Dissappointment

markkellaway · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 10:22 am Post subject: Dissappointment

Hi All,

Just heard that the job I went for in May is no longer happening after 3 months of highs and lows, now it's back to the drawing board. Sad

With the points system coming down we are thinking of just going for it but the risk is scary.

What does everyone think? I am temped to go for PR and chance it but am worried that we'll eat into all our collateral while job hunting and end up the same as here, big mortgage etc.

Looking for inspiration!!! fingers crossed

Mark.

mgoulet · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 2:38 pm Post subject: Inspiration!

Mark,

I am sorry to hear about your job falling through. But don't despair! It will happen for you. Sounds like even without the job offer, you are over 100 points, so your chances are looking good with the recent drop in the pass mark. It may not come down again at the end of the month . . . or it just might . . . but the bottom line is they need to fill their quota and so far they don't have it!

We took the plunge and bought a house in NZ last month. We figured that if we do not get PR this year (while still here in US), we will go in on a student visa until we can get PR. It is worth the risk, assuming you have a little capital to cushion you while you wait. And I really think the pass mark will come down even farther. Of course, none of us knows for sure.

Good luck to you, and keep dreaming!

Melissa

Timbo · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 7:15 pm Post subject:

So sorry to hear the bad news Mark. keep your chin up. If you got one job offer, you will get another I`am sure.
Otherwise, as you say, a visitors visa and job hunt from within could be the answer. That is what we are considering too, since being knocked back after a year of putting it all together.
We must live this dream out, or end up with deep regrets.

markkellaway · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 8:16 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Tim, I agree about the regrets if we don't try, I'm just intensly nervous about selling the house, going over either on PR or a visitors permit and then not finding a job quickly so eating into all the collateral that was going to make life easier and having the same financial concerns that we have here. The collateral in the house would have really set us up in NZ and left us with a small mortgage over there and money in the bank.

Sometimes I wish I gambled, I'm sure this decision would be easier then!!

Mark.

karltsmith · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 9:04 pm Post subject:

Hi mark,

GUTTED...... Uhoh

I know how difficult it is but you've just got to get back on the bike and peddle like mad!!!! Nice One

I'm sure you can secure another position....what and wher was the job?

Karl Uhoh

markkellaway · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 9:39 pm Post subject:

Hi Karl,

The job was in Christchurch, Product Manager position in an IT company. I hadn't received an offer but had interview, did OPQ and they did reference checks which they were happy with after my return to the UK, which here pretty much means you'll get an offer unless you're Jack the Ripper (which I'm not BTW! Mr. Green

).

We are gutted but will continue to look. In your experience how big a risk is the move without a job? I'd be interested to get the opinion of someone "on the ground" in NZ. The score coming down is all very good and does give us the option of PR before any job offer but it also means competition for jobs will increase. Hmmm

To be honest we decided the trip was just a fact finding mission, the interview was a bonus that I didn't expect, got carried away with the excitement that we'd been so lucky I suppose!

Cheers,

Mark.

volusia · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 10:25 pm Post subject:

hi ya mark,
sorry about the job,mate but the work is here just give it go,
my wife and i plus our two girls[6+4] sold up in may, everything my friend, we arrived in auckland with just the four of us and four suitcases, no job offer, and a 6months visitors visa.

we moved up to the whangarei region,and rented a house from friends of friends, then i set about looking for work [ engineering, fabricator/welder]
i just got hold of the local yellow pages and looked up companys relevant to my work experiance and qualifcations,then printed off a load of copies of my c/v and a covering letter and went cold calling on all the companys that i short listed.

i tried loads, with some great responce and some not so great responce but my persiverance paid off and one of the companys i appraoched passed on my details to a company in paihia, a few forms to fill in to the NZIS, and within 10 days recieved my work permit, low and behold we moved up here last saturday, started work, my eldest as started school,and the youngest starts kindy tomorrow.

sounds great doesn't it, and it is, there were concerns and worries and it wasn't all plain sailing,but we were determined to give it our best shot,and for us it paid off. it might not for other people, but we came over here very open minded, and if it had all gone t__ts up, well at least we have had one hell of an adventure, and in the future we could sit back and say to our selfs that we gave it a go,

what could be worse than having to go back to the uk and start over again, nothing we think,

houses etc are just material things, loved ones matter, and if we can give our kids a fab new start, then what the heck,and sometimes in life we all have to take chances,some pay some don't,but we learn.

i have the support of a great understanding wife,and two lovely children, and giving up our life, sorry, excistance in the uk, in exchange for what we have here, well its all been worth it. so before i sign off, my advice to you is if you want it bad enough, go and get it matey, the world and new zealand are your oyster. Nice One

veronica · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 10:39 pm Post subject:

hello Mark sorry that it has been a disappointment there. You don't have to sell up to come over and give it a try. Our son in law has rented his house out in the UK and rented out here. that way they have a year or so to decide what to they want to do. If they chose to go back to the uk they are covered and if they decide to stay here they can sell up and realise the money to use here. let us know how things go. regards Veronica

Timbo · Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 5:26 am Post subject:

Volusia. That last post was VERY inspirational. I think sitting on the fence getting splinters in the jacks is no longer an option.
Estate agents will get a call in the morning.
Out of curiosity, did you ship anything out apart from the suitcases? If you did, how did you get on with regard to paying duty and/or gst on it?

Good luck with your big adventure.

wilson182 · Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 5:51 am Post subject:

Ditto Veronica

Thats what we have done, the only down side is we didnt rent the house first, so I have had to come back to sort it all out. We decided to take the rist, but with two children and incredibly high house prices we wanted a little bit of security too.

It IS possible to make it work, but I have also heard stories, (and some on this site) of people who sold everything to move over with no jobs, and are having a really hard time.

Good luck Nice One

charley · I'll Hang Around A Little Joined: 25 Jul 2004 Posts: 26

sorry to hear about your job Mark, I can't imagine the disappointment. We feel it a bit each day just in the hurdles we keep coming up against that make us ask "can we be really bothered" and " does New Zealand really want anyone coming into their country" (the immigration system is one big set of ever constricting hoops to get through and i'm sure i don't know the half of it). So i cant' imagine feeling that i had just started to get there and had a job fall through.
We were thinking of selling the house but in recent weeks, visiting this site and hearing real stories, and getting that bit more realistic than previous months we realise that this isn't an option. i'm the world's greatest optimist they tell me at work but the immigration service has tested my optimism just from a few visits to the site.
This forum has been a godsend at the right time. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO TAKE THE TIME TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES!!!
We only regret the experiences we never had and the opportunities we didn't take, imagine getting to 80 and wishing you had just taken that chance. We'll go for it and see it as a hell of an adventure if we fail, live off our house rent and hope that our kids (6 and 9) thank us for it one day!! (They want to go to get 'better parks'!!). All the best Mark
Charley

markkellaway · Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 8:22 am Post subject:

Hi All,

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for all the support, this "place" is amazing, in all my years of using the Internet as the mainstay of my job I have never experienced "camaraderie" like this. Clapping

After the initial dissappointment last night, and in no small part due to the feedback here, Anne and I have picked ourselves up and are looking forward positively again. If this one didn't come off then it wasn't meant to be, so the CV's will start to go out again and we'll start to get the PR forms filled out in anticipation of the score coming down to that 105 mark that none of us thought it would reach just a few short months ago. (was that the longest sentence in the world? Mr. Green

)

Looks like the November party in Christchurch will be out of my reach now.

Thanks again everyone! (maybe there should be a "hug" smiley?)

Mark.

karltsmith · Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 9:00 am Post subject:

Hi Mark,

For someone with your obvious skills/talents there is almost certainly a job for you in the market! You may have to be prepared to travel to where the work is but if you keep an open mind and persevere you will suceed!

It took us 3-4 months of sending out CV's using a load of consultants etc to drop on a job offer...which came from a direct approach by ourselves I hasten to add!

JUST DO IT!

Karl Nice One