used to work (officially) a 40-hr week in the US, but we were expected to work a minimum of 10% overtime (unpaid...) even though it was illegal to require people to work overtime in the state we lived in.

Here my work week is 37.5 hours. I get paid for overtime, or just take the time back. :) :nice1