Amanda Hart

[QUOTE=Platty;5466450]My husband has the chance to interview for a job in New Zealand, its offers:

* Salary range between $90-105,000k nzd + 17.6% performance bonus
* Relocation package/expenses
* 2 year work visa
* Family also included

The job is for a fixed-line and/or Mobile GSM IP network solution design engineers, the pay seems a bit low at £33 to 38k or is it just me?
Also what is New Zealand like to live in as we have never considered it before?

Perhaps you guys can help?

Thanks in advanceUOTE

That sounds like a really good offer, we moved out at the end of July, a family of 4 with two children, my husband doesn't earn that much and I don't work as I have a 3yr old. We are doing fine but have found white goods very expensive and wish we had shipped the entire contents of our house across as its cost a fortune to furnish our new house. We live just outside Auckland and love it, the right balance of countryside, beaches and city. Fabulous!!
Amanda

Platty

Well I just like the thank everyone that has commented.

Last night my husband spent an hour on the phone to this companies HR dept (The company is called Alcatel), they really liked him and he is through to the next stage which is a technical interview

He is not sure whether he is going to take the job because hes been headhunted by another company & interviewed by them (second stage interview on Monday ) and another couple are waiting in the wings too. He is very popular atm

Anyways I just thought I'd pop my head in and give you guys an update.

Ted Logan

We have a friend who works at alcatel, if you want I'll try find out what he thinks of the job, he's been there a while and he is English so hopefully a good opinion.

Building is up the road from Courtney Place, above Mr Bun (cafe), pretty central and good bus links get to it.

garryhg

hi jacky g here....you are in much the same position as we were....garry got offered a great job with fantastis salary like your oh....we hadn't even spoke about new zealand before...next thing we knew 10 weeks later we were saying bye bye to all our friends and we were on the flight here...along with 2 kids and the dog....

havn't regreted it, and just coming for the adventure,and am now saying what will be will be...on that wage you will be fine...i'm not working we are living in a lovely house with pool,paying too much rent,but can't do anything about that now as we have signed for year.

but with the high wage we are living a debt free life,and living a good life...not just because of the money,but the whole lifestyle..
schooling,imo is much better out here,kiwi children are better behaved,our 13 year old is acting her age again,not trying to be 19,like most of the girls were back home....gl with your choices....

Avid

yeah...right...

nick99

Platty, maybe this will help. We had to do the same calculations recently. We spoke to a few recent expats and one told us that he earned in NZ about half what he earned in the UK (direct conversion NZ$ to £) but his standard of living was same/a little better. He was youngish/married/no kids.

Maybe the company offering the job can put your hubby in touch with some of their other expat employees, they can give you their opinions. My gf was actually offered more in NZ than she earns here (direct conversion again but she does have a lousy government salary) plus a generous relocation package so she snapped it up

Platty

Thanks I'll pass this on to Mr Platty

newkiwi

if you do decide to go to Nz, my advice apply for Permanent Residency as soon as you get there, even though it means you having to pay for some of the costs again (ie medicals etc). The company should be paying for the work permit, so hopefully it wont be too expensive for you to apply for residency once your in NZ.

The advantages of doing this are:
your oh can keep working on his work permit while the PR application is processed, not sure of the timeframes (a few months maybe)

You dont have to wait in the UK until the paperwork is finalised, workpermits get granted a lot quicker

Once you have PR you have a lot more flexibility and rights, ie you can work for any employer, and kids born in NZ will be citizens of NZ and the UK automatically, you start your clock running for NZ citizenship from the day you are granted PR, if you ever want to relocate to aus in the future you only need your NZ citizenship for that, after two years you get indefinate returning res visas, which means theoretically you could return to the UK if you want with the knowledge your free to live in NZ any time you want to in future, etc.

if the company closes or if your oh is made redundant on a WP he (and you) need to leave the country.

You will qualify after riding out the two year WP, but IMO the extra cost of a few 100 dollars is worth bringing the whole thing forward by two years. On the plus side you are in NZ and working, so no stress about when the application will be approved etc (believe me that reduction in stress about timeframes for PR applications to be approved is worth Lots and Lots of money)

anyway, good luck with your decision, exciting times isnt it......

Platty

Hi NewKiwi,

From what Mr Platty told me of the interview the company itself will kick off the PR process as the job is permanent.

Maz

I hope Alcatel know what the wait times are right now... but only YOU can apply for PR as I understand it. I paid my work permit fee, my accredited employer did the rest by handing over the coveted job offer.

Your hubby does need to remember one thing, though. When thinking about interviewing with a lot of companies, this is a small city. Many of the IT people in the same area know each other.

Anyway, just a thought.

Today I nearly got blown along the harbour while out walking with a colleague at lunch. OK minor exaggeration but it was nicer for the walk to and from the station, than at lunchtime.

uk+kiwi

If he's currently on £50k in the UK, then IMO, that's a very good offer for NZ. Although you could always still negotiate. If the salary's potentially a deal breaker, he can in all likelihood get the $105k from the top end of the range offered/quoted.

One thing I would point out though since you mentioned the UK housing ladder, is that interest rates (for mortgages) are much higher in NZ (9%ish?) so I'd do some research into housing affordability (taking school zones into account if you have children), in the location concerned. The internet & search engines (google.co.nz) are a wealth of information to start with.

Platty

Thanks for the advice guys, Mr Platty already knows some people that work for Alcatel (He has worked with them) which should help

Regarding the PR I think they "might" be financing it but Mr Platty knows more than I about this.

House prices are scary in the UK atm, esp where we live so I don't think NZ interest rates can match it although we will do some research should Mr Platty be offered the job.

Kiwiprincess

Go (come?). The fact is if you really hated it you could leave but if you love the country it could be a great new home for you, even short term.

Platty

If offered the job we will consider it very seriously

dave.and.lisa

[QUOTE=lizard;5470410]You could buy a property in the north of england with an income like that, a fairly nice semi for about £120,000.

I am from Lancashire and if you can find me a fairly nice semi for that price i would kiss you from head to toe!!!!!!!!!!!!! we live in a not that great town but a goodish area in a cheapish semi which is worth 160k. We are going to NZ next year wanted to sell up a buy something here with no or as small a mortgage. we can hardly find a two bed terrace for that price. So we are going for broke and buying in NZ and hope to have a small mortgage there.. fingers crossed it works out and if not we will be living in a caravan on our return!!!