Pointer

thanks for the feedback and honest debate. the housing sounds like the house I lived in in Catterick in the early 90's. Housing I think we will just have to take that one as we find it but unfortunately for us living in a new modern house here our heating is off for 7 months of the year, it will be a bitter pill to swallow to go back to heating one room with flames.

Fortunately for us schooling isnt an issue as my son is 20 and making his own life now, just to dogs to consider.

Visiting NZ in March for a holiday and look see.

we have just been invited to apply for a visa so looking at 2011 unless a decent job comes up.

as for ethnic minorities, I'm a motherwell fan surrounded by old firm fans

dannigirl

http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/_...-up-report.pdf


I really do wish people would stop bleating on about poor educational standards in New Zealand. I find some of the generalised, and sweeping statements quite offensive.

Hopefully the link works which shows recent research about educational stats including that New Zealand has higher numbers of tertiary educated people than heavens above - the UK - which as we all know is the be all and end all of educational attainment apparently! I am sure you can look up stats to back any side of the argument, it really is not helpful to make comments as though you know the entire education system from one end of the country to the other. How about talking about your own child's experiences or of people you know directly and have had discussions with. There is good and bad education in EVERY country in the world. It is your responsibility to ensure your children are receiving what they need...if you don't like you do something about it. Believe it or not there are appalling schools in the UK that you would not even send your cat to.

Does anyone stop to think that maybe the system is just different. New Zealand has a lot more emphasis on wider education not just pure academics (no bad thing in my view). The UK focuses more on pure academic achievement over things such as PE, social skills and emotional intelligence.

I am a University educated woman from New Zealand and my experience in London is that most kiwis are held in high esteem for their levels of education and work ethic. We are one of the most travelled people in the world, not so easy on low wages, but we make it happen to quench our thirst for knowledge and to see and appreciate countries different from our own. I think every country holds their own educational attainment quite preciously. I had to jump through hoops and get all my qualifications recognised, despite having a degree and post grad diploma versus a diploma held by most of my British colleagues. I had no problem with that...it's just part of the process.

As for the public health system being full of foreign workers. Have you checked the NHS out lately....the NHS is propped up by foreign workers including thousands upon thousands of low paid foreign workers who clean the hospitals and cook the meals.....jobs most British would people refuse to do. I work in a Local Authority, I have ONE English colleague. My boss is English, the rest of us are foreign. Your welfare state would collapse without us! I am not here just for the money, I am here to learn something from a different system, to interact with people I couldn't in New Zealand, to learn a different perspective, to help people less fortunate than me...I could go on all day. All skills and experiences I will need when I return home to New Zealand.

As for bloody shoes....you Brits have been ripped off for years.....scared into having your children's feet measured and then charged £30.00 for a pair of shoes that will last 3 months max! Children need a bit of room to move in their shoes...end of. It's like you want to make the world more complicated, there are more important issues going on you know.

Sorry for the rant, but I really do wish people would relay their experiences as individual rather than assuming that because they have experienced something it means everyone else has as well.

Dannigirl

MnB

Rant away dannigirl!! It's so good to read about your individual experience!!
B x

Pointer

is this 100k a joint salary or a salary of 100k per person

Genesis

[QUOTE=dannigirl;8130992]http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/_...-up-report.pdf


I really do wish people would stop bleating on about poor educational standards in New Zealand. I find some of the generalised, and sweeping statements quite offensive.

Totally agree. We can see no evidence of NZ being educationally backwards. We are thoroughly delighted with our kids education so far and we beleive they are doing just aswell if not maybe better than they would have faired in the UK. As we all know NZ has a gamut of general problems (just like ALL nations) but education generally ain't one of them.

george toni

top post dannigirl and well said nice to hear the positive side of things.

To much retrospective crap on here at times with the rose tinted's being worn in regards to how great the UK is.

Sure NZ has its faults but it's not a competition to pick a winner here and more of a search for what works for a person or family to their benifit.

I reckon again you defo hit the nail on the head with the shoe for kids thing Ive had four daughters all who survived really well without the need for a pair of overpriced 'clarks' shoes. They were more bought for the parents bling bling look at me than to benifit the feet of their kids.

Again with the education thing I agree. So many parents moan about the education systems not working.It didnt always and dosnt always go well for our kids but we always do what we can to push them forward.

We have found here in NZ that when asked to help or sort out a situation in regards to school that teachers here can and do act. Unlike the poor sods in the UK trying to teach a class of 30 plus with a mix of languages,customs and 'special needs' to catre for. Thats when little miss or master average really suffers.

george

Pointer

In an attempt to rescue my post from the education knockers

I would say that with regards education it can be a lottery due to the quality of the teaching staff/pupils/resources but it is also be down to individual children and their parents. Children need to want to be educated and the parents need to support their children in getting educated.

Please correct me if I am wrong - so from the posts so far I gather that NZ provides a better quality of life as long as you are not materialistic and prepared not to make day to day comparision with the UK where for those that have been away for a few years it is not called "rip off Britain" for nothing. cut your cloth accordingly and dont expect to get rich unless you win the lottery which is know different to the UK.

garfield250

I cannot comment on the education side of things as I do not have children.

However with regards the remainder of the post; it is horses for courses and all a matter of personal experiences, for ME, New Zealand offers a better way of lifestyle than the one I had in the UK.
You cannot make day to day comparisons with the UK, its two different countries with two very different economic climates.
Providing an immigrant has funds and a reasonable salary that allows for materialistic items then that is an individual choice dependent on ones own circumstances, it cannot be viwed as a 'blanket' scenario.
If you want to have materialistic wealth here then by all means if your circumstances allow, go for it.
The posts from many are erring caution, which has come from years of experience.

weejie

Sounds as if you got the gist of it

Phyl x

Pointer

thanks to everybody for their comments it has been a real help in clearing our heads and preparing us for the rollercoaster ride that we are about to embark on

Scottish Family

This was a joint income that was talked about.

In my time I have been a Senior Lecturer at a respected UK University and an admissions tutor, so I speak from my own experience when I say the NZ High school leaving quals. just don't cut it when trying to get entry to a brit Uni. It is not considered to have sufficient academic rigor. Of course if you want to go to Uni elsewhere it may be fine as an entry qualification. If this upsets some people sorry, it was only a statement of fact.

I know there are good and bad schools everywhere and my children achieved high distinctions in the ICAS Uni of New South Wales exams also. However, pupils are 'invited' to take part in these exams by their teachers / schools based on their likelihood of achieving good results - not everyone is entered. In this way the school obtains good statistics in percentage terms for those entering and achieving. The results were out for a good 3 -4 weeks before anything was mentioned in assembly or newsletters etc. News of sporting achievements took pride of place.

I do believe that the UK has gone much too far in pressurising its kids into performing well in exams at such young ages but I think there has to a happy medium somewhere as well, where academic achievement is a given, as an expectation of kids as well as an expectation of health and sports activities.

Forgive me for being so blunt but some people need to 'pull their heads in'. No-one wants to rain on anyone's parade but in my humble opinion, I think you do potential immigrants a disservice if you don't tell it like it is, however difficult it may be to do so. There is a distinct tendency on this forum to shoot anyone down in flames (or try to) who dares to say anything other than the place is fantastic, the weather's great, we're all rich and living the high life. Great if that's you but we're not all in that position. I try to respect other people's opinions and I expect the same in return. Lets all try a little tolerance shall we?

george toni

cant say I have noticed a lack of tollerance on this post but hey ho.

I cant see your point as all universites I can see in the UK take international students from countries all over the world. Im sure a place could be found on a suitable degree course over there for these poorly educate Kiwi kids

Having said that I dont have your vast experience in the system but I have to ask how it is that so many 'just speak english' students seem to be on degree courses there?

Then i have to say that getting onto a degree here is not that bad an option as there are really good universities here.

My daughter left school at 15 went on a 1 year polytech course and now has the qualification to apply to enter a degree course having worked hard to do so.

My other daughter is in her 3 rd year of a history degree that she started at 16 having left her NZ school education.

Now who am I to know the quality of one degree over another but I would say that in the UK she would have had a snowballs chance in hell of UCAS letting her start a degree at 16. Point is here there is that chance if you have the talent and ability its a degree at Otago University and as far as I can tell will be accepted as such even in the UK.

I reckon kids here might not reach the heady heights that you consider to be needed and that IYO these heights are only reachable in the uk but id say on the flip side the kids leaving school here will have had more fun,more fitness,less crowded class sizes,less stressed teachers,lots of school trips and in the end a uni place at some point whatever their family background or income and as of yet not means tested for a place!

Again ping pong posts with good bad ugly opinions but AGAIN all valid and TBH it makes me laugh all the 'negative post bashing,shoot me down crap' as it isnt the case and all views are welcome.Cant help it if we dont agree thats the fun of it!

george

Stormer999

SF, I live 2 miles from Warwick Uni...must be the fastest growing in EU and certainly going to be the biggest. Their intake for International students is immense especially Chinese of Mandarin speak. Am I to read from your views that NZ school leaving quals are lower or have I got the wrong picture?
I know whilst working in PRC that their views were UK uni's No 1 in the world USA No 2 hence why their children were trying as hard as possible to master English at school age, but surely NZ school leavers have this big advantage already? Or are the implications that NZ school leavers would be entitled entry into lesser UK uni's and not the top notch few?
Interested in your views...not that it effects me at all

MOSO

"In my time I have been a Senior Lecturer at a respected UK University and an admissions tutor, so I speak from my own experience when I say the NZ High school leaving quals. just don't cut it when trying to get entry to a brit Uni. It is not considered to have sufficient academic rigor. Of course if you want to go to Uni elsewhere it may be fine as an entry qualification. If this upsets some people sorry, it was only a statement of fact."

You may have a point in that several NZ schools such as Wellington Boys do offer 'A' levels instead of NZ qualifications. But presumably NZ students are seen as foreign students in UK universities anyway, so I don't know how many ordinary kiwis or expats could afford to send their kids to UK universities anyway?

But I think I'll have to get you on my case....having slogged my guts out last year in England completing three Open University BA courses one of which was undergraduate level 2 - CATS 60 points, the other two level 1, 30 points. I'm being told by a NZ university to continue my degree that the level 2, 60 points is only worth 30 points at undergraduate level 1, and the 2 other courses are only worth 15 points not 30 adding an extra year to my studies implying that UK uni qualifications are worth less than NZ

I shall continue my battle with them......

dannigirl

Forgive me for being so blunt but some people need to 'pull their heads in'. No-one wants to rain on anyone's parade but in my humble opinion, I think you do potential immigrants a disservice if you don't tell it like it is, however difficult it may be to do so. There is a distinct tendency on this forum to shoot anyone down in flames (or try to) who dares to say anything other than the place is fantastic, the weather's great, we're all rich and living the high life. Great if that's you but we're not all in that position. I try to respect other people's opinions and I expect the same in return. Lets all try a little tolerance shall we?[/QUOTE]

Sorry if you feel that people are shooting you down in flames (or trying to), but actually all people are doing is giving their experience which is just as valid as yours. I am not qualified to state whether one education system is better than the other. I'm not sure you are qualified to make that statement either, however, you obviously have some valid insight into the UK education system and the NZ system which will be very helpful to posters.

I think you shifted the goal posts somewhat, the discussion was on education not entry into a UK university which is probably not high on the agenda for average expats due to having to pay extortionate international fees if their child wanted to attend a UK uni (this may be different in Scotland?)

With all due respect people are telling potential immigrants how it is, for some people the education system works out just fine, for some it doesn't. One view does not constitute a majority view, hence the use of this forum to get positives and negatives. It just comes across (to me anyway) that people think that just because they are highlighting a negative view that this is more relevant that a positive view....are they not all valid and helpful to people making a huge decision about moving lock, stock and barrel to the other end of the world. It is fairly obvious from reading the posts that hardly anyone is living the high life, you need to take NZ for what it is warts and all....a perfect utopia it is not.

Anyway, sorry OP to hijack your thread.