Migrants tell their story...
Cris Wilson,
Quantity Surveyor
Quantity Surveyor
A Quantity Surveyor, based in Cumbria, Cris Wilson sought a change to working in the U.K. In November, 1995 together with wife Jill, he embarked on a new life in New Zealand.
'strong desire to work overseas' was the main motivation in helping Cris Wilson make the decision to emigrate. Adopting a 'nothing ventured, nothing gained outlook', he decided the only way to find out if it really suited himself and wife Jill was to try it.
He recalls 'Although I had a good steady job in the UK (six years with the same company), my prospect to move on the further my career locally were severely limited. Both Jill and I enjoyed living in the Lake District (Cumbria) and neither of us relished the idea of living anywhere else in the UK.'
Their combined love of the outdoor lifestyle was fundamental in choosing New Zealand as their migration destination. 'We didn't want to experience any great culture shock and sought an English speaking country with a favourable climate,' says Cris.
The first step was to gain a permanent residence visa. Although Cris felt he could claim sufficient points to qualify, he nonetheless decided to retain the services of a professional migration consultant in order to simplify the application process and to gain an advance insight and knowledge of New Zealand. Rejecting the first company they approached as being 'totally inadequate and unprofessional,' Cris and Jill retained the services of The Emigration Group, based in Chester.
Fortunately, an offer of employment was not necessary to enhance Cris's residence application. Although keen to emigrate, Cris had no intention of leaving the UK without first gaining a firm offer of employment. 'It was very important to us that we emigrated with security and peace of mind,' he recalls.
How did he go about finding a suitable job?
'Well, to begin with I did the obvious and wrote directly to several New Zealand companies. About half didn't bother to reply. Of those that did the letters followed the usual 'thanks but no thanks' response.'
Sensing that securing a job from 12,000 miles away was going to be difficult, Cris approached New Zealand Jobsearch specialists, Taylor & Associates for help. 'I retained TAYLOR & Associates as they were the sister company of The Emigration Group whom we had chosen to handle our residence application. Also they offered a local service on the ground in New Zealand. It was difficult enough trying to get a job at home, let alone on the other side of the world,' he says.
What happened next?
'Well for several weeks although being assured that work was progressing on my behalf, I heard little and was becoming concerned about the lack of any positive news. I suppose with hindsight, I was expecting things to happen too quickly.'
The reality was that, although numerous employers were impressed with Cris's background, he was not readily available for interview in person. He continues 'I was asked to commit myself to travel to New Zealand for a week so that companies could meet with me. This I did. Immediately thinks began to happen.'
On arrival in New Zealand, Cris had four interviews scheduled for the week. He was offered three of the jobs before leaving New Zealand, making the trip extremely worthwhile. Did he expect to be offered a job 'sight unseen?' 'Not really,' he says, 'I expected that I would have to travel to New Zealand for interview but I would have been prepared to accept an offer made to me sight unseen.'
How did he decide which job to accept?
'I chose my current employer because they were consultants, not just contractors. They were also offering a very favourable package and went out of their way to make me really feel they wanted me.'
How does his salary compare with his last one in the UK?
'It's a much better package over here and I have been fortunate enough to have had two salary reviews within my first year.'
How has he found working in New Zealand?
'It's very different from the work I was doing in the UK. There seems to be a more relaxed approach to work in New Zealand. I have been very well received by the company and my fellow workers. New Zealand companies are respectful of the training and experience of British (construction) personnel.'
What advice would he give to future migrants?
'Be patient with regard to the time it takes to go through the residence process. Also to be aware of the severe difficulty of trying to obtain employment yourself from so far away. I would certainly recommend the services of The Emigration Group and Taylor & Associates. For us their assistance was invaluable in securing a residence visa and enabling us to emigrate with 'peace of mind,' knowing a job was waiting.'
Work can be a most useful social short cut.
Jill Wilson is a nurse. She has some useful advice for wives and girlfriends on arrival in New Zealand. A nurse in the UK, Jill always planned to continue working in New Zealand and strongly advises wives and girlfriends to do likewise, at least to start with.
'Starting out in a new country without ones usual family and friends can be difficult,' she says. 'If I hadn't been working myself I don't think I would have made the adjustment so easily. I have met one or two other wives (recent migrants) here who have not sought work. They have found it far more difficult to adjust and make new friends.'
'Through our jobs, both Cris and I have met quite a few people and have enough close friends with 12 months of arriving to enjoy a social good life. It's very easy to make new friends in New Zealand, it just takes a little time.'
'strong desire to work overseas' was the main motivation in helping Cris Wilson make the decision to emigrate. Adopting a 'nothing ventured, nothing gained outlook', he decided the only way to find out if it really suited himself and wife Jill was to try it.
He recalls 'Although I had a good steady job in the UK (six years with the same company), my prospect to move on the further my career locally were severely limited. Both Jill and I enjoyed living in the Lake District (Cumbria) and neither of us relished the idea of living anywhere else in the UK.'
Their combined love of the outdoor lifestyle was fundamental in choosing New Zealand as their migration destination. 'We didn't want to experience any great culture shock and sought an English speaking country with a favourable climate,' says Cris.
The first step was to gain a permanent residence visa. Although Cris felt he could claim sufficient points to qualify, he nonetheless decided to retain the services of a professional migration consultant in order to simplify the application process and to gain an advance insight and knowledge of New Zealand. Rejecting the first company they approached as being 'totally inadequate and unprofessional,' Cris and Jill retained the services of The Emigration Group, based in Chester.
Fortunately, an offer of employment was not necessary to enhance Cris's residence application. Although keen to emigrate, Cris had no intention of leaving the UK without first gaining a firm offer of employment. 'It was very important to us that we emigrated with security and peace of mind,' he recalls.
How did he go about finding a suitable job?
'Well, to begin with I did the obvious and wrote directly to several New Zealand companies. About half didn't bother to reply. Of those that did the letters followed the usual 'thanks but no thanks' response.'
Sensing that securing a job from 12,000 miles away was going to be difficult, Cris approached New Zealand Jobsearch specialists, Taylor & Associates for help. 'I retained TAYLOR & Associates as they were the sister company of The Emigration Group whom we had chosen to handle our residence application. Also they offered a local service on the ground in New Zealand. It was difficult enough trying to get a job at home, let alone on the other side of the world,' he says.
What happened next?
'Well for several weeks although being assured that work was progressing on my behalf, I heard little and was becoming concerned about the lack of any positive news. I suppose with hindsight, I was expecting things to happen too quickly.'
The reality was that, although numerous employers were impressed with Cris's background, he was not readily available for interview in person. He continues 'I was asked to commit myself to travel to New Zealand for a week so that companies could meet with me. This I did. Immediately thinks began to happen.'
On arrival in New Zealand, Cris had four interviews scheduled for the week. He was offered three of the jobs before leaving New Zealand, making the trip extremely worthwhile. Did he expect to be offered a job 'sight unseen?' 'Not really,' he says, 'I expected that I would have to travel to New Zealand for interview but I would have been prepared to accept an offer made to me sight unseen.'
How did he decide which job to accept?
'I chose my current employer because they were consultants, not just contractors. They were also offering a very favourable package and went out of their way to make me really feel they wanted me.'
How does his salary compare with his last one in the UK?
'It's a much better package over here and I have been fortunate enough to have had two salary reviews within my first year.'
How has he found working in New Zealand?
'It's very different from the work I was doing in the UK. There seems to be a more relaxed approach to work in New Zealand. I have been very well received by the company and my fellow workers. New Zealand companies are respectful of the training and experience of British (construction) personnel.'
What advice would he give to future migrants?
'Be patient with regard to the time it takes to go through the residence process. Also to be aware of the severe difficulty of trying to obtain employment yourself from so far away. I would certainly recommend the services of The Emigration Group and Taylor & Associates. For us their assistance was invaluable in securing a residence visa and enabling us to emigrate with 'peace of mind,' knowing a job was waiting.'
Work can be a most useful social short cut.
Jill Wilson is a nurse. She has some useful advice for wives and girlfriends on arrival in New Zealand. A nurse in the UK, Jill always planned to continue working in New Zealand and strongly advises wives and girlfriends to do likewise, at least to start with.
'Starting out in a new country without ones usual family and friends can be difficult,' she says. 'If I hadn't been working myself I don't think I would have made the adjustment so easily. I have met one or two other wives (recent migrants) here who have not sought work. They have found it far more difficult to adjust and make new friends.'
'Through our jobs, both Cris and I have met quite a few people and have enough close friends with 12 months of arriving to enjoy a social good life. It's very easy to make new friends in New Zealand, it just takes a little time.'
