soulfly69

Hello all, looking for some reasurance and a little local knowledge

Hubby and I (more him) have applied to nz army (hubby currently serving in brit army) we have been offered an interview both of us for this month in london hubby is a l/cpl in a critical trade they are recruting we are both in our 20's with a school age child with no equity we shall have savings of around £10000 behind us.

My questions has anyone been through the interview process - what should we expect?

Our reasons for emigrating are for our child (lifestyle, one schooling system etc)
less operational tours husband is currently looking at afghan every 2 years at least our child does not take it well when he is away.
To set up a life together long term buy house etc.

I have various experiance inc mod/fitness classes/admin will i struggle to get work??

What will the wages be like
are the quarters ok we have been told we are more than likely to go to trentham or linton if offered?
Will they let us know at interview if reccomending us for service
How long does it take to get PSO

Has anyone done this in a simillar situation??

Thank you in adavance

simonsi

I can't help but for the benefit of those that might be able to is this a NZDF (army job) interview or an NZIS (immigration) interview you have coming up?

soulfly69

nzdf interview thanks

Justcol

Oooh he might get to drive the tank, think we've only got a couple down here
Sorry cant help but good luck

simonsi

LOL!

I guess if the tank didn´t have a driver that would go straight to the ISSL....

teeym

Is it wrong of me to currently be imagining a bulldozer with a shotgun nailed to the front?

simonsi

According to wiki, no tanks, just armoured cars (ie wheels rather than tracks), mind you, tank-on-tank warfare is now all but dead in any case, tanks are now mobile firebases and strongpoints.

bananalana

They still have tanks in NZ

I have been in one heaps. My dada was in the NZ army and I spent a few of my chilhood years living at the Waiouru army base - fun stuff!

I can't help you though sorry.....however if you are moving to NZ for the education aspect for your child - don't. NZ schooling is fairly poor IMO.

Lifestyle on the other hand is fantastic - great place to raise children if you ask me!

irish_eyes

OOOH dear, my little man is starting school in the next term and I'm reading so many bad things............. From what i've heard tho, the school he is going to is a "decile 10" so i'm taking that as a good thing and from what i've seen, it seem a hundred million percent better than what I got at school (i never say a hundred million percent as there is no such thing) so i'm wondering whats so bad about schools in nz!!

To OP sorry i cant help with army stuff, but would advise just take it one step at a time, someone on here should be able to help!

weejie

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=367702
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=465323

Maybe these threads may help

Phyl x

j19fmm

Decile 10 does in no way relate to the level of schooling, it's all about the socio-economic area the school is sited in. You can check out the latest ERO on line though (that's like a UK OFSTED report). There should be a link from the school web site or just chuck ERO and the school name in to Google.
Your kiddy will be fine, it's the mums left behind that have the traumas

bananalana

the decile of a school is related to socio-economics.

Basically a decile 10 school receives less money fromt he government than say a decile 4 school because a decile 4 school might have more beneficiaries as parents and a decile 10 school may have rich people lol. The schooling is fairly similar right across the board. I found with lower decile schools they do more fundraising etc for trips and camps so parents pay less, whereas at higher deciles parents pay more and they do less fundrasing.

Bit of a generalisation but that's what I have found to be one of the differences between deciles.

My girl went to a decile 4 school in napier and I loved that school. They were just fantastic. Then she moved to a decile 9 in Kapiti and I didnt like it so much (th eteacher was a twat) I used to crack up at all the other mums who dropped their kids off in their brand new 4wds (which never went offroad) and they always had makeup on first thing in the morning (WTF) whereas at the decile 4 school, mums would rock up in jammies and were really laid back LMAO. I know that sounds stupid but it cracked me up...might not have had anything o do with decile but it still made me laugh/.

I wouldnt say schooling is bad in NZ, but it truly isnt the best. I thought there was nothing wrong with it until we moved to Oz and the work my daughter was bringing home from school was far more advanced than anything she was doing in NZ.

If you have smart kids who like school, then they will do well no matter where they are.

teebrown

I have PM'd you re NZDF

kiwinow

Yes, the decile level can sometimes work in your favour. When my sons were little they started school in a lower school and then moved to a higher one. When we were looking round the school my son said to the principal, "Oh you only have one computer per class. In my old school we had 3."

But he was right. Often they have more funding and more equipment in the lower socio-economic areas.