Richard99

Hi everyone! Dont laugh , two weeks ago I hadn't given a second thought to emigrating, but suddenly...I saw a job advertised which is absolutely perfect for me in every respect (I am an Chemical Engineer), it just so happened to be in NZ (turns out it is based in Hamilton). SO my wife and I talked and thought, lets go for it, probably nothing will happen. Well last night I had a long 'telephone interview' I suppose you could call it. I now feel that I am in with a real chance. Suddenly it all seems real and I need as much info, obviously, to help me decide what to do if I'm lucky enough to get a job offer. BTW, we have 4 children under the age of 11, plus a dog.

After the phone call, I found this forum, and a very similarly named one, britishexpat.com. I spent half the night reading the posts and actually came away quite disappointed..
I think two 'major' concerns came to light, through various topics - the cost of living, and therefore financially what my situation would be, and the difficulty in making friends with the Kiwis.

On the cost of living, I expect to be offered a salary of 75KNZD or thereabouts.. I would hope to have about 150-180K (pounds) after settling all my debts(!)to bring across to buy a house. Now I currently take home about 2100GBP per month, and with 4 children and a large-ish mortgage we do struggle. But how much could I expect to take home per month from 75K? I dont know if there are personal tax allowances, so its hard to know. We live in a really nice village in the UK so would like a decent house in a good location, near a good school - so probably would be wanting to spend more than the average for a house in Hamilton. So maybe I'd have to take out a smallish mortgage. In the UK we also get about 100 pounds a month family allowance. The recruitment consultant said he advises brits that the real exchange rate is abot 2:1 so even on that basis my equivalent salary would be less in NZ - but would my net purchasing power be the same or higher?
I'm afraid this all sounds really mercenary, I do realise that the real attractions of NZ are not monetary. But still....

The other thread that has come up is all about how hard it is to make friends in NZ, other than with expats. That would be a major concern, as whilst I would be out at work it would be my wife that would suffer. (she would be hoping to go back to work as a secretary, but has not worked for 11 years since our eldest was born - how feasible would it be that she could find work?) We are social animals and couldnt bear the thought of not making new friends.
It looks unlikely that the prospective company would pay for me to come across for an inetrview, so I would also have to 'invest' in the expense of my wife and I coming over to check out the place to get a view on whether it was for us, another consideration when every pound counts at the moment.

I would be so grateful if people could post with their experiences related to my concerns, especially with regard to living in Hamilton. I know there have been previous posts on costs of living, so I do apologise for asking, but as I am not sure about tax allowances etc, I cant calculate how much my take home might be, before even working out what i could afford.
At the moment its really early days, and we have a happy life in the UK (a great community in our village) but really struggle to get by and are worried about schooling, traffic, crime, how crowded SE England is, etc so maybe a move to NZ would be the right thing for us, I just dont know. Thanks.

firn

Hi My family and I moved to Cambridge about 20 minutes from Hamilton earlier this year and overall are experiences have been positive. We chose not to live in Hamilton as we preferred to live in a smaller place and Cambridge seemed to have a nice feel about it. I have a child who goes to a very nice country school with 86 children and the school has a community feel about it.
We are renting at the moment upon arrival we rented a wooden house which was nice in the summer but moved into a newer brick house over winter.
I have been able to met people through school, playgroup and various activities and I'm sure that if your wife worked she would be able to get to know people there also. There is not much in terms of work in Cambridge, so you may need to look at Hamilton to work.
We tend to go to Hamilton for Bowling and Cinema and shopping etc and also the Hamilton Gardens in the summer, which is very nice.
In terms of money, We knew that we would be taking a pay cut.I have not worked since I arrived and my husband earns a little less than what you would be earning. We have two children and used a fair bit of money on start up costs, 2 cars furniture and household items etc.
We do manage and the children don't go without but I do think about budgeting for things. I buy seasonal produce direct from source, and then go to the supermarket for everything else. I have tended to homebake more than I ever would have back home. We used to go out to eat alot more in England than what we do now also.
It is only in the last 3 months that we have managed to put a little aside for savings.
I guess that it would all depend on individual family circumstances and if you were a family who likes to eat out 2/3 nights a week and have money for entertainment than yes it would be difficult. It can be difficult for families especially when there is only one income. In alot of families there is a part time income also.
We have no regrets about the move and by choosing Hamilton you would be centrally located so that you could visit Auckland and Rotorua and all the places in between.

Pinkie Pie

Hi Richard and welcome to the forum...

With regard to take home pay have a look here... http://www.ird.govt.nz/income-tax-in...etaxrates.html and you can work out what your take home pay will be.

If you are sociable people and make friends easily in the UK then I should imagine the same would apply anywhere in the world really...that's certainly what I'm hoping for...mind you, I'll talk to anyone!!

Do lots of research guys before making up your minds, have a look at the really useful website as it has loads of info and great links for finding out stuff or just shout up on here...people will usually be able to tell you whatever you need to know...

Cost of living and salaries in NZ is a fairly emotive subject and you will see an awful lot of discussion about both on here if you read back through the threads. It is generally accepted that the cost of living may or may not be higher/lower/same as the UK and salaries are generally lower/same as/but sometimes higher than the UK!! That really doesn't help you much but do you see what I'm trying to say?? COL/Salaries are such an individual thing that one person's situation will be different to another's...some people may be able to live on tuppence ha'penny whilst others may need squillions just to get by...

Pinkie

mumomonty

It's harder to make ends meet here that's true.
The kiwis are the friendliest people in the world so don't worry about that. Itr's when they get in their cars their ego comes out and everything's a competition! Sad.
I live between Hamilton and Cambridge and used to be in East Anglia myself.

It hasn't worked for me because, as a person, I'm resistant to change and I never shoudl have done it and always want to go home (I'm a joy to live with). I firmly believe you shoudl not emigrate unless your life is under threat. It just isn't worth the tears.

We got a house and are renovating it (don't do that) Buy a nice brick and tile one with heating and double glazing then when the weather hits it won't be on your list of what's driving you mad.
It's not much different from the UK here really. It's a farming area so it's like Wales or Shropshire regarding views i.e. hilly, lanes and out in the country which is never far away here houses are situated so you have room to breathe. In towns, there are some wonderful homes but we don't like near neighbours and the way the subdivide their land and plonk another home in the back garden here beggars belief ... but you get used to it.

Hamilton is a busy little place and although thelargest inland town in NZ it is tiny by UK standards. It gripes me that you have to pay throughthenose for everything there i.e. parking to shop etc and things are not cheap here such as whitegoods adn furniture. Also mortgages are nearly 10% interest but they're biting your hand off to give you one. There is no such thing as free banking in the antipodees either so that's another thing that annoys.

The politicians are also as bad as anywhere else so really it all depends what you're looking for in lilfe.
If you do do it, try it for 2 years. Dont' sell up in the UK and then you have an escape route.

Weather's also another issue here. It rains an awful lot but when that sun shiines it's lovely, but that's true of the UK.

Good luck. If you're happy where you are then I woudl say don't rock the boat though but who am I?

JAJ

A few tips and pointers if you do decide to go to New Zealand:

1. Get a permanent visa. You can't "emigrate" on a temporary permit and people who try that can end up in a total mess if the job doesn't work out, or their circumstances change after arrival.

Plus, time on a temporary permit doesn't count for New Zealand citizenship (there's a 5 year clock and you have to be a permanent resident all that time).


2. Take a look at:
http://www.immigration.govt.nz and http://www.citizenship.govt.nz


3. Check whether you can get your engineering qualifications recognised in New Zealand. NZ is a signatory to the Washington and Sydney Accords, so if you have a qualification accredited by the Engineering Council-UK for CEng or IEng, then the Washington or Sydney Accord (as applicable) should be your first port of call.
http://www.engc.org.uk



Jeremy

Jeeper

Sounds to me like you should stay put.
The only reason I would suggest anyone try and make such a move is for lifestyle reasons or career.

By the sounds of it you won't be better off financially so you'd have to look at the gains you will make from it (life experience, career etc).

and in my opinion....hamilton is not the nicest place to live in NZ. (although someone did post about cambridge - cambridge is nice...but quiet).

Regarding making friends with kiwi's - unless your a right royal jerk then you'll find kiwi's are some of the friendliest people around.

Pompey_Paul

Have you visited? I think you should visit first! such a huge step!

Michelle & Chris

Hi

My god you could be us minus 2 kids! We've been thinking of moving to Oz since my brother in-law and wife moved there.

But....then my husband is contacted by a recruitment consultant about a similar position as he has in the UK in Auckland NZ. Next think interview in Manchester which seemed to go well and we should be hearing soon how it went.

I had been busy researching OZ and was looking forward to have no mortgage and a lower cost of living. And possibly not having to work and be able to be there for the kids more. But alas, I moved on to the NZ site on BE thinking that things would be more or less the same as OZ. How wrong I was, quite scary!! Its now worrying me quite a bit. Live may improve in some ways but after the honeymoon period is over and the bills are still to be paid, all the beautiful scenery won't mean quite so much.

I agree with you on the reasons to move from the UK for the social reasons or should I say anti social these days. And it all seems like a big adventure, but I personally don't want to move and make things more difficult. We are the same as you only 2 kids a large mortgage and sick of making ends meet. I think NZ will be a better place to live and bring up children but the COL that is clearly a big discussion point remains. I have to comment that this does not seem to be a problem in OZ where people just seem to clammer on about how great life is and how cheap as well.

Have you looked at OZ as a possibility?

I've been

dlummis

Pinkie is right everybodies position in life is different, some people just get by and others need to buy everything just to keep up with the neighbours.
take 5 mins and think of your children, think back to when you were 12 years or younger the freedom you had the space you had and you were part of the family allowed to grow up as a child.But there again thats my view and the next person will be different.
All i can say is NZ is NZ and the UK is Brussels!!!!!!
There is a chap called Jeremy Hendeson at a company called Broadbase deals with all the financial stuff, he moved to NZ 12 years ago speak to him and he will give you the exact cost of day to day living.

newkiwi

Hi
The salary you are talking about will give you around $1000 pw, im not sure what the situation is with family allowances (we dont have any children). Thats about $4000 per month, compared to your GBP 2100. With GBP180k to put towards a mortgage you will have a pretty small mortgage living in Hamilton and surrounds, you may even be just about mortgage free, which will make your money go a long way further.

COL is personal, look at Woolworths.co.nz or Foodtown.co.nz to make up a virtual shopping basket and compare it to the UK. A salary in that range is quite good for NZ standards, and Hamilton is a cheaper place to live than Auckland for instance.

You might be better off to go with a mindset of giving it two years, soaking up the experience, and reassessing. If its not working out then you can return to the UK with a great life experience, or you can stay in NZ if you find it is what you are looking for as a lifestyle.

Its not easy to decide, and only you can make that decision at the end of the day. I know its hard to imaginge going to a new country, esp if youve never been, buit also be careful not to put too much value in how you find a place when you visit there as a tourist. Its not the same as living there.

Good luck with your decision

K9s

[QUOTE=newkiwi]Hi
The salary you are talking about will give you around $1000 pw, im not sure what the situation is with family allowances (we dont have any children). Thats about $4000 per month, compared to your GBP 2100. With GBP180k to put towards a mortgage you will have a pretty small mortgage living in Hamilton and surrounds, you may even be just about mortgage free, which will make your money go a long way further.

Newkiwi

I do not understand it when you say "GBP180k to put towards a mortgage you will have a pretty small mortgage living in Hamilton and surrounds, you may even be just about mortgage free"

Are you saying that £180,000 which is $453,000,which is £18,000 short of 1/2 million dollars is not enough money to buy a nice house outright in Hamilton ???????????????????

Also $4000 per month on food and bills e.t.c seems plenty to me, perhaps you can enlighten me!!!!!!!!!!!!

cheers

K9

nmw

Your mortgage position is likely to be the key financial driver - as others have said £150-180k is equivalent to around $390-470k, which is a lot of capital in NZ.

With this sort of deposit, there's every likelyhood you could significantly reduce the percentage of your salary which goes on mortgage repayments every month, which would make a big difference to how far that $75k a year stretches.

K9s

I still don't get it are you saying that $470,000 is a DEPOSIT on a house ???????????????????

nmw

It's whatever they chose to do with it. In some NZ regions $470k may be a deposit on a house (e.g. Auckland) - depends what type of property you are looking for (some places in Auckland could be bought outright for that, but others definitely not)

In other areas (and I've no idea about Hamilton) $470k would be more than the cost of the house, so you'd have change left over and be mortgage free.

Pompey_Paul

I agree.........but still say visit first, read a load of books....common sense