dragon_lady_bute

Hi,

I'm new to the forum and we are currently trying to work out the best way for us to get to NZ.

Have wanted to go for a while. My sister emigrated last year and we visited her for her wedding this March and fell in love with the place and the people.

My hubby has over 10 years experience in IT (networks, servers etc.) but no qualifications. He was considering getting a CCNA (again - his old one expired) but it looks like it might be a waste of money and effort.

Will it really not count for anything?

Thanks,


dragon_lady_bute

simonmarkellis

Hi and welcome to the forum...

Your OH best option is to go direct to IT recruitment companies, even by phoning them up after sending them his CV. Most won't put you forward for jobs unless you either have a permit to work or are actually in the country, as most employers phyiscally waht you in front of them for an interview. Qualifications for getting PR are one thing, but for the actual jobs are another. Try using seek.co.nz to search for jobs you OH can do then as i say speak to the recruitment companies. This is what I did and until i was in NZ i couldn't get a lookin but after 2 weeks I had a job offer with Telecom NZ

regards

Simon

UKNZAUS

Hi

We came out last year as visitors and my husband landed himself a job pretty much straight away in IT. As with your husband, mine had 10 yrs experience but not enough quals to gain PR. He was offered an interview when we were still in the UK but only once he had set foot on NZ soil would they do it and he interviewed within days of us arriving.

Whereabouts are you looking at heading to?

Michelle

dragon_lady_bute

Thanks for your replies guys.

We have applied for a few jobs through Seek but they all say that they won't help us until we have our visa - the usual chicken and egg scenario.

What visa did you go on Simon? Is it difficult to get PR straight off without a job offer?

Michelle - we are thinking of the South Island simply because that's all we have visited. Would LOVE Queensland but it is too small and touristy to find much IT work (or so it appears.) Would also like Dunedin or ChCh but not fussed about where we go really! What is the North Island like?

We live on an island off the West Coast of Scotland so I think Auckland might be too much of a culture shock for us!



Marion

UKNZAUS

Hi again

Auckland is a very big place and isn't everyone's cup o' tea, but this & Wellington are where the IT jobs are mainly based. I never liked cities in the UK and very rarely went to them so I hated the fact we had to move to Auckland but we had to follow the jobs and we live far enough out of Auckland city to not be involved but close enough to drive into it.

Anyway, North Island! It really depends on where you live and what you're used to. The cities have so many suburbs and people will always have differing views so I think what you need to do is research areas and then ask about them. For IT though I think you'd do best to stick with the main cities and single some out from there.

Good Luck x

simonmarkellis

Definately agree!!! You'll need to stick with the big three cities... for ease of getting a job.

I left the UK on a visitors visa as I couldn't get an interview without being in the Country. We had our heart set on Wellington having visited both Auckland and Welly the year before. Got numerous interviews within days of landing and offer of employment from Telecom withintwo weeks of getting here. Initially applied for bog standard work permit, before changing to work to residence and have now submitted for PR following contract negotiations with Telecom.

Simon

dragon_lady_bute

Hi Simon,

Is it easy enough to get to stay in the country once you get a job, even though you only came on a visitor's visa?


Marion

simonmarkellis

Oh yes... once you have a job offer the ball starts rolling, you get your meds done and submit your application for a work permit... for me it took less that 3 weeks to get a work permit in Welly. Once i got mine, then proceeded to get the wife's and my son's student permit and we could stay initially for 1 year, then 2. Didn't want to get them all done at the same time as I feared it would delay the process for me so that I could start work. Once you have that permit your sorted... then starts the lengthy process of PR or WTR if you prefer that route...

Simon

dragon_lady_bute

Hi Simon,

What visa / permit do we need to have to allow our son to attend school?


Marion

simonmarkellis

Just a student permit...

dragon_lady_bute

I take if from your previous post we would need e.g. my OH to have a work permit before we could get a student permit for the boy and whatever I need???

UKNZAUS

We did the same as Simon too. Except we went straight from Work Permit to Permanent Residency. After 6 months of being here, 4 of which on Work Permits, we were granted our residency. When we first applied for Work permits, I sent in just my husbands and son's Student Visa so that he could start school asap. I held mine and my other 2 children's applications back so that we didn't hold anything up. Once theirs came through, I bunged in our Work Permits and Visitors Visa extensions (for under 5 year olds for the duration of parents visa/permit as they can't have Student Visa) and they came back after 4 weeks. My husbands medical was referred onto a Medical Assessor due to raised cholesterol, hence the long wait.

It can be done but you need to have an iron will and a lot of patience. Be careful though as times are tough and even my husbands employers here in Auckland are a massive company but are laying people off left, right and centre with the recession

Hope this helps x

simonmarkellis

For your OH, if he wants a recommendation on a good recruitment agency, try Candle (www.candle.co.nz) i found them to be bloody fantastic. I sent them my CV from the UK and followed it up several times by phoning them direct and actually speaking to individuals. They appreciated the effort and when I landed had 3 or 4 interviews lined up for me...

dragon_lady_bute

Thanks again, Michelle and Simon.

It seems to be a minefield but we are certainly keen to do our best!!