[stephenandjulie]

Hi there

I am a Mental Health Nurse and have two interviews scheduled for next week. I have been told by the nursing agency that I can expect to earn one fixed rate which is incrimental wherever I go. Is this true or can I negotiate a higher wage?

steve

[stephenandjulie]

Not many nurses here then lol:raebanana :nice1

[wiki]

In NZ there are a lot of collective contracts within public services - it was seen as a way to strengthen bargaining rights by unions.

Nurses possibly have a banding system in place and the job you will go for may have an expected salaray banding of $27-$33k - so you may be able to negotiate between the band but you would only rise to the next band after certain years of experience or after reaching key goals (ie new training, being responsible for other staff etc)

Then again - you could always ask !

[eternalkiwi]

I have heard some private health organisations can pay more than the union collective, though this may not always be the case.

[nickydwuk]

I have been led to believe that the average salary for a nurse is between $37,000 & $45,000. Is this wrong - if so I won't be able to afford to move.:wah

[wiki]

That would depend on experience I guess... have you tried to search for any nursing forums run in NZ? They'd be able to give you the best idea of expected pay and conditions.

[benandclare]

Hi there
I am a nurse of 25years and though this means that i am high ish up the pay scale and definately up the pension scheme i am still giving NZ the thumbs up for all the great lifestyle plusses. Remember that the pay is set agianst the cost of living (dont keep changing it to pounds and thinking ouch) relatively i think that nurses are paid fairly well compared to other workers in NZ and there are good rewards of promotion if you are prepared to go the extra mile. At the end of the day you have to decide whether to stay in the NHS (which is not bad but could be better) or go for a less stressed life!

The one JD i have seen was for a coordinator band (like a G grade/ band 7 ward manager) which was about $70,000 which is similar salary to the same post in the uk.

All the best Clare

[pieeater]

Mrs pieeater is a Paedeatric Nurse with 25 years experience and gets $23 an hour.There is also a bit extra for doing nights,late's etc.But no superannuation the usual 4 weeks hol 10 days sick p.a.etc.She has to undergo constant scrutiny and training to prove herself etc.etc.just like the U.K.I don't understand the 'less stress' comments on here at all.My wife is more stressed in her job here!.She never used to talk to me about her job in the U.K.not so here.We had a friend of hers visit the other day who is a Nurse in the U.K. and they were swopping stories about work.They both had the same stories to tell.My wife does the same job at the same level here but preffered her job in the U.K.to the one she has here.

[benandclare]

Hiya
By less stressed i mean the NZ attitude to life in general. I guess the health services are really short staffed which is why nurses get in to NZ relatively easily. having been restructured twice within 12 months and having the threat of constant 'moves' between specialties (even tho i have been in neonatal 20 years) has added to the usual stress and strain of the good old NHS. I guess that i to would until 2 or 3 years ago not really mentioned work at home but i have noticed a real culture change here in the uk that has changed all that. Shame really because its a job that i love. How long have you been in NZ ?

[westies]

Hi
I'm working as a nurse in Auckland I work for ADHB, generaLLY uk nurses tend to start on a higher band than the nurses already here, I guess that's the incentive to come here. I'm sure everyone's story is different, however I got a job offer before coming here so maybe that made a difference, I guess also it will be down to experience. I generally find my job much, much less stressful than in the UK and can say there is no comparison, if I was to return to the UK I would not go back as a nurse.
Thank goodness I am able to enjoy my job again, I do work with alot of nurses from the UK and they are of the same opinion that conditions are much better here, of course all down to personal experiences.

[jackie2]

Hi,we are thinking of Auckland when we relocate in Nov 08 and as i am a nurse tha ADHB would be an option for work .How for do you travel to work?Where are good areas locally in which to live nearby the hospital?I am currently community nursing and would love to be able to do this in NZ.Do you know what the other hospitals are like in auckland?There is so much to consider and with 2 boys 12 and 8 then working hours must be thought out.Need to find so much out.

[extinctkiwi]

Hi

My husband has been offered a job as a registered nurse. He has 2 years post reg experience in the UK and will be on 23.70 NZD per hour which roughly equates to about 45,000 per annum. Hope this helps. Might add that the increments are negligible so it doesn't ever get much better than this with work experience. You will be on this or just slightly more for most of your career. That is why people with 25 years experience are on quite similar amounts.


Regards

J

[IanW99]

Hi

My husband has been offered a job as a registered nurse. He has 2 years post reg experience in the UK and will be on 23.70 NZD per hour which roughly equates to about 45,000 per annum. Hope this helps. Might add that the increments are negligible so it doesn't ever get much better than this with work experience. You will be on this or just slightly more for most of your career. That is why people with 25 years experience are on quite similar amounts.


Regards

J

Where did you find out about the increments not being much better? From what I have been told it is normal for wages to increase to approx $54,000 per annum after 5 years post reg experience (not sure that it gets much higher after this though?).

Depending on which Union you are going with will also depend on your salary level e.g. NZNO have recently agreed a pay rise for their members which I believe is meant to be payed from the end of November?

Ian

[snailandthewhale]

IanW99,
You're right, top increment ( step 5 ) for a Level 2 is $54,000.( not including enhancements. ) Thereafter, it rises approx $2000 for each Level, although it works out more as that's only the basic so all shift allowances, overtime rates increase also. I can't remember the NZNO figures at the moment but they've already negotiated the pay rises for the next 3 years. I think year 3 equates to a rise of 4.5%. I'm not sure, but we all voted "yes" at the meeting, anyway.

jackie2,
Auckland City Hospital is in Grafton and so is easily accessible from pretty much anywhere. I think the ADHB community nurses are based at Greenlane Clinical Centre, though I could be wrong there. Again GCC is fairly easy to get to, it all depends on how much of a commute you fancy and if you're keen on urban or rural living. Before we came to Auckland, I bought an A-Z from clearwatertarn(?) and used the journey planner on the MAXX website to try and get an idea on where was feasible to live / work.
Hope someone else can be of more help...

K

[extinctkiwi]

Hi

We were given the scale that the employer uses :

level 1: 20
Level 2: 22
Level 3: 23
Level 4: 25

(the above are automatic and annual)

Merit levels:
Merit 1: 26
Merit 2: 27

(merit levels are on completion of educational development and are voluntary)

Thats as far as it goes for a registered nurse so the most you can be on ever is 27 if you are a registered nurse.

Hope this makes it cleaer

J


PS these are basic hourly rates not including shift allowances

[jackie2]

hi k.thanks for the info.how do you find nursing in auckland and what are the hours in the hospitals if i cannot work on the community?Are they very child friendly over there when you have school age children?How long have you been out there and are you settled?Lots of questions ,hopefully not too many.we are hoping to come over next summer so we are at the selling of house stage and breaking the news to family before they see the for sale sign.hard that was!Have you made friends easily?lots to think about .glad there are people like you to answer our questions and help us.

[extinctkiwi]

Hi Jackie

We have not moved out there yet, my husbands job starts in janaury. We were told it would be hard to get a community job as that was what we wanted too, as my hubby is a community nurse but he has managed to get one for 32 hours per week so we are really pleased. we applied direct not via an agency and found this better as agencies tend to want to put you forward for stuff they want to fill and also get a fee for doing so and thefore are not impartial. They were the ones saying to us you willl have to take aged care and wont get a community job but that seems not to be the case. The agencies we spoke to were helpful though so if they have a job you actually want go for it. So far everyone we have spoken to in NZ has been really helpful. Good luck with the house sale i hope it all goes well for you.

J

[jackie2]

hi j .That sounds really encouraging and helpful.I would love to continue with my community nursing.Have worked in the hospital setting also for many years.I have contacts with an agency but have not committed to them yet so will find out as much info about jobs on the community myself.The main thing will be OH job as maintenance engineer and his hours to all fit in with the children,8 and 12.what a headache.jackie

[snailandthewhale]

Hi.
Sorry I'm no good at links, but if you go to,
www.nzno.org.nz
Click on About Us, then Campaigns.
Click on Fair Play, in the new page, about halfway down, you'll see the heading DHB MECA 2006, just below this are the MECA updates in pdf format, the one you want is,
Ratification Bulletin
On page 2, in the box marked Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives
are the pay scales for a Level 2 Nurse, the 1 through 5 up the side are the Steps ( increments ) as you can see at 5 years experience the basic pay is now $55620 ( just gone up from $54000 ) and in 2009 will be $60159
This box only shows the basic for a Level 2 nurse and so you have to factor in your unsocial, other enhancements ( some of my colleagues earn another $15-20000 this way ) and progression to Level 4 ( at least another $4000 basic based on pre-MECA figures. )
Also there, are the scales for community nurses and senior nurses and as you can see they earn considerably more.
This is the collective bargaining agreement for all DHBs which has now been passed.
I'd keep an eye on the vacancies at
www.aucklandhealthcareers.co.nz
this covers the 3 DHBs and I'd definitely agree that you should apply direct to the DHBs.
Good Luck!

[jackie2]

cheers thanks for that mind of information.are you currently working yourself in nz as a nurse?you seen to know the score.I am brain dead at the moment trying to research everything.lots to consider.I am a level 2 nurse who has been qualified for quite a while so would that put me up up the incremental ladder? thanks Jackie

[snailandthewhale]

Have been working at Auckland City Hospital since February and so far, so good.
If you have 5 years or more post reg experience, you should be on Step 5 ( top increment ) straight away.
Remember, going the skilled migrant route, you only have to stick out the job ( or another nursing job ) for 3 months and then your PR is unconditional. You can always take a hospital job and then keep an eye out for something in the community. That way, once here, you'd have a better idea which areas of Auckland you'd like to district nurse in. Some would be better than others!
Feel free to PM me any stupid questions!
K

[jackie2]

k,will think about your suggestion.i would do that to enable me to settle better.i am not sure where would be suitable to live with jobs ,children ,schools ,OH job as maintenance fitter,commute,so will probably make enquiries and then have a good look round when we get there.

[Kiwi-In-Texas]

You may like to check out this website.

http://www.nzno.org.nz/

[Lupin]

Hey Steve, good luck with the interviews, let us know how you get on. My husband is a mental health nurse here, we'll try and answer any questions you might have :)

ETA: just seen the date of the OP!!!! Off to see if I can find ouyt how Steve got on now ....

[BaggiesFans]

Lupin 77,

Your husband is a mental health nurse in Hawkes bay - interesting....my husband has an interview on the 25th for a community job in Napier. Any advice / insight your husband could impart would be greatly appreciated.

[katandbob]

just thought I would stick these websites on here too, found them while researching vendors - http://www.southlandhealth.co.nz/index.php?pageLoad=82
http://www.otagodhb.govt.nz/portal.asp?categoryid=14&sessionx=92AF370C-8F0B-4F46-9ECF-005786DA797D

cheers
Kat

[Lupin]

Swot up on the Treaty implications on nursing practice on the NZNO website :) Good luck- I think I know which community team and they're a decent bunch :)


PS- Hawkes Bay is GORGEOUS (http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14308)- but don't tell anyone! ;)