Has anyone worked in New Zealand?
Discussion
Hi all.
I've got my lorry licences because I wanted to move to Canada. That want has wained slightly now, along with it becoming more difficult, Though I would potentially consider it in the future (if their two to three weeks annual holiday gets better and Stephen Harper and his anti immigration thing clears off).
Anyhow, I've lived abroad a bit, did a year and a bit in Canada and two years in Australia. I did it on working holiday visas and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm 29 years old, 30 in August and if I want to do a bit more backpacking/travelling/bumming around in a foreign country putting off being a proper adult, now is the time, working holiday visas stop at 30. So I'm considering doing NZ. The difference is, now I have a bit of a skill.
So the question is, what's driving in NZ like? Is it an enjoyable prospect? Did you enjoy it? What are the prospects of getting a job on a two year visa, with only a year and a halls driving experience but a glowing reference? (though i would consider staying longer if it was worth it.
Thanks all.
Ps, I know I should ask on trucknet, but this seems a somewhat friendlier forum. (Which is odd, given the rest of pistonheads)
I've got my lorry licences because I wanted to move to Canada. That want has wained slightly now, along with it becoming more difficult, Though I would potentially consider it in the future (if their two to three weeks annual holiday gets better and Stephen Harper and his anti immigration thing clears off).
Anyhow, I've lived abroad a bit, did a year and a bit in Canada and two years in Australia. I did it on working holiday visas and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm 29 years old, 30 in August and if I want to do a bit more backpacking/travelling/bumming around in a foreign country putting off being a proper adult, now is the time, working holiday visas stop at 30. So I'm considering doing NZ. The difference is, now I have a bit of a skill.
So the question is, what's driving in NZ like? Is it an enjoyable prospect? Did you enjoy it? What are the prospects of getting a job on a two year visa, with only a year and a halls driving experience but a glowing reference? (though i would consider staying longer if it was worth it.
Thanks all.
Ps, I know I should ask on trucknet, but this seems a somewhat friendlier forum. (Which is odd, given the rest of pistonheads)
Edited by bigfatnick on Saturday 21st February 17:54
Worked out there as a mechanic ,why when I was offered a permenant job help to settle and accomdtion came home and went back to my normal life in this overcrowded wet h&s obsessed dump I really don't know!! Lightly trafficked roads and pleasant climate lots of opertunity for outdoor sports and
Hobbies they seem to admire and respect tradesmen and hard work, more English than oz , would recommend go for it .
Hobbies they seem to admire and respect tradesmen and hard work, more English than oz , would recommend go for it .
Worked there for 4 years, 2002-2006.
Very few motorways and most of the main roads are two-lane, sometimes quite narrow and can be twisty and technical. Standards of driving are pretty dodgy too - lots of boy racers, tourists in camper vans, aggressive driving is common.
Little traffic outside the major cities. Speed limit on the open roads is 100kph and they do actually enforce the limits, in contrast to the UK.
Overall I guess the types of roads would be more challenging and dangerous to drive in a truck, but there will be less traffic and the scenery will be nicer.
People are superficially friendly and easygoing but I got the impression there might be some concealed prejudice against Brits. The only jobs I was offered while I was looking for work there were from ex-Brits and not kiwis.
Salaries were generally lower than the UK, especially away from the Auckland / Wellington areas. I'm not sure if this goes for truckies as well (I'm an engineer). Do your homework on cost of housing and general living costs and it's not always as cheap as you might think.
Pace of life is generally more relaxed, the whole place is less overpopulated than the UK (obviously) and the weather is generally warmer (in the north at least). They have a better work-life balance than the UK.
Very few motorways and most of the main roads are two-lane, sometimes quite narrow and can be twisty and technical. Standards of driving are pretty dodgy too - lots of boy racers, tourists in camper vans, aggressive driving is common.
Little traffic outside the major cities. Speed limit on the open roads is 100kph and they do actually enforce the limits, in contrast to the UK.
Overall I guess the types of roads would be more challenging and dangerous to drive in a truck, but there will be less traffic and the scenery will be nicer.
People are superficially friendly and easygoing but I got the impression there might be some concealed prejudice against Brits. The only jobs I was offered while I was looking for work there were from ex-Brits and not kiwis.
Salaries were generally lower than the UK, especially away from the Auckland / Wellington areas. I'm not sure if this goes for truckies as well (I'm an engineer). Do your homework on cost of housing and general living costs and it's not always as cheap as you might think.
Pace of life is generally more relaxed, the whole place is less overpopulated than the UK (obviously) and the weather is generally warmer (in the north at least). They have a better work-life balance than the UK.
Most of the major cities out here - there's only 3 of them - are a pain to drive in, Auckland has major traffic problems, Wellington is better but Christchurch is still a roadworked mess of cones and one way systems after the quakes.
If you can get rural work I think you'll enjoy it, the South Island population is only a little over 1 million so the roads are incredibly quiet. A few mates are truckies, they're very laid back and personable and rarely mention work stress.
If you can get rural work I think you'll enjoy it, the South Island population is only a little over 1 million so the roads are incredibly quiet. A few mates are truckies, they're very laid back and personable and rarely mention work stress.
Thanks all! Information taken on board, any additional info/advice welcome!
fttm said:
Nothing wrong with Harper , the alternative being limp wristed libs . A year and a bit would qualify you for PR which you should have gone for then the quality jobs are yours for the taking .
Probably wouldn't have a problem with him, but I want an lmo! (I guess polish people aren't keen on Nigel farage for similar reasons) At the time I had a job that wouldn't allow me to stay. I was working in a ski resort.Edited by bigfatnick on Tuesday 24th February 06:39
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