Nic1978

Hi everyone

my name is Nic and married to Jen with 3 kids and we are at the start of our new adventure to emigrate to NZ , my first choice was Australia but time is against me due to my age (39) so now have decided for NZ instead.
i am a carpenter joiner with just under 4 yrs behind me i retrained to 1, give my family a better life and 2. to emigrate i have been told i will get the points needed so not worrying too much about that atm.
is there any carpenter on here that can advise me best places to look for work, best places to live ect all advice welcome .
i will leave it there for now and thanks for taking the time to read this.

Nic

BEVS

Morning from New Zealand.

Carpenters and Joiners are only really in shortage in the Canterbury region at the moment so perhaps that is the place to start.
Opportunity Canterbury may be able to get you started.

As the trade isn't really in shortage in New Zealand as such then any employer outside that region would have to prove there was no NZ resident or citizen that could take up the work or be trained for the work.

LoCarb

There are hundreds of carpenter jobs advertised on Trademe atm.

I know in my area (lower North Island) carpenters are in short supply as they are constantly advertising for staff.

BEVS

Perhaps I should have written that the trade is not considered in shortage per NZ Immigration and NZ Dept of Labour with the exception of the Canterbury region.

An employer would need to show long term advertising and recruitment. Training /apprentice records etc to prove that they need the overseas person.

This is the employer supplementary form

MCLAWMAN

I wouldn't bother coming to NZ. I've been here since April this year, and to be perfectly honest, the UK is much better.
Trade jobs here don't pay well so expect to be financially much worse off. Say goodbye to your savings that's for sure!!
Lots of work advertised, that is true, however its all about who you know if you want to work. Same applies to finding somewhere to live. So much competition just getting a rental its ridiculous. Bribery is the only option here.
The house prices are a joke, and renting is comparable to living in London. The houses are rubbish too. No double glazing and no decent heating systems. I miss my combi boiler and my dry snug uk house. Hope you don't mind damp and condensation, because that's what your getting here, along with the high electric bills because you need to run inefficient electric heaters.
There is a misconception around the workplace too. I was under the impression that things would be more relaxed here. Not true. Maybe its the industry I work in, but people here are rude and up their own backsides. Processes and business attitudes remind me of the 90's.
I'm planning on moving on elsewhere asap. This back of beyond hole is well over rated.
Big disappointment and huge expenses in coming here. Even my NZ wife thinks its changed for the worst. (she's been out of country for 20 years).
Not sure what Australia is like, but I'm sure it's a better option.

Snap Shot

Yup, I agree with all of the above. You work in an industry. I work in corporate admin. I get the impression it reads across just about all workplaces irrespective.

Except, for me, it wasn't a disappointment coming to NZ. I already knew what it was like. It was nothing more than, 'as expected' as far as I was concerned. The expense was just that, expensive !

I was just humouring my Kiwi husband by living in NZ for a few years. We've been back in the UK since November 2016 and do not have any regrets about leaving NZ. The occasional pang for the house that was once home and the familiarity of our old hometown but that's just sentiment.

My husband starts his second stint of contract work here in the UK on July 25. A job he got within 24 hours of his previous six month UK based contract ending. OK, it entails moving to another county but who cares ? This, for me, is the real adventure. I thought it would be. Especially after the slow grind of New Zealand.

I'm going to have to give up my temporary job which was initially for six weeks but kept getting extended and now stands at three months. I don't really want to go and that's a measure of how much I'm enjoying it and how welcome I am here. (No big deal really, I should be able to get a similar job in the town we're relocating to.)

Complete contrast to the jobs I had in New Zealand. Where I didn't really fit in to their petty little cliques or subscribe to the hero worship of any workplace, 'top dog'. Kiwi team mentality ? You better believe it !

Anyway

Woodlea

What industry are you in? You've only been here a few months of a crappy winter. Where are you in NZ? There are good rentals out there. Don't be too hasty to condemn the whole country based on the last few months and the circumstances you find yourself in. In my opinion life in NZ is vastly superior to most things UK has to offer, but I've only been here 11 years!

MCLAWMAN

I'm currently in Auckland. I admit, I haven't seen anything yet, so I know there's a beautiful country to explore. I guess my biggest gripe is with work. I work in IT, and in order to find a job quickly and soon after arriving, I had to drop down the ranks somewhat just to get a foot in the door. I'm ok with that, as I was prepared to start from scratch again. What I wasn't expecting was how disrespectful people are towards the underdog. I'm working hard, and doing everything I can to build a good reputation but it's difficult when colleagues are so rude. So much so, I've been on the brink a few times of nearly hitting someone. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an aggressive individual, and I'm extremely patient, so the fact that buttons have been pressed that have never been pressed before says it all. It makes me laugh, in the UK, I was well established and flourishing in my career. The business I work for now, if they even bothered to take an interest would be amazed at what I could do for them. They will not be so fortunate now though which is ashame, because I do want to succeed here from my own merit, not from kicking others down.
Luckily it's only a contract role, that ends in August. Onwards and upward, and hopefully on to a company that values its employees.
Maybe I've been lucky and spoilt in the past, as I've always had excellent leadership in the uk, which has helped my own career development and made me very successful there. I thought that my knowledge and experiences would be useful and valued here. Chance would be a fine thing to shine.
I'm not planning on returning to the uk, I'm determined to make it work here, but it's definitely more stressful and harder than the uk ever was which is the hardest thing to accept.
NZ is supposed to be, sweet as bro, chilled, everybody happy, or so I was always led to believe. Maybe it's just an Auckland thing and the horrendous traffic that makes everyone nasty.

<What industry are you in? You've only been here a few months of a crappy winter. Where are you in NZ? There are good rentals out there. Don't be too hasty to condemn the whole country based on the last few months and the circumstances you find yourself in. In my opinion life in NZ is vastly superior to most things UK has to offer, but I've only been here 11 years![/QUOTE]>

Woodlea

Hang in there buddy, almost all of the kiwis I work with are awesome and laid back, some too laid back - but that is another thread. Maybe you need to get out of Auckland and come down south. Good luck!!

LoCarb

Yep, Wellington is where all the exciting IT development is going on.
In a very cool little city

Wellingtonians are coolest people I've ever seen:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-pos...Hollywood-star

BEVS

Right-oh.

OP is a carpenter.

For a tradie , boots on ground is best.
Sometimes you need to help the prospective employer know that it is a job offer first before a work visa/permit.

As the trade is on a shortage list for Canterbury, that would perhaps be the way in. Use Tradestaff or similar to get the job offer. Do the time and gain the visa.

Munchkjn

Just for balance. I have been in NZ for coming up to 12 months. After 3 months I was feeling much as you do and just wanted to go home. There is some truth in the things you say but the culture shock is strong and probably unexpected because we believe it's similar to home (same language, customs etc).

Anyway I feel much more settled now and accept some of the kiwi idiosyncrasies, Brits have them too. There's some great aspects to living here and you will appreciate them as the months go by. Also things were made easier when we moved to a different area with the help of some local knowledge!

I wonder now whether I would find it hard going back to UK.