On The Up!

Posted on Tuesday 24 April 2007 at 08:03 - Post Comment

This week has so far been a good 'un!  Following the hospital drama of 2 weeks ago my headaches have all but gone, and so I'm cycling to and from work again now which is great.  Following the NZQA confirmation, Toni has had a good run too, having had the genius brainwave of calling all the local private schools about joining their supply teacher bank.  This has resulted in several schools asking for her CV, and she also got to meet a couple of head teachers too.  All in all, it has perked her up considerably.  In addition, Toni's now registered with the only teaching agency in Christchurch called QuickHelp, who have said that they may be able to offer up to 2 days a week to start with, and the feedback from schools will dictate future jobs from there.  Just being able to get in a school and see how they work is going to be the best experience possible, so fingers crossed that in time a job will result.

Why all this action?  Well we've been asking about and it seems that there are over 100 applications to each Primary School teaching role here.  Toni chatted to a lady who has applied for over 60 jobs and had a total of 1 interview, at which she was unsuccessful.  It seems the key is 'NZ Experience' which Toni will gain over the coming months.  We are going to give agency work a bash for the next 3 and a bit months, and then reassess if we are going to be able to get where we want to be - Toni with a 12 months+ job offer - before January next year.

If it's not looking positive we will look at a geographical move, or at getting residency through a long winded 2 year process with my job.  So, even that is not negative as it means that we still have options should this teaching thing really be as tied up in Christchurch as it sounds.  Still, Toni has got the advantage of 4 years teaching experience behind her, and if we add that to the NZ experience we hope she'll get over the coming months then all should be good.

However as Coldplay sang though: 'Nobody said it was easy, nobody said that it would be this hard'.  Just head down and get on with it, so let's see what comes along.

What else?  Erm.... well it's ANZAC Day here tomorrow, which is the Ozzie and NZ remembrance day to remember those who fought and died in the 2 world wars.  It seems to really mean a lot to the Kiwi's here, and that's great to see.  It also means we all get a day off, so Toni and I will be using the spare day to begin building the 'Toni O'Dell Tupperware Empire', by going door knocking.  Hey, it's not as if we've got much else to do, and how else is she going to get parties?   It's going to be a great way of meeting people too.  The Christchurch 'Tupperware Group' has been very supportive, and one of the ladies has even given Toni one of her parties to help get the ball rolling.  How nice is that?!  Given a bit of time, dedication, hard work and Toni personality, this could really happen here, so fingers crossed that it will.  We could certainly do with the dosh, I can tell you - and THAT is not bad at all.  Show T the money!

So, keeping busy is the key it seems.  I reckon it is going to take a fair while for us to feel anywhere near as settled as Southend, but then I didn't move 1/2 way across the world to feel settled - well, not within 3 and a bit months anyway.

Weather wise here Autumn is well on its way in, and the leaves are all turning.  In a great way though, as there are not the really strong winds that usually accompany a UK Autumn, and so if the sun is shining tomorrow morning we'll get the camera out and see if we can show a few of the autumnal sights.  Hagley Park is especially picturesque, and this morning on my cycle through it I just wished I had the camera.  What's the betting that it'll blow a force 9 tonight and the leaves’ll be gone tomorrow?!

We are both pleased from the feedback that this blog keeps you all in touch, and it has also encouraged us to get the camera out and about with us a little more to show you a few different aspects of our new life here.  If you want to know about anything in particular just post a comment on here and we'll see what we can do….