UNIONJACK

Well I have just finished my 2 week induction and for all you UK officers coming over I can safetly say the job is s**t. The shifts are awful some units working 6 weekends out of 7!!!! The pay is terrible and they want to use our experience but they are certainly not prepared to pay for it as none of our qualifications count. Security is non existant I am surprised they are not losing 5 or 6 a week here.
On the plus side the staff are really friendly just poorly led. The country is amazing you would have to put a gun to my head to get me back to the UK. Most UK officers I have spoken too are already applying for other jobs or will be soon, as will I.
So in summary if you are coming to NZ for the lifestyle and for your family it is worth it, but be prepared to find other employment because believe me we have it pretty good in the UK workwise.

Tooanfrom

The job was OK in the early days-1980 till 1990 then the PC/Bleeding Hearts/Prisoners are Human etc got traction--turned the entire system to s#it.

I bailed out when they put a big poster in each block showing the correct way to complain about staff.

Country is great it is just the wan#ers running it that messes it up.

scottish

Sorry to read the job is pants but no you know why the have to recruit so heavily overseas.

Good luck with the job hunting

taffinkent

Hello,

We have also just finished our 2 week induction and are off to Wellington tomorrow for the 6 weeks ITC. To be honest, the security side of the job was suprising especially after working in Cat A and Cat B prisons.We are at Invercargill prison. A very small prison ( CNA 175 ) and a bit like a local eg. Swansea. The staff are great , really friendly. The management are good too. The NO1 has really helped us out. ( there are only 3 governors!!!)
We were given buddy officers before we arrived and they met us on arrival at Invercargill and showed us around for 2 days, the prison had bought us a box of food and the NO1 arranged for us to change our motel for the first 2 weeks because HE said the one which was provisionally booked was not good enough !!
OK, the job is much more laid back and everything does not rush around at one hundred miles an hour like in the UK. But that was why we came here....I was burning out after 9 years in HMP and Im 37 !! It will take getting used to .The shift pattern here is also fine. Shifts are 0600-1400 ; 0700-1500 ; 0700-1600 ; 0800-1700 ; 1200-2000 ; 1400-2200 and 2200-0600. I will work in the North/Remand unit and there is a whole variety of jobs away from the unit so you are not banged up all day. Also we work an average of 1 in 3 weekends. I think it depends on which prison you work at for the shift pattern. It seems the smaller prison you go to the better the shift pattern.
We have settled well here, even on the pay ( we have 2 wages , no mortgage and no kids by the way )and who knows what the future will bring. But as we said before we left the UK......."you don`t know till you try !!"

Good luck

Taff and Debs.

UNIONJACK

Would have to agree with Taff and Debs on how helpful they are when you arrive, they even arranged for me to stay with an officer for my induction so that I can use the 2 weeks that they pay for when my wife arrives. He has been brilliant and has really looked after me.
All the prisons will be different we hold 850 so staffing is a big issue hence the poor shift patterns etc. Not for me long term but everyone is different, lifestyle more tham makes up for it!!!!!!!!!!!!

sky

No wonder they have difficulty recruiting staff in their own country then, how many kiwis don't have a mortgage or rent to pay.
Not exactly a good career choice for someone wanting to start a family in the future either is it?
I honestly don't know how the P.O's with wives and small children are going to manage on their wages over here, they'll all be on the poverty line :scared:
Not a good place to be in an unfamiliar country believe you me!

Buzzy--Bee

I agree entirely.

Cheers

Buzzy

cottageinthesky

So how realistic is "Bad Girls" - just screened on TVNZ?

Buzzy--Bee

It's a documentary isn't it?

Cheers

Buzzy

ranbysue

which prison are you at UnionJack? Would you have taken the plunge knowing what you know now? How does everything compare lifestyle wise from what you have seen to the UK.

Suze
(we still haven't decided!!!!!!)

UNIONJACK

Hi suze,
I would say moving here is great and i would not go back to the UK the place and the people are great and have been so helpful. The job in my opinion is poor and i will not be staying and most of the uk officers all think the same. So if you don't mind a change of career go for it. This is my opinion and others may find it different but i didn't come here because i wanted to be a prison officer for the rest of my life, there are loads of better paid less stressful jobs with hours that you can actually see your family.
Best of luck

Andrew Cross

I've spent sixteen years in the British prison Service and I think it's import to reflect back on what we left behind when we judge the New Zealand Service. In my Prison I witnessed the progressive deterioration of our working conditions. I recall the staff suspensions and dismissals, the final insult was the complete drop in standards and qualifications for new recruits. We were not far off simply Press ganging people into the Job. Promotion was corrupt and our own Trade Union (NEC) were ineffective, earning thousands in expenses for the privilege (fact!). Thus our security was dependent on many incompetent individuals.

As for New Zealand, I have found the calibre of recruits both internationally and from the Kiwis is of a very high standard. Yes there are concerns about certain security aspects, the policy on issuing with out return a razor for example? And the very poor rubdown searches. However these are minor areas of poor practice as opposed to working with a complete incompetent! I have found the Kiwis are willing to listen and learn. Likewise they have better security of their keys and chains, a personal alarm and a roll (muster) check.

Staff are trained in legislation and supplied with a copy of the laws they are expected to obey and work within. Whilst training, I have heard a lot of 'when we were back in the UK' that even I'm sick to death of the expression. I think we all need to reflect back and remember our differing experiences and the reasons why we did not enjoy the job anymore.

The New Zealand Prison Service is changing for the better and without doubt part of that change is the injection of new blood, experience and ideas. Policies can and i have no doubt they will improve. In Britain, we cut back almost everything to a level of incompetence that led to the introduction of mandatory polices; such as automatic sick warnings and dismissals. Affectively we had managers who could not manage and that was recognised.

The pay is poor, $560 in your hand a week. However you can opt for overtime, which many have little option but to do. Most staff do at least two call In's per week, increasing their take home wage by $300 per week. I've met one officer who does considerably more hours than that. Negotiations are also under way between Management and the Unions in relation to pay. There has been some considerable controversy over the last three year pay deal that seems to have got it completely wrong. If anything this has led to the current 25% difference in wages with those comparable similar New Zealand professions. The Department do recognise this major problem and have already put an offer on the table of 10% or 12% so I've heard. Naturally that is unacceptable but it's early days. Many of the British have arrived with considerable equity from the sale of their homes in Britain. For these people they are now or about to become mortgage free, with a substantial property depending on their individual circumstances of course. In Britain I recall many of my colleagues travelling long distances to work, I recall most of their wages going on rent or a mortgage for the rabbit hutch they lived in. Thus in real terms for many it was not so great.

Another great factor about Corrections is you can take different career paths in administration or probation or other associated professions. Sentence Management is a recognised role that pays more money? There are no OSG's so there are many non prisoner related jobs, we have escorts and court duties like Britain had in the eighties. And we're never too short of staff because of the overtime. (For the Kiwis, another great British secret about our security was we did not pay overtime, so when somebody went sick you just had to make do? I remember days when the majority of the staff on our units did not turn in!! And chances are the one that did was a new incompetent recruit.)

I've met some miserable British Officers during my first few weeks here. I think this has a lot to do with the initial move and all the changes that brings. The first few weeks are unstable and there are very few of us who have not had moments of second thought. They however quickly go and reduce as time moves on. One only has to think of all the negative things we left behind. We are too quick to remember the good things that were in my mind too few and with some people a little over stated; hence the move.

As said the majority of recruits here are of a high standard and given time the infusion could prove very beneficial for New Zealand. The Staff and Management are not fixated with PC and the zero tolerance strategy of the UK that pays out thousands and destroys careers, here those people are simply spoken to and managed appropriately.

Before I close I think I should touch on the Training. For many of us this is the second time around and mostly repetitive. It would have been much better if a consolidated package could have been put together and delivered locally in one week (saving a lot of time and money). Six weeks on a residential course is too much to expect considering our families have moved around the world and are alone. My advice, to those coming; Is do an extra month in the UK, save as much money as you can and take as long as you can setting up home here before you start training. Incidentally all training is done in the Hutt Valley, about an hour from Wellington Airport. If ever asked about the Hutt Valley, banjo players and half wits spring to mind. I can only describe the place as like being in the film 'Deliverance' but without a canoe! I'm so glad I did not go to Wellington, it seems always cloudy, dull or wet and windy. Bit like home, well not that bad I suppose!

I'm in sunny and warm Christchurch as a new recruit, right back at the bottom of the heap. If I were a new recruit in the UK, I wouldn't be on much more money, it's important to take a little time and compare.
Things are generally much better here. It is a shame our former ranks and skills have not been recognised, but then again it shouldn't take long to progress out here if one perseveres a little. (After all we have been trained twice?)

I have a few more weeks of training left, back next weekend, have a good week.

annaerb

Nice post Andrew . Know nothing about Prison service etc but hope you enjoy your new life In NZ.

Rascal

Must be very hard for families to survive on those wages.
Or impossible even

sky

If you need a mortgage or pay rent I'd say it was impossible