BEVS

Scousebird is a social worker.

Careers NZ indicate this for salary.

However another website indicated a salary expectation between $42K - $62K.

jmh

Starting salary for a social worker in the UK is £23,000 but from the OP I'm assuming that you have a lot of experience, so it is probably hard to estimate equivalence. Also, as an expat, would you have to drop back a few notches to begin with? Have you tried a thread aimed at people working in your sector? You might need the inside heads up on what salaries expats can get in your field with your level of experience.

I imagine it is unlikely to be $80,000 though.

Hellie73

As said before it depends where you come from and where you move to. I come from a more reasonable part of the UK (ok cheap) where our three bed semi is rented for £490 pmonth and have moved to a rather expensive part of Auckland $500pweek (clean two bed flat) we would have never considered living in an expensive place like this in the UK. Shopping is another monster, there are very few deals and even when there are, things arnt cheap I have a 14month old and buy the second most expensive nappies when they are on offer I can get them for 50cents each in the uk I managed to get them for 9p each. Butter is typical $5 for a 500g block, cheese you need a bank loan. You can get a good bottle of wine for $9 on offer. We are a family of three and our average weekly shop is $170 in the UK we use to spend £60-70 (march 2011) we try and be sensible buy veg and fruit in season, choice is limited but people dont move to NZ for better supermarkets. Clothes shoppping -prices are same quality is poorer (IMHO) shoe shopping dont even think about it here (even more expensive for quality (I'm a bit of a snob) remember its the land of the jandal. Money does help for a better lifestyle if you ever want to leave the country, go on a foreign holiday,buy a house! you will need the extra cash. Then again some people never want to. Remember it costs so much money to get here make sure you save up enough so you can leave if you need to, nothing worse than being stuck in someone elses paradise.

BEVS

From UK - prospects website

Scousebird

My ears are burning! Thanks for the info you've gathered whilst I've attempted to sleep!

My figures are random but 80,000 dollars is a potential joint salary although it's probably a lower figure as we've potential to earn more but wanted to be realistic incase we couldn't earn that. I would hope to argue for a higher pay based on quals and experience. I would also hope having worked there before will help to argue a higher wage to.

I think from reading the posts it's definitely an individual circumstances decision which is fine and is more reassuring. Tauranga is the region of choice and personally I don't think it will be much different to where we live now which is expensive but we are surviving. Our family and friends live miles away so that will be no different.

But how are people surviving on a lower wage? Is it ebay, second hand shops, growing your own veggies? I'm not shy of doing things like that.

It's lifestyle meaning the beaches and outdoors that we want with the weather. How I'm viewing is its an expensive gamble which could turn out to be an expensive holiday and a massive mistake but what if it works? My life experiences recently have just left me feeling life is too short sometimes. But I still need to iron out the niggles that I get.

Thanks for all the info it's really useful to look at all perspectives. Apologises for not doing individual replies - its too hard!! But BEVS you seem a little sad in your post hope you're ok!

Bo-Jangles

Oh dear, lifestyle. I ask you, what is this lifestyle thing, of which you speak?

Most of those 'lifestyle' things, cost money and most of it is a load of, much talked about, old cobblers. Work-life balance it's so out of kilter here in a way it never was for me in the UK. I earn far less, yet am expected to work all hours to achieve the end result, the 40 hours paid don't reflect the expectation of you being available to attend a meeting at 7.30am or at 5pm.

People expect you to have an immediate answer to the e-mail that was sent to you at 10pm, or read and digest the telephone book worth of papers that it contained for some urgent meeting in the morning.

Work culture here I find is such a bums on seats mentality, it's such a game with everyone trying to look good, keeping up appearances to be the first one on parade in the morning and the last to leave at night. Meanwhile; they'll be sloping off, doing as little as possible and achieving bugger all during the 'normal' core working day of 9 to 5.

When I was in the UK I had an hour for lunch, which I rarely took, but it meant I could run errands, do jobs, shop, get to the bank, buy birthday presents, go to the post office or whatever else if I needed to. All the kinds of things I now have to do after work or fit into the weekend.

Add to that the lack of money for the luxury of meals out or conveniences then you're looking at all likelihood of spending a good chunk of the evening and weekends in the kitchen baking and batch cooking for the freezer. It's one thing I most resent about being here, having to be the Mrs Do-it-all, 1950s friggin housewife, with a full-time job.

Yes, I do have a slightly shorter commute, but this in no way makes up the five extra hours of working week - going from 35 to 40 as the normal office hours. It's amazing what personal time for 'lifestyle' is lost in those five hours per week. Those five hours would cover one heck of a lot of chores, cooking, shopping, washing and ironing time that now has to be found elsewhere.

It's a wonderful life!!

pricklykina

I remember being shocked at the 40 hours rather than the 37.5 that I was used to. Now I do 36 so that seems a lot more civilised (thats working .9 so I did drop 10% of my salary to do that.

I earn well, we both do but with the mortgage there is little spare and no savings at all. We are very much hand to mouth.
Thankfully we love camping so that's the summer holiday taken care of.

I spend $300 a fortnight at the supermarket but some weeks I need to reduce that so that we can do some extra things.

I don't have any of the "lifestyle" additions. Now boat, or bach.
But I am very very happy to be here.
I live in a very small weatherboard house, on a tiny section in a less than fashionable suburb that's not in a good school zone. But I love it!

NZ gives me more freedom than I ever had in the UK. I feel safer and more accepted and valued.

Perhaps moving here younger helped me to adjust, I was 25, no kids, no real direction. Now I'm a parent with a responsible job and I don;t think that I would have had the opportunity to have my career over in the UK.

I've never been someone who wants for much. I'm happy if I meet my basic needs and have people that I love and love me around me.

killercat

CYF is between 40.000 and 63.000 Health is about the same and most ngo's are between 30.000-45.000

Scousebird

Lifestyle to me is fishing, camping, swimming, walking and going to the beach the things that are relatively free. We don't go out here as we can't afford it and we don't have babysitters on tap! Being able to get somewhere with ease rather than not due to the constant traffic jams.

I get paid for 37 hrs but work much much more due to the nature of my job and get toil back whoopee - thats if you can take it! Its all relative really. I now work part time as child care is a killer and I would be working for nothing. Im supposed to do 22.5 but probably work 37 per wk. Same stuff different place??

Scousebird

Direct comparison doesnt show that much different to UK depending on where you live though - then it's only about £5000 difference. London versus Liverpool would help understand that.

Whats your understanding of holidays/sick pay, working hours with cyf??

BEVS

Mate. Don't even try to go there with me in this way. I'm not sad. Sad and me don't go together. I'm realistic. Very realistic It's in my nature.

This is possible in the UK. More than possible. Our friends and family are doing this all the time. I was doing that back in the UK. A single parent friend of mine just did a 2 week camping trip down to Devon . No sweat.

If you're not happy where you are & think a move to NZ will help all of that then that is fine , however, please don't try to undermine others - my - experiences here. We live it.

BEVS

Then, for you , it is all about finding and being loved in a place which is , in itself, lovely.

Scousebird

Probably just me then! Its difficult to gage moods via the written word sometimes. I like realism though!

BEVS

Don't bother to try and gauge a mood. It isn't possible unless the writer has written deliberately in an emotive way.

Read what's said factually and from experience. That counts.

Scousebird

I thought I had! I think its because I read what you've written as you don't think you'll stay in NZ and I dont know why but I thought you appeared very happy there and thats why I thought it appeared sad. But Im listening!!