[dianah]

Hi,
I finally got my WTR (work to residence visa). If I’m going for it I would have to decide very soon and move to NZ by May.
I’m working in IT (software developer with 4 years of experience) and it looks like the timing couldn’t be worse.

Can anyone please share some light about the employment situation in the IT field?
To be more specific I was hoping to find a job in the south island, probably Christchurch.

I’m afraid the global recession may have caused experienced employees discharge recently and it would make it much harder for an immigrant like me to find a job.
Do you think it’s realistic for me expecting to find a job within a reasonable time in Christchurch or should I just aim for Wellington?

More generally, I’m afraid the global recession might make things worse in the coming months (this is what is happening here in the last 6 months in IT field).
So, should I stay or should I go? :)

Thanks, Diana

[victoria24]

my view is that the problems are global so you'll probably face the same challenges wherever you are. so why not go anyway?

[dianah]

Victoria24,

Well, me and my husband have good jobs at the moment, and it's quite scary moving to the other side of the world when things look so uncertain..
The thing is that with WTR visa we don't have much time to decide..we only have 3 months :confused:

[IanW99]

Victoria24,

Well, me and my husband have good jobs at the moment, and it's quite scary moving to the other side of the world when things look so uncertain..
The thing is that with WTR visa we don't have much time to decide..we only have 3 months :confused:

I assume you have got the PR->WTR visa as if you had the standard WTR then you would already have a job offer.

If you were given the PR-WTR then NZIS had reservations about you being able to settle in NZ so I would say that you would be right to have some concerns.

Have you tried applying for jobs already and if so what was the feedback?
If not then you can start applying and see what offers you get, if you do land a job before going then your worries will be over.

If not, then could just the principal applicant go, leaving the OH in a good job until either a suitable job is secured or they return home, at least it won't be so risky.

Ian

[Tui2too]

Any chance you could get a year's leave of absence without pay from your current job? That would build in a safety net. We are doing this.

Or...take all your holidays and go down hoping to secure a job there in that time.

Good Luck.

[dianah]

Thanks for your answers. :)
We did think of the things you propose, but
I was wondering if someone knows what the situation is at the moment in NZ, if the recession did affect NZ badly as well, if it's harder to find a job now..

IanW99
You're right, we did get PR->WTR visa, which means we have 6 months to get a job.
I'm the main applicant, and we have a 2 yrs old girl, so it's not really an option to go there alone..If my husband was the main applicant, maybe it was easier..
We didn't apply for jobs yet, since we were waiting to get the PR/WTR - the process took a while, so we weren't sure regarding our arrival time. We will start doing it now..
We do check the jobs web sites, but still, I'm not sure how many applicants are for each job, or what the situation is.

Tui2too,
I hope to get a 6 months leave of absence without pay, I still didn't get an answer about it from my manager. It will sure be a safety net..

[victoria24]

I'd get on the job hunting trail. they will take you seriously if you have an arrival date and you are legally entitled to work in nz. what line of work are you in?

[AlastairUK]

I'm a web developer and having searched some of the job sites (seek.co.nz is a good one), there looks to be a ton of IT jobs. I think IT is mostly untouched as regards to the job market.. there's always work for good IT staff.

[DizzyF]

Definitely check out some recruiters as you would want to get a feel for what salary to expect. My OH works in IT and got a transfer with his UK employer...very lucky as he managed to maintain a decent salary. When he contacted recruitment agencies (prior to confirmation of transfer) salaries were a lot lower than UK so was putting us off but he was getting interest in his CV. OH is a Kiwi so that probably helped, but again depends how much demand there is in your particular field.

[dusk]

I think you should have more luck looking for a permananet role rather than a contract role (assuming that's what you would be aiming for anyway)

as others have said sounds like time to have a chat with some local recruitment agencies (in Christchurch) and sound them out about prospects there, if that looks doubtful then you can shift your focus to Wellington/elsewhere. Best of luck :)

[dianah]

Victoria24,
I'm a software developer (c++) and my husband is in a BI developer (business intelligence) .

AlastairUK,
I know there are many adds in the job sites, but the question is how many applicants are per position, and whether the NZ unemployed IT staff have priority over immigrants..
You're planning to go for it?

[AlastairUK]

Victoria24,
I'm a software developer (c++) and my husband is in a BI developer (business intelligence) .

AlastairUK,
I know there are many adds in the job sites, but the question is how many applicants are per position, and whether the NZ unemployed IT staff have priority over immigrants..
You're planning to go for it?

I am planning to go for it! I've never not got a job after having an interview :) I've got 10 years under my belt of web development experience. I'm not too concerned because I'll be bringing some clients (I freelance at the moment) with me until I find a permanent job over there.

[smudgerand4]

Hi,
I finally got my WTR (work to residence visa). If I’m going for it I would have to decide very soon and move to NZ by May.
I’m working in IT (software developer with 4 years of experience) and it looks like the timing couldn’t be worse.

Can anyone please share some light about the employment situation in the IT field?
To be more specific I was hoping to find a job in the south island, probably Christchurch.

I’m afraid the global recession may have caused experienced employees discharge recently and it would make it much harder for an immigrant like me to find a job.
Do you think it’s realistic for me expecting to find a job within a reasonable time in Christchurch or should I just aim for Wellington?

More generally, I’m afraid the global recession might make things worse in the coming months (this is what is happening here in the last 6 months in IT field).
So, should I stay or should I go? :)

Thanks, Diana

I am sorry but I cannot help you on the IT front. The obvious thing to do, if not already mentioned or carried out by yourslef would be to trawl the NZ job market via the internet and this may give you a feel for what is available. Whilst looking for WTR`s myself I thought that my job as a Vocational Assessor would be a dead cert for the NZ environment. I was assisting drivers in the UK in gaining NVQ`s in their job. I could do this because I had a huge amount of experience in driving and this is what I was actually picked up for in the end after applying for 4 jobs on the NZ website (Seek). I had an interview over the net with an Accredited employer which, in turn, led to me coming out to NZ with a job in place and I was suddenly on WTR as a Talented Skills worker.
Surely IT is a major part of any business these days and if you can add any other experience to your list of CV stuff then other avenues may open up for you. I am sorry if this sounds like I am teaching you to suck eggs and I am sure that you have tried all this but the moral of this story appears to be that, certainly in my case, my background in training, assessing and driving will be a mighty big asset to my employer and I am now in a job which pays quite well; certainly something I would never get in to in the UK other than by "Dead-Mans Shoes" and, dare I say it, I quite enjoy it!