oceane01

So my husband has been approached by canstaff to go and work in christchurch Nz . He is a 41 year old painter and decorator who has many years experience and commercial and residential clients and worked on a number of listed buildings , We have been approached by a few agencies but canstaff seems to be the most persistent and organised , We have done all the applications and paper work etc and are booked in for an interview on Monday morning . I know its easy to run away with these things and my husband who is normally not a risk taker is really up for this but i want all the cold hard facts before i ship my 3 children ages 9 , 6 and 5 to the other side of the world !!! They tell us it will only take approx 3 months all in so moving very quickly . Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated , I have checked out costings etc and looks pretty much the same as here ..... Help !!!!

Purrball

Often, it's the blokes who usually are... but why exactly? What's the fundamental motivation behind his thinking?


Quite right. The most basic and uncontested facts about New Zealand are:

1) It is geographically isolated. There are no other countries in any direction for over 1000 miles. What isn't grown or made there, is imported at some cost from some considerable distance away.

2) It is relatively sparsely populated. There isn't the population to support many of the things i.e. types of shops and services, that many people will take for granted about living in the UK, let alone relatively cheap and easy access to the rest of the EU and the East Coast of the US.

3) You will be a long way away from family and friends. The time zone difference and distance means that, quite often, some of these relationships will slowly diminish over time.

Question is whether these aspects count as negatives for you and whether the positives of living in New Zealand outweigh them.


Except, generally speaking, but with some exceptions, salaries are about 2/3rds of what they are in the UK.

Whatever you do, have a plan B in case things don't work out and don't immediately burn your bridges if you can help it. Best of luck.

oceane01

Thanks for the reply
Ok so basically sick of being in the rat race , working his butt off and not getting the rewards he deserves I.E customers who cancel at the last minute when they have him booked for 6 weeks, waiting 4 months for payments to be made etc etc etc , They have given him an expected salary and i have to admit its actually a lot better .
We live in rural wales in a small village so big shops and services etc not a massive problem ... But then ... We come to family Our eldest daughter is expecting her first baby in January and that is going to be a big pull for me in particular , she lives in Scotland so we dont see her every week or month even but i know this will be the hardest part for me , Chad (My husband ) says he wants to at least try it , We have a house here and would not sell it . We are quite lucky that we are in a good area so it will rent quickly and for a good price . I am a sheltered housing warden so i know i will struggle for work but can also turn my hand to a lot of other things . I feel like im being too negative , which im not im just being realistic . I suppose i just keep doing my research a lot of it is really negative though which is fuelling my fire . Bottom line is we need to make a final decision by Monday !!!

Purrball

OK. It seems to me that you're feeling a bit bounced into this. Apart from friends and family relationships, what specifically are your main concerns and/or fears? What specifically would you have to hear or know more about in order to help come to a decision? Think honestly and carefully about it, make a short list, post it here so others can give you a more detailed response about the various angles and aspects that you seem to be worried about.


No pressure, then. No-one here can make that decision for you... but ask yourself this: how would your partner react if you said 'no'?

oceane01

Hee the thought of it , He would say that fine but stop moaning that... " you hate this country ," " you hate this house " "You hate the children school because it has gone terrible in the last 12 months " " you hate your company " The governments morals are absurd " and STOP saying that " you want to go and live on an island in the middle of nowhere " He would be right on all counts

oceane01

I will compile a list of all of my worries , That is very sound advice so thankyou . I think im getting New Zealand over load as im even confusing myself with all of the websites and conflicting info, which was why my friend recommended here to get the truth and honest opinions !

Snap Shot

Would you at least give it a go and come with an open mind ?

My view on NZ hasn't changed, personally it's as disappointing as it's always been. That, however, is just my personal opinion.

When is your grandchild due ? Things would have to move at lightning speed for you to be in NZ by Christmas.

So, realistically, you probably would not be in NZ until early 2014 ? Who says it's forever anyway ? Like I said, have an open mind.

MrsFychan

If your husband is offered a job that meets the criteria to enable him to work he could get a temp work visa and come over within weeks. Then you can look at putting in a more full time visa application to include you and the kids. School terms run from Feb to Dec and children start on their 5th birthday, or just after. The primary education system (in my experience) over here is very different from the UK more akin to social learning and exploration rather than sit down and do certain lessons at set times during the week.

Cost of living is much higher, all monies earned are taxed, this will tell you how much tax you will pay on a salary http://money.msn.co.nz/income-tax-calculator/

There is nothing like the NHS here so most often than not you and the children will have to pay to see a doctor. Our surgery costs $48 per visit and that is with us registered as funded, if not funded then we would be paying nearer $85 per visit. Same with hospitals.

Also don't forget the weather, much clearer skies here so lack of ozone means the sun is much harsher so you and the kids will have to wear sun cream everyday for at least 6mths of the year.

Don't expect anything to be done in a hurry the "she'll be right" attitude is not an urban myth. It can be very frustrating at times but nothing you can do about it.

vetnurse1

Keep being realisitc and don't rush into such a major decision. Although a salary might look good on paper, the cost of living here is much higher, and house prices here are ridiculous now. The mortgage rates are predicted to rise too. My husband is a painter and decorator in Christchurch. Work is plentiful just now but that bubble will burst eventually. Decorators earned fairly poor money here pre-earthquake.
Not trying to put you off, if you want an adventure and want to give it a go, do. But have as many facts as you can before you decide.
All the best with your decision.

garethwm

Its hard isnt it? I disagree that NZ salaries are 2/3rds of UK salaries though. Theres little difference overall. The median UK salary is about 22000 pounds including part time workers. The same for NZ is 45000 dollars. And the minimum wage is higher in NZ. Cost of living is higher here though, although it depends a lot on which area you are living in in each country.

MrsFychan

but in the UK you get some tax relief in NZ there is none you pay on every cent you earn

Purrball

Admittedly, my comparisons have been between salaries in London/South-East and those in NZ, particularly in my field and in related industries... when you can even find out what salaries are from looking at job ads in NZ in the first place.

When exploring the idea of moving out there some time ago, I had to contact people I knew in the industry to get a broad picture of salary expectations vs. cost of living. Wasn't overly encouraged, to be honest... and travelling around there not too long ago, found London prices or higher for most shopping, which seemed to me to be absurd.

Incidentally, New Zealand did once have something like the NHS. Never paid for any doctor's or hospital appointments when I was younger. That all changed in the late 80s/early 90s after I had left.

jmh

Using the slider in your earlier post I'm paying slightly less in income tax here, despite there being no tax free allowance. And that's not taking into account the National Insurance which is an extra 11% (I think). Of course there is GST on food here, and not in the UK. GST 15%, VAT 20%.

I'm earning about the same here as the UK, so it does vary by sector and job type.

jmh

That's interesting. I was brought up here too but I remember paying to see the doc in the 1980's - the extortionate amount of $17 I seem to recall.

I think it was free under 18? Not sure of my facts though. And of course no 'voluntary' school fees and free university education with bursarys. Ahh, the good old days eh?

garethwm

Working on a 2:1 exchange rate, a person on the UK minimum wage gets 26249 dollars a year and takes home 20667. A minimum wage in NZ will earn you 28600 and you will take home 24088 if you dont pay anything into kiwisaver. Overall you pay less income tax in NZ compared to UK especially in higher income brackets.