Neil Jackson

A trained theatre nurse, my wife can earn 37,ooo NZD. If I'm looking after kids (and picking up bits and bobs of work), is 37K livable? Thanks, Neil

becky667

HI

I think your wife will earn more than that if she's full time with experience - 37,000 NZD is a lot less than what I have been offered.

Becky

Neil Jackson

Is it liveable, though - we've got two toddlers.

P2L

Send a PM to Genesis. His wife is a theatre nurse ( I think) they have 3 young kids and he doesn't work. I think they are pretty much mortgage free though.

37k is probably not enough to satisfy your visa requirements. If your wife's employer is accredited, which I would think the DHBs are, then she would need to be earning a minimum of 55K. She might have to look at doing this to begin with just to get your 'foot in the door' so to speak.

HTH

scrubbedexpat094

I wouldn't say that that was a liveable wage at all but it depends on your lifestyle choices. Also, where you are planning to be based in NZ will make a difference. Certainly Auckland would be a no-no on that salary.

Bellasmum

That sounds an very low wage to me Neil. I was a theatre nurse for 20 years and I was on $39,000 in 1996 when I left.

I think the minimum wage for a Reg Nurse is around $40,000.

alanmacc

yeah i concur with the comments, my wife is a grade 5 nurse and on way more than that, so id expect the starting salary would be a lot higher, but as they have said you need to be in the $55k bracket to meet the requirements.

If you google nurses pay in NZ it will give you a list of them or this might help
http://www.genevahealth.co.nz/uploads/articles/32.doc

Genesis

Kate is a nurse I am sure that the average nurses pay is well towards the north of $40k. Kate after 3.5 years in NZ is on about $65k. She has had some promotion but factor in shift work and weekends (if thats the case) and a well qualified shop floor nurse is looking at about $52ish plus I am sure.


$37 for a theatre nurse is not good. Alas you will find $37
k will not go far. Take of the first 19.5 % for tax..from dollar one. Then about 2% for the equivalent of national insurance..then the $38 a month for nursing union membership. Food has got to be the thick end of $200 per week and to run a house (minus rent or mortgage) is in the region of $700 per month...phone, rates, gas, electric, building ins and or contents ins.

Then there is wear and tear, clothes, running car/s..ins, petrol, car tax, Mots, the newspaper, break downs, a bit of fun money..alcohol etc, kids pressies, vacation and the occasional outing and what ever. All the latter will come to a tidy annual sum.

Anyways by my calculation tax, JUST food and running the house (minus rent or mortgage) will be about $1700 per month, leaving around $800 for rent running cars, fun money, clothes etc. Taken that you will clear about $2500 per month on $37k. If you have no mortgage it stacks up...... just about..but if you have accomodation costs on top I cannot see it working out. Sorry its not positive..you have a look at the figures.

Justcol

lets not beat about the bush, No $37000 is not a livable wage for
two adults and two children.
The average wage in NZ is $47000, thats 10k more than your looking at.

My wife is a nurse and she earns mid 60's and thats not unusual

iwannagonow

Hi Neil,

I have been a theatre nurse (in the UK) for almost 20 years & now have a job offer with the Bay of Plenty DHB...they have offered me NZ$58000...full time hours...take home pay will be bumped up by unsociable hours, on calls etc.

Is your wife looking at working only part time...is that why this wage is so low? I think you may have to look again as $37k doesn't seem right at all. My husband won't be working either to begin with & we were worrying about whether my wage was gonna be enough for 2 adults, 2 kids & a dog...so I'm sure $37k won't be anywhere near adequate!

Good luck whatever happens, Cheryl x

NermaltheCute

Are there alot of househusbands in NZ?? My OH is looking forward to kicking back for a while and doing Kindergarten runs whilst I work. Not sure that this was the equality that Emily Pankhurst fought for but hey it gets us there. They'll be 2 of us on $75,000 plus daughter and 2 dogs. We won't be mortgage free either

theduke

Everything really depends on where you live or are going to live I would suggest you go on the ird website and see what walkout you will get, there are calculators on there which will give you an indication.

Also depends on mortgage etc.

we moved here 3 years ago next month and I got what was regarded as a good wage when we got here and we really struggled, now I earn double that and find things a little easier, but still not where we were in the UK financially and honestly don't think we ever will be, but that is not why we moved, and I do believe no one moves here for the money!

a $37k per year salary is in no way going to let you not work and look after the kids. If that is your idea, don't do it you will hate every waking hour.

sr71

That's a terrible wage, you could earn more doing an unskilled job with a bit of overtime. It is not enough for a family of 4 to live on at all unless you had zero accommodation costs e.g. owned you home outright

My ex was a nurse and she earnt a hell of a lot more than that 15 years ago by working through agencies.

Bellasmum

You make a good point sr71.

Agency work was never my scene but a lot of my colleagues earnt big bucks.

As far as I know experienced theatre nurses are still pretty scarce.

Bellasmum

Neil tell your wife to check these.


http://www.aucklandhealthcareers.co....g-theaters.htm

https://adhbrac.taleo.net/careersect.../jobdetail.ftl