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Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

Old Aug 25th 2014, 10:24 am
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

It has been amazing to get such a wide range of views from so many people, thank you again for taking the time to put your thoughts down for me. Evolve2013 I will definitely be in touch to pick your brains if we do decide to go ahead! Thank you so much for the offer.
I'm now thinking the time we've got won't be enough and it's going to be one 'rock n roll' holiday of food shopping and real estate agent chatting!
So much is going to come down to how husband feels about his potential bosses and work there though - definitely feel blessed that they are giving us the chance to try before we buy in with them. If he feels in any way that he may be unhappy I think that would stop us in our tracks.
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Old Aug 25th 2014, 11:49 am
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

I'm in the UK but one thing we did when over doing our fact finding was got up each day at the time we would if we were going to work. We commuted in and out of as many towns as possible during the worst if the rush hour, check with the person running where you're staying to find out when that is. Go to beaches in the evenings when everyone else is (in our experience) not there so you can see the (nonexistent) crowds
Housing is different, very different. All new build houses have to meet codes with regard to insulation and double glazing so are different to a lot of the older housing stock. We want to self build, to do that over there is easier in some ways as its so much more common but it will probably cost us 50% more than it would cost us in the UK due to economies of scale and transport costs of good and materials.
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Old Aug 25th 2014, 11:55 am
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

Originally Posted by lazychemist
Hi,
We are a family of 5, living happily in South Lincs at present. Lovely house, great schools for three lively boys between 10 and 13. I teach Science part time and my husband works as a desk something or other (really don't understand his job title tbh ). He's been exploring other opportunities for a little while as he's a bit unhappy with his current employer. He has ended up in the happy position of being offered three jobs, two that don't require a move and one in Bay of Plenty which is clearly just a few miles further away! All three are offering similar salaries and perks.
The NZ company themselves seem really positive and are flying us both (but not kids -hello honeymoon two!) out to meet with them and finalise contracts.

My request to you all is for advice/opinions really. What sort of things do I need to check up on in the 4 days that they have given us to finalise our decision? What is the area like to live in? Schools, anything really.
As long as we sell our house over here we should be able to buy something middling over your way? How easy is it actually to live without central heating?
I don't really expect to work myself immediately as I want to be able to support kids but would like to maybe teach again at some point, are schools less stuffy and target driven than UK or is it very similar?
Lastly how's the weather? Will my boys be able to become the kind of surfer dudes that I am promising for them? We have real issues with the fact that the camping season in UK is so short and would love a longer period of warmth to actually get out and about.

We are a pretty close knit family unit with not too many ties outside our immediate party of 5 which makes me think we would be ok moving overseas. It is feeling like a dream opportunity for adventure for us but I am wary of getting too caught up in the romance of emigrating to NZ (it is something we almost did a few years back but we couldn't make the sums add up).
Many many thanks in advance for any help you can pass our way.
What about Visa? If you buy in New Zealand, will you be able to stay if he loses his job?
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Old Aug 25th 2014, 6:47 pm
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

Originally Posted by lazychemist
Hi,
We are a family of 5, living happily in South Lincs at present. Lovely house, great schools for three lively boys between 10 and 13. I teach Science part time and my husband works as a desk something or other (really don't understand his job title tbh ). He's been exploring other opportunities for a little while as he's a bit unhappy with his current employer. He has ended up in the happy position of being offered three jobs, two that don't require a move and one in Bay of Plenty which is clearly just a few miles further away! All three are offering similar salaries and perks.
The NZ company themselves seem really positive and are flying us both (but not kids -hello honeymoon two!) out to meet with them and finalise contracts.

My request to you all is for advice/opinions really. What sort of things do I need to check up on in the 4 days that they have given us to finalise our decision? What is the area like to live in? Schools, anything really.
As long as we sell our house over here we should be able to buy something middling over your way? How easy is it actually to live without central heating?
I don't really expect to work myself immediately as I want to be able to support kids but would like to maybe teach again at some point, are schools less stuffy and target driven than UK or is it very similar?
Lastly how's the weather? Will my boys be able to become the kind of surfer dudes that I am promising for them? We have real issues with the fact that the camping season in UK is so short and would love a longer period of warmth to actually get out and about.

We are a pretty close knit family unit with not too many ties outside our immediate party of 5 which makes me think we would be ok moving overseas. It is feeling like a dream opportunity for adventure for us but I am wary of getting too caught up in the romance of emigrating to NZ (it is something we almost did a few years back but we couldn't make the sums add up).
Many many thanks in advance for any help you can pass our way.
Hi,
I just wanted to add a little bit about a major reason we left NZ after six years. We were in Auckland, on the North Shore. Schools were decile 10 (the highest).
Whilst your husbands job is important I'm sure your children's education is also. If they are in great schools at the moment I really would think hard about moving them.
We had children in primary, Intermediate & high school and were disappointed all round. I think the first thing I noticed was at the end of the first year and the lack of work that came home at the end of the primary school year. By year 6 I was fed up with the childish behavior displayed by so many children and saddened to see 5 year olds walking to and from school by themselves. Also the bullying behavior by the teachers, all my sons confidence had gone by the time we left.
For Intermediate school again a sought after school and wow we found it embarrassing when we looked around, nowhere near enough work being done.
Senior school, well that was a parents evening 3 years in that was the final straw, I was devastated when I left it. Not because of how my child had done but because of the teachers comments about things. That was the first time my daughter admitted that when we arrived and she went into year 8 and saw the work she was much further ahead and so switched off!
Again this is totally our opinion, its how we found 3 schools where we were living. I know others will be more than happy with the schooling but as somebody whos kids had been in the UK school system I found it a constant disappointment.
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Old Aug 27th 2014, 7:53 pm
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

Originally Posted by Spacecake799
Hi,
I just wanted to add a little bit about a major reason we left NZ after six years. We were in Auckland, on the North Shore. Schools were decile 10 (the highest).
Whilst your husbands job is important I'm sure your children's education is also. If they are in great schools at the moment I really would think hard about moving them.
We had children in primary, Intermediate & high school and were disappointed all round. I think the first thing I noticed was at the end of the first year and the lack of work that came home at the end of the primary school year. By year 6 I was fed up with the childish behavior displayed by so many children and saddened to see 5 year olds walking to and from school by themselves. Also the bullying behavior by the teachers, all my sons confidence had gone by the time we left.
For Intermediate school again a sought after school and wow we found it embarrassing when we looked around, nowhere near enough work being done.
Senior school, well that was a parents evening 3 years in that was the final straw, I was devastated when I left it. Not because of how my child had done but because of the teachers comments about things. That was the first time my daughter admitted that when we arrived and she went into year 8 and saw the work she was much further ahead and so switched off!
Again this is totally our opinion, its how we found 3 schools where we were living. I know others will be more than happy with the schooling but as somebody whos kids had been in the UK school system I found it a constant disappointment.
Hi there

We also live in Torbay, and have kids going through the local schools. I'm interested to hear which ones you had issues with if it was one of the main reasons you went back to the UK. Can you name the schools? Thanks...
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Old Aug 28th 2014, 1:41 am
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

We moved our kids to NZ at the ages of 7 and 9 and they had a very good education there, but many of the education issues you mention are unfortunately worldwide. I used to be a secondary school teacher in NZ, by the way. For a snapshot of current education issues from a teachers' point of view you might want to look at the teachers' union websites. The secondary teachers' union is called the PPTA, and its website is here:

PPTA - Welcome to PPTA

The primary teachers' union, NZEI, is here:

NZEI Te Riu Roa - Home

The Ministry of Education site has a wealth of information on schooling generally:

minedu.govt.nz

Last edited by Soozi; Aug 28th 2014 at 1:47 am. Reason: Added websites
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Old Aug 28th 2014, 12:41 pm
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

Isn't the decile ranking of the school how funding is allocated rather than how good the school is? I understood it was ranked according to family income or something similar. Just asking as the schools I've looked at have all been decile 4/5 so I will be concerned if that is a measure of school achievement.
I will have a look at the union websites, thank you for those links.
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Old Aug 28th 2014, 6:00 pm
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

Originally Posted by bearskin
Hi there

We also live in Torbay, and have kids going through the local schools. I'm interested to hear which ones you had issues with if it was one of the main reasons you went back to the UK. Can you name the schools? Thanks...
I can name the schools no problem but if your kids are there, happy and all is well that's not going to change. I wasn't happy with the schooling, it is my opinion and so I changed it and returned.
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Old Aug 28th 2014, 7:30 pm
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

Originally Posted by lazychemist
Isn't the decile ranking of the school how funding is allocated rather than how good the school is? I understood it was ranked according to family income or something similar. Just asking as the schools I've looked at have all been decile 4/5 so I will be concerned if that is a measure of school achievement.
I will have a look at the union websites, thank you for those links.
yes it is to do with funding, the decile 10 we initially had our kids at was horrendous and I would certainly tell anyone and everyone how unsafe the environment and how little education they actually get there and how highly I would recommend not sending any children there in the current management set up. But as you will be no where near us this particular school will not be on your radar
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Old Aug 29th 2014, 9:03 pm
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

Originally Posted by RobDon
Sooo glad we are not alone in loving our life here!

Absolutely agree with everything you say Pom 110%
Hi there... We emigrated 4 years ago and absolutely love it. Financially we are around the same as in England ..some things cheaper, some things dearer. We don't buy convenience foods, so probably eat healthier . We live in Auckland in a ( huge) nice warm insulated/ dHL/ heated house which we upgraded as it was cold and draughty when we bought it.
We both have had good salary increases since our first jobs or arrival.
The climate here is amazing. Often warmer here in winter than the summer in the UK.
The BOP is lovley... An even warmer Eco climate there.
Life is what you make it. I was deemed a ' happy clapper' when I used to frequent these forums 4 years ago. So much negativity put me off. If you can make the best of what you get, you will be fine! Come with an open mind and enjoy your 'holiday'
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Old Aug 30th 2014, 5:45 am
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

I'm another who visits this forum only infrequently these days, too busy enjoying life here in Rotorua instead of keeping up with forum opinions. Especially because so much of what I read on here seems to have limited relevance to my own experiences. I'd never disagree with anyone else's NZ story, we all have different attitudes, opinions & circumstances - but for me the positives of life in NZ outweigh the negatives. That's not saying that life here is perfect, but then again, where exactly is perfect? I don't come from a particularly close knit family so I have few regrets about emigrating from the leaving family behind perspective, in fact we've had very regular UK visitors since we moved here (6 years ago now), & I reckon that I've seen more of my mother since we moved here than I did when we lived in the South East & she lived in North Manchester!! Expenses wise we seem to manage ok. In fairness I'm no longer really aware of grocery etc costs over there, but when I took a trip back to the UK a couple of years ago it was the choice, the array of ready meals & easy availability of fresh out of season produce that overwhelmed me a bit, not the prices. But I do tend to shop at the weekly fruit & veg market & the local butchers rather than the supermarkets, & I cook from scratch. Fortunately I enjoy cooking so that's rarely a problem. And, where possible I grow my own - I have a great crop of leeks in the garden just waiting to be harvested, much nicer than paying $2 per leek (or whatever the current price is!). Education? Well all I can say is that my children were 16 & 15 when we came over so I cannot comment on primary or intermediate education. My eldest completed his GCSEs before we moved here & got a decent crop of results. They both transitioned easily into high school here & did well, we enjoyed the fact that they seemed to be less pressurised, less testing, more opportunities for them to think for themselves, & the system that seemed to encourage involvement with the local community. Both achieved good enough grades for university, & are now embarking on good careers. But that's just my experiences. Right or wrong, we've never regretted moving over here.
It is worth saying though that NZ is a different country, I know that sounds obvious, but it's an isolated island (or 3) at the bottom of the world. There are British influences thanks to colonialisation but those are often misleading, other cultures, primarily Maori, have a huge impact on the lifestyle here - and anyone expecting British ways of doing things are going to be disappointed. Travel is also difficult & expensive. Our nearest neighbour, Australia, is a minimum of 3 hours flying time away. So no cheap European holidays here. And it also means that imports are often expensive. A population of 4.5 million means there's heaps of space, outside Auckland anyway, but the downside is in choice. Clothes shopping for example can be disappointing, but there's not enough population to create demand for lots of different stores.
The climate is kinder here, in Rotorua we definitely have seasons still but winter in particular is warmer & shorter here. But with the hole in the ozone the sun is fiercer & with very real skin cancer risks so sunscreen is essential all year round.
Housing quality is different to the UK but standards seem to be improving & there are some nice, well built, double glazed houses out there. There's also some shockingly bad houses. I have to say I no longer miss, or want central heating! Why heat the whole house with radiators when really a good fire will heat the rooms you're using quite well. But that's just my opinion now - and I bet I'd be saying something different if I lived at the bottom of South Island.
Not sure how helpful all that is, but maybe has given you a few more things to think about / check out when you come on your trip out here. Good luck with the decision making process.
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Old Sep 1st 2014, 1:38 am
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

Originally Posted by desmondo84
flippin eck, this is the most depressing forum in the world - does anyone enjoy living in NZ?
I do
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Old Sep 1st 2014, 8:37 am
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

Originally Posted by Spacecake799
I can name the schools no problem but if your kids are there, happy and all is well that's not going to change. I wasn't happy with the schooling, it is my opinion and so I changed it and returned.
Can't say I am happy with the schools. Kids are at that age where they change schools, so any opinion would be useful.

Or not. Up to you.
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Old Sep 1st 2014, 6:32 pm
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Default Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area

Originally Posted by bearskin
Can't say I am happy with the schools. Kids are at that age where they change schools, so any opinion would be useful.

Or not. Up to you.
Hi sorry didn't want to sound rude. I try not to share my view of the schools to much, people generally don't want to know.
Mine were at Glammorgan, North Cross and Long Bay. Please pm me if you want any specific info.
Thanks
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