fired50

Hi

I've got a few questions and I think you nice people might be able to help me.

I'm a secondary school English teacher from the UK. I'm married to an English citizen and I have a four month old son. I'm presently teaching at a school in Abu Dhabi.

I'm trying to get a work visa to teach in NZ and realise there's a fair old procedure to undertake. I've sent off for my relevant documents to be processed and assessed by NZQA and patiently await their assessment form before I can proceed with my teacher registration. I have my police check from my time here in the UAE and have all my certificates copied and attested - poised for for the next step.

My questions are as follows:

Is there a quick way I can get my police clearance from the UK? (I've had four previous police checks for my schools in the UK). What's the procedure and timeline here?

When I have step 1 and 2 completed can I just join a teaching agency who will sort my work visa out for me? If not, can I arrive in the country and just travel around the schools, cold calling on a temp visa and get it sorted out once I've got something lined up?

Is there still a demand for UK trained secondary school English teachers?

Can I rent a house on a temp visa?

Am I wrong to want to go over there on a work visa and try to get residency once I arrive - with an idea to later buying a house?

I have a million other questions, but there's no rush. I do fully intend to plough my way through the threads, where my numerous questions have prob already been answered - but at the moment I've got a mountain of marking and an exam to write.

I'm basically looking for a timeline. I'd like to start work on a temp working visa in Aug/Sep, with a notion to make things more solid once I get over there. Am I being a bit naive with this idea.

Can you please halt my insanity...can I really get there in time?

Many thanks

F50

alanmacc

Hope this helps

BEVS

I'm moving this to the main forum so more people will see it.

irnbru14

Have you checked with the NZ Immigration website about if you are on the skills shortage list? If so its a bit more fast track to getting you into the country if your job is in one of these areas, I suspect teachers are in general in short supply here!

Have a look at Work to Residency, its a quicker way of getting here than full residency, but its dependant on you having a job offer, so its back to the agencies and see what feedback you can get from them, and see if they can get your CV out there, its a better option IMHO than cold calling.

The thing about WTR is you do need to be earning more that $50k a year and in full time employment, it is possible to move jobs but you still need to meet these criteria. And after 2 years its fairly seamless to apply for your residency.

Ask away with any questions, most folks can help with own experiences and practical advice

bourbon-biscuit

BB

ldwilliams

Hi, this is a link which should prove useful
http://www.acpo.police.uk/certificates.asp
They offer a 10 day standard service (GBP 35) and a 2 day premium service (GBP70 i think). Good luck.

howden40

Police clearance - go to your local police station and ask for the police clearance forms, complete and send away takes 10 days which is far quicker than CRB check and is the one recommended. CRB checks are the ones you would have had for the schools, police checks are processed differently and far quicker.

Make your availability for work known, you use the internet, use it to look for jobs in NZ. Put in an expression of interest to NZ house, you may find you have enough points without a job offer, give it a go. Request your police report as soon as you receive an invitation to apply for residency and book medical immediately, but arrange x-rays before medical, if you are slightly overweight go to your medical on an empty stomach as you will need fasting bloods done ( this will save up to 2 weeks) the time scale depends on you pulling your finger out, the quicker you work, the quicker immigration works and it can be very quick once the medicals and x-rays are in we are talking days not weeks

lardyl

bumping this up..........Wiki anyone???

luvwelly

Wow an example of UK bureacracy improving its service! A year ago it was 40 days or nothing.

lardyl

To be fair - ours was back well before time, and if you avoided the worst times of the year (just before student placements I was told by the copper on the desk) then it was not just on the limit.
Here in NZ my requests for stuff from the state meets with massive variation - some far too long and some back in a flash.