zane

Not sure how appropriate it is on this forum, but was wondering about what people thought about specialised tours catering for people looking to migrate?
Basic premise would be looking at around 8-10 days long taking in around 3 different sized places (large city, large town, small town) looking at housing/lifestyle options in each. Plenty of opportunities to meet and speak to other ex pats that have made the move and people like teachers that can answer those questions about day to day family life.
Would look to answer a lot of the obvious questions people have about the move and give a balanced view of what life in NZ is actually about. (Not just the obvious good stuff!)
Anyway, thoughts on this would be very much appreciated!

Persephone

Hmmm I know I wouldn't. I would wonder about how unbiased the views were plus NZ is a country that is easy to travel around on your own if you hire a car. Why pay extra for a tour? Also with the Internet, there is plenty of scope for potential migrants to read about the pros and cons. People have met members of this forum whilst over doing a recce. You are also at the whim of the tour organiser as to where you visit.

You may get some takers but I suspect most would choose to do it themselves. Each of us have their own idea of what they would like so for example there's no point someone who loves city life going to the smaller towns as mentioned. They are never going to live there so why go on a tour there?

Are you thinking of starting a business?

Stormer999

I think most immigrants are guided by their area to get employment and then the lifestyle that the wages allow.
As 'P' points out we are all different.
We had planned to end up in Welly....

MrsFychan

just my 2 penneth worth

You may get the few that may want to take up the offer of making all the arrangements rather than do it themselves but with the actual cost of moving I think it would be few. A few days in an area and talking to a select few people isn't going to give a true view. and it also depends on how long a person has been living there.
If you were to ask me just over a year a go how things were for us in a particular place it would mostly be positive but a if you asked me 9mths ago things would be different and ask me now and it would have to be more negative.

its too grey to give a true reflection on what people could expect.

snaps

Maybe worth a try in my opinion. There are always people out there who would need this sort of help and upfront advice. The service would have not suited my needs but at a different time it may well have been useful. Do some good research and don't invest too much too soon just in case.

Happy to show guest the 'high-life' of Rotorua and BoP with agreement ;o)

BEVS

Can't see any need for it at all. Emigrating is expensive enough as it is without further added costs for an escorted recce. These days you can glean some quality views about an NZ life from places just like BE and in any case , there are plenty of people that have actually made the move to NZ, who live here in NZ and who are willing to help.

Bo-Jangles

I expect you would have to register as an immigration consultant and join the throngs of other expats that feel similarly compelled to jump onto the money making bandwagon of clipping the migration ticket.

Justcol

How can you give a "balanced" view, surely all you can give is your opinion which will be based on your likes and dislikes
It sounds to me like an easy way of making money out of people who are, in some ways. in quite a vulnerable and suggestive state.
Getting to NZ takes a certain degree of intelligence and I like to think the last thing immigrants need is to be dragged around like
a group of Asian tourists at a theme park.
People go where there is work, most people are capable of spending a Sunday afternoon visiting Open Homes to get a feel
for Kiwi housing styles. Workmates and new friends are a great way to get information on where to live and asking is
a good way of getting chatting to people and making new friends.
I guess I would say no, I dont think its a good idea or a service that is needed

zane

Wow, there's a few responses I wasn't expecting.....I'll try and clarify a few points raised, I appreciate a paragraph isn't great for trying to explain something like this.
The idea came as a Kiwi living in the UK for the past 15yrs having meet my now wife when playing rugby and working over here. (no cliche there then) I've since done all the grown up things like getting a proper job, having kids, negotiating house buying/mortgages. My friends and family in NZ have been leading parallel lives over there and I've been very interested in the contrasts and subtle differences that each of these things involve. We've also been out in NZ as a family looking at options regarding moving ourselves and was quite surprised at my wife's perception as a Brit about settling and living in NZ. We've also had a couple of friends since move out to Oz and NZ with their families and have taken a real interest in how they found the reality of it compared to how they thought it would be.
And this got me thinking.....
I was also struck by a statistic I found (please don't ask me where) that seemed to indicate around half of all immigrants from the UK into NZ and Oz had never been there before, and half of them were back in the UK within 5yrs. The main reasons being not being able to settle and missing family/friends etc.
In response to a few of the points raised:

Persephone, that you would visit first should be a given. The cost of the tour would be broadly in line with what you would expect to pay if you were doing it yourself. By block booking accommodation and travelling by minibus together costs per person are less. The tour would form part of your visit, then head independently off to anywhere else you wanted to go.

Stormer999, Quite right. If you're set on where you need to go for employment, then this wouldn't be for you.

Mrs Fychan, I agree, a few days isn't anywhere near enough. The idea is to try and make the time out there as beneficial as possible.

Snaps, have no intention throwing good money after bad! Hence this exercise. I obviously think I have a good idea, but what do I know!

Bevs, It's a massive financial risk moving out and the tours would be as much about asking "are you really sure?" while stressing the negative as well as the obvious positives. These tours wouldn't be about selling NZ but really highlighting the reality of it all. It's not for everyone.

Bo-Jangles, I'm not an Expat and I have no intention of setting up as an immigration consultant. Two minutes on Google shows that is a pretty crowded market.... The idea is to provide a service that would cost no more than if you were coming out on your own with the added bonus of spending time with like minded people speaking with people that can answer the real questions that you need to be asking.

Justcol, Thought your points were the best ones to address.
My opinion is that NZ is not for everyone and I've seen a lot of people seduced by the hype only to find that the reality is very different.
You're never going to get a real flavour of what a country is like after only a few weeks there, but by making that time a lot more focused speaking with others who can share their own experiences both good and bad can only be a good thing. As I've mentioned before, pricing would be based on what you would expect to pay if you were to hire your own car and do it yourself. Around 8 days would mean there was time to head off and check out any other areas you were interested in only this time with better ideas what to be asking about and what to be looking at.


Saying all that, it still may be a bad idea for all the reasons mentioned in these posts and it's been very interesting to see all the responses it's generated. I guess the overwhelming thread is a very healthy degree of cynicism around any idea that looks like trying to skim money from people in what is already a very stressful and expensive undertaking. I guess what I want to do is to try to offer something that would offset this, or even dissuade people that are just not sure.
Thanks for all your posts, they have certainly been insightful!

BEVS

I still say 'No' .

Question 1 : Do you feel that 'Move to <insert country> programmes are helpful to prospective migrants or misleading?

Question 2: What is your idea of a 'like minded person' ?

...thinking on.

IMVHO. Very unwise to clump hopeful migrants together on an NZ tour . They could and would fuel each other's hopes and dreams,rather than see with independent dispassionate eyes.
Also , not a great idea to arrange meets with expats already here, on a tour like that. How would you ensure that if such meets went ahead there would be a good cross-section of experiences and viewpoints. You only have to read on here to see just how wide that spectrum is.

You asked this same question around 10 years ago. That there are more responses this time shows that there is already much more info out there in places just like BE. No need to spend money on a tour when you can ask right here.

A recce for a job offer is a great idea.

A holiday , be it your tour bus or independent , is not a good idea IMO unless you have that extra spare cash that would not be missed .

We did a recce. The fact finding thing.
We met with expats already here. We cased houses. Areas. All the usual stuff. We did the homework. The sums.
Looking back , none of that gave us any insight to an actual NZ life here for us as a couple.

Bo-Jangles

Unless you plan to provide this service from the goodness of your heart for free with no benefit to yourself, then you can expect to find that you would be required to register as an immigration consultant

http://www.iaa.govt.nz/migrant/options/index.asp

Justcol

During my time in NZ i have arranged to meet a few people from the uk once they actually get here.
In my opinion a friendly face to say Hi to and go for a beer with once you've settled in to your rental is enough.
People can make up their own minds about most things, and the experience of finding things out for yourself helps
with the sense of adventure and settling in process.
All I've ever done is offer friendship, maybe an invite to a BBQ where they might meet some new friends and some advice about
where to buy stuff and where things are, the rest they can figure out for themselves.
If they dont like the place, fine, let them figure it out based on their own experiences