[JazzBass]

Dear Friends,

First of all, I like to say that this is one of the best forum which people share everything about the immigration so effectively. The people here is so kind and helpful. That's just great!!!

I'm from Turkey. I and my fiancee decided to move to New Zealand for a better life. I first thought about Canada to immigrate but one of my friend who has been living in NZ for 3 years made my mind about moving to the "dream-land"... (He has also mom, dad, a brother and New Zealander wife in NZ...) We're planning to move to NZ in 2008. We're not in a hurry.

And here is my short story: I'm 26 years old. I have a 4-years-bachelors degree in Economics.. I've been performing as a voice talent in Turkish (in movies, tv-series, animated cartoons, documentaries, etc...) and sometimes in English (in some documentaries) for 8,5 years. And in this period, I had lots of different job experience in different sectors.. (I performed as a newscaster and tv programme host in Economics on a national tv channel.) I also professionally interested in music, 3D animation, software programming. My fiancee is a professional musician and she will graduate from the same university in 2007, Economics.

We definitely need a job offer, as you know. I'm the principal applicant. But what should I do, you think? Can I find a job as a voice talent (or voice over) there? I can host a radio or tv programme. I can also a pro musician as a compositor; bass, electric, acoustic, classic guitar, bouzouki, baglama, flute, drum, percussion, etc... player. I'm also a Java programmer. And also I can use 3D animation softwares.

So, do you think in which branch can I find a job offer FROM HERE? Or is it a dream to have a job offer from here for me?

The points from "recognised basic qualification" step are very important for us. But I've read a lot of comment about the killer delay in the full assessment procedure. What do you suggest about that? Should we try to get extra 50 points from the recognised basic qualification step or just ignore it not to meet the danger of delay? (The delay in the full assessment affects the main immigration process and maybe stop it, doesn't it?)

We have 8,5 years of work experience in Turkey. We're 22 and 26 years old. I of course have a partner. (My love) If we say I have no basic qualification and have a job offer, we get 105 points. Is it enough to get the PR in practice? Or must I try to get the recognised basic qualification points?

Especially the job offer questions of me are so important for the process. I need your suggestions and help about that.

Sorry about the long mail. Please forgive me. Regards...

[Smiler]

Hi Jazzbass

Welcome to the forum. :cheers:cheers

Good luck with your plans. You sound like you are thinking everything through and not in any rush.

Have a search for some of davek's posts. He is in the music industry so that may give you a small insight to the difficulty of getting a job here.

If the qualification gives you 50 extra points and you don't need to be in NZ tomorrow, why don't you do that?

Are you able to push more for a job in Economics, than entertainment, just to get here an pursue your dream of living in NZ? (I'm rusty on the points here, so don't take my opinion for gospel)

Whatever way you you decide, good luck. Keep on this forum and ask away with the questions. You can be sure someone will know the answer. :nice1

PS It wasn't a long post, you should see some of us when we start rambling. :laugh

[herseymusic]

Hi JazzBass - love your username!

Ok, I have some good news and some bad news for you. I'm also a musician, but I found that this skill was of little to no use when it came to appeasing New Zealand immigration!

In order to get a work visa or job offer, the job has to be full time (30 hours per week). And as you know, the music and performing arts industries offer mostly part time work. So unless you can get a position with the NZ Symphony Orchestra or a teaching position at a University, a music related job is not really a possibilty (at first!)

I found this to be the case when I had multiple offers to teach music lessons, but because they were all part time work, none of them could get me a work visa (or even count as a job offer for the general skills category of permanent residency).

Unfortunately, as far as NZ Immigration is concerned, there are plenty of musicians, music teachers, actors, and performers already in New Zealand. Thus, they see no need to change their policies to make it easier for performers to emigrate here.

Now, the good news! Your skills in computer programming and 3D animation will be highly sought after here. The best thing that you can do is to obtain a degree or professional certification in the skill areas, either through courses or online testing, and start sending your resume around.

Also, check if either you or your partner qualify for a working holiday visa. This is by far the easiest way to open the door to living in NZ, and I believe that the availability of these visas is one reason why NZ Immigration feels justified in having such strict rules for permanent residency applicants.

And if all else fails, you could always enroll in a course here in New Zealand at one of the universities or tech schools. This definitely requires a large amount of money, but an NZ degree or certification in programming or animation would give you lots of points for residency, as well as a good base for applying for jobs.

Feel free to send me a message if you would like to discuss things in depth!

Cheers,

Tyler

[JazzBass]

Smiler and Herseymusic,

I'm glad to see your long and helpful replies. Thanks for all...

Yes, you're right Tyler. Music and voice acting are not full time jobs. It's so worthy in developed country, but not a full time job! :(

I'll think about your advices. It too hard to choose and decide for me to do... I have to think about it...

Best wishes dear friends. Thanks for your enormous helps... :D

[Howie]

I think the working holiday idea's a very good one. You are far less likely to be able to find work of any type unless you come here in person. I couldn't get anybody to look twice at me when I contacted them from the US, but when I arrived on a holiday for interviews they were very willing to meet with me and I ended up with a job.

I'm afraid you may have an additional disadvantage coming from Turkey. As in many countries, most employers won't have hired anyone from Turkey before and won't really know how your qualifications and experience translate into the Kiwi business world. New Zealanders seem to think that kiwi culture and business is very distinct and that having kiwi work experience is really important (I'm sure this is more of an issue in some industries than others). I would think that the best way to combat this is by coming here with a very professional resume and impressing them with your deep knowledge and excellent communication skills. A firm handshake won't hurt either. Unfortunately, it is very expensive to travel all the way here to do this, but from my experience, I think that you're unlikely to find work otherwise.

Chris

[JazzBass]

Howie,

Thanks for your advices.. You have pointed at very important things. Your reply was very useful for me, indeed.

All the replies brought me one step further friends.. And I'm waiting for more ideas.. :)

Cheers.....

[leigh31]

Hi Jazz Bass,

I can't reply in regards to music, but I can talk a little bit about the tv industry here. (also check out my old posts for more info) I arrive in Auckland 3 mnoths ago, from NYC. I have worked in Tv for the last 8 years at the Discovery channel.

I am temping at the University of Auckland in their film & tv dept, as well as producing a weekly tv show for a network - for free. I have applied to all the big & small production companies here, and I rarely get a response, much less an interview.

But, the good news is that production and VO are completely different work in the same industry. So I'd brush up on your kiwi accent, and start sending out your VO CD. I will keep my fingers crossed for you - I hope it all works out. I think you have the right idea, by securing a job BEFORE you get here.

All the best!
Leigh

[JazzBass]

Dear Leigh,

You made me very happy, thanks. I sent you a PM. Hope to meet you when we get there...

Best wishes!
Taylan Dogan