Nebson

Hi All,

I am a new member looking for some advice. Currently looking to move to New Zealand in September 2020 with my partner (although we are conscious of COVID-19 and are a bit flexible on this if we need to be) and looking for an insight into the job market.

A bit about myself, I've spent the past 16 years in enforcement - 12 years working for the Metropolitan Police, 2 years working in the Houses of Parliament security team and currently 2 years as an Enforcement Immigration Officer for the Home Office.

I have done research already and do recognise I cant apply for the Police or Customs until I have permanent residency (Gutted) but I can apply for the Prison service as a correctional facility officer or look at something like security, although security isn't my preference.

I am also contemplating a change in career and moving into sales, as I have a very keen interest but don't have any sales experience, although I do have extensive experience in customer services, happy dealing with a wide range of different people and building relationships etc

Wanted to see if anyone had any advice or suggestions that I could look at?

Cheers,

Ben

Genesis

Hi Ben,

Being a police officer still appears to be on the skills shortage list. Please see this link https://skillshortages.immigration.g...olice-officer/


To be honest this is going to be your best bet. As a result of CV19 we are heading into much unemployment in Aotearoa. Jobs are going to be even harder to find than they have been of late.

Can you not apply to NZ Plod as you are not currently serving? Is the above only pertinent to officers who are currently serving?

I was Plod in the U.K. for 12 years. I came over here in 2005 to be a home dad. The NZ police are very different to the U.K. service, they appear to me to have a better ‘bedside manner’. And whilst there is the odd psychopath I am sure within their ranks they do not seem as OTT as lots of U.K. Plod IMO.

Not sure I would recommend corrections, I got offered a job, after passing the six month application process, did my ‘scope day’ in the prison but for me my decision not to join was when a serving corrections officer I knew asked “Do you really need this job, like do you need the wages?” To which I had to reply “No”.

He then said he would not carry on in the service unless he really had to. Which he did. This was about three years ago, the service was in much disarray, I am not sure it has got much better.

Please feel free to PM me if you want to talk about anything.

Dom.

PS. If you have to be serving officer to get in via the skill shortage route, why do you not simply reapply to U.K. Plod, I have heard they are taking back retirees etc cos of CV19. The process to get here is going to take quite a while and in the meantime you supply a need to the community in the U.K. and get your warrant card back.

Nebson

Hey Dom,

Thanks for your reply and sending the link, I should have clarified, I was a PCSO, not PC. I'm warranted in Immigration and have my PIP 2, so it's a shame I can't transfer this over to customs etc. As I currently already have my visa and we have a rough date to move, I wouldn't have time to go through the process here, unfortunately, but a police officer would be of interest in NZ when I can apply.

I have to admit the prison service wasn't at the top of my list, but thought it would offer some job security until I got my perm residency. Good to hear your thoughts on it, I know a couple of people who went over there to be prison officers and they really enjoy it but they came from that sector.

If you don't mind me asking, what route did you go down if you did decide to go back to work?

jarv5116

You need to have a 30 month open visa to apply for corrections.

Nebson

Hi Jary5116,

Thanks for your message. I have been granted an indefinite residence visa which is sufficient

jarv5116

what do you and your wife do for work in UK?
do you have kids?

BEVS

Morning there.

Now I'm confused. Do you have a visa in place? If so which one. In your first post it seemed you did not have a residency visa .

Nebson

I am an Immigration Officer for the Home Office and my partner is a recruitment manager (And a Kiwi, hence why we are moving) We currently don't have kids....yet! My partner has a few contacts in recruitment back in NZ when she lived there so there are no concerns for her. Just me who is yet to build up any contacts.

Nebson

Hi BEVS,

We have a residence visa via partnership (Indefinite expiry date) but I was referring to a permanent residence visa which I would need to be able to apply for the Police, Customs etc

jarv5116

My misses works at corrections.
she applied in the UK done all online test and interviews on line. Then set up a scope day after we arrived then started a month later.
I don't know what your plans is work wise in NZ. I would be very carefull moving here at the minute if you have a good job in the UK and property. I dont know what your cash situation is and wheather u need a good paying job straight away. Unemployment is going be high and decent jobs are going be hard to find.

Nebson

How does your misses find corrections? We are 5 plus months away from moving, dont own property in the UK, have good saving for a deposit when we decided to buy and moving in with the inlaws until we find our feet. We know its not ideal situation with COVID-19 but we feel we are in a ok position.

Genesis

Hi Ben,

I have had three part time jobs here in NZ. I will be honest, no point in being anything otherwise. In all three sectors, local council, private and the local health board bullying was alive and thriving. It has been so unpleasant I have decided that I will not work again. Fortunately I no longer need to. And at almost 62 I am kind of over working!!

Many others have commented on the issue of bullying. This subject has been all over our papers. Even our parliament building, The Beehive, had a recent expose on bullying. I have no idea why that may be.

I agree with what another poster said about emigration at such a time of huge global and local flux. But I guess if your heart is set on it and you want to come ASAP you may as well find a route to get you here.

I have been here 15 years. I arrived this week 15 years ago. Would I recommend NZ? It very much depends on your psyche. Many have said that being so far from Europe and the expense to return are big negatives.

The latter is only gonna get worse. Air travel, when it starts again is only going to be more expensive.

NZ has a plethora of huge issues, lots of those post CV19 are only going to get worse. But NZ has many positives. Around CV19 and post CV19 I have to say there is no other country on earth that I would rather live in at present.

The best thing about NZ is that it is both an unpopulous and incredibly beautiful country.

Bo-Jangles

Right now, we don't know what next week is going to look like, far less a few more months down the track. It really is impossible for anyone to to judge how things will pan out over the coming months. If you have nothing to lose and can (a) secure a job in any kind of essential services from overseas and (b) negotiate the logistics with regards to minimal flights and continuing high level border control and enforced isolation requirements, which are going to be with us for the next 12 months or more, then go for it but I wouldn't advise anyone at this time to give up on any kind of security in the hope that things might be better here.

carcajou

I am also confused.

OP - if I understand, you are on a residence visa through your partner, who must therefore be a New Zealand Citizen? Is that correct?

The NZ Government, at least NZ Immi, says that this visa allows you to work for any employer in NZ:

https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...isa#conditions

I am aware that it says "NZ Citizen or Permanent Resident" in job ads but I would ring a recruiter and just double-check, on the basis of what the immi site says, and that your visa gives you indefinite work and residence rights, and a citizenship pathway (make sure the recruiter knows all this).

Customs may be different as there is apparently a residency requirement as well:

https://www.careers.govt.nz/jobs-dat.../about-the-job

Not sure what countries would be "approved" in lieu of New Zealand.

Citizenship pathway for residence visas:

https://www.govt.nz/browse/passports...z-citizenship/

Good luck.

Nebson

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I have spoken to the Police and Customs recruitment teams and both have stated they would only take on people who are NZ Citizen or have a Permanent Residency and not just a residency even though it has a indefinite expiry date. (I agree with being confused as I was also baffled with the response at the time)

But of course, when I do start applying for positions closer to the time we leave (Depending on when we actually come due to the CV-19) I will be reaching out to employers that have this recruitment standard.