ECILOP

I've been looking at the possibility of emmigrating for quite a few years now and, although my hope is that Australia/NZ begin to recruit police officers from the UK at some point in the future, i am considering the possibility of a career change.

From what i gather the chances of gaining a visa for Australia without a substantial amount of work experience and a degree are slim to none, however, i'm interested in finding out if it is possible to gain qualifications in the UK and then look to move into that new career in NZ.

Ideally i would like to gain some sports coaching qualifications in the UK with the intention of going into coaching abroad. Would i need a degree and a certain number of years work experience before applying for a visa or could i complete the qualifications over here (non degree) and then look to secure a job in NZ before applying for a visa?

I hope that makes sense.

Persephone

Have you had a look at the INZ website? It does have all the info on there though it can be a little confusing in places.

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/

Would you be wanting a temporary or permanent [residency] visa?
If you are planning on applying for residency then you can do qualifications in the UK and apply but bear in mind that you still may not gain enough points to be selected without relevant work experience or a job offer.
If you are serious about emigrating to NZ then have a look at how the skilled migrant category works and what is/has been selected for. You could end up gaining a qualification only to find that it is not what NZ want and be no further towards getting here. Having said that, would you want to do something just so you could emigrate? Have a look at the history of selection points, the essential skills in demand lists and what applying entails [if you haven't already done so].
Hope this helps

robbyarg

First of all, I wish that you are able to get your dream fulfilled of reaching Australia or NZ. As you have said, the chances can be slim based on qualificational requirements. So you may have to consider those first by looking at a field that you can get qualified in and in needed in NZ/Australia. Another really good option is if you can get a JOB OFFER, it would make things even better.

I am sure that UK has some very well ranked universities and qualification gained would be comparable to Australia or NZ. So it should be possible to migrate. Check the current points indicator on the NZ Immigration site (www.immigration.govt.nz).

And I sincerely hope that you make it to NZ/Australia. All the best and good luck. It's also a good idea to get some advice from an Immigration Agent. Be wary of your choice though, most agents are useless. However, if you find a good one, they will be able to give you good feedback.

Some other areas in need where you can go for a internship to Australia/NZ is Hospitality. You can serve internship there and study there too. If you gain qualification in Aus/NZ for about 2 years in an area that they want, you could be exempt from work requirements etc. In that study period you could also get married and start working as well.

All the best.

BEVS

Kia Ora and welcome to our wee NZ forum.

Just to let you know. In order to apply for the NZ police service you would need to have NZ Residency in place first.

With regard to the sports coaching thing I'm not at all sure that there is a place or need for that here unless you have exceptional talent & experience. Read HERE.

As you are willing to retrain, take a look at what NZ states it wants at the present time. I will stress - at this time - as the needs of NZ change with the way of the world , like all countries. A few years back , for instance, a tradesman would have been home dry. Now that is not the case.

A quality degree is a good way to go .

Please have a read of the NZIS website and in particular the Skilled Migrant .

There are other possible options depending on age and quals but come back to us first with your further thoughts