leandra21

He has done the LinkedIn upgrade and approached some companies directly even when there was no job advertised.I guess he has to keep trying and applying while we think of plan B.He is in touch with an ex-colleague which moved back to NZ after 8 years in the UK ,took this guy 4 months to secure a job (he is an accountant).We don't have the funds to be able to do that.

bearskin

I didn't have a job offer, but we moved here anyway; and our Residency was only approved once I had got the job. If I hadn't found work (relevant to my experience and qualifications, to complete the application) in 6 months, we would have had to move back to UK. That is how we did it - finding a job took one week.

Well, that is what we did... realistic or not.

Bo-Jangles

Same here Bearskin; sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and put your money where your mouth is. We had money in the bank from proceeds of house sale though and were prepared to take on anything to keep the show on the road; but still it a took a while and a few less that desirable contracting roles before finding more suitable and permanent work.

Purrball

Re-reading this again, why would a New Zealand employer make a final offer to someone who is going to be then returning back to the UK, having to then probably give three months notice to their UK employer, and then become fully pre-occupied with planning a family move and then spending months setting themselves up in NZ?

What's more, I can't conceive of many circumstances where any first face to face interview consists of 'sealing the deal' in New Zealand, unless you have an incredibly strong and high-flying track record delivering strategic change in finance, export marketing, IT, natural resource management, tourism, goverment and diplomacy etc… also perhaps media and the film industry. 'Sealing the deal' only happens after they've made an initial offer… and these days in management, that often happens only after you've met at least one or two others or have met the larger team.

I think that in your current circumstances, you're probably over-estimating your partner's value and experience to an NZ employer, to be honest, because there are too many conditional strings attached, too much potential baggage in the way to choose your partner over an equally-qualified local candidate. Sorry to dash cold water on things, but if you're both determined to make this move I suspect it's time for your plan B to become your plan A. You've given nine months to trying it your way, with little success and perhaps it's best to revisit the notion of what is 'realistic'.

All the best.

MrsFychan

I do agree with what Purrball has said, I cannot see the attraction for an employer in this field for someone who is not already in the country and not ready to start at a drop of a hat.
you may have to bite the bullet and get your OH over here and looking with you tying up any loose end in the UK. this is what we had to do. my OH landed on a Tuesday got a job offer on the Friday, got temp work visa on the Friday afternoon (he is not NZ citizen) and started officially on the Monday but was in the office on the Saturday. I and the kids had to do all the UK on our own and followed on after him 4mths later

leandra21

Thank you for all your replies. Looks like plan B it is.

LukeandJo

IT - 3 weeks

Ianriv

Hi

I moved down here 2 years ago without a job and managed to get one in 4 weeks. didn't really apply for anything until I got here. Long story on why but it wasn't practical. Used to be a multi site manager for a very well known UK firm famous for it's now not as good as they used to be undies /clothes and expensive food.

Bounced out of my first job in about three months as I hated it, went to another firm for 9 months and didn't find it much better. Being Kiwi I expect your husband knows abit about the retail scene down here and the differences but to me it was a bit of an eye opener as things are radically different down here. Ops manager positions are few and far between as there are few firms that have that kind of structure/are big enough to warrant them and local knowledge or recent leadership experience unfortunately is normally a pre-requisite. Just how Kiwi firms are it seems. Oh and the money won't be anywhere close to the UK. Depending on his experience a short term step down may be an idea if a hard pill to swallow

I am now a recruiter and understand that that's a bit of a swear word on this forum (hence me not posting often and lurking) But the firm I work for specialises in getting people roles from abroad with a good track record. I am more than happy to have a chat over Skype at some point and see if I can help, even if not point you in the right direction of where to look etc?

bearskin

Could be worse. (there are those who've sunk to the level of selling houses)

MrsFychan

some one has to do it

karen87

We took the 'Plan B' option and took a leap of faith after not getting any interest whilst still in the UK.

We've been in NZ 3 1/2 months now, and it took my partner about a month to get a job (Environmental Consultancy), and was the result of directly contacting the prospective employer.

An interesting experience that happened early on in the job hunt was when she went for an interview in Wellington and was told she interviewed well, but the company didn't know her and the other candidates had arranged coffee meetings etc. prior to the application stage and interview. Although this was a frustrating result for us, it showed us how the job market can work here and how it differs to the UK.

It does seem possible that some people secure job offers whilst still in the UK, but from reading previous experiences on this forum it does seem far and few between, and many of us, including ourselves, just decided to go for it and hope for the best!

Pom_Chch

My partner was lucky enough to get a job offer whilst still in the UK. Out of all the applications he sent this one company was the only one that was interested despite him being in the UK. The HR dept of the company was understanding of the visa process as they are on the Accredited Employers List. All the other companies were not interested and didn't understand the need to have a job offer before obtaining a visa. We were almost at the stage of plan B (move without a job offer and hope for the best) but he managed to get a job offer at the last minute Perhaps that could be worth exploring? I've put the link to the AEL at the bottom of the post.

His job was/is very much in demand here though and I get the impression they were really struggling to get skilled IT workers at the time we moved (2.5 years ago).

Good luck

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...loyersList.htm

GodalmingKiwi

Good to know, I'm jumping in next week and from initial searches there seems to be a bit of an IT market there.

Tom H

Took 3 days for the company I applied for whilst in the UK to get back and interview me. Had the job offer within 2 weeks of my application.

However

Since being here, I've learned why. I don't know what line of work you'll be looking for but in IT, there are 3 companies down Cone City way that no local wants to touch with a bargepole, hence them having no choice but to recruit abroad. Most of it is down to working conditions and salary. One of them tends to use specialist outsourcing companies for some projects, and whilst these outsourcing companies seem to be recruiting and sound like good places to work, it's actually the complete opposite. I've worked for one of the companies no one wants to touch, and have dealt with some outsourcing specialists. Only one of the "specialist" companies, I would always deal with...

There is also, the major difference in the methods of recruiting. At my company, we're going to be recruiting soon and I have a complete different method than others sometimes do. My manager will often make a shortlist and go and have a coffee/chat with each member first. Then I scan the cvs of her shortlist and draw a recommended list of ones to interview. A little secret here, that I find quite general throughout NZ. I don't give a monkeys as to what you did at company a, I don't care how long you've done your job, I don't care about your qualifications - I tend to look at 'personal statement', 'layout of CV', and hobbies and interests. I recommend people who I think will be a good fit to the team and to the company. Of course I go within reason, I won't go and demand my boss to interview a Sheffield Wednesday supporter for example if I think other areas are not ideal.

Infact, during my interview for this position, they got a character based person in first and after 10 minutes, got the team in to meet me. I must have had about 5 interviews because of time as I got grilled by my now team members. In the end, the reason behind them was because they wanted to get to know me before my start date. The job was mine well before the offer came in, they just wanted an excuse for me to be in the building. I felt very privileged from that.

So, please, please, please, please, please - don't get angry or annoyed if you think you are well qualified and suited for the job but don't even get an interview for it. It's a different way of thinking here. Sometimes the best qualified won't get a look in because they may not be the right fit. Also, if going for accredited employers - they'll ask you for a salary that you are looking for. It has to be over $55k but as a little warning, ones that have no choice but to recruit abroad will not offer "attractive salaries". You will have to work your butt off to get to your desired salary, hoping that there are no politics that could effect whether pay increases or not. Stay away from US headquarter based companies will be a recommended start.

Ianriv

or used cars.

Yes I have heard them all before.

Unlike most others though I do have a modicum of ability and professional pride however!