Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

Hi,
We are a family of 5, living happily in South Lincs at present. Lovely house, great schools for three lively boys between 10 and 13. I teach Science part time and my husband works as a desk something or other (really don't understand his job title tbh :p ). He's been exploring other opportunities for a little while as he's a bit unhappy with his current employer. He has ended up in the happy position of being offered three jobs, two that don't require a move and one in Bay of Plenty which is clearly just a few miles further away! All three are offering similar salaries and perks.
The NZ company themselves seem really positive and are flying us both (but not kids -hello honeymoon two!) out to meet with them and finalise contracts.

My request to you all is for advice/opinions really. What sort of things do I need to check up on in the 4 days that they have given us to finalise our decision? What is the area like to live in? Schools, anything really.
As long as we sell our house over here we should be able to buy something middling over your way? How easy is it actually to live without central heating? :eek:
I don't really expect to work myself immediately as I want to be able to support kids but would like to maybe teach again at some point, are schools less stuffy and target driven than UK or is it very similar?
Lastly how's the weather? Will my boys be able to become the kind of surfer dudes that I am promising for them? We have real issues with the fact that the camping season in UK is so short and would love a longer period of warmth to actually get out and about.

We are a pretty close knit family unit with not too many ties outside our immediate party of 5 which makes me think we would be ok moving overseas. It is feeling like a dream opportunity for adventure for us but I am wary of getting too caught up in the romance of emigrating to NZ (it is something we almost did a few years back but we couldn't make the sums add up).
Many many thanks in advance for any help you can pass our way.

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

I wrote a bit of a long post and then hit the wrong button and it deleted it all. If your husband has good job offers in the UK I personally would be reluctant to move to NZ, cost of living is much higher, check out sites like Trademe for housing stock, countdown for cost of food.
I have found the school system somewhat lacking.
Finding tradesman to do work is neigh on impossible and when you do its costly, some even charge travel costs on top of the quote ?
being in UK opens you up for easy access to Europe don't under estimate the cost to leave this small island to visit anywhere else, its ridiculous.

but after all that, you only live once and as long as you have money stashed away for rainy days and possible return if things don't work out then why not.

what visa would you be coming over on?

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

Thanks for the input, I think I need measured responses like yours as everyone we speak to here tends to just come down on the side of 'great, go for it' etc.
Not sure about the visa, I suspect the company would push for a short term work visa in the first instance as that would seem to get my husband out here quickest. One of our questions for them is how far they can help out on that front....

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

I would tread with caution if I were you, as moving to a new country just because your husband has a nice job offer, is not really a solid reason for giving up all you have in the UK. It's not as if he's moving within the same company. What happens if he/new employer find later that it hasnt been successful? Moving countries is very expensive and if it fails, you may find you wont be able to get back into the property market with whatever money you may have after all the expenses.
As many have said here, the cost of living is far higher than in the UK, salaries are not good and office life is very different as well. At least you are lucky in that you are being given the chance to visit the place first, something which most others dont have. You'll be surprised at how poor the quality of housing is and the limited items available in the shops.
I hope I havent sounded too negative, but its always easy just to look at the good things about moving. Think carefully about what you and your children will be giving up.

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

Again, thank you. I neglected to mention that my house has underfloor heating - that alone may swing the decision back to Lincs. I have looked at housing sites and they don't seem good. Renting out our UK property to give us a fall back is a possibility but then that would leave us unable to buy in NZ and that seems even more fraught with the possibility of misery and damp.
Food shopping pretend weekly shop has gone on the list of things to do in our 4 days. Thank you.

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

Try and not use the exchange rate to compare salaries, you'd need to earn towards 3 dollars for every pound you earn back in the uk to have a similar lifestyle. Even though plenty deny it the cost of living here is a lot more expensive than the UK.

Saying that it would be a fantastic adventure for you as a family, it'd not be easy but even if you didn't stay here for ever it is a great experience.

Oh..... By the way..... You never get use to cold drafty kiwi houses and the cost of upgrading the heating, windows etc is eye watering.

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

I would completely agree with all the comments here. The housing is so poor, no double glazing, no real insulation, absolutely no central heating - I miss those things so much now - this is my 7th winter here, but will be heading back to Europe in the next year or so (hopefully).

The Bay of Plenty is nice to visit, but very limited in terms of shopping, no real theatre, maybe one or two cinemas and a long drive to anywhere with good facilities (lived in Mangatapu for 6 months). Getting jobs is also difficult as a kiwi friend of mine, and a nurse has been trying to secure employment for over a year in Tauranga and so far has been unsuccessful :(

Weigh things up carefully, adventures are good and I'm glad we've had a go, but the financial cost has been crippling ...

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

What is with the grandparents? You will be essentially severing the connection between the old and the young generation. If you don't earn a lot (I mean A LOT) of money you won't be able to see your parents often in person (Skype helps but…). Check the costs of flights NZ-UK. How often would you like to see your UK family? Then you can calculate how much money per month you will have to save for the flights alone. Don't hope for your UK family and friends to come visit. They will all say that they will come but NZ is far away and expensive. For us family was one of the major reasons to return home.

Will it be easy for you guys to return to the UK and find jobs? If both of you have sought after profession it won't be a problem but if not you might have a big problem. For us at least it turned out to be a nightmare to find good jobs in the same city after we returned home!

Do talk about the possibility that one of you wants to stay in NZ and the other one would like to go back to the UK. Plenty of couples in this situation.

Good luck with whatever decision you will take :)

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

Good point Assanah about one wanting to stay and the other not. I'm in that situation - can't wait to leave but DH wants to stay :blink:

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

flippin eck, this is the most depressing forum in the world - does anyone enjoy living in NZ?

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

Yes on a nice warm sunny day when I don't have to go to work, be on-call and can have a walk on the beach :)

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

Youve got that in one. I have every confidence that you (chemist and husband) will like what you see when you come over for a look. Tauranga and the Bay is a beautiful part of the country with a warm, sunny climate. If you have dreams of your sons becoming surfies, thats the place to do it. No doubt the beach was well patronised today, and its still winter here. AND believe it or not there are a ton of very nice houses. I also believe the average NZ and UK salaries are very similar. Brhng ya bikini and buy some jandals when you get here. Have a great recce trip if you decide to go ahead with it. Ultimately the decision is yours. Where in the Bay is the job? I know Papamoa has a very large Brit expat community if that helps.

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

We absolutely love it in NZ. :thumbsup:
We are lucky in that we are financially better off here than we were in the UK. :p
The BoP is a fabulous place to live with some awesome beaches. Yes some things are more expensive here but we have also found that some things are cheaper, it's the old swings and roundabouts same as anywhere.

We don't come on the forum as much as we used to as there are lots of negative people with negative views on here. :thumbdown:
Life is what you make it.............wherever you live.

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

The question asked was more about reality when they are considering leaving the UK but are not in a bad position to start with. The reality is, that no matter how lovely NZ is, and it can be, financially it is not always a positive move for everybody. The OP asked for views from all perspectives, and the fact that some are not as positive as others doesn't mean they are wrong, just their opinions and experiences. In my opinion it is not about being positive or negative, but reflecting on personal experiences. I too have lived both in the BOP and now in Auckland. It doesn't mean my opinions are invalid or negative, just my experiences.
I think those responding are just trying to present all arguments, as everyone has different experiences and views of their move to NZ and the outcomes of such moves.

Re: Offered a job in Bay of Plenty area
 

Wow! Thanks for all of the comments. I do appreciate people taking time to answer.
On the job front, I hate my job in the UK as a teacher. I have been doing it a long time now and I've watched it go from an enjoyable career on the whole to one of the most stressful and upsetting jobs I could imagine. I feel as though the whole system is imploding and I fear for my children's ability to access a reasonable level of education over the next five years. That is part of the reason why we looked abroad in the first place, looking for a slower pace with more focus on experience and dare I say it exercise over a specific target grade on a piece of paper. Obviously I worry though about being somewhat idealistic thinking NZ would be any better.
The current ages of our kids mean that any move would have to be for a 5 plus year period minimum to be fair to them, we moved them to a new area within UK a couple of years back (which they dealt with really well) but I want them to have the opportunity to settle and find more long term friends in one place. Beyond that though we would go wherever the next work placement takes us.
Thankfully husbands job is very in demand all over the world, we were just too nervous to look anywhere non English speaking while we have young family (maybe in the future) and I'm hopeful that if it all went wrong he would quickly secure work elsewhere.
On the family front we have some unusual parents, one set would be a relief to leave behind (and I don't say that lightly) other grandparents like to say the right things but if I didn't make the effort they would see our kids maybe twice a year. We already live a reasonable distance away. It's one of my children's birthdays today I'll let you know if they call but I won't hold my breath! Like I said we are quite an independent family unit but it hasn't been our choice necessarily it just makes decisions like this one marginally less complicated.
Anyway sorry if I ramble, and again much appreciation for the comments. They aren't all sunshine and flowers but then nowhere in the world is.