jill1420

Hi!
Ive posted a few threads to suss things out but want to introduce myself and my situation in the hope some of you can help me.

Im 36 OH 38 two boys 12 & 10 living in Scotland. We have just sold coffee shop business and hubby has retrained as HGV Class 1 driver. I should be starting a degree course in September.

If Im honest Ive probably always felt there was more to life than where I live and thats why I bought a static caravan on the Ayrshire coast (just good to get away) when kids were wee. It was a godsend and we still go most weekends excluding winter.

Anyway one of our friends emigrated to Sunshine Coast Queensland last August and we spent a fabulous 3 weeks with them at xmas....................Fab!

Surprisingly we came home and said great ............ but no thanks ............. too far away.

Well it wasnt long before we started yearning for Oz.

To keep this relatively short we can only go to Oz on study visa (very expensive and risky!)

Anyway they say if you want it enough youll get it.................not true............I didnt................hubby thinks too expensive (it would have worked out at between £75,000-£80,000 I can break that down if anyone interested)

Anyway we thought our dream was over (well OH did) then I thought why not NZ.

Main problems ................... dont know anything about NZ ................. dont know anyone in NZ ................ trying to convince hubby NZ just as good or BETTER

Dont need to convince kids .................. they cant wait............bring it on!

So Ive decided to read the forum as often as possible to get a feel of the place and check out various websites to suss NZ out.

Im hoping to get to NZ for a few weeks over the Summer. Is this a good or bad time to visit? Any suggstions re. best places to visit would be appreciated.

We would prefer to live on coast.

Anyway thanks for reading.

P.S. Im just scared that if we dont take the chance now we live to regret it. Im looking for a better future for my kids and better family life.

P2L

Hi Jill
Welcome to BE

There's just one word o advice I can reccomend for you RESEARCH!!! Absolutely everything & then decide if you're still interested

Here's some sites you may find useful

www.immigration.govt.nz

www.ird.govt.nz

www.realestate.co.nz

www.minedu.govt.nz

www.nzherald.co.nz

Read as many of the threads on here as you can bear to

If you need any help just sing out; there's usually someone around who can assist

HTH
Sarah

jill1420

Thanks Sarah!

That should keep me busy.............Ta.

happynz

Have you considered maybe dairy farming? I've got a mate from Chile who has sorted himself out a work permit that way. He's eight on and three off. No accommodation costs either. Another acquaintance from Argentina started out on a dairy farm in Raikaia and him and his wife worked their way to PR. He started out as a general farm-hand and now he's a herd manager. Before he came to New Zealand he was a P.E. teacher. So, hey. You never know. Sometimes you just got to think outside the box, step outside your comfort zone and take a risk.

jill1420

At first I thought you were joking!.........................anyway............ ....sorry........should have said ...........husband NOT a total risk taker!
Im the dreamer..............who wants a better life for us all. It took me a while to convince him about Oz. Now I need to nudge him towards NZ. A lot scarier as we know nobody. Thanks anyway................kids would have loved it.................they love animals (any kind).
That reminds me keep meaning to ask..................I read that someone prefers NZ to OZ because no killer jelly fish, snakes or spiders?..............What about sharks? Havent heard them mentioned on forum. I take it they are present.....................I have a bit of a fear.........an 8 ft shark swam under the jetty we were fishing on in Fraser Island Oz. and one day 15 minutes before we went to Kings beach Caloundra Queensland a kid was reportedly knocked off her board by one.