[joey + susie]

Hello!

Just started reading the forum and am finding it very helpful - but we still have one big problem - where to go?

My boyfriend, Joey, and I are looking to live for a year or so in NZ and work. We think we'd prefer South Island (sorry North Islanders) for the outdoors (and I've never been!).

I'm looking for work as a Physio - so there has to be a hospital! and Joey is in engineering (mechanical design). So if anyone knows of any towns/cities that have engineering industries and a hospital - that would be great.

So far I have thought about Dunedin or Christchurch - but I am wondering which place would be good - we like going out to the pub, cinema and like outdoors activites like walking, football and skiing. All the websites like wikipedia give you population but I have no idea if that means a town/city of similar size in NZ (compared to UK) will have loads going on in it.

Any help to decide would be great. So far jobs wise, there is a position in Invercargill and maybe one in Timaru. Need to get sorted with an EOI!

Susie and Joey

[jess]

Hi J&S. I'm a North Islander without an answer to your questions, but wanted to say...

Welcome to the forum! :D

[Diny]

Yeah - north islander too (and take absolutely no offece to people going to the SI rather than here).

Have seen most of the SI but never lived and worked there so can't really help you - but welcome to the forum.

Diny

[pieeater]

There is quite a lot of Engineering work going on in Christchurch at present,check out Trade me jobs.And I wouldn't think that a Physio would struggle for work.There is a lot of private work going on as well as Health Board stuff,heaps of Rugby injuries!!.

[strawberries]

Hi Susie and Joey,

i am in the UK and hope to possibly go live in northlands in north island.

But my next door neighbour, a retired college lecturer who is 79, always raves about NZ.....and his favourite place was Dunedin, in south island. He loved that city and said it was very Scottish in feel.

This info maybe isn't much use to you....but I thought I'd pass it on just in case.

Best wishes in wherever you decide to try.

[Moorf]

Hi, a good friend of mine here in Canterbury is a physiotherapist and a Kiwi - PM me if you have any specific questions I can ask her ;)

[StevieD]

Welcome to the forum guys! Look at Seek.co.nz for jobs, give you a better idea, or jobstuff.co.nz.

Good luck, don't forget if you go down the pr/wtr route that it will take some time for the application to go through.

Steve

[katandbob]

Hello!

Just started reading the forum and am finding it very helpful - but we still have one big problem - where to go?

My boyfriend, Joey, and I are looking to live for a year or so in NZ and work. We think we'd prefer South Island (sorry North Islanders) for the outdoors (and I've never been!).

I'm looking for work as a Physio - so there has to be a hospital! and Joey is in engineering (mechanical design). So if anyone knows of any towns/cities that have engineering industries and a hospital - that would be great.

So far I have thought about Dunedin or Christchurch - but I am wondering which place would be good - we like going out to the pub, cinema and like outdoors activites like walking, football and skiing. All the websites like wikipedia give you population but I have no idea if that means a town/city of similar size in NZ (compared to UK) will have loads going on in it.

Any help to decide would be great. So far jobs wise, there is a position in Invercargill and maybe one in Timaru. Need to get sorted with an EOI!

Susie and Joey

hi Susie & Joey As per your question about Invercargill, we were all set to live in Christchurch, but ended up in Invercargill, now we live 20 mins out of there, work in Inver's
I know a girl from the UK who came to work in the Hospital here, and ended up staying over her contract as she is enjoying herself so much.
She says the hospital is brand new, and enjoys working there. (shes a Gyno)
Her OH is in Engineering - as is Mine, there are tons of Engineering firms, My OH walked into one firm, he was gone 2hrs - they did the whole tour asked him back for a welding test the next day and hes been there ever since.
My son has an apprenticeship - No fees. he gets paid and is enjoying it - he was out on site 3 days into his first week in at Ohai, at a mine, he said the views were fantastic - and that was from an 18yr old.
There are tonnes of parks, reserves, the sea is close by and so is the river for kayaking/skiing/rowing you name it we have it.

So Yes if your considering applying for the Invercargill Job its a brilliant place with Queenstown on your doorstep - if you want to check out what there is to do here, read my Blog, and there is a link to the southland website on there too.

But my advise is - Don't decide totally until you have actually been to these places.

I didnt want to come to Invercargill, but Rob wanted to check it out - he was right. Dunedin is nice But the housing is higher, and the cheap ones are in the shade of the hills.
and the Engineering Jobs werent any higher in rates than here - and you can buy/rent cheaply here. - we have cinemas, clubs, etc just like any city - oh and a free bus route around town.

here is a link from the southland website about migration

http://moveto.southlandnz.com/

Any way - good luck in your journey.

Kat
the streets are a doddle to navigate too!

[joey + susie]

Thanks all for making us feel welcome in the forum. Hope to check in quite often so might get my boyf to start logging on at work!

Good tips from everyone - and even though we're not sure where we might end up - we're pretty easy going so I'm sure we'll like anywhere that isn't the South East of England!

Got our EOI in now - and have decided to continue looking for a job but not to stress too much - if we end up travelling over first and then finding work that will not be too bad either!

Joey is big into motorbikes - so we're now looking at stuff like buying a motorbike when we get to NZ and how to ship/fly all our waterproof gear and helmets over!

Speak soon,

Susie

[kiwidebs]

Just a thought - have you considered coming on a Working Holiday Visa. If you're just planning on coming for a year or so, and if you're young enough (not sure of the age requirements for WHV) it might be easier than going the whole PR route. You could always look at changing to a work visa or PR if you decide you want to stay.

Debs