NZ Working Holiday

[smegballs]

Anyone done this? I just got my visa approved last week and have been speaking to people over there currently and apparently situation is:

-very limited "traveller" infrastructure compared to straya: none of those excellent public toilet/bbq/picnic areas everywhere

-very high competition for jobs (especially in cities)

-more expensive than straya, yet wages are lower

On the plus side, there seems to be a lot of nice countryside and loads of opportunities for fishing/hunting/hiking etc.

In 2015 I went to straya on WHV, ended up not being able to find a job, and basically just eked out my money for 5 months before coming home. Didn't see anything, didn't really do anything; just spend several grand to be poor for 5 months - straya is not a fun country to be poor in. For obvious reasons I don't want a repeat of this.

If I'm just going to be spending money rather than earning it, I'd much rather a trip to USA/Canada. So what are peoples opinions? Should I go there and look for work? Go there but just treat it as a holiday, with any work being a bonus? Cut my losses and just save up to go to North America?

[mentalboy]

What kind of skill set have you got? Several mates of mine have relocated permanently to NZ, all have reasonable manual skills.
South Island NZ was always high on my list of go to places I'd be inclined to go for it if it were me but I've never had an issue with skilled manual work. If all you end up working as is a bar tender or some nasty menial job then you never will see anything other than your workplace. Skiing resorts are probably the exception to the rule.
How long is the visa for?
You can strike the US off your list as you can't legally work on a VWP. Seasonal work visas can't be obtained without first finding an employer and the visas tend to be filled by Hispanics who work their asses off during the picking season for peanuts to support their families back home - I do know of one chap from the UK who did quite well out of it, he was of farming stock and went back every year to drive a combine harvester in one of the wheat states but he was also a skilled agricultural mechanic and made himself invaluable with his ability to fix broken down machinery in the middle of nowhere. Seasonal work visas here are issued precisely so that the recipient can work, not sightsee.

Unless you are loaded or skilled you will get very little chance to see much of any country if all you can get is work that will barely meet day to day expenses.
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[Lord Percy]

Among the people I know who've gone to the other side of the world, the majority who ended up staying there are now in NZ. One works in IT and is one of those invaluably skilled types, and the others are tradesmen types (can you gain permanent residency with that kind of work? I dunno if those guys will actually need to come back to the UK at some point).

My brother went and ended up working for a sort of lawn turf company where he basically helped with the upkeep of green areas of various towns that ended up deserted after that big earthquake. He went over with no specialist skills. Ended up returning to the UK because his girlfriend got homesick...

That's the extent of my knowledge on that area. Overall I'd say, generally if you didn't fare too well in Oz I'd be extremely wary of a repeat in NZ.

Bit of a sideways and semi-biased idea but if you're interested in simply finding a way to work/live for an extended amount of time in a new/interesting place without eating into your own funds, teaching English in China is a pretty good shout. Do a TEFL course so you know what you're doing, then you're sorted. English tuition is going to be in high demand for the long and foreseeable future so it pays quite well. If you're used to living cheap you could likely get by on a 3 or 4 day week. In the south you'll have all-year good weather too (possibly too hot in summer though..).

And then, if you're thinking of sacking off the work idea entirely to just live off your own funds, I'd always suggest a place where the GBP will stretch further - so not the US or wherever. Might as well take advantage of it and go to an interesting far-flung non-western spot. Loads of people in the world can't do such a thing because their currency value won't allow it. Just my

[smegballs]

Funnily enough I have been playing around tonight at it seems that I actually have enough points to get a permanent residency visa there (65 points), if I secured state sponsorship and promised to go live in the sticks I'd have 75.

Skills-wise it's somewhat annoying as I'm pretty multi-skilled*, but nothing to the level where I can really charge money for it. I have a mech-engineering degree but no relevant work experience. Interestingly tho, NZ allows you to work the whole 12 months with one employer, unlike the 6-month limitation that straya imposes on their WHV.

I think I've found they key problem in straya: buying a car right away. It took about half my starting cash to get it, and then became a massive burden in the cities as it costs loads to park.

I've been doing some preliminary research on NZ job situation there's just nothing really there. Gumtree in straya is absolutely full of job ads of all descriptions, but the few on NZ's trademe are basically all just random recruitment firms, rather than actual businesses. I know NZ is smaller obviously, but it seems way more limited.


*vehicle/small-engine mechanics, general wood/metal fabrication, electronics design and building, timber construction, off-grid water/electric systems etc etc - basically all the shit you end up just knowing how to do when you live in the off-grid country

[Lord Percy]

In Oz I bought a moped for about $600 and couldn't have been happier. $3 a week on fuel! However I spent all my time in one place as a kind of 'resident' so a car wasn't a need at all. Moped was essential though. A mate of mine tried Oz, ignored all my advice (including "buy a moped") then came home about 4 months later with nothing...

For work I spent about 2 months desperately trying everywhere, doing ad-hoc work, scouring gumtree jobs etc. Fairly tough going to be honest and in hindsight I was really near rock bottom, though I didn't realise at the time, such is the idealism and excitement of the 'travel' experience. I guess it's the "white privileged" western version of flying the nest only to end up living hand to mouth on whatever's available

I then came across Chandler Macleod who, in Perth, found a lot of factory sort of work for people as agency staff. It landed me a job for 6 months, after which they had me on a new job instantly in another place.

They have a New Zealand arm too, presumably dealing with the same kind of work: https://chandlermacleod.co.nz/

I pretty much walked in and said, "Looking for work, sorry no skills", in my best, politest, most British way I could, and landed very much on my feet.

So, come to think of it, there's my NZ advice: Chandler Macleod. Assuming it's all still done the same, you just call them up or send an email, they arrange an appointment just to see you face to face and get you on their books, then before long there should be some reasonably secure work opportunities. I should say again though that this is based on my Australia experience. No reason for NZ to be too different though.

[smegballs]

[Lord Percy]

[Baffler186]

Spent a year there in 2008/9. Sign up with agencies in Auckland, work for 6 or 9 months over winter then buy cheap car and travel the country.

I couldn't find work anhwhere else except Auckland, but i was only after office work. I stayed in YHA for 3 months which was a bode but easy way to meet and chat to people. Otherwise rent room in private house. My wages were good and i always found cost of living not too bad, you can easily save a shit ton if you try.
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[RPM]

Yes, agree with most of the above re 'Straya'...

You might as well pick up a cheap sleeper van from someone who is leaving the country, it'll be cheap enough and have all the registration bullshit already completed.

Travel around if you can, but bear in mind that $25 an hour goes nowhere in the cities (cigarettes, coffee etc all gone way up in price).

I was in Rose bay and Maroubra (Sydney) Queensland, and Melbourne. I got out of the shithole as soon as I could. Australia is now a tax machine that is on it's knees.

So they try to shut the door and jack up the cost of living, in whichever ways they can. IMO there are better countries to spend time and money in

[smegballs]

[Loui5D]

WHZ is 2 years depending on your age, if you're over 30 it drops down to 1 year.

Auckland is ridiculously expensive so i'd avoid it as it'll drain you dry.

The South Island is much less populated, the main city being Christchurch but there are a few other big towns dotted around the coast.

I've got a business card from an Gov agency that specialises in moving to NZ, you could get in touch with them & they may be able to get you a decent foot in the door.

[smegballs]

[Lord Percy]

Loosely related - I saw this today - Dark industry of backpacker exploitation.

[smegballs]

[Lord Percy]

Sort of feel sorry for them in a way, but also let's face it they're only prolonging the inevitable - home time - for another year, with lots of fantastic experience in.. fruit picking.

Also, had to chuckle at the Italian woman in the article who had such an oh-so terrible time picking cucumbers or whatever it was, then bravely turned her back and 'luckily' got a partnership visa instead.

I was lucky when I was there. Landed on my feet in possibly the best paying factory labour on the continent. Going out to the sticks seemed a bit of a daft idea to me, glad I didn't have to resort to it.

It should also be noted that some of the rural work is great. A mate of mine worked on a farm somewhere. Said it was pretty boring as it was so remote, but he saved 10 or 20 grand in a very short amount of time, just driving tractors.

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

I did it for a year 10 years ago now.

It was great, at the time there was lots of work and I was offered to be put through a visa and trained as a fabricator. As for work I had no problems finding any. I did my research and found out about local job agencies and went through them. I was on the north island in a reasonable sized (for NZ) but not big city. I ended up working in a cycling shop then a motorbike shop (although looking back I was dire at both).

I'm sure there are horror stories but the problem I found were people not willing to graft and work hard or wanted to be picky about the type of work they did. If you're willing to accept any work that pays ok and get on with it then you will do fine. Just accept it's going to be unskilled repetitive and low pay.

If you're expecting to land an unskilled job and earn as much as you currently are then you will be disappointed. Also remember the holiday part of the WHV, you should be using the work to fund travelling around. For work I would avoid the usual hotspots (Auckland, Wellington) as with any city they will be more competitive.

What are your qualifications as they will go a lot towards determining what you can get in terms of work?

If I were in your position I would do NZ and Canada!
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Pictorgraphicalfantastical

[smegballs]

[Lord Percy]

$600/week wage, minus $300/week for food and rent

That's not even minimum wage, assuming a 38 hour week too so if you were doing more it was full exploitation.

Sounds like perfect material for the article I posted earlier good thing you were wise and didn't stick it out. Still must suck for others though, if for example they're short of cash so have no other choice. Blatant exploitation.

[smegballs]

[Lord Percy]

Really derailing this old topic now but this was on the news tonight: We have similar stuff happening here too.

[mentalboy]

Welcome to the world of the lowly immigrant. Overqualified, overworked and underpaid.
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Make mine a Corona.

[smegballs]