Wobbie

Hi,

Just asking some advice on getting a Job while I'm on a working visa.

Me and my long term GF are coming to NZ in a couple of weeks on 12 month working visa's, and will be looking for work around December once we have traveled around and found a happy home. I'm in IT and my GF is a Graphic Designer, we are both looking to work Contract or Freelance is possible.

If we like it over in NZ "I'm sure we will" then we will be applying for perm migration, so would it be better for us to find a sponsor? or to do contract?

Does anyone have any advice for us just start off? and does anyone either know of any decent agents to en list with for work regarding contract or perm placement ?.

Any other advice is welcome.

Kind Regards

Wobbie

happynz

Howzit Wobbie:

Check out www.seek.co.nz for an idea what is out there.

As far as I know there should be no problem with applying for permanent residency while you are in New Zealand on a Work Holiday Visa (WHV). If you have enough points you may not even need a job. However, if you apply with a job contract in hand your chances of a successful outcome to your application are increased.

All the best and good luck.

Marika 38

Hi Wobbie,
we are going out on 12mth Works Visa, but we have had to get job offer first, we are with a recruitment agency, and they get Hubby a job as HGV driver with an accredited company, which is good when applying for Permanent Residency. Didn't know you could do a works visa without a job offer ??
You don't need medicals on 12mth Visa either so thats good, as when applying for PR, you have to have them done again.
Hope this helps, the agency we are with is Chrysallis Recruitment Agency
www.chrysalisrecruitment.com
Marika

Colin in the middle

Working Holiday Visas aimed at those under 30, one time only ideal for a reccie of the Country before deciding on settling. I had one of these back in 1995/1996. Means you can take on any job without question for maximum of 12 months.

If you get yourself a premanant job that satisfys the immigration criteria for permanant migration then it should be smooth sailing. However on saying that I think there is a clause in the terms of the Visa that you may not take up permanant employment, that was the case then but its changed since then.

Currently I am having a bitch on how easy it is for overseas workers to come over on one of these visas, take a seasonal position without question and leave local workers without a job.

Personally I think Work Visa criteria should be tightened up again so that you are only issued them once and the next stage is apply for permanant residency if you want to work again in NZ. The current system is flawed to abuse by certain employers.

Beachcombers

Colin, as you maybe aware, NZ has some of the lowest unemployment levels in the western world.

Employers would love to hire local workers, it a lot less hassle. But there are severe labour shortages at "seasonal" times of the year in certain areas. Seasonal work permits exist (for the time being), to provide the horticultural industry with desperately needed labour.

Here in Marlborough for example, we are short of 500+ pruners and with less than 100 people on the dole here (all of whom I would venture is unemployable), we are facing an acute labour shortage.

Marika 38

[QUOTE=Colin in the middle;5149458]Working Holiday Visas aimed at those under 30, one time only ideal for a reccie of the Country before deciding on settling. I had one of these back in 1995/1996. Means you can take on any job without question for maximum of 12 months.

Counts us out then, my OH is 41, with a massive amount of Experience doing what he does, there just dosn't seem to be locals to fill all the Driving positions there are, we are told this time and time again, so we are only to glad to help out, and have no intention of coming home after twelve months, thirteen maybe, but not twelve ( JOKING ), no seriously we are there for the long term when we get there.
Whereabouts are you Colin, Hope you don't mind me asking.

Colin in the middle

Well I am about to burst this little miff out the water! With some little known facts.
Firstly I will not disagree with a shortage in the Horticultural industry eg Fruit Picking.

But this is where my bitch comes from and this relates to the winter tourism seasonal employment of the ski areas.

My referance to this issue is my own locality of the Central North Island, In the winter the area is geared up for the ski season fair enough it creates jobs, problem is a lot in fact to many of those jobs are given to out of towners but to many to overseas travellers.
My wife is a qualified Chef and she has been turned down for jobs for which she is qualified, yet these same jobs have then been handed to people who do not live locally or from overseas on Holiday work visas.
We both used to work for < snip> ok its seasonal but both of us was hoping to score summer work from them because we live so close. Nope even those summer positions in the cafes on the mountain last summer were given to Holiday Workers.
Both of us put a few years into working for< snip > and both of us along with several others found ourselves without jobs this winter what sucks the most is we were not told until late May, even though last winter we were told we asked if we were coming back.
Ok fair enough one employer but the largest in the area and the backbone of the area in winter.

Most of the businesses in the area are open only in the winter yes there would be a employment shortage without hiring people from outside the area but its just a little to easy to do that than employ someone who is seeking work who lives locally.

What annoyed me most is a guy I know was on a holiday work visa has ended up working on the mountain for 3 years now. The job he is doing is the one I used to do the only skill involved is the ability to drive safely in the snow. The job he is doing is unskilled and he told me the company gave him a letter that they had no other applicants for the position. Clearly a lie

New Zealand may have some of the lowest unemployment levels in the world in certain areas but around these parts Unemployment is a way of life. I get annoyed when work is given out to someone on a Holiday Work Visa after all the performance and expense we went thru getting here and at the expense of many locals who want that work.

If there is a genuine shortage fair enough.

spoonguy

In my experience Ski resort jobs in Canada are the US are much the same. A big focus is on overseas or student workers doing the jobs for low wages as a trade off for the atmosphere and experience.

I do know one or two people that did this for a couple of seasons but I suppose it’s just not geared up towards permanent local employment. In fact I would go so far as to say if these positions were to be filled by the local populous on a permanent basis it would be to the detriment of the resorts themselves.

They should however be more up front about the likelihood of being able to get work if you do decide to stay.

Colin in the middle

Well guess you dont understand the situation do you?

We know enough about whats been happening in the area with this employer and area to know what is what. Let me tell you that since the visa I was issued back in 1996 things have got a little bit more lax. I think it would be arrogant of someone to tell me what is happening in my own backyard and what I have seen and experianced first hand.

I think even you would be miffed if you found that after going thru all the loops and hurdles, own your own home, be part of the community to find your employabilty is suddenly at threat from someone who is only sticking around for a few months.

Dont knock it until you understand it.

spoonguy, Dont compare us with the USA or Canada. If you do want to compare try France where even flashing a European Passport will not get you a job on a ski area. Think I got more of a insight into the local area I live than what you do. Sking amounts to 5 mths of the year and the bulk of employment, summer has limited work opportunaties that locals should have more entitlement to.

In the meantime just keep the locals out of these jobs on the benefit drawing from the Taxes everyone else is paying whilst the WHVs do the work and claim back their taxes before leaving the country.

spoonguy

I can only comment on working Ski resorts in the US and Canada because that is all I know. I haven’t worked in France Have you worked US, Canada and France also? Do you now find the problem more pronounced in New Zealand?

Certainly in Canada, townies again can get quite miffed with the influx of students getting the lion’s share of the work, but then that is one thing that makes the resorts financially viable and also more interesting for the visitors.

I never mentioned your local area where I’m sure you do have much more insight, I'm sorry you have settled somewhere that is not financially viable but it isn’t as if Kiwis don’t travel the world doing exactly the same thing!

Colin in the middle

Now you reply is one that really pisses me off coming from someone who is still in the UK.


Do you think this is just affecting me? No it dont it the affect is also on people who have lived here all there lives. They wonder why the area is in decline with permanant population yet the goverment also wants to encourage immigrants to move away from the safe haven of the major centres. But at the same time is allowing employers a free hand it taking on temporary workers at the expense of the local workforce who are entitled to many benefits to make it worthwhile for them to work at these low paid jobs.

Is it about the $$$ or the life style that affected our descision and many others to move 12,000 miles?

spoonguy

My location has nothing to do with it! I’ve spent a lot of time in NZ.

The UK is hardly a stranger to immigrants. I just don’t believe you are more entitled to these types of jobs than those on temporary visas. These are exactly the type of jobs that attract people to the visa idea in the first place. I wouldn’t want to spend a year abroad picking fruit to be honest.

I am sorry you are having a hard time but it seems to me like you feel entitled to take the jobs that are aimed at temporary workers. It seems especially odd seeing as I assume you are an immigrant yourself? Some locals in my home town have a hard time getting work due to the influx of eastern Europeans; they aren’t less entitled to the jobs they get though.

I have been granted a visa as a skilled migrant filling a skills shortage, one created by all the kiwis moving abroad and taking jobs

Colin in the middle

So what is worst?

The Temporary worker taking the job or local worker who is displaced and has to relie on handouts from the goverment?

These jobs are not aimed at Temporary workers according to a press release from the company which quote "We`re very excited. We love getting local applicants as there is a higher chance of them returning. Theyre great workers and we like supporting the local community"
which is total bullshit considering both my wife and I worked for them for more than one winter. Neither of us have been given a reason along with nearly the entire department my wife worked for, Up untill late April (week before the new staff interviews) we were under the impression we would be rehired.

Differance between me and a temporary worker is we are local we own our own home, Pay local Rates and supposedly pay income tax and we were invited to stay in New Zealand. Maybe I am a migrant but I am a permanant migrant my Daughter is a Kiwi.

Why should I or a born and breed local give up our rights to a job to someone who is moving on. I dont see any of these temporary migrants being in a position to support the community, especially in the roll of Volunteer Fire Service.

The biggest loser in this farce is my Daughter who we wanted to have the opportunity to do something we could not do in the UK and that was ski, hard to do when you have the job that entitled you these benefits snatched away and it would cost you over a thousand dollars extra a year to pursue.

Worst still when you have little other work on offer because its taken by a temporary migrant. Things in New Zealand are slipping used to be harder to employ non residents, not anymore.

futurama

Colin, I am getting a feeling NZ might not be working for you. you should put a stick in the ground about your future, to go home or stay. if you are not happy you will make yourself unwell with the stress of it all. if you need to go home you can hold your head high and say at least we tried. 33% of people
return home after giving it a go.
Good luck on your future plans..Ian

Colin in the middle

Polite word for you and thats **** off you have not got a clue what your talking about.

Where is home? My brother has been out here 21 years still complains about the place but would not go back to the UK? Financial disaster guarenteed and one I will not put my Daughter through either.

Move out from a 3 Bedroom house on a acre of land with a double garage in a quite rural New Zealand sandwhiched between two national parks with a Trout river 15 minutes walk away? Volcanic peaks visible and 30 minutes drive away! Traffic flow on a main highway you can count on a single hand in the summer months (two hands at weekends/holidays), Rush Hour Traffic that only occurs during open days in the ski season but still can cross the road easily. Snow that falls 5km up the road but misses you? Beaches that are not packed out at the first wiff of sunshine a few hours drive away, in fact its pretty quite compared to the UK. Running a car a third the price of more than the UK?

Why should I give that up to go back to the UK and trade it for what?

Think my point is clear