Buffers

Hi all

Just after some advice, I have been offered at job in Christchurch as an engineer, salary of $70,000. Relocation package of $7,000. Initially on an essential skills visa. My wife is a nurse and would ideally look to work as hoc shift as we have 3 children, 9,5 and 1.

Just wondering on thoughts as to whether we could live on just my salary or if it would be a struggle.
We don't live a lavish lifestyle by any means.

Plan would be to rent out our house in the UK and do at least 2 years to get the feel of it.

Would it be worth shipping our stuff over or getting new out there?

We did visit the north Island 4 years ago but the time wasn't right for us to consider emigrating back then due to other commitments.

Any advice would be really great.

Thanks in advance.

Justcol

70k is nowhere near enough for a family.

escapedtonz

As Justcol says, $70k not enough to sustain a family of 5.

That will give you just shy of $53k take home per year when income tax, ACC and minimum 3% kiwisaver deducted.
That works out as $1017 take home per week so work back to see if that's affordable considering the high cost of weekly rent (likely $400-$600) for the size of house you'll be looking for, power, maybe also gas in that area, any water charges, refuse collection, groceries, mobile phones, Digital TV, other online subscriptions like Netflix/Neon/Lightbox, internet broadband, insurances, vehicle compulsory costs, school fees, doctors, dentist, any childcare costs......the list goes on.

Great that you have a relocation offer of $7k in addition but it won't go far. Better than zero though
Hope you realise that it will only be paid with your first fortnightly salary. The company will pay it to you as a lump sum (including what the income tax on it would be) and then the net result after deductions will be $7k extra in your take home pay.
Oh yes it is well worth shipping your stuff here as to replace it would cost you heaps. That amount is likely to only cover the shipping of your personal goods in a 20ft container. Still got all the other costs of shipping insurance, flights, temporary accommodation, a car rental etc.
It seems to be a bit hit and miss here with relocation offers. Some people manage to negotiate it and many don't. I was lucky enough to negotiate $10k for shipping, plus they fully insured the whole container which would have cost me another $2k. We also got offered a huge cite centre apartment for 4 weeks, however since we had a 1yr old we told them we didn't want to live in the city so instead they agreed $5k for temporary accommodation that we arranged. We also got car rental for the first month and they paid for internal flights from Auckland to Wellington.

Another consideration is the rent you'll get in the UK.....will it cover all of your costs - rental management fees/mortgage, landlords insurance, breakdown insurance for boiler/plumbing/electrics etc and cover any repairs/maintenance etc. If not it may be time to change the mortgage so you are paying the least amount out for it. We moved ours to interest only prior to coming to NZ. It more than halved our mortgage and meant the money we got in rent covered all costs and made us around 250 pounds a month which we put in a pot for an repairs/maintenance.

If the job offer salary and relocation is the first offer I'd say it's time to go back to say its not enough and you need more salary and more relocation. Effectively if they want you there they should pay for you and the family to get there.
Nothing wrong with explaining to them that the current offer doesn't give you sufficient funds to cover you living as a family of 5, certainly in the short term before you're all settled and the Mrs may be able to work ?
$76k minimum annual salary is s strategic figure with Immigration. That changes your status as the job / your occupation must then be considered highly skilled meaning you should be able to go down the route of Skilled Migrant Resident Visa without any issues even if you initially all come to NZ on temporary class visas.

Buffers

Thanks for the replies.
They are very keen to have me over there, could you give a rough estimate for the costs such as, council tax, waste collection, school costs, electric and water rates?
My wife ideally doesn't want to work until the 1 year old is at school as she will have to put the little Madame in childcare which will probably use up most of what she earns.
Also what is the climate like around around Christchurch?
i am trying to negotiate a two week reccie where myself and the company go halves just to give me a feel of the company and the place but they don't seem too keen to help out.

Thanks

SanDiegogirl

How does that 70K NZDollars stack up with your current UK salary?

Where are you moving from in the UK - if from down south then the high costs in NZ might not be such a shock ..

Bo-Jangles

Very much depends if you are renting or buying - if renting you don't pay rates as it will be included in the rent however you may have to pay for water rates (we pay $45 to $50 per month just for two adults no kids) big killers here are power bills and grocery shopping,

Roughly you have $1000 per week and from that you might pay rent $500 depending in area and type of place you want $200 to $250 on groceries depending on how much effort put into shopping around and cooking from scratch etc. Power bills $200 to $300 per month depending on your heating source. After that you won't have much left but will need to pay for doctors visits, dentists, possibly car and petrol costs x 2, household contents insurance if renting, school donations, school uniforms, phone costs, internet maybe $100 to $125 per month for unlimited plans.

Bo-Jangles

You can't even begin to compare with exchange rates the way they are - based on current exchange rate NZ$70 looks like GBP 37k which would sound like an excellent salary is total nonsense.

I still reckon on needing at least 3 x your UK salary to afford similar lifestyle.

Justcol

Have a look on trademe and realestate NZ for property types, areas and rental costs. Trademe will also give you an idea of car costs.
Dont let the flattery of being in demand cloud your decision. I'd say initially you're going to be on the breadline and it'll be very tight, how long you can cope with that while trying to deal with the stresses and demands of a young family, lack of friends, feeling homesick ( it's very real) and life in an unfamiliar country only you can say. On the plus side, things will improve once your other half starts work so you have that light at the end of the tunnel to keep you going

hallie_day

If you're renting your house out in the Uk would you have any surplus income from this?
It will depend where you are for the rental income, but friends who went back to NZ and kept their house in London, clear around £1000 pcm after mortage and tax.

I think running a second car (currently have one company car and my husband will have another in NZ) and food shopping will be the biggest shock for us - I did a sample shop on the Pak n Save website and the basics (a typical week's meals - spag bol, roast dinner, salmon fillets, steak, pasta, curry....-plus basic lunch stuff, fruit and veg, no frills or treats) came to about $400 for four of us and we currently spend about £100 pw. We are hoping to manage without a mortgage, but any savings will literally be eaten up!!

Bo-Jangles

Also don't be afraid to ask for more money - it's kind of expected that you won't take up the first figure offered so always, always ask for more. Even if they can only stretch to another $5k that would be a massive help.

jarv5116

You can't spend 400 dollars a week. that's a hell of alot of food.
The food prices aren't that much different from Tesco or Morrisons. They ain't no aldi or Lidl.
Only thing that I find alot more expensive is milk.
Its like I have said before if you eat a takeaway twice a week the food price would be the same as takeaways are soo cheap.
You get a large pizza from dominos for 5 dollars yes 5 dollars. Tray in Chinese is 4 dollars. 4 fish suppers and 4 sausage and drink 20 dollars.
I get a pie and Apple turnover and can juice for 6 dollars for my lunch.

BEVS

Salmon fillets ! Roast - depends if it would meat not on special or 'orrid cheap chicken. Veg - has to be in season.

It used to be I could get away with around $150 for the pair of us. Now it can be hard to not hit the $200 but that does include cleaning materials, pet food and other assorted items not of the edible kind. Mind you there can be top up shops at the 4Square. We don't do takeaways really. Too much bother as nothing close by. Sometimes himself brings home a foodcourt chinese which is sorta OK.

Really good idea though to do a like for like shop & be brutal with that , UK to NZ. Tells you what you can expect to pay

Bo-Jangles

I imagine it's very easily done when you are a family of five with growing kids with hollow legs. My weekly supermarket shopping for two adults usually fits into two shopping bags and this comes in at around $135. I spent a further $54 this week at the fruit and veg shop and not much to show for that with just one carrier bag with small bag of potatoes, some onions, mushrooms, mandarins, apples and bananas. No doubt I will be back at the shops at some point again during the week and we might have a takeaway of fish and chips on the odd occasion (usually $16 for two of us) .

I see family size trolleys full up to the brim and think crikey how the heck do they afford all that, so yeah I do believe a family with desires to dine on salmon fillets and steak could easily spend $400 a week.

hallie_day

Shit - salmon steaks are a luxury?
Salmon fillets are a weekly basic for us - £3.29 for two or about £5 for a 500g piece.
Free range chicken about £6/ half leg of NZ lamb in £7/8
Premium range rump steaks £5-6 for two
Our luxury night is tuna steaks from Sainsburys premium range at £7 for two.
We also get continental cold meats and cheeses, pizza, mounds of fruit and veg, italian ice cream .. and never more than £100. It would be more at one of the other supermarkets, but Lidl and Aldi have such massive central buying power that their prices are a good 20% below Sainsburys et al. Malbourough Sav Blanc for a fiver......
But my sample shop at Pak n Save didn't include anything more than basics.

jarv5116

Yeah that's my point I just made about no lidl or aldi prices. It's same as Tesco roughly. Plus out off season food is very expensive in NZ.
I used to spend about 80 in Tesco a week and spend about 160 in dollars. but if I went to aldi it would be 50 or 60.100 pound in aldi is quite alot of food.
Also you can't just freak out at the price off milk or the differnce between price eggs.
I also find you dont buy as much crap in NZ. As shops like Pak and save only sale food.
You have to take everything into consideration if your going to compare stuff.
Fuel is bit cheaper. Cars are generally alot cheaper to run. There loads of different prices on alot of different stuff.