AlphaTangoMike

Hi all,

I thought that I would start a new thread on this topic (IT jobs/careers in NZ). I am hoping to migrate to NZ in late 2010 or early 2011 and am in the IT field.

It would be great if people in IT in NZ are willing and able to share their experiences, be it recruitment processes, working environment, comparable job market, grievances, tips and tricks, etc.

There is a fair bit of information out there on the IT job market in NZ, but I'd like to know about it from actual people. As some recent threads have indicated, the salaries on Seek / Trademe might not really be indicative.

I am a bit of an "all-rounder / jack of all trades" within IT. In the past 12 years I have been a field engineer, have done helpdesk to 3rd level support, managed / lead a support team. Been involved in R&D and new project work and more recently pre-sales and implementation consulting, account management and sales.

I plan on visiting NZ in September 2010 to have an awesome 3 week holiday and I might try to setup a few interviews while I'm there. So if any of you have any comments or suggestions, that would be great.

Thanks,
NZDreaming.

AlphaTangoMike

(Bump) No comments?

gbFunk

Hi NZDreaming,

Posted a reply on an earlier thread with my experiences of the process here.

It's tough out there in the marketplace at the moment, but don't think that is just NZ specific. A few old colleagues in the UK are also finding the market quite tough and moving to permenant roles after years contracting.

The market here is quite based on "who you know". A lot of roles are filled by word of mouth, or at least CVs get to the top of the pile that way for review! There are jobs out there, but a lot of competition for them. Agents the world over do not have the most scruples, and NZ is no different. Job adverts are likely to be put on before funding is confirmed, or before role profiles are completed. Agents are chasing work, and are very comission based so you can't blame them - but need to take everything they say with a pinch of salt.

The opportunities are there if you search hard enough, but don't expect it to be too easy. You get lucky (as I did - I am under no illusions about that!), but you can also make your own luck in certain areas by perseverance and following every lead and opportunity.

Let me know if you have any particular questions - might not be able to help, but can try!

Good luck,
gbFunk

BEVS

Hi gbFunk. Dunno if you are brand new or have been here before but you deserve karma for the stonking good posts you have made. They are what BE is all about.
Cheers.

AlphaTangoMike

Thanks for the input gbFunk. I read your other very positive and informative post.

My only concern is that I leave a good, stable job and then struggle to find something remotely similar in NZ. I am well aware that it may require a step down or as you said a step sideways and I am prepared to do that, provided that I am challenged and not bored at work

Wooly_Cow

Hi there.

So the first thing to remember is the size of the market here and it’s remoteness. It’s about half the size of London and has no large market on the doorstep (although the government has closed some interesting trade agreements with our Asian neighbours, I suspect as far as IT and services is concerned it’ll be them taking NZ job not the other way round especially given the strength of the Kiwi Peso).

What that means is of course a lot fewer opportunities, with fewer companies. However it does make ‘word of mouth’ that much easier. One new mobile player is called Two Degrees because in New Zealand there are supposed to be only two degrees of separation (i.e. everybody knows somebody who knows somebody, so in theory I know somebody that knows John Key, or the Head of Recruitment for HP….you see the point)

Anyway what I am saying is, if you want my top tip to getting a job here….get to know a Kiwi in IT. I know that forums like this one are a good start and that there will be people like gbFunk who really can help BUT if you can try and get in contact with Kiwi based groups, even if this is remotely. They don’t have to be in IT directly (I am keen on football so am actively involved in a club). Any contact will start to build your 'network'

Best of luck.

gbFunk

Jobs in NZ in my limited experience of this market, are no different to anywhere else. There will be rigid processes and procedures that are followed and no one remembers why, there will be workplace bullies, and there will be some great people who want to do their best.

Wages are not great - comparatively I took a 33% paycut for doing a similiar role. Cost of living is very similiar (if not a bit more expensive at current exchange rates), so this has had an impact on how much we can save and what sort of house we can buy. However, I am never in the office after 6pm, and I am usually the last to leave by some distance! I would not have dreamed about being home with the wife by 6 every night in the UK - 8 was standard and often later. My commute to work is 20 mins by bike rather than 1.5 hours in traffic along motorways. These are the compromises you chose to make...

In every job I've done, there have been boring times. I am of the school of thought that you chose how to fill your time. This can sound naive and overly simplistic - which I accept. However, if you have a couple of free hours at work, do you choose to surf the internet, or look for opportunities to improve processes and widen your sphere of influence? Please don't shoot me down for this - I am not so wet behind the ears as to think this is always the case, and understand there will be some situations where you simply can't do anything.

I don't know if I've explained that very well, but a job is what you make of it. If you have a stable, well paid job, why do you want to leave? Examine your motives very carefully before making the move. The best thing anyone ever said to me is

"if you don't like gardening now, getting on a plane for 24 hours is not going to change that"

Gardening can be anything... think about what the move means to you. If it is for the right reasons, you can (usually) make the opportunities happen!

Cheers,
gbFunk


(In an completely hypocritical move - and before someone else points it out - I'm surfing the internet today. That's because we've had a really busy couple of weeks, and are in our December freeze period where we cannot do any infrastructure changes.)

Wooly_Cow

Hey gb.....your situation and expereinces sound a lot like mine, and I agree (yet again!) with your thoughts.

Bevs - a late entry for Poster of the year - or is there a minimum number of posts?..

...or maybe we can have a new catagory.

The "Forget about the size, look at the quality' award for the poster consistently speaking the most sense

AlphaTangoMike

Wooly_Cow and gbFunk, thanks again for your very helpful and detailed comments.

I completely agree with you when you say that the job is what you make of it, and being bored is sometimes a choice. It is difficult though, when either the environment or other constraints prevent you from being proactive and trying to improve on things.

Our reasons for moving to NZ are the right ones, we are not after a material lifestyle, nor do we want to be in the rat race. We simply want a comfortable life (I know that this is again relative), with plenty of outdoor activities and a place to settle down and call "home".

We are originally from South Africa, but we have lived in various parts of the UK for the past 9 years (mostly working in London) and as of January this year, we have been relocated to Singapore. This is not going to be a permanent place for us, rather we are seeing it as a time to save as much as possible and also to enjoy the new experience. We are making the most of it while we are here and hope to move permanently to NZ sometime in late 2011 or early 2012.

I joined this forum to supplement my own research and also to read about people's first hand experiences of life in NZ. I also hope to make a few contacts to meet when we eventually arrive.

Thanks again for your comments and opinions.

ukkiwi

The NZ IT market isnt a small as you'd think.

I know EDS (now HP) farm out lots of development, engineering and architecure work to NZ from around the globe - even English government projects gets sent out there as long as dummy data is used.

Its a lot cheaper to pay a kiwi resource to do it than someone in the UK\US.

Wooly_Cow

Are you sure about that? Maybe in the past but the current exchange rate would suggest otherwise now. I would have thought India or China would be cheaper locations for outsourcing

MOSO

A relative of mine works for HP (EDS) in Wellington - and considers himself to be lucky to be hanging onto his job for the moment. There have been job cuts recently (not sure which dept he is in).

Wooly_Cow

I have a mate in the same situation which is partly why I thought it strange that they were getting in work from overseas.

ukkiwi

Yes very sure as i work for the said company - yes possibly cheaper in India and China.

ukkiwi

HP has cut 1000's of EDS jobs around the world since the buyout.