Clarky_12

Hi all

Hoping to make a visa application under the skilled migrant category however really struggling to get a job. We have both submitted many applications with no success, we even came over for 3 weeks with the kids to confirm our decision about the move and met with a few potential employers but still no joy.

We have been on with this for several months now, sold our house, rehomed the dog and told our bosses about the potential move but at the moment it feels like we are not going anywhere.

Is it because we aren't already in the country or is it the fact that visas can take several weeks to be processed therefore 6 - 10 weeks isn't acceptable. I just don't know.

Can anyone else help me with this? Has anyone had the same experience😕

MrsFychan

are you restricting yourselves to Christchurch? you may need to spread the net wider and even onto the North Island.

Clarky_12

Christchurch area is our preferred location, however we have looked at the north island and applied for a few jobs up there too but still nothing.

Snap Shot

You are welcome to trawl through my posts........at your own risk.

MrsFychan

my hubby is in IT and only managed to secure a position by being here and able to start work straight away, so what started as a 2 wk holiday to visit a friend and take in a IT convention ended with him applying for a temp work visa, issued within a day, and not returning home.
then saying that someone who has become a friend since we have been here has been looking for IT work (telecommunications side) since they arrived over 18mths ago and still no joy. They are now moving out of Wellington and heading up to Auckland to try their chances.

You just need to keep looking and applying I'm afraid.

Snap Shot

My kiwi husband and I could not find permanent work in Christchurch (despite the exhortation to help with the re-build he was still suffering from being interviewed by 'one-eyed' cantabrians) so when he was offered a job in a city on the North Island we said yes please. We left Christchurch on 29 June 2011 having spent all our savings on rent, food, utilities etc in the three and a half months 'living' in Christchurch.

Being unemployed in post earthquake Christchurch in the winter was no fun. That's how 4 or five years planning disappears in about 3 months. He's a management accountant and was invited to hand in an EOI for a job at Christchurch City Council from the UK the day before the fatal earthquake. (Yes, really.) That EOI got forgotten about by them because of the earthquake. He submitted his cv to loads of employment agencies in ChCh, even the one that deals almost exclusively with the council. OK, he got interviews but no job offer resulted from any of those interviews. Not one interview at CCC I might add. To say he was despondent and discouraged because he was getting no where fast was the least of it !

I got a few weeks temporary admin work but we just wanted out of Christchurch by the time we left. To this day, we have never looked back.

Good luck with your endevours. Come to Christchurch with an open mind. If you have children they will be scared by the earthquakes. It is a very primal fear which is hard enough for an adult to deal with.

People may think that the earthquakes are all finished now. If so, they have lulled themselves into a false sense of security.

Would you be prepared to look for work just about anywhere in NZ with a view to working in Christchurch one day ? As Mrs Fychan says, you may need to widen your search. Have you looked on trademe.co.nz and https://jobs.govt.nz

What's your and your husband's industry ?

For sure, people have gone to Christchurch on the offer of a job. I'm also guessing people have turned up in Christchurch and managed to find work. (As what, I can't help but wonder, their chosen industry ? Maybe they are just more flexible than me.) However, that's not our story.

citybanklondon

Clarky_12 I am also in a similar situation to you as I am about to quit my
$100k job to come to Chch but luckily I have a friend where I can stay but I have a similar experience, i.e. no luck in securing work whilst outside NZ. Also my feeling is that I will spend 6-8 weeks looking hard for work as my spouse and kids will follow in December so I will need to find something quick. Also does anyone have any idea of job prospects for motion graphic designers in chch as my OH will be searching in this area. My own area is student management, further education teaching, ESOL teaching work and project co-ordination (admin). Luckily I have saved up enough to live for 1 year on savings if need be but really hope it wont come to that !

theghostofdustybin

Have skills people need, be available to work and have the personality the employer is looking for. Just the same as anywhere else.

GS.83

From my experience of arriving and also in my employment since then I say you have to be here to be taken seriously.
Many employers are inundated with applications from abroad and the majority will not make the move. Once you are here then you can be taken seriously, they get to meet you and you can start when they require.

It is fair enough saying that you have applied for many jobs, but I imagine many others overseas have as well, and should your competition be someone who is already here and can start within a week if required then what chance do you have.

If it was the other way about and you were in UK and received 10s of applications from the other side of the world from people without a visa, who you have not met and rely simply on their cv, would you offer them a job.

When I came over I had no job offer and many companies said 'give us a call when you arrive', ended up with 4 job offers within a week on considerably better terms than back home. It's a gamble but in my opinion your best/only hope.

pixiewink

We arrived 8 years ago with just our suitcases & 3 littlies, enough money to last about 6months as a visitor....we sold our house & all our possessions in the uk and rehomed our 11 yr old dog......after 2 weeks here I got a job...its probably the same now, you need to be in the country to get a job for employers to take you seriously.

If you want to move here you have to be brave and take the plunge.....

Good Luck!

Bo-Jangles

Honestly, where is the sense in concentrating efforts at finding IT jobs in Christchurch?

It seems silly also to be relying on finding a job to get a visa, since you've gone down the route of selling your house, rehoming the dog and telling your employer etc.

Seems like you've put the cart before the horse a bit. Why haven't you gone down the skilled migrant route of getting a visa before you gave up your home, dog and potentially your jobs?

citybanklondon

Can folks let me know once I am in Chch what are the chances of finding work in my area of work (as mentioned in the blog above) and does middle east experience as opposed to UK work experience go against the applicant??

ChrisWilson7

I don't have too much to add but just being here and calling people up, or emailing to tell them I'm here, is opening things up. Also having a friend here in advance, who happens to have contacts in my field, is helping. I don't have work yet but things have certainly kicked on since I arrived.

I hope that helps, but I know it is different from afar and not necessarily easy to just jump on a plane.

Wessa

I think it depends on a bit of luck if your in the UK but the above quote from PW does ring true.
I was luck and got a job offer brecause a friend already over here put me onto someone.. Im in the middle of nowhere for now but thats changing as im shifting to Christchurch. Once I was offered a job, the employer was more than happy for the visa process time. Mind, thats when the rush started but hey..
So, if you do get an offer somewhere else, why not go for it as a starting point. The time does fly along out here.
I remember when i came out pre earthquake, people offered me a start there and then, it may pay to take a holiday if possible and go from there.
Best of Luck.
Gary.

Clarky_12

Thanks everyone, some useful info and advice. A lot to take on board but we will keep on with our plans.

Patience and persistence is the key. 😄

Hopefully will be back on here soon with some good news!