COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

wE HAVE BEEN OFFERED A JOB IN THE PRISON SERVICE STARTING ON $36000nzd. Is this viable? It is in a place called Te Awamutu I think near to Hamilton.

I would look to work also. Our children are 9 and 7.

Would love comments on this one to help make a decision before we come. We have until next March to do this.

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

It depends on what your out goings are. How much you will need on mortgage or rent. Are you used to having 2 holidays a year and changing your car every second year?, then if you are, this wage is nowhere near enough to do that on. What sort of work will you be looking to do? How much will you earn? Sorry I sound so negative, I just know Rob and I with our 2 kids couldn't live on that salary and we have very little outgoings.

Gill

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

I could, but maybe that is just me. There are plenty of families earning that much in New Zealand.

Are you bringing pounds with you? If so how much? Would you be looking to buy a house straightaway or would you rent? What do you consider a reasonable lifestyle? Do you need a posh house with four bathrooms, and the latest car? What sort of work would you be looking for? Is there any chance of promotion for your husband? Or would he get overtime/shift allowances?

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

Although we haven't been to NZ yet, just from what we have read on the forum, it may be tricky on that kind of wage. It seems that it would depend on what capital you may be taking with you (it would help to be mortgage free) and what extra money could be added by your work. I know of some who have had a hard time on a wage comparable to $36k. I hope you get some more help from those 'in the know' to answer your questions. We are concerned about the low level of wages and have resigned ourselves to the idea of both myself and Phyl working full time. At the moment we are both working but Phyl is only currently part time. We have no capital to take to NZ so will have to be mortgaged up to the hilt when we go. I'm hoping that property prices in NZ don't spiral out of control as they have here (its worrying hearing the ads on NZ radio on the net about investment property buying on the buy to let idea, the very thing that has stuffed us up here and hiked up prices!!). I think the only way we can get onto the housing ladder is by making some kind of drastic move and NZ looks tops to me although I am concerned about the cost of living there in real terms. Ah the joys of emigration.

Regards

Ali

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

probably, if you both each earned 36k you would be fine.Unless your adaptable, not wasteful and know how to maximise on everything in your life you would probably struggle like hell.I've come to realise, most UK people are not resourceful enough, struggle and are reluctant to learn anything new.Most can't be bothered growing their own veg garden, cutting their own wood or walking,cycling instead of driving.In this very high consumption world, to live as a high consumption person costs dearly,here in NZ aswell as the UK.People get so stuck in their ways,like heating ,food types, attitudes , i could go on as its a long list.Valued jobs and people from the UK are not always valued or appreciated in NZ,if that makes sense?
Not a dig at your lifestyle, i don't know anything about you but i've met quite a number of UK people in NZ that end up been a square peg in a round hole and refuse to change ways.They all either go back to the UK or just lead an unhappy life here.NZ isn't for everyone, and many people just don't like its problems and lifestyle or its wages.36k is the average wage...for one job, many people have several jobs, but it is still the average,and i would'nt consider the Kiwis on the whole an unhappy bunch of people.Good luck :)

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

A lot of truth in that, Deedee.

Two salaries of $36000nzd would give nearly a thousand dollars a week after tax, which I considered just about survivable with a family of four, a good lifestyle, a car and a mortgage. A bit more than half that, ie one salary, and you'll be struggling.

See my famous thread ;) Struggling to survive on a thousand dollars a week which I'll resurrect http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ght=struggling
Plenty of NZ'ers survive on a lot less, though.

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

BTW Deedee you would be proud of me, I am growing my own potatoes, tomatoes, peas, beans, egg plants, peppers, courgettes, radishes, grapes etc though I admit because of flavour and freshness rather than saving much money as they are so cheap in the shops. Not forgetting the fruit trees - pear, apple, plum, cherry, peach, apricot, walnut, chestnut, almond etc. Plus in the last year I have been welding gates, building brick walls and pouring reinforced concrete, put up a long property fence, ie poured concrete for the posts, welded supports on, strung up the wire fence, lots of woodwork, decorating etc.

Am I Kiwi-resourceful or not? :D

Not sure I could repair/ oil change a car or fix a washing m/c, though - I have a tendency to blow up lawnmowers thanks to my remarkable mechanical savvy. ;)

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

:eek: :D you are now king DIY Don :D good on ya mate. :beer:

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

NO no no no, check my past posts.

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

Hi there
I to thought long and hard about applying for the NZ prison service
The low wage really put me off, have the wife and 3 kids

I to like Nudenut work for the Scottish Prison Service.

Have a look at this link, it was a search on the prison service in the NZ forum

http://britishexpats.com/forum/searc...searchid=98265

There was a post that I put, "looking for serious advice" and there is also another thread about the NZ prison service

I debated long about the low starting salary. not a lot of wonga as I said

Anyway, not going ahead with the application, applying to Canada instead.

Hope you find this link informative

Eddie

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

You'd be chasing you tail on $36,000. We have a small mortgage ($600 a month), no other credit and manage okay on about $70,000 between us. Varies but between $1000 - $1200 a week. We don't scrimp but a lot of the things we thought we'd do (as debt freeish) in NZ is unaffordable (Queenstown skiing, Pacific Holidays, a boat, a camper, too many nights out).
Roger

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

I doubt very much after allowances/ unsocial hour pay that husbands salary is as low as $36000. However to put pay into perspective a nurse or teacher having paid to do their training and incurring substantial student debt would start around that amount. No $ 36000 is insufficient. Cheers Binman

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

Will the prison service give you housing or help with mortgage rate?

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

Also check whether they provide a pension. I suspect not. The OAP here in NZ is insufficient to retire on. Saving towards your retirement is something else you may need to take into consideration. Cheers binman

Re: COULD YOU MANAGE ON $36000nzd In NEW ZEALAND WITH A YOUNG FAMILY?
 

Firstly - Thank you to everybody for all of your replies on this thread they are very much appreciated.

My husband asks me every day if I am any nearer to making my decision as he really wants to make the move. He is very disillusioned with UK and its downwards slide. We worry what it will be like here in 20 years time for our children.

It was my idea for him to apply for the NZ prison service in the first place when I saw the add (thinking $36000 would be a wonderful salary), what I didn't think about was the exchange rate and its equivalent in stirling!!

From what I can gather we will not be able to survive on one income alone or maybe only just on two incomes. To answer some of your questions that you asked here is a run down on what we do now and what we or should I say "I" would like to still do if we made the move to Hamilton, NZ.

What we do now

Sons - Football training and matches (good at all sports but in particular very good at football)

Swimming lessons and swimming club for both children, athletics x 2 twice a week.

Sons - Golfing Lesson and tennis x 1

Daughter - Ballet, Tap and modern dancing and also Brownies

As a family we eat out once a week ( so not alot spent here)

We run one car and have a smallish mortgage

Live in nice town but can see crime getting worse and criminal generally go untouched by law and the criminals know it

Go on weekends away three times a year and holiday in europe once a year.

Have lots of convenience stores and large shopping malls nearby.

Things I would like to continue

All of the above for the children but is football in NZ popular?

Like to drive a car and be able to change it every 3 yrs or so

would probably bring £150000 to NZ so would expect to be mortgage free but would like a three bedroomed house preferably a new one with en suite bathroom and gas central heating like I have here ( I know NZ don't really have central heating)

Could not grow vegetables as no good at it.

Would like convenience of supermarkets like Tesco but would have to for go this maybe.

Would be living in or around Hamilton

Would like to be able to afford to come home to UK once every 3 yrs and also go on holidays like OZ once a year

I am currently in banking part time and also work part time in a prison as a lecturer in social and life skills for which I am quite well paid. Would be looking to go into this type of work if I went to NZ (Prison Lecturing that is) but have to say that I haven't seen much about this anywhere on the websites, which is worrying!

WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK THEN!

Are we a good or bad bet for survival?