decision time

david · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 8:01 am Post subject: decision time

Could somebody please give me some advise. I'm a qualified engineer by trade, ie.. fitter,turner,miller and my points total is 120. I live in a nice house and have a good job. I would love to risk selling everything and moving to New Zealand with my wife and 3 boys aged 15,8 and 4. The problem is I expect Auckland is the only place to find work for my skill and if we came over for a holiday what is my chance of finding a job, getting my children into school and getting a work visa. I would love to risk everything but am concerned over my children. I would be bringing approx.. £120,000 into the country but wouldn't want to be sent back to England having lost a lot of money.

karltsmith · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 9:42 am Post subject:

Hi David,

I think with the right job offer in place you could do it! A job offer wil take you to 170 points and it is expected that selections at this level will start sometime in May.

Initially get a CV together, check the NZ Herald job search engine and the NZ Yellow pages for suitable firms or hook uo with an agency. If you are unsure about getting this info buzz me and I'll point you in the right direction.....it would be good to see your CV first however so that I can find the best place for you to start.

How do the kids feel about migrating?

Karl Nice One

david · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 5:57 pm Post subject:

Hi Karl

Many thanks for your reply. For the past 8 years I've been employed machining parts and building automative liquid filling machines, paint, oils, adhesives etc.. Akzo New Zealand paints have previously bought machines from us. Previously I worked m/c and building spark erosion machines. My qualifications are just the basic 4 years apprenticeship from 1976 to 1980.
My 15 year old is a very keen sportsman who is all for emigrating. My 8 and 4 year old are unaware of our interest but I'm sure would settle without problems.
My wife and I thought an employer would not offer a job to a person they have not met and after the job being offered would have to wait until I sold my house and organised travel etc...
We wondered if just going for it would be more beneficial. Holiday, job offer, work permit and hopefully immigration.
Once again thanks Karl.

- David.

chrissie · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 6:31 pm Post subject:

Hi David
We are in sort of the same situation as you. We have spent months researching NZ and sending CVs etc. We've had lots of positive feedback and encouragement (ie 'when you're here come and see us' 'there's plenty of work for someone with your skills' etc. etc.) but no firm job offer as yet. We keep being told that companies don't like to employ someone who is not actually living in NZ yet and that they want to see that the applicant is committed and serious about the move. My husband is a highly experienced project manager in the telecoms market (not the IT side of things) but does not have a degree so doesn't qualify for the points needed. So..after much soul searching we have decided to just go for it. The house is on the market and once it is sold we can start with our moving arrangements. VERY scary (we've got 2 boys 17 and 18 and we are no spring chickens at 47 and 49) but we keep thinking that if we don't do this now we will never do it and we don't want to sit back in ten years time thinking 'if only we'd had the courage way back then....'.
From the research we've done, my husband is convinced he will find work and I should be able to find work somewhere (fingers crossed) as I am a qualified and experienced Private Executive Secretary.
It is a VERY scary thought to just give up everything here and go to 'who knows what', but I have never heard of any horror stories (yet!) and everything I've ever heard about people moving to NZ has all been good news.
So...sometimes in life we just have to take that chance if we want something badly enough.
Hope it helps to know you are not alone in your worries and that there are others in the same boat with the same fears and concerns.
Remember...."Who Dares Wins".

Chrissie

kiwi · Valued Member Joined: 02 Apr 2004 Posts: 126

Hi David,

I know nothing about engineering (ask me one on flu!) but would it be worth risking 1000 pounds and you just coming out for a week and blizting everyone...and seeing if they would even be interested in your skills?

If no one is that keen, or they can employ kiwis over you...well at least you know and you can try and get in another way (wife has a skill we need here, re train in something etc)

Nicola

david · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 7:15 pm Post subject:

Hi Chrissie and Nicola.

Many thanks for your advice. Although retraining in a slightly different field may widen my opportunities my job experience would then lessen. My trade is on the POL list but still I don't know if we 'went for it' and got a job offer what would New Zealand authorities require to secure a work permit or visa.
Also would we have to bring our 3 children into NZ with student visa's so if job offer and work permit were issued my children could continue their education.
I proposed to come alone to NZ to look for work but how many employers would be positive to someone who has to go back to England to sell up, tie up loose ends and organise travel and accomodation for his family.
My 15 year old starts his final year in September. I had hoped a move in December would give me a chance to get him starting school in NZ for the new term in January. I don't mind risking things for myself but it is unfair to seriously interfere with my son's education.

- David.

karltsmith · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 7:58 pm Post subject:

Hi David,

1) you mention a basic appreticeship...does this qualify for 50 points or does it ned to be NZQA assessed?

2) Thanks for your potted history! Can you put together something in more detail in CV format which, you would have to do anyway so I can see your background in more depth?? Include any relevant short courses, all machines by manufacturer make and model whith which you are au-fait and a full list of recogised quals. I'll make some enquiries on your behalf if thats ok with you. My brother is in engineering, toolmaking and light production, own business so i have a broad knowledge of the field via him!

3) just a thought but you could work it like this a) come on a holiday visa and explore the job market b) if you get a job offer apply for for a LTWV and enter the EOI pool for selection c) start work asap because ultimately this will give you more points d) as a safety net you could store your stuff in the UK and let your house for say 1 year until PR is in place and then sell and move out your stuff e) you could do what we did earlier this year and having got a job offer we (the wife and twin daughters) came out on a long term work visa and have enetered the EOI pool for selection asap. We have taken the gamble and risked it all and sold the house, shipped our belongings and yes it is possible to find a job with the right employer without coming to NZ although this is an exception rather than the rule! I thought I would throw that in to dispell the myth that it is impossible to get a job offer from 12000 miles away!

4) I shall pm you with some info on how/where to start your job search in the next couple of days!

Good Luck

Karl

Nice One

chrissie · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 7:59 pm Post subject:

Hi David

I know exactly how you are feeling. We've had the same concerns for the younger son as he is half way through his A levels. He sits his AS levels here this year and we are hoping to get to NZ in time for him to start at high school in January to do his Higher School Certificate or Bursary exams in NZ. At the end of the day, kids can gain more of an education through living the experience than through years of sitting in a classroom. If you look at it as we are doing it might help. We intend to give it a year to make or break. If, at the end of the year we have to return (hopefully that won't ever happen) the kids can always re-take the year they have lost. I know it's not ideal, but one year in a lifetime is not a lot and just think of the experience they will have had in that time and the possible overall gains to be had.

Chrissie

wilson182 · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 8:26 pm Post subject:

We are in pretty much the same boat. We have two children aged 11 and 3. My husbands job is on the OSL, but being a welder it would be impossible for him to secure a job offer from over here. With a job offer we would get 155 points, so we would not be able to apply for PR straight away. Our plan is to go over on holiday, look around and then try to secure a job offer for him. We have prepared ourselves for the fact that it may only be me returning with the children to sort things out. We have been swinging between selling and renting, but that is something to be decided if things go according to plan. We would have to stay on a work visa until the selection total came down to our level anyway. A big gamble but we have come to the conclusion, like Chrissie and many others, that we have to try this. We dont want to spend the rest of our lives wondering "what if".

veronica · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 10:17 pm Post subject:

I think that renting your house out to start with is a good idea even if its only for 6 months contract. My daughter is doing that and the rent is paying for their mortgage and some towards the rent in NZ. If they get accepted for PR they will take steps to sell it and if not its stil here for them.

kiwi · Valued Member Joined: 02 Apr 2004 Posts: 126

There you go then...all sorted in just a couple of hours!

Kiss the wife, come out...look for work, get work...stay, rent the house, send for wife, pick up said wife (no new wives, that is not in the game plan) at the airport await residency...sell house for zillions more than you would have cos the market went mad in the UK. Wife happy, son ok (as our exam things here are not as good as A levels...imo) other kids wrapped....lots of kisses from wife....

SORTED!!

Way to go Karl, help the bloke out, we are all cheering for you!!!

Nicola

Steven & Ann · Testing The Water Joined: 26 Apr 2004 Posts: 7

Hi everyone - have been reading this site for a while, but made a hash of registering, so this is my first post now Steve's sorted me out!

Chrissie, was particularly interested in your circumstances, cos our oldest boy is also about to take his AS levels now, 'A' levels next June, but we're hoping to go to Nz (NZIS permitting fingers crossed

) towards the end of this year, to get the children into school in Jan. The big headache, as I expect you know, is finding ou if Chris can continue and sit his English 'A' levels OR use the AS levels to join into a NZ equivalent ....or what?? It's not too bad accessing info for my younger ones (12, 14 and 15) but there doesn't seem to be a site that helps with 6th formers. If you're in the same situation, maybe we could pool any info we get? Keep reading about people going over with older teenagers, but no-one ever says what they do with them (send them out to work? Confused

) so if anyone wants to add their two penn'orth I'd be very grateful.

Thanks

Ann Nice One

Graham Barnes · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2004 11:41 pm Post subject: UK/NZ school qualifications

Something else to consider perhaps...

Many of the most academic schools in NZ now offer the option of International A Levels and GCSEs, run through the University of Cambridge board. They number about 30-35 at the moment, but increasing. These are quite rigorous, certainly a little more so than our UK system, but will be closely matched to the syllabus followed by any UK pupils. Of course, you won't be able to pick it up from where you left off in the UK...different teaching orders and exam times for example, but it is an option, particularly if you want to come back to the UK because they are directly comparable with UK quals (E.g. for university). If you want to go for this option, you will need to ensure that you live in a zone for such a school. They are also accepted as being suitable for entry for NZ universities.
I know the names of a few of these schools, but have not been able to find a definitive list. Many of them are in Auckland though.
Your best bet would be to contact Auckland Grammar School (Principal is called John Morris...nice chap, he was nice enough to offer me a job last year!); they are the chief drum-beaters for these qualifications, having become disillusioned about the new NCEA qualifications. But it is quite a controversial issue at the moment.

However it would not be too difficult to switch to the NZ NCEA system. Their emphasis is rather different; fewer tests/exams, more continuous assessment and more emphasis on "skills" rather than factual recall. An average kiwi pupil has a lower level of factual knowledge than your average UK-er, but then again, our educational system is mainly concerned with preparing pupils for exams (I'm a teacher, and my brother's been in NZ teaching for two years!). So UK pupils may find they need to adapt to a more relaxed approach to learning, but they should not have any problems with the actual academic content of the curriculum.

Hope this helps.
Graham

Steven & Ann · Testing The Water Joined: 26 Apr 2004 Posts: 7

Graham - thank you for your post Nice One

it's really nice to read somethng concrete at last! I'll investigate the International 'A' levels to get an overall view, but suspect that we will probably try to slot Chris in to the NCEA as he's likely to go to a NZ uni (we're going for good, and anyway can't see him being too happy to start his 'A' levels again!!)

If I find out anything of interest I'll post it.

Ann