New Zealand is #1 in the world because…

Google ‘what’s New Zealand best in the world at’ and guaranteed you’ll find the national rugby team, the All Blacks, up there. Although rightly proud of their sporting prowess on the global stage, New Zealand is world beating in other ways too.

The world’s most free country        

What does it mean to be free? Well for starters, to enjoy freedom of expression and belief, as well as tolerance of immigrants and minorities. In the Legatum Prosperity Index, New Zealand has topped the personal freedom category. This suggests that New Zealanders feel safe, respected and able to explore their opinions and beliefs without persecution.

An annual ranking of 142 countries, the index ranks countries on a range of factors, including wealth, economic growth and quality of life. However, it doesn’t just look at economic indicators (like a country’s income), it also looks at people’s well-being – making it unique. It’s the only global measurement of prosperity based on both income and wellbeing.

See how well New Zealand fared on other factors too.

Best experience for expats

Global bank HSBC has just released the results of their Expat Explorer Survey. Surveying the opinions and experiences of expats (so the people who have actually done what you’re hoping to do), it’s a fascinating look into what it’s really like to move, live and work internationally.

Although New Zealand actually came in at number two (behind Singapore at number one) overall of the world’s best countries for expats, it still topped a number of the charts.

Key wins for New Zealand include:

• Number one for entrepreneurship – great news for anyone hoping to set up a business in NZ.
• Number one for overall experience with number one rankings in quality of life, finance and healthcare.
• Number one for quality of life, health and integration under the family category – reassuring if you’re taking your family with you to NZ.

Look at how New Zealand compares to other countries for expats – it’s definitely one of the best.

You tell us

What do you think New Zealand is #1 in the world for? Find us on Facebook and tell us your thoughts.

Credit: Chris WIlliams

The 3 Best Ways to Move to New Zealand

Exciting career opportunities.  Jaw-droppingly beautiful scenery.  The All Blacks.  Hobbiton.  There are hundreds of reasons why you should move to New Zealand…

…but what about how to move to New Zealand?  We’ve put together our top three ways to help you make the move.

1.  Be in demand in New Zealand

Firstly, do your research to understand if your unique skills and experience are needed in New Zealand. The more in demand you are, the more likely it is you’ll get a visa.

Thankfully we’ve done all the hard work and recently produced an article about the latest skill shortages in New Zealand. Take a look to see if you’re needed…

You are?  Brilliant, get started with your job search today. Working In New Zealand’s online jobs board is regularly updated with jobs across New Zealand in a variety of industries.

If your occupation isn’t listed – and you don’t fancy retraining – there are other visa options available. See ‘Discover your New Zealand visa options’ below.

Meet New Zealand employers face to face

Searching for jobs online is convenient, but nothing beats meeting potential employers face to face.  You can do just that this October at the Working International Expo in London and Manchester.  Enjoy face to face time, get all your questions answered, and even interview with employers while you’re there.  Immigration New Zealand will be on hand too, with plenty of useful information about New Zealand jobs and visas.

2.  There’s more to New Zealand than Auckland

Even Prime Minister John Key recognises it – that’s why he’s announced new visa schemes that’ll give you more points if you work in one of the regions, rather than Auckland.

From November 2015, skilled migrants will have bonus points trebled if they apply for residence with a job offer not from Auckland.  If you’re starting a business in the regions, you’ll have your Entrepreneur Work Visa points doubled.

If you’re willing to live and work outside Auckand for at least 12 months, it could be easier and quicker for you to move to New Zealand.  There isn’t any more information available yet, but sign up to our newsletter and we’ll let you know when more information is released.

Discover your New Zealand visa options

Skilled workers, students, family members, entrepreneurs – there are multiple visa options for New Zealand.  To find out what’s right for you, it’s best to get expert visa advice from licensed immigration advisers.

This October you can meet the real experts – Immigration New Zealand. They’ll be in London and Manchester.  Migration Planners, experts in New Zealand migration and visas, will also be there.

3.  Prove your commitment

Kiwi employers want to be sure that you understand the implications of leaving your life behind and starting again in New Zealand – and that you’re committed to this.

Have you ever visited New Zealand?  Do you have friends or family there?  Are you planning to visit?  Have you spoken to anyone who’s already made the move?  How will you cope thousands of miles (or kilometers) from home?  Will you land and start to settle in, only to go back a few months later?

If you still think the move is for you, great. Going along to the Working International Expo is one way to show your commitment. You can chat to Kiwis face to face, and understand what it’s really like to live and work in New Zealand.

Make the move to New Zealand this October

At the Working International Expo, you can get all your questions answered under one roof. Meet Kiwi employers, find a job, sort your visa and arrange your move – from professional movers to opening your bank account.

We’re heading to London and Manchester, and tickets are flying out the door.  Get in quick – we’ll see you there!

Gannets, Kiwis and Fly In Fly Out (FIFO)

Our Marketing Manager Julie takes a quirky look at the Fly In Fly Out (FIFO) mining job opportunities and what they have in common with the local bird life:

What is the difference between a gannet, a kiwi and FIFO?

Two are high fliers, and the other is a flightless native bird.

Well, to be totally factual, the dear kiwi has no real choices on being grounded, coupled with being an endangered species treasured by New Zealanders. Now the gannet is a whole other story, having the freedom to fly around the world, eking out a living, meeting up with old friends and making new ones.

Then there’s FIFO (a.k.a. fly in fly out) which is not a feathered bird (but let’s not forget that flight is the operative word here) but best known by miners and mining companies who bid for miners then fly them out to billion dollar mining projects. So, miners and gannets both share a common goal – of making a living involving the move from one country to another.

Miners’ specialisation, skills and motivation to move to other countries means they have opportunities galore to live and learn new cultures, and can potentially earn a good living to support themselves and their families.

Did you know?

• Mining companies will make bids to attract miners
• There are great locations in Western Australia and Latin America
• Accommodation and meals are provided in comfortable environments
• You have the chance to go home on a regular basis

Now getting back to the moral of story, you may see there are a few parallels between our gannet and the FIFO miner, while the kiwi bird is clearly a rank outsider with no ability to take flight. Unlike you – so visit our website and check out those hot jobs and start your FIFO missions – what are you waiting for?

Work in New Zealand: five tips for successful job hunting

Hanna, our Visa Delivery Manager, relocated to New Zealand in 2008 and has had the privilege of working with numerous migrants who have made the journey down under – she loves making a positive difference to their experience. Here she shares her top tips for successful job hunting in New Zealand:

When sitting across the other side of the world with the ideology that you would like to work in New Zealand, how hard is it to get someone to take you seriously? How do you get yourself in front of the decision makers and how do you get over the initial issues of “no job, no visa, but no visa, no job”?

The New Zealand immigration process is such that many people require that elusive offer of skilled employment in order to make their dreams of relocating a reality. You’ve heard the success stories from others who have managed it all seemingly without stress or issue. You also have the skills and know that you would be an asset to a New Zealand employer. You’re able to jump on a plane and hit the ground running – so how do you get over the initial barriers?

1. Have a good CV.

A 12-page CV is daunting to anyone managing a recruitment process. Keep it to two pages and focus on your transferable skills, relevant qualifications and experience. Tailor your CV to the role you are applying for and be as specific as possible. Sell yourself.

2. Target your applications.

New Zealand is a small country with a natural propensity to rely on personal recommendations and word of mouth to get what you want. To fire your CV to all and sundry in the hope of getting someone, anyone, to respond favourably will not assist your chances of finding suitable work. It is likely to go to the same people more than once and this undermines how serious you are about your job search. Provide a covering letter which goes with your tailored CV, addressed to the person you know is managing the process. Be personally professional and stand out from the crowd.

3. Follow up.

You are on the other side of the world and in the same boat as many other hopeful migrants. When you fire off that CV and letter, keep track of the company, the contact name and the role you are applying for. Leave it a few days or until the closing date for applications has passed and then follow up with a phone call. Have they got your CV and covering letter? Do they have any questions you may be able to address? What is your availability for interview?

4. Be patient.

New Zealand is a laid back country and things tend to move at a slower pace than you may expect. But that’s why you want to live here, right? You may not get an immediate response to your enquiry, timeframes may be extended more than once and your messages may not be returned. Don’t make a pest of yourself but proactively stay on top of things and try to be patient.

5. Be prepared.

You may not get a lot of notice for an interview. Do your research into the role and the company, know what you are talking about geographically and give yourself the best chance of success. An interview is likely to be by phone or Skype and the timing may not be very appropriate, given the time difference. Be prepared to make allowances and understand if you aren’t being treated with special dispensation due to your location. If you want this to work then you have to be able to be flexible. Remind yourself of why you want to relocate and what New Zealand has on offer. What’s an 11pm phone call on a Sunday night, if it results in your ticket to a new life?

Remember, it’s never easy to find a new job in your home country so looking off-shore adds distance and a different culture to the challenges. Give yourself the best possible chance of being acknowledged. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and perseverance and a little smart thinking could be the winning approach.

Where have we been?

Hi Everyone,

sorry it has been so long since our last post but as you know we were over in the UK at our Expos in Leeds and London and the interest was even higher than expected. Over 5000 people attended and we were flat out busy. Jenny and I are now back safely in the New Zealand office (well, actually Jenny is taking a well deserved break in Fiji) and I just wanted to let you know how things have moved on already for some of the people we met at the expo.

The employers and recruiters who flew over from Australia and New Zealand were all really pleased with the quality of the people they met in the UK. Many have already offered jobs to the people they met who are ready to move and they are busy following up on the hundreds of others whose skills are needed.

The key thing to remember here is that when you come to an expo the exhibitors will be talking to a lot of people and they will be focusing very closely on those people who are ready to make the move. Coming to the expos and being able to show how committed you are will put you ahead of the others who are researching the move. Although employers and recruiters have flown thousands of miles to meet you they are still looking for the best quality people who are committed to making the move.

Of course we have lots of people who come along to the expos because they are researching the move and they want to know the best way to proceed. I personally met thousands of people who attended our working in seminars on Australia and New Zealand and hopefully got to speak to most of you. If you are not sure of the best way for you and your family to migrate then the best thing to do at the expo is sign up for our migration map and hundreds of people did this and we are now busy having consultations with these people giving them all the information they need to be able to proceed and that information is tailored to them and their circumstances.

Of course it’s not all work and it was good to spend some time in Leeds as I hadn’t been there in years and any down time in London is always fun. There is a lot of meeting and mingling with all the exhibitors at these events and this is where we have a unique position compared to other immigration companies. Not only do we organise the expos but we also exhibit at them and build relationships with all the other exhibitors and are in constant touch with them making those relationships work for our visa clients.

So if you did come along to the expo I would love to hear from you so please leave a comment. We are already getting busy organising our Canadian, South Africa and next round of UK expos due to take place in November.

I’ll be giving you some insider tips on how to make the most of the expo and even running some competitions so you can win some free tickets so do interact with us on this blog and we will respond to all comments.

We aim to blog more frequently (well when Jen gets back from FIJI, can you tell I’m jealous) so do keep checking in and tell your friends.

For those of you looking for jobs in New Zealand or Australia here are some handy tips to help you on your way.

A Positive attitude – You need to come across to employers as committed to the move with an upbeat positive flexible attitude. If you can also show commitment to the move by visits you have made to Australia or New Zealand or show engagement with a company such as workingin visas this can also add to your appeal

A Good CV – It is very important to have your CV formatted in a way that suits the employers. This could be very different to how you currently format your CV. Grammar and spelling is crucial and your CV should be tailored to each application

Understand your potential employer – Read the job description carefully. What are they looking for? Who are they and what do they do? You need to do as much research as possible before applying

Be Proactive – Follow up your job applications with phone calls as well as emails. Phone calls show motivation and are the best way to make contact. Keep track of your applications and even follow up the rejections with a request for feedback.

Know your timeframes – This is essential. Do not apply for jobs unless you are able to move. Some employers will wait months but most will want you to start work ASAP.

Leave your comments we want to hear from you

Ka Kite (bye for now)

Paul Goddard

IAA license 201001948

Flying 12000 miles

Well it’s late on a Sunday night here in NZ and I am writing this blog on my iPod so please excuse the spelling. I am just about to take the 24hour flight from New Zealand to the UK for our expos and seminars. It’s been a busy week and we now have over 400 live jobs that we will be bringing to the UK with us from NZ and 100 s more waiting back in NZ. If you are coming along make sure you speak to Jenny who is our international employment facilitator who assists people with our journey to work service. For those of you who have been to other Expos and felt you got lots of information but left the event with more questions than you started with our expos and seminars are different. If you come along to the working in visa stand you will get an overview of the immigration process and be able to speak directly with licensed advisors who have helped hundreds of people make the move to New Zealand and Australia. Get the insight from people who have actually made the move and settled successfully. If you are serious about migrating check out http://www.expo-newzealand.com
I will also be posting a daily video blog on our facebook page for behind the scenes footage and some insight into why we do what we do. Watch and you may be surprised. Follow us on facebook via http://www.workingin.com
On a personal note it has been a tough weekend where we had to put one if our dogs down after a long term skin condition. We have a beautiful house in NZ with a large garden that he loved racing around and barking at the horses and various birds that flew into his territory. We originally shipped two dogs from the UK to NZ and they have both now passed on but Winston was our first kiwi dog. So my thoughts are with my family and also with those of you who want to make this life changing journey no matter how hard it can be sometimes. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.

See you in the UK soon

Paul Goddard

I’m Back

Sorry it has been so long since I posted a blog. I have been sooo busy and can’t believe I have now been at workingin for almost six months and am about to fly out to the UK for our next round of expos and seminars. There is so much going on that I don’t know where to start. The Australian immigration system is going through a bit of an overhaul and with the economy there doing so well they are moving to a system that attracts the skilled people that the country needs. The unemployment rate in Australia has just dropped to 5.2 and that means the skills shortages are about to increase.

In New Zealand things are also looking positive. Although, unlike Australia we did go into recession here, the economy is showing good signs of a strong recovery. The  interest rate has just risen and other indicators such as an increase in car sales, growth in engineering and manufacturing and also 22,000 new job vacancies being listed in May is all positive news.

I have been really busy talking to people who want to make the move out to NZ and helping make that move a reality. I’ve also been busy talking to employers and other people in the migration sector and we have some really exciting things going on www.workingin-visa.com now have one of the largest and most experienced teams of licensed immigration advisors in the industry and people who want to migrate are really seeing the benefit of what we can offer. Sorry I know I’m blowing my own trumpet here but after 5 years working in the immigration industry I am so excited about what we are doing.

Another thing I am really looking forward to is our next series of expos and seminars in the UK. We are in London and Manchester but also holding seminars in Birmingham and Newcastle where you can come along and meet me and find out exactly what it is like to make the move and how you can do it. We are covering migration to Australia as well and if you are coming to the expos in London and Manchester make sure you come and say hello. If you are looking to secure a job offer as part of your move then you really need to come along and see our what our Journey to Work service can offer. We have hundreds of vacancies that need filling!

WWW.EXPO-NEWZEALAND.COM

I know the world is in cup fever and New Zealander are thrilled that the All Whites are over in SA but  don’t forget the  All Blacks start off their campaign tonight against Ireland here in NZ and then we play Wales next weekend. I’m really looking forward to that game as it is held here in Hamilton and we have a very big night planned. Tune in on Sky if you can and see what makes the All Blacks so special in NZ.

Well my travels continue and I’m off to Whangarei on Monday which is in the Northland region of New Zealand and a beautiful part of the country. Keep checking back on my blog as I will be posted regularily from now on and keeping you all updated. Also let me know what you want to hear about and leave some comments for me it would be great to hear from you and also follow me on twitter. I may even keep you updated on the All Blacks score.

Ka Kite (bye for now)

Paul Goddard

Welcome, Kia Ora, Gidday

Welcome everyone to my first blog post in my new role here at www.workingin-visa.com It’s been a whirlwind week for me that was broken up with a 3 day school camp with my son in the New Zealand wilderness. Much fun was had tramping through the forest and swimming under waterfalls!

We are all flat out busy at the moment planning our UK visit and I am really looking forward to meeting you in the UK during our expos in March. 2010 is going to be a great year if you are looking at emigrating down under. Australia didn’t go into recession during 2009 and New Zealand also came through the recession strongly. Things are feeling very upbeat here and even the summer weather seems to be holding on.

Even though I have been working in the immigration industry for a number of years now I am really excited by what we can offer people like you who are looking to emigrate. Their really is no other immigration company with the networks and experience of Working In and that was really important in me making my decision to join the company.

I will be updating this blog on a regular basis and giving you all sorts of useful information. I also want to hear from you so please leave your comments for me to look at. I made the move to New Zealand seven years ago with my family and we knew nobody here and had never visited when we committed to the move. It is the most life changing thing you will ever do and my advice is to make sure you do it right first time. I know what you are about to experience and you can learn from my mistakes. Believe me I made a few!

I have no regrets and we are still experiencing new things every day.  So until next time….

Ka Kite (bye for now)

Paul Goddard

www.workingin-visa.com