BEVS

Yup .

You have passed Go and so can collect 200 quid .

Bo-Jangles

That will depend a lot on your own circumstances, where you live and work etcetera and unless you're able to afford to take a further income cut by working less hours or are able to reduce commute times the 'work-life balance' won't change at all.

Obviously for some jobs, such as medical professions, unsociable hours and shift work go with the territory. For myself it came as a bit of a blow that in almost all office jobs the typical working week is 40 hours, whereas in the UK we were on 35 hours (for significantly more money I might add). Our commute times in Auckland (12km) are almost identical to what they were in London (15km) - so no saving there at all.

Consequently my work life balance is immediately in deficit some five hours per week. added to which I seem to expend an awful lot more time doing mundane and banal household things, like food shopping, baking, making packed lunches* and other such chores to keep our heads above the water.

* Things that in the past life, dare I say, would have simply been bought from the shop.

The only upside seems to be that most companies are flexible on start and finish times, so you can pretty much choose your time around the core 8am to 4pm to suit. It's not unusual to see people in my office very early, the hardcore are there at 7 to 7.30 am and of course they'll be heading off home at 3.30pm to 4pm. Makes sense for a lot of Kiwis who go to bed at 9pm anyway. I have a friend who can't stay out past 8.30pm (she's 40)

Bo-Jangles

Wow 200 quid for catching a troll, by this time next year we'll all be millionaires

BEVS

That's me.

Ah ! Million dollar question to be honest. It all depends on the individual . My husband would say we gained. I would say we lost.

Neither of us are unhappy.

Kija

I'm still about meeting in the car park! OH who is usually a very cool customer was

irish_eyes

HEY - whats wrong with eating in Irish pubs????

scrubbedexpat094

Fight My money's on irish_eyes

george toni

bloody hell I just cant not get into this post so much to say!'


Midwifery is not as crap as those on here would lead you to belive.

My wife has many years experience as a midwife worked at Kings,guys,st Thomas along with agency work.

Came here 5 years ago to dunedin hospital and worked up the ladder quickly firstly to ACM role then onto become the educator.

Over the five years she has seen it all.

Now she is leaving the educator role and setting up as an LMC.

What I would say is that the situation you find youself in is mainly down to the area you are in.Maybe you need to move south island way as its much more laid back.

As for being a third class citizen cant understand that.A maori birth has many levels to it and is a real 'family' based thing. She has donre heaps of them and has been treated with respect and enjoyd them.Sure they are different but heck when in Rome!

Wage wise midwifery pays well by NZ standards and LMC work for 4 women a month is about $8k a month mark.

She has set up a small team of hand picked midwifes and wont be on call 24/7
and the work life balance will be great.

I would have to say get a grip and take your job by the balls.Sure things are different here and yep some of the LMC's might be a bit crazy but on the whole I think the system here is far better.

The LMC thing enables ANY woman to choose her midwife and get good care fromn them.Having gone through the UK system fout times as a dad to be I can say what I see beats hands down the overworkd under staffd Midwives there.

Right thats the midwife bit.

Moving to NZ then going to Auckland is maddness and only to be done if that is the ONLY place you can get work.It pisses me off when people get there and then moan about traffic,high house prices,crime yawn yawn yawn.

Again coming here to an area that has a large Maori population and then saying you feel third class well heck maybe you are a minority in that particular area.Id say move and you would see a huge difference.

This country is by far a hard one to live in when poor.And no im not rich.

We came here with just $75k yep dollars and now have a large mortgage,we have four daughters,3 dogs and all the other bills and crap that go with a 'normal' life.

At times our life is bloody hard I run my own heat pump company and this year has been tough.

We have debts,shop for bargins,dont have mega holidays etc.

But guess what that would be the samr back in the UK with the one big difference.Over here despite all that we love the place.

I have always said you cant live on the views and this is so true.However not everything you do to have fun costs alot.

People here are far more freindly and laid back,they say hallo,they smile,they dont walk head down with a who the f..k are you looking at attitude and the girls have a life at school that involves regular excercise everyday fat or thin no one cares.

All this I reckon is mainly down to living in Dunedin which if I say so is unique even for NZ standards.

It took us two years of hard graft to settle here,we went out met people and made an effort to 'fit in' with the Kiwis, come here like a typical brit expecting to be waited on as superior and you will be found out.A bit like those who move to spain not learning the language and then shouting when not understood.

NZ is not Little Britain the ONLY similar thing being the language move here with a ex pat attitude and you might as well go home.

Reasearch is all good and should be done but in the end only when you get here will you really get a feel for it.

Sorry to be a bit all over the place with this post.

george

BEVS

That's OK George. That's you .

Would you think to put up a bit of a background intro and an update into the Update section at all please?

I know who you are, just like I 'know' Foof. but lots here won't.

I think some would enjoy your journey to date.

love30stm

LOL who gives a shit in fact this BE is getting tiresome

BEVS

Bettys' hotpot then

love30stm

Never tried it

Kija

Hi there Irish_Eyes! Missed reading your posts! How are you?

louloumama

hey george toni

you made me feel a whole heap better As a midwife coming out from the UK my feet were getting cold...... I was wondering WTF am I about to plunge myself out of the frying pan and into the fire

This emmigrating lark is such a roller coaster its true..... one minute I am up there and can't wait and feel almost childlike with excitement ....... and the next (esp when reading people's honest yet negative experiences) I plummet into panic and sheer .

I guess this is all part and parcel of considering both sides of the coin and not viewing such a huge move through rose tinted glasses. . . .

Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences

george toni

hi

no probs.

I would say that my wife did see adifference in the way midwifery was practised here it is different.

Way she saw it was that as she always has its her who is the midwife and she who is accountable for her practice.Backed up with her experience she just went about doing what she knew was the right way to practice.

She took an active approach and slowly but surely became respected by all who worked with her.She was taught new skills like scrubbing up for c sections and was given the chance to take many study days.

After a while she got the associate chrge midwife position and from that applied for and got the educator role.

While doing that job she totaly transformed the working relationship between lmc's,core staff and consultants etc setting up study days involving all disciplines in viva type day with scenarios of all sorts.

She became a level 6 resussitation instructor as well.

My point is not to show how clever or good at her job she is (although I am very proud of her and what she has achieved and love her heaps) but to point out that midwifery here does have its plus side and its ability to enable you to further your future in that role.

Maybe those ready to write to the NZ midwifery council should do just that,maybe they should speak up who can say.

I remember shift after shift in the uk at kings and tommies her having to put in unsafe practice forms just to cover her own back due to being only one of two midwifes looking after a total ward full to bursting doing a 12 hour shift and coming home exhausted.

Not saying its perfect here but id be interested to no where this eutopia of a place was that the 'dont like it brigade' worked in the uk!

so come here with an open mind and a positive attitude and who knows you might just like it.Come here with an im better we are better than them attitude and you will loose from day one

george