[esllou]

I've just finalised my place on a freighter ship which gets into Auckland in mid-January '09! 35 days crossing the Atlantic, Panama Canal and Pacific Ocean!

I'm an English teacher (TEFL...not Shakespeare and Milton!) and will be arriving without any type of special visa, so will have 6 months permission to stay as I understand it.

I wanted to ask the forum's suggestions about what my first steps should be. I have already contacted a few schools and they have all told me the same thing: "Get in touch when you're here - there's a good chance we can sort you out with some temp/part-time work"

So...a few questions whizzing through my head:

1. Auckland....good place to stay or should I head elsewhere? Thinking perhaps another town might be off the beaten track a little...
2. Accommodation. Obviously I can't stay in a hotel for six months :laugh. Is there a good chance for me to get into very short-term rented accommodation. How would I arrange that? Are there freebie classifieds papers or agencies that could help me with that?
3. Bank account. What's the deal on a visitor like myself opening an account? What do I need? Will passport and $50 suffice?
4. What is the visa situation vis-a-vis schools offering me jobs? Can they? Or would they have to offer me a job and then I go away and get visa sorted out? And if so, how long a process would that be? Would any schools be willing to risk under-the-table cash-in-hand employment or is that a big no-no there?

anyway, thanks for reading this. You can tell I have a few concerns before my arrival and just want a few recommendations before making the big leap.

thanks :nice1

ps...one other little question: even though I'm arriving in slightly unorthodox fashion, into Auckland port I guess, will I need a return flight back to the UK before being allowed in? Do they allow tourists in without return ticket?

[JandM]

What an experience this is going to be! Congratulations!:clap

A few things come to mind, but no doubt there will be more knowledgeable people along later to help, too.

Auckland - a good place to pick up your sort of work, though other main cities could be, also. Outside of the cities, there are going to be FAR fewer ESL opportunities. (We were staggered by how many NZ what-looked-on-the-map-like-towns were hardly anything - mom-and-pop store on the main road plus driveways to a few houses.)

Accommodation - yes, there are agencies, and you can Google for them. There is also a lot of rental accommodation listed on TradeMe.

What is the visa situation vis-a-vis schools offering me jobs? Can they? Or would they have to offer me a job and then I go away and get visa sorted out? Yes, you'd have to get a job offer and then sort out a visa, would be the official answer. And if so, how long a process would that be? How long is a piece of string? - although I know some people have been lucky. Try using the Search button on the blue bar above to find some threads about 'Getting a work visa in NZ' for details. Would any schools be willing to risk under-the-table cash-in-hand employment?No idea, but if they are, nobody is going to say it publicly. If anybody out there knows anything, maybe they will PM you after you've done 5 postings (site requirement).

will be arriving without any type of special visa, so will have 6 months permission to stay as I understand it.If you are British, and you arrive as a holidaymaker, you're automatically given a 6-month's visitor's visa on arrival. But if you then get work and a work visa, that may change things. I've heard of people having work visas of up to two years. Then, once in the country and working, it's possible to apply for PR or extensions if you found you wanted to stay longer.


...will I need a return flight back to the UK before being allowed in?Almost certainly. Do they allow tourists in without return ticket? No.

[lockstock]

4. What is the visa situation vis-a-vis schools offering me jobs? Can they? Or would they have to offer me a job and then I go away and get visa sorted out? And if so, how long a process would that be? Would any schools be willing to risk under-the-table cash-in-hand employment or is that a big no-no there?



In a state school you would almost certainly not be paid in cash. If you are not registered with the NZ Teachers' Council (which you can't be unless your quals are assessed by NZQA - takes ages) you may be employed pending reg but you will be paid a pittance. ESOL teachers are employed mostly by city schools with a large overseas student population so Auckland would probably be your best bet. There may be private language schools around but you still have to get past the fact you are not allowed to work - even voluntarily - on a tourist visa.

Best of luck

[mgbridges]

4. What is the visa situation vis-a-vis schools offering me jobs? Can they? Or would they have to offer me a job and then I go away and get visa sorted out?

I would imagine most schools would want you to have some sort of visa that gave you permission to work in NZ. There is always a chance they would let you start work whilst you sort it out but maybe not and I also suspect you wouldn't get paid much in the meantime.

And if so, how long a process would that be?

Depends what sort of visa you go after

Would any schools be willing to risk under-the-table cash-in-hand employment or is that a big no-no there?

I really, really, really doubt it. I do some Teacher Aide work and my payslip comes from the Ministry of Education. At the moment I don't know if I will continue working next school year for a number of reasons but partly because the school doesn't know its budget yet. It would be very hard for an institution like a school to 'hide' cash-in-hand payments in their accounts.

ps...one other little question: even though I'm arriving in slightly unorthodox fashion, into Auckland port I guess, will I need a return flight back to the UK before being allowed in?

Yes you need proof of 'onward passage' so I guess that could be via plane or boat. Also you need to be careful of just getting a cheap flight to Australia which I know some people have tried as they have the same rules for tourists and want to see evidence of 'onward passage'.

Do they allow tourists in without return ticket?

In a word - No.


One finally point, you say you are arriving January 2009, you do realise that is right in the middle of the long school summer holidays don't you? Most schools don't return until early February so you would struggle to find employment until then even if you do have the right visa.

Good luck with it all, I think you're being very brave and hope it works out for you.

Anneliese

[thejoz]

Wow, what an adventure! You must have a strong stomach and good sea legs!

35 days does seem quite fast for a ship, I wonder how long it took the Maori's in their canoes!?

How much was the fare? (Sorry a bit nosey).

[dusk]

hello and enjoy your adventure :)

[nate]

2. Accommodation. Obviously I can't stay in a hotel for six months :laugh. Is there a good chance for me to get into very short-term rented accommodation. How would I arrange that? Are there freebie classifieds papers or agencies that could help me with that?

Above advice about trademe is good. I'd say that's your best bet, but there are other agencies that could help you in addition to trademe.

3. Bank account. What's the deal on a visitor like myself opening an account? What do I need? Will passport and $50 suffice?

You will need an IRD number to get a bank account and a job. You might be able to get a bank account without one, but any interest you earn on your accounts will be taxed heavily, something like 49%. If I were you, I'd apply for this before you leave, if at all possible. It takes 2 weeks to get it if you are in the country.

4. What is the visa situation vis-a-vis schools offering me jobs? Can they? Or would they have to offer me a job and then I go away and get visa sorted out? And if so, how long a process would that be? Would any schools be willing to risk under-the-table cash-in-hand employment or is that a big no-no there?

I wouldn't plan on being able to work at all for a school until you get a visa squared away. Given the other info you've provided, I would recommend getting a working holiday visa. If at all possible, apply for it before you leave. This will help you get a job more quickly after you arrive.

Good luck!

[dusk]

sadly you can only apply for an IRD number once you are in NZ now , so no handy applying in advance - no idea why they decided to withdraw that service as it was useful, but therer you go! :)

[Beachcombers]

ps...one other little question: even though I'm arriving in slightly unorthodox fashion, into Auckland port I guess, will I need a return flight back to the UK before being allowed in? Do they allow tourists in without return ticket?


A return ticket is not required, but as a visitor you must have proof of onwards travel, a cheapie flight to OZ would suffice.

I would imagine, that arriving by freighter, would attract some hard questions from immigration, so make sure you have onward travel arrangements and you can demonstrate you have sufficient funds for your stay here in NZ.

Also, expect your bags to be searched thoroughly, having papers indicating your intentions to look for work, will also attract a load of grief.

[IanW99]

A return ticket is not required, but as a visitor you must have proof of onwards travel, a cheapie flight to OZ would suffice.
...


A cheapie flight to OZ would only be successful if you have the right to stay in Oz. If you don't then you would expect you to also have outward passage from Oz as well.

It used to be said that it was Ok to have any flight out of NZ but this information is no longer correct (if it ever was), I've no idea if they actually check this rule and for how many 'hops'?

Ian

[thewoodies]

The only thing that comes to my mind is.....I hope you dont get sea sick!!!!
I find the bands for sea sickness with pressure points work for me. On the last cruise i went on they told me alll the staff eat green apples ? to help.
If not take a trip to the chemists and buy loads of tablets - good luck

What a fantastic adventure - when i was a kid we came back from the pacific islands by boat(cruise ship) what a fantastic experience - an experieince of a life time. :bluebanana:bluebanana

[dilanium]

welcome and good luck!

[canajanz]

I've just finalised my place on a freighter ship which 13. Bank account. What's the deal on a visitor like myself opening an account? What do I need? Will passport and $50 suffice?
4. ps...one other little question: even though I'm arriving in slightly unorthodox fashion, into Auckland port I guess, will I need a return flight back to the UK before being allowed in? Do they allow tourists in without return ticket?

You need a work permit to work
You need an IRD number to open a bank account .. but I *think* some banks do non resident accounts where you will ne (legally) taxed for both countries.
You are required to have onward passage as well as sufficient funds to support yourself while here. They won't let you stay with only $50 mate. That might get you in for one day.