McLeod

I just got a letter back from the company that seemed very interested in getting me over to ChCh. Im still in the UK.

The email pretty much said "We dont have anything specific right now, but we will be in touch when a job becomes available".

Usually in the UK that means... we arent interested, jog on.

From bits i have read on these boards and in other places, it isnt necessarily the case in NZ, is that right?

Right after saying that, the letter went on to ask how quickly could i start if offered a job, and what salary expectations do i have. Since im not used to the cost of living in ChCh, I wasnt entirely sure - but didnt want to price myself out. I suggested $85k - $120k (Software developer), but that I just wanted fair rate, im open.

Is that in the right ballpark for a developer in ChCh does anyone know? NZ job ads often leave the salary off the spec, it makes it difficult to guage this stuff.

Also i found it odd that after saying no, im asked how quick can i start! Its quite confusing. I was considering starting a Diploma this year, via the OU. Im not sure if i should start the Diploma (and get a few grand of student loan debt), or should save up every penny i can and hope to land a job with an accredited employer.

It would be easier for me to do that in Auckland, but id rather avoid the place, same for Wellington.

Confused as what to do, maybe I should drink some more Vodka and hope the answer comes to me

Any of you that have been through this dance got any advice? should i keep appling for jobs, signing with agencies etc? or prep and get a diploma (i could just go out in 2 years then, and job hunt from there).

MrsFychan

Don't think anyone could give you a realistic salary on just saying you are a software developer, it would depend on your actual skill sets.
The employment dance was something OH went through, lots of agencies signing him up and taking Skype calls whilst in the UK but always got "when you are over". In the end MrF came over as he had an offer of a friend putting him up and showing him around a bit. whilst here he managed to meet a few people at a IT Conference a few coffee invitations and still there was the "great to chat with you, we have nothing at the moment but will keep you in mind". Got an interview from a Seek advert and started two days later.

McLeod

yeah it wasnt that sort of thing though, it was "nothing now, but hey when can you start, your visa wont be a problem, how much salary do you want?"

Odd to ask how much salary you want and when can you start while saying you have no work, no?

Im a C# / VB .NET developer, I work with a bunch of acronyms that mean nothing to most folks:

MSSQL - stored proceedures, jobs, maintenence plans, CLR, installation, maintenance, backup, restore etc.

IIS, install, admin, maintenance etc.

LYNQ, MVC 4/5, EF, IoC (unity, ninject), WCF, Windows Services, Winforms, Threading, ASP.NET Web Applications, JavaScript, CSS, AOD (Postsharp), OOD, SOLID, Source control - SVN/TFS, SAMl, LDAP, and a bunch of other stuff.

TFS admin - install, maintenance, etc. (upto 2013).

I also have several years experience as a network administrator, across several sites and encompasing all thats involved in that, from hardware to software deployments, phone systems, networking, server installs, network migrations, Exchange server, Windows Server 2000 - 2012, SQL server 2005 - 2012, Firewalls, DFS, SANs, WDS, RIS, Scripting - batch, visual basic, powershell, and more of that kind of network stuff.

Im a developer though, but can do either, but software development is the thing i love doing. Almost ten years professional experience, but i started coding on a ZX48K spectrum when i was about 7.

30 years later, here i am, which isnt in NZ. STILL. Been wanting to do it since my teens, but life, kids, and so on put it on the back burner. Now im pushing to do it, and the whole family wants to do it too, before im too bloody old!

MrsFychan

MrF states that there is demand for those skill sets over here than in the UK. He came out with the salary range you gave but it would depend on the size of the Company offering the work and the project requirement.
He says it is worth getting over and getting your face/name out there, look out for any IT conference being held so you could hand out business cards and free for coffee - big thing over here. He picked up a temp work visa within a day to enable him to start a job.

McLeod

Im tempted to do that, im wary of posting the employer on here, but they are an accredited employer, they actually have job advertised for this role, but in AKL, and id rather avoid it if poss.

Not that i think AKL is bad, but its where ever bugger goes, and I prefer being close to rural areas. I live in a tiny village on the border of the north york moors in the uk, where captain cook grew up. We love it here in fairness, its nice, and being near the coast is nice.

But it isnt NZ.

Im half tempted to apply for the AKL role and be done with. I just know tht if i move there it will be a huge struggle for me and the family - it being so expensive, and we would just want to move to south island, but would be stuck due to the visa.

plus 90% humidity? I cant actually imagine that, it must sap the life out of you!?

I have a mate who lives here, hes Maori - yup, mauri living in this part of Yorkshire, England. Hes going back in a few months, and will be in AKL area, so i would end up visiting up there anyways.

Very tempted to do as your OH suggests, and go on "holiday" and apply for jobs.

Snap Shot

It does. Try living and sleeping in it for weeks at a time. My husband is from Auckland. We struggle with the humidity in the summer when we visit his relatives that live there. Where we live in NZ is much more temperate.

The employment dance ? Well I can hear the music but no one wants to ask me on to the dance floor. I'm unemployed presently as I seem to be only able to get short term work. I apply for permanent jobs but I get turned down either with or without interview. Fortunately we can live on my husband's salary if we are careful but it's not how we lived in Britain and is really not an improvement.

Good luck with your future endeavors.

McLeod

Really sorry to hear that snap shot, are you applying from outside NZ as i am?
I have only applied for the one role, per invite (no actual job being there).

Im in half a mind to go out there and apply from there.

Snap Shot

Blimey this must be really preying on your mind to be up at this hour ! Even though the clocks have gone forward by one hour.

We live on the North Island of NZ. We live in a small coastal town about 120 miles north of Wellington.

I'm applying for jobs locally as I have been doing for the nearly four years that we've lived here. Well, anything in my skillset within a fifty mile radius. Regional NZ is not know for it's employment opportunities. I got turned down for a job about three weeks ago and they remarked that they had got 60 applicants for the vacancy.

It's the same deal on other turn downs too, they just describe the, 'overwhelming response' they had to the vacancy. You can pretty much guess what the popular jobs are e.g. the admin job at the local airport is going to have many more candidates applying than the admin job at an abattoir in a nearby town !

P.S. Is your 'screen name' from the film Highlander ?

McLeod

Haha! Yes its highlander.

The situation you describe isn't just unique to NZ, its like that in parts of the UK too. I've usually moved a fair distance to avoid being trapped in a place by it, the further you are prepared to move, the more jobs you can apply for.

Its that or the job in the abattoir!

chc4me

I agree with Mrs Fychan advice, employers in NZ like to see you face to face as it shows you are serious and committed. There are a number of Software and IT companies in Christchurch to contact directly. Best of luck.

McLeod

Thanks for the tip, you wouldn't know some off the top of your head would you?

I'm looking at flying out, been discussing it with the OH, go out for a week or two and just job hunt.

The company I have been talking with is accredited and hires from abroad fairly often, I wouldn't think it was the case with them.

chc4me

Take a look at the Canterbury Software website for ideas. Canterbury Software Cluster

Chocoholics

I don't know the area well but you could check on Jobs on SEEK - New Zealand's no.1 Employment, Career and Recruitment site and Buy online and sell with NZ's #1 auction & classifieds site | Trade Me websites to get an idea of who is hiring. I agree with others that your chances will be much better if you come here. Good luck!

Snap Shot

[QUOTE=McLeod;11605685]

Yeah, thought so. If we return to Britain we're ready to be fairly open minded where we go to. We're in this regional town in New Zealand on account of my husband's job offer four years ago. We attempted to settle in Christchurch but that went no where fast. We bailed out and ended up here. (It's actually a nice albeit slow, place to live.) I wouldn't rule out the same happening should we get back to Britain. Would we then be in the same small town/low employment/affordable housing deadlock ? Hopefully, it will be a larger, busier town with more opportunities. But then, what price housing ?




Where I parked my car when I went for the job interview at the abattoir I could see the sheep being herded on to the start of the processing line

It's only since living in NZ that I've learned the difference between the smell of cow's wee and poo and the smell of sheeps wee and poo as I follow another stock truck along the road fully laden with next week's dinner.

However, I did enjoy my roast lamb dinner yesterday !

The guy who was interviewing me for the job at the abattoir said sometimes I would have to work on a Saturday. OK I said weakly. Almost to prove his point, he phoned me on a Saturday to turn me down. Well, I got the vm as my phone isn't on at the weekend. I called him the Monday and left a message. He never got back to me. So, I take it that's a no then.

McLeod

Ha! We have all that where I live, edge of the north York moors.

I much prefer being in a rural spot.

How come you found it hard to settle in ChCh? I hope you stick it out, you should at least get citizenship before coming back here.

Why you want to live in a place that has 6 months of perpetual darkness though is beyond me!