Whether you are coming straight to a job in New Zealand, starting your own business or planning to look for work when you arrive, this section aims to give you all the information you need to find a job and work in New Zealand - and to find out how much you're likely to earn.
Finding Work in New ZealandYou may need a job offer as part of your visa requirements, or perhaps you or your partner will be looking for employment shortly after you arrive in New Zealand. While there are plenty of employment agencies and job websites in New Zealand, it can be very hard to get a job offer when you haven't moved over here yet. Added to this, as in the UK, many job vacancies are filled without being advertised. On the plus side, many New Zealand employers are struggling to find quality candidates, and are very open to employing migrants from the UK. A lot really depends on which industry you are in - and the rest depends on making yourself known to the right people. So how do you find the right people to help you to find a job in New Zealand? Our advice would be to find out what you can online or at one of the migration expos that are held around the UK a couple of times a year. You will have the opportunity to meet New Zealand employers, New Zealand employment agencies and even representatives from regions in New Zealand. Talk to people, find out what you can, and collect contact details. Once you have a few leads, phone around likely agencies and employers to get advice and cultivate contacts. If you can, come over to New Zealand for a short time and meet as many of these contacts as you can. Even if an employer or employment agency does not have a current job opening for you, you may be able to tap into an industry grapevine that will make you aware of a vacancy elsewhere. Keep in touch with people over time and you will build up some very useful relationships, as well as getting a good overview of your industry in New Zealand. And, if you secure a wonderful job offer with a great employer, don't waste any time getting over to New Zealand to get started! A New Zealand company will be reasonable accommodating if they understand that you are emigrating, but no company can hold a job open indefinitely if it needs to be filled. Two of the larger New Zealand job web sites are Trademe Jobs and Seek. How much will you earn in New Zealand?Wages are not as high as in the UK, with the median annual pre-tax income for employed New Zealanders being $27,000 in 2007, and a median family income of $59,000 reported in the 2006 Census. New Zealand Immigration Department research from 2007 suggested that 46% of the principal applicants for skilled category visas from UK/Ireland were earning more than $50,000 a year before tax, with a further 35% earning between $30,000 and $50,000. Happily, only 8% of immigrants from the UK and Ireland surveyed were dissatisfied with their jobs. Please also see our article on the Cost of Living in New Zealand. For information on average wages by industry, find your occupation under the Jobs button on the New Zealand Career Services website, then have a look at the Pay and Job Outlook section. Another good source of information with salary information broken down by occupation and region is the Robert Walters Salary Survey 2008, and Hays Recruitment also offers a useful annual salary survey for New Zealand and Australia broken down by industry and region. Payscale.com also offers a free salary report based on your location, experience and job, and is also growing increasingly comprehensive. Working in New Zealand
New Zealanders generally have a very good work ethic. Many businesses are quite small, so individual efforts stand out, and you may find you have quite a wide-ranging job description - New Zealand employers value generalists. You may find that you need to take a few steps back in the career ladder on emigrating, either to "prove yourself" to a new employer, or indeed until a position at your current level becomes available. This may be less disheartening if your goals for moving to New Zealand are lifestyle based. For good basic information on all aspects of working in New Zealand, we recommend the government website http://www.worksite.govt.nz/. A more in-depth look at everything from contract negotiations to holiday entitlements is available from the Department of Labour website http://www.ers.govt.nz/audienceinfo/employees.html. Updating your CVYou may be updating your CV (curriculum vitae) or resume for the first time in a number of years as you prepare to emigrate to New Zealand. New Zealand CVs are generally more comprehensive than you may be used to in the UK - up to 3-4 pages long, though this does vary both by industry and by seniority. When you are updating your CV, concentrate on: - setting information out clearly - concentrate on making an employer aware of your strengths and achievements rather than just presenting a chronological history of where you have worked.
- making a good first impression - an employer needs to be able to get a good idea of what you can offer them within a few seconds of picking up your CV. Spelling and grammar mistakes can be very off-putting.
- showing the depth and range of your professional experience.
A good employment agency will be happy to give you advice on the current fashions in CV content and layout. Work and Income NZ also have a good basic guide and examples available at http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/documents/writing-your-cv-jobsw0002.pdf More information on finding work in New ZealandWe've asked Stephen Baker from the Christchurch branch of Enterprise Recruitment to run through a couple of frequently asked questions about job hunting in New Zealand. Steve has extensive experience of recruitment in both the UK and New Zealand. Click here for his tips on New Zealand CVs and what to expect from a New Zealand recruitment company. |
Getting Started 
