[Picturesports]

Hello, We are Dave, Christine abd the kids. You lot should right a book, which I guess in a round about way is exactly what you are doing. All most all of the questions we have been churning over seem to be answered one way or another on here.

We have the EOI finished. Took me 5 hours to do online and now it sits in the system waiting for the job offer section to be completed. We have 150 points with the job offer and my 1st interview (agency) is tonight (Thursday UK) for an IT job. Funny how not doing degree 20 years ago impacts my life today. Wife has all the brains :)

Any suggestions as to good agencies would be appricated. Having read the forum rules please PM or e-mail me if you have any suggestions. It can be a very subjective things but better than trawling web sites trying to pick the good from the average.

The one question we would appriciate your thoughts on is interviews. To get the 150 points I need a job which with 20+ years IT experience I'm hoping won't be too much of a mountain to climb. We are still in the UK and with 2 kids in school, selling up and arriving in NZ on Tourist visas hoping, no matter how good it looks, that everything will fal in to line, is just the sort of thing Chris has beaten out of me over the past 12 years. :uhoh

What, do you think, are the expectations of employers in NZ when it comes to interviews? Is there and overall appriciation of the cost and they will only call you if they are very serious? Is it generally expected that you have to be in NZ in person or your just not going to be considered? Is Video Conferencing an acceptable alternative for the 1st & 2nd interview with only face to face for the final "rubber stamp"?

We will do what we need to do, but at 3000 NZD a trip we can go broke very quickly chasing dreams.

Thanks for your help and nice to meet you all.

CJD&C (Christine James Dave & Caitlin)

[StevieD]

Hey welcome to the forum!!! Tell us where u are etc.... nice to get a bit of background info. If you are in the north west of England we are having a meet coming up soon so maybe you would like to come along to that - meet the gang???? If not, there are other meets arranged in various parts of the country - south Wales, Humberside if I not mistaken.

As far as interviews are concerned, it depends on the employer. I have had one, but they do tend to want people in my profession (telecomms engineering) to be on the ground ready to run. Don't know about IT, but it seems to be a bit of a catch 22 situation this job offer thing. Unless you have been down there and done the interview trail they are reluctant to offer you a job unless you are really specialised. Saying that, there are still people being selected in the skilled migrant category without job offers, as long as you are in the skills shortages area.

If you are talking about agencies, do you mean emigration or job agencies?? Drop me a pm if you like.

Cheers

Steve

[marcia]

Just wanted to say welcome to the forum.

Not sure about job interviews over the phone, my OH got his job offer when we wernt on our reccy trip in Jan, (we had met his employers at the expo last Oct in Manchester.)

Good luck, keep posting we are a nosy lot and like to see what people are doing, but equally a community to share the news be it good or bad, plenty of shoulders to cry on!!

[StevieD]

Hear Hear Marcia - nosy indeed :laugh

[Picturesports]

We live in Newark in Nottinghamshire.

Agencies - Decided not to use an emmigration agency as we couldn't see the advantage. The process looks fairly nailed down even if it is clong winded. Any thoughts on employment agencies would be very welcome.

Hopefully I'll get something of a steer from the agency this evening. The loop I'm going around goes something like this ....

Do I take a 1 month leave of absence from work and go to NZ and secure a position - If I do the changes are that the employer will want me to start ASAP - work permit appears to be very quick if you have a job offer but the kids can't go to school on a work permit entry so they are staying in the UK while the paper work goes through.

If I go to NZ and get a job but can only start in 3 months time is it even worth going in the first place.

It is a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation. Any extra points I should be thinking about ??

[smitjo]

Welcome Picturesports....

Newark - well isn't it a small world? We live in a small village just outside of Newark! :laugh

We are off for a recce trip to NZ in Oct (slight change in our plans) and then hope to move over in the next 12 - 18 months. :nice1

Good luck with all your plans

Jo

[Picturesports]

If the small village is Coddington then it is a very small world.

Found out today that the lolipop lady at Coddington Primary is also off to NZ on the 4th September

[StevieD]

Now that is a Twighlight Zone moment!

[Cardiff Irons]

Now that is a Twighlight Zone moment!Doo, doo, doo, doo........

Welcome to the forum Picturesports.:cheers

[Charlosparky]

Hi Dave and co. :nice1

There is a bit of a catch 22 as you suggest re job offers, cant get there without one, cant get one till you get there. I was lucky as i know a kiwi who worked with me in the uk some years ago has offered me a job now he is back in NZ. I think it may help you alot to visit NZ for interviews, but how soon could you go if they offer a job? Do you have to sell your house first? My own plan would be
1 put house on sale FIRST
2 get offer on house and then go same week to NZ jobhunting
3 return to UK with job offer and submit EOI (expect quick ITA reply)
4 complete house sale then move to NZ
5 complete ITA and PR application once in NZ
(if you dont get a job offer you can always pull out of the house sale)

We applied and got ITA the PR quite quickly, it is the house sale that holds it all up.

However, check with more knowledgeable folks on here about what visa you would use and getting a work permit etc, but i have been told the medicals etc are MUCH cheaper in NZ

Chris

[smitjo]

I'm afraid it's closer to Collingham than Coddington!! :nice1

[Picturesports]

ITA ????

The plan is something like ...

Get a job and go.
I can do the work permit thing while waiting for the PR to come through. No point in the kids being in NZ while they can't go to school
Family tidy up in the UK, put the house on the market via Solicitor and follow me out.

Sounds all very simple but is it ?

Hardest thing is working out if the offer of an interview is worth the trip. Are they serious or am I just one of 6 - 10 candidates that they would lkie to see?

This stuff can scramble your brain but that is why they invented beer

[katandbob]

If not, there are other meets arranged in various parts of the country - south Wales, Humberside if I not mistaken.

Cheers

Steve

Eherm..Steve....Humberside was chucked on the rubbish bin in the 90's!

where it belonged and we went back to Nth/ NE Lincolnshire, East Riding and Yorkshire :nice1 .

(sorry but it is one of my bugbears)

ps picturesports, welcome and I once went to Newark College...but left as I was sick of being used as an unpaid slave at the riding school where the Equestrian course was being taught!

[StevieD]

Ooops sorry Kat! LOL

OK so I don't know which metropolitan areas don't exist any longer...http://bestsmileys.com/doh/1.gif

[willsken]

Hi Picture sport, just wanted to say welcome to the forum :nice1

[Angelonthemove]

You sound as if your are in the same situation as us but we have no children just pets to hold us back from moving out. We have spent the last 3 months trying to get a job offer for my OH with no success. My OH is also in IT, had one telephone interview which resulted in a NO. So we decided to take the plunge and book flights for a 5 weeks trip on 8th Aug. I have been sending out his CV to every recruitment agency with similiar jobs to his skills and telling them we have booked our flights. Now we have 5 definate companies wanting to deal with us. Before they did not even reply to our emails. So I then saw a recruitment job at one of them and applied for that myself. One telephone interview and now we are discussing pay and bonuses structure. We have left it that a formal face to face to make the final decision on both sides. She wants me to start when we arrive so it has put all our plans forward 6 months!! Our house has not sold so we are concidering someone to babysit the pets until they can join us. If the house sells then she will take them to her house. We are looking to rent out in NZ for the 6 months and take enough extra cash for the fact my OH might not get a job within the first 2 months or so. The IT job market is crying out for people. So I suggest you say you have booked your flights and wait for all those agencies to get back to you with appointments and forms taking more details. Then actually book your flight. PM if you want me to send your CV direct to the company I will be working for, they are a preferred supplier for NZ immigration and she has told me she can get a work permit within 3 hrs. We have submitted our EOI with 125 points so its in the pool and will be ready to update with a job offer. We also already applied for police reports nad will be taking them with us. Medicals will be odne in NZ. Taking all hard copies of ceritficates, banks statements etc with us. Suggest www.seek.co.nz as a good place to apply for IT jobs.

Good luck

Angela

[westies]

Hi there
Welcome to the forum
Seems IT jobs are aplenty, but also people fill them quite quickly too! My hubbie is in IT and is not yet working although he has had a few interviews! (choice at the mo not to work, he is enjoying bein house husband) It seems that although IT people are needed it is unlikely you will secure a position from overseas, you may be able to obtain a work visa whilst in the UK then come over, go for interviews, secure position then start work, but that will mean leaving family behind to sort out the house etc.. Coming over for a reccie 1st may be a waste of money, unlikely you will secure a job if you can't start pretty soon (although not impossible, particularly if you have something they are looking for).
You can of course come get job then apply for work visa from here, but it does seem to take ages, again empoyer's may be willing to wait, may not!!
Lots of decisions to be made good luck to you.