[cruss74]

hi everyone! i have been spending alot of time here and it has been very helpful. my orginal plans were to come to NZ to work as a RN but i was hit with the bad news this morning that my 2 year degree means nothing there (which i suspected). i still would like to go to NZ amd maybe work as nurses aid and get the school i need while in NZ, but i am afraid the cost of living will make that nearly impossible. my husband is in construction, so that is the only hope i have now. my reason for wanting to leave the US is mostly political, but i will leave it at that. we have three boys ages 13, 9, 9.

[Mrs Pony]

welcome! We're in FL hoping to get the hell out of the US as well.

[cruss74]

hi! congrats on the EOI selection and PR MRS PONY! i will submit EOI too soon, i hope, but i am waiting for my oldest sons dad to give permission (i dont think this will be a problem, although it will have temporary written all over it, maybe 2 yrs). Worst case scenario, we will move to rural area somewhere in US,because i am expecting the worst to happen within a few years, probably less. i think its very important for americans right now to prepare for the worst,but hope for the best. so, not to be nosy, but what are you waiting for now, jobs? i hear it is a lengthy process, and i am a bit worried to wait any longer. thanks for the welcome btw!
cyndi and steve

[Brian]

I booked my flight yesterday! No job or anything else lined up yet - I'll have 3 months to find a job and obtain a visa. If that doesn't work, I'll take out a school loan and go to school in NZ instead. The US is simply getting too weird for me and it's time for a break.

[cruss74]

i admire your courage for no job lined up! if we can sell our house and make anything off of it, i will also consider moving jobless. on the other hand i have three kids and i dont know if that would be a good idea for us. congrats! :nice1

[Kiwi-In-Texas]

Hello and welcome.
It takes 3 years to get a degree in Nursing in New Zealand. Maybe you could do a Caregiver's course they are valuable if you want to care for the elderly in either their homes or in a Residential facility.
I worked in the healthfield for many years before relocating to Texas, and now we are returning to NZ I intend to go back to that work when we get to NZ.

Good luck with your plans.

Suzanne.

[cruss74]

yes, thanks, that may be a good option although i have high risk mother/baby care experience, 3 yrs+, none else :eek:.

[Hagabel]

Hi there.
Who told you your 2 yr degree does not count over there? Was it NZQA or registration board? Does it not count as a diploma?
I am also an RN and just submitted EOI. I agree the USA has turned a little weird and do not start me in on politics..:)
Good luck.
:exit

[cruss74]

it was a recruiting agency in australia that i was referred to that gave me this info, so i will definately check into this. i emailed head.office@healthcarenz.co.nz and oseas@nursingcouncil.org.nz inquiring about this on 8/1 and still have no reply. i am crossing my fingers!

[Mrs Pony]

Oh my OH feels the same way that you do!! I'm sure he will come on and rant a bit when I get home and tell him about your post.

If we don't get into NZ (don't have PR yet):( we will see about moving anyways... maybe Hawaii or Tennessee...two extremes I know... anywhere but Florida. We can't stand being here anymore. I've stopped watching the news (thanks to the people on here!) because it was just keeping a dark cloud over me. Trying to get the OH to stop too. Office politics are insane, people are rude and things are just getting weird like you said. We hate it here more and more everyday. Our jobs are stressing us out and the horrible news isn't helping.

We're going to see about renting out our condo because selling isn't an option with how things are. We might be able to break even by renting. Seems the same in the UK as well from what I've seen on here. :no

What made you pick NZ? Good luck with everything! I hope you make it to NZ!

[cruss74]

Oh my OH feels the same way that you do!! I'm sure he will come on and rant a bit when I get home and tell him about your post.

cool!

We can't stand being here anymore. I've stopped watching the news (thanks to the people on here!) because it was just keeping a dark cloud over me. Trying to get the OH to stop too. Office politics are insane, people are rude and things are just getting weird like you said. We hate it here more and more everyday. Our jobs are stressing us out and the horrible news isn't helping.

ditto
we dont watch the news because its also propaganda, controlled by, guess who, our gov and others.:mad:



What made you pick NZ?

well it seems the best so far, although i worry about australia stepping in (i dont know if this is a logical worry or not) if NZ hits bottom financially too. i dont know much on Iceland but i will look into that too ( i know IL gives jobs to EU before anyone else).:confused:

previous post i made http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=19897

this is all stressful and it irks me to be in this position.
ah well. take care!

[Hagabel]

I agree with previous 2 posts!! I am looking for somewhere with a slower pace of life, less materialistic but still has the outdoors opportunites that the USA has. I also love the Kiwis and the fact that the country has a similar standard of living and they speak english!! (the Queen's, not the President's!)

Lets hope we can all acheive our dreams.
:cheers

[dusk]

Hello, hope you find a way through your setbacks so far :)

[thewoodies]

Hello and welcome - have you thought about training as a midwife? There is a shortage -my midwife visited her friend working in nz and said it was a dream job - facillities etc

[JandM]

Hello, and welcome to the forum.:)

[cruss74]

Hello and welcome - have you thought about training as a midwife? There is a shortage -my midwife visited her friend working in nz and said it was a dream job - facillities etc

hello!yes i have! also i want to look into the profession (forgot what it is called in NZ) that performs/teaches newborn care(i am very experienced with newborn teaching)

[calixfornia]

Hey Cruss welcome! Sorry your degree isn't going to work out but you'll figure out a way.
Hubby and I are near Belleville IL which is right outside St. Louis, we leave for NZ on August 25. We are leaving for many reasons but one of them is the same reason you want to leave.
So don't feel alone!

[BkyMonster]

Welcome to the forum.
I think until the New Zealand nurses registration tells you your degree is not acceptable you shouldn't be so down. :)
Probably the first thing you will want to do is get that assessed.
http://www.nursingcouncil.org.nz/

Is that right nurses?

[cruss74]

Welcome to the forum.
I think until the New Zealand nurses registration tells you your degree is not acceptable you shouldn't be so down. :)
Probably the first thing you will want to do is get that assessed.

yes i am trying to find out for sure. i sent email 8/1 ( to nursing council nz), still waiting:)
its $400 or so to submit my RN registration which is the official way to know, but i dont want to pay and THEN find out it is a no go. the site says = 3 year degree, but my hours of curriculum credits are more than required.
anyway, thanks!

[sweetpea]

I also love ... the fact that the country has a similar standard of living

Not to rain on your parade -- well, ok, I'm going to anyway :o -- NZ really doesn't have the same standard of living as the US. The US standard is higher in terms of housing, quality of goods, health care (protocols and up-to-the-minute treatment), public infrastructure, technology, etc. Noticeably so. Although friends and I half-joke about NZ being third world, it really does fall more into a "maybe-high-second-but-not-first world" standard of living.

Here, if you buy a Hewlett-Packard printer, it comes with instructions in English and Bahasa Indonesia. Your heater you purchase at The Warehouse may have a caution statement stamped into the plastic in Russian. Companies often do not sell there highest quality goods here - those get routed to more prosperous countries. NZ gets the down spec'ed and slighly outdated versions. Does down-spec'ing significantly affect my life? Not really, but it points to the larger issue of living standards in things that do matter every day -- like housing.

[rowells]

Hi there,
I am a nurse in UK and I can work in NZ or Australia as our qualifications are counted down there, just a transfer. For me to work in the US I would need to sit your exams to get registered. So..... surely there must be some kind of exam, or conversion course, or a way of assessing your skills and qualifications. Cant believe in the world of nursing that your qualification would count for nothing in NZ. Anyway, best of luck, hope the kiwis make you happy and get you recognised.
Rache

[akp713]

Good luck with trying to move here, I agree that NZ's standard of living is lower than the US in some ways, but I still think it's a great country to live in and especially to raise kids in. I just have to say I'm always amazed by the number of Americans who move here for political reasons. I considered myself a moderate/centrist Democrat in the US but here among US expats I feel like I'm on the far right of the political spectrum. I have to wonder how many political immigrants to NZ will feel if the National Party takes power this spring. Oh and you should also be aware that we do get Fox News in NZ. I watch it just to get angry at Bill O'Reilly, even when I agree with him he makes me angry!

[Brian]

I'm fairly liberal, but my satisfaction isn't so much because the country went conservative. It's that reason and practicality aren't even considered anymore. It's all based on fear, ideology, and who is giving campaign contributions. When Obama tries to explain how more oil drilling won't make any more difference than people checking their tire pressure and that we need a comprehensive plan he's mocked. Kerry lost the election for this sort of thing. God forbid we would have a politician who sees both sides of the issue and wants to come up with the best solution to a problem.

I certainly don't think NZ is a perfect place, but the low population and geographic isolation seems to force people to be more practical and make do with what they have. In the US we can have anything we want at any time and are encouraged to buy more and more. I fell into that trap and it didn't make me happy. The more cheap, high quality items I filled my house with the more I realized I was nesting in the wrong place. You can't buy your way into a happy, fulfilling life.

[Mrs Pony]

God forbid we would have a politician who sees both sides of the issue and wants to come up with the best solution to a problem.

Well that would just be too convenient now wouldn't it...

I certainly don't think NZ is a perfect place, but the low population and geographic isolation seems to force people to be more practical and make do with what they have. In the US we can have anything we want at any time and are encouraged to buy more and more. I fell into that trap and it didn't make me happy. The more cheap, high quality items I filled my house with the more I realized I was nesting in the wrong place. You can't buy your way into a happy, fulfilling life.

Like I've said before...(IMO) the US is getting too politically correct and is way too materialistic... bad things just keep on happening...

If NZ doesn't work out we're going to try Tennessee or Hawaii... much more laid back states...

[Hagabel]

Sweetpea,
I appreciate your response and you are not raining on my parade! What I meant is I whilst I know that standards of things may differ from the US I also know that I not moving to outer mongolia (well, maybe so) or the middle of the desert where there are no faciltilies. I personally do not care if the standards are different. I am from the UK and found things very different from the UK to here in the US as well.
Different is what makes the world go round!!
:cheers

[julius]

I booked my flight yesterday! No job or anything else lined up yet - I'll have 3 months to find a job and obtain a visa. If that doesn't work, I'll take out a school loan and go to school in NZ instead. The US is simply getting too weird for me and it's time for a break.

Hi

you're planning to go on tourist visa (passport)? I suppose you book a return ticket? Where do you plan to settle first?

[Brian]

Hi

you're planning to go on tourist visa (passport)? I suppose you book a return ticket? Where do you plan to settle first?

Yes, I'm going on a tourist visa with a return ticket 3 months later. The plan is to stay at a hostel in Wellington until I find a cheap room to rent with roommates and try to get a job. I'll start sending my CV out a couple of weeks before I fly out. If I don't find a job and get at least a temporary work visa of some sort I'll take the return trip home and regroup or try to get into a school in NZ in time to switch to a student visa if they'll let me.

It's kind of risky, but I have no problem living on the cheap and have enough money saved up to last the 3 months with some left over.

[mgf]

Cruss definitely check with NZQA and the NZ nursing board about your qualifications. I know they are needing nurses here, espeically those with English as a first language.


NEW ZEALAND
General
Nurses and midwives who have gained registration/enrolment in countries other than New Zealand must apply to the Nursing Council of New Zealand for admission to the register/roll before being able to practise in New Zealand.
On initial inquiry an application form is forwarded to you (the applicant). The letter to applicants describes the registration categories, the process and fees.

Registration/Assessment
The Nursing Council assesses each applicant on an individual basis depending on experience and qualifications.
The principal considerations to achieve sucessful registration are:
• Ability to achieve the Competencies for the Registration of Comprehensive Nurses or the Competencies for the Registration of Midwives in New Zealand or the Standards for Enrolment.
• Assessment of theory and clinical practice components of nursing or midwifery programme compared with the equivalent New Zealand programme.
• Post-registration/enrolment experience, including recency of practice.
• Applicants with English as a second language will be required to produce evidence of ability to speak, write and understand the English language in a nursing or midwifery setting.

Additional Training
Applicants who do not meet the requirements for nursing registration will be required to undergo further experience with instruction through a Department of Nursing within a New Zealand educational institution. The period of additional experience required to meet registration will be determined by the Nursing Council depending on previous training and experience.
It is up to you to arrange this additional training, and inform the Nursing Council about your plans.

Work Visas/Permits
You may apply for a Work Visa or Permit if you hold an offer of employment for which you are qualified and there are no suitable New Zealanders available.
In most cases nursing positions are available, but this is variable and you should check with agencies and employers about your chances of gaining employment.
You may apply for a Work Visa before you travel to New Zealand (the total stay may be up to three years) or re-enter New Zealand if you hold a Work Permit. You may apply for a further Work Permit, if you arrived in New Zealand on a Work Visa. The maximum normal stay is three years from the date you first arrived in New Zealand. If you are already in New Zealand as a visitor you may apply for a Work Permit for a total stay of nine months from the date of your arrival as a visitor.
Lots more detailed advice and information can be seen on the
New Zealand Immigration Service website.

Extra info
The following sites have got various forms of information which may help you out in your search and understanding on Nursing in New Zealand.

Ministry of Health NZ
NZ College of Nurses
NZ College of Midwives
NZ Qualifications Authority

Hope this is helpful.. Came over with kids myself so if you have any questions regarding schools etc. just drop me a note.