Natalie1303

Hello all, so nearly 5 years ago, my hubby, 6 week old son and I set off for a new life in Auckland from the Uk. We came on residents visas as my hubby had a 'job offer'.
Long story but when we got there the job offer fell through, money got extremely tight and with a new baby we decided to come back to the Uk after only 6 months.

After licking our wounds for a long while and getting back into our busy life in the Uk (including having another baby) we are now thinking of doing it all again!!! (But obviously with a positive outcome this time!)

We both regret not sticking it out for longer and agree that the lifestyle is one that we would love our children to grow up in. My hubby is adamant that if we go again, we are def not coming back (which makes it a bit scarier ha ha!)

Anyway, he is a stonemason and we know it would be easier to get a job offer in Christchurch due to the earthquake however we are still seriously considering Auckland as we know it a bit better (we have never been to c.church) and liked the place, the people and the climate.

Is it much cooler in c.church? The immigration website states 90 days of ground frost....brrr...I remember the heating situation wasn't great in nz!
From reading lots of posts on here it seems housing is difficult to come by in c.churh (rental) and jobs are only short term...are these assumptions right?

If we take the plunge again (we have to go through the whole visa application again too)
it has got to be right...the right job, right place and I don't want to move around too much due to getting the boys settled in school.

Any advice would be greatly received...

Thanks everyone

MrsFychan

stonemason is only on the Canterbury skills list as far as I can see (I am not the best at checking out the required careers lists) so that would mean only a temp visa. Or you would need to get a job offer from an Accredited company.

There is a thread for Christchurch, http://britishexpats.com/forum/new-z...thread-753755/, so you main gain some insight by reading through that.

Justcol

also check out Auckland house prices, do stonemasons wages run that high ?

LauraNotts

I have lived in Canterbury for a year now, I have found that it doesn't get seriously cold - has been -3 or -4 a few mornings this year but has very quickly warmed up. Unlike the UK it rarely remains cold once the sun is up and 10-11 degrees even in July has not been that unusual. I find that it is more often than not bright and sunny here far more than the UK.

Rental prices are HIGH as quake repairs are ongoing and there is a shortage of housing however rents in Auckland are just as high and Auckland suffers from traffic and crowding issues that Christchurch (earthquake roadworks aside) does not. Have a look on Buy online and sell with NZ's #1 auction & classifieds site | Trade Me to get a feel for what you'd have available. I can't help you out on the jobs front as I dont work in construction. I will say this for Chch, it has taken a pounding and is still very much in recovery but the city has spirit and there is a real sense of growth and potential. I like it, it's a good place to live.

As others have said the Christchurch thread has lovely folks with good advice.

bourbon-biscuit

Hello Natalie
Reading your story I thought it was really no wonder you found it hard to settle and make it work the first time you came out here - even if everything else had worked out, moving with your first born a newborn is a uniquely challenging situation. Sounds like moving back was very sensible and that you are now in a much better position to make a good go of it

The only thing I wanted to mention was that there's a lot in your post that suggests you are both putting much emphasis on it HAS to work, the location HAS to be ideal, etc. That's quite high stakes. If you really want to give yourselves the best chance of settling, then taking the pressure off yourselves a bit is probably a good idea.

Good luck with the planning

Blade Down Under

Hmmmm

What wages would you be looking at obtaining? Does anyone know average pay for a stonemason?

Your point about right job, right place only leads me to say don't bother coming here. This is not a place to be if you don't like change. Everything is changing here

How would you feel if your boys school got closed and they had to go elsewhere for example? Read about the education minister here and the schools. The list she's done may be it, but there may be more to come. Also, schools closing and moving to alternative places because of repairs etc.

Stormer999

Chch is a very divided city on the East side very munted and disrupted and covered in road diversions and repairs then the East side where very less damage was encountered other than ceiling cracks and broken drive slab.
We bought a house in Burnside NW city and are very happy with our purchase.
As I jump on the city bus to go downtown I see 3 houses up for rent and have been for a couple of weeks so it's down to rent cost more than availability over here, they will not be cheap rentals.
Immigration use the term "ground frost" loosely i.e when the grass temp goes below 0C. Yes we have quite a few but they do bring with them big blue skies that make sitting out in the winter sunshine refreshing and winter shortening. Today we have the North Wester kicking in and will have a couple of days 18-19C and very windy. Generally we have less rain here than most of NZ and are 45 mins away from the ski slopes. Our weather on this side of the Alps is usually less changeable than other areas and a little more predictable. In our two years here there has not been one week when we have not dried the washing out on the garden line....can't be too bad eh
Good luck with your quest and remember it's forward planning that ensures success....there are too many people on BE that failed in that department.

Natalie1303

Thank you so much for your replies, it has def given me food for thought which is exactly what I wanted :-) we shall do tons more research, keep looking on here, attend an expo in sept and speak to nz employers to see what the opportunities are and then make a decision.
Thanks again, what a great forum :-)

MrsFychan

expo's - make sure you don't pay to attend as most, from people's experience on here and our own, are not worth the train fare. So take anything they say with a pinch of salt

bearskin

Good luck with your trip back. I know lots of people who moved to NZ from the UK and went back, usually within 18months. None of them, in hindsight, think it was the right decision - all wish they were in NZ.

PEACS

If you enjoy your life in the UK and unsure about NZ, seriously question the reason why you want to go. I have spent 3 years in Australia and now seriously regretting it and thinking of returning to what was an enjoyable life in the UK.

Spacecake799

Nope not me, I spent six years in New Zealand and left 18 mnths ago and have never regretted returning for a single minute. Its all about what you want from life.

Snap Shot

Yup, and I don't think Pippalonghorn or Davros1984 regret it either. Albeit 18 months have yet to pass by for either of them. Frankly, they went back to the UK for a reason. Yeah, to get out of NZ !

Shirl left Christchurch for Britain 2 years ago and hasn't posted on here for ages. BE is just a microcosm of life for anyone who can be bothered to read and/or reply.

Yet again, (not spacecake 799) someone who reckons they are so happy in NZ feels the need to smirk about people who have returned to the UK from NZ and regret it. It takes as much effort and hard work to settle back to life in Britain as it did to emigrate/relocate to (insert name of country) in the first place.

Snap Shot

Good job your wife has never been let down by her employer. Yeah, ok, some people have got their head up their backside when it comes to emigrating/relocating.

However, some people don't have it easy. It's not all plain sailing and they have to deal with the problems as they arise. Either unforeseen or worse/bigger than expected.

You just keep cruisin' mate. Sweet as.

Stormer999

Here we go again