Moving to New Zealand for Work? Here Is What You Should Know

Moving to New Zealand for Work? Here Is What You Should Know

Moving to a new country for work is almost always accompanied by the same mixed pot of feelings. Excitement, trepidation, anxiety, stimulation, and so on.

For most people, being well-informed and having a good grasp of what to expect goes a long way in quelling the uncertainty.

New Zealand enjoys a robust economy, which is slated to grow at 2.5% to 3% in the coming years. The country is also seeing its lowest unemployment rate in the past 11 years, which makes this a great time to venture into New Zealand for work.

This article seeks to highlight all the important aspects you should be aware of when looking to move to New Zealand for work.

Eligibility Criteria

To work in New Zealand, you have to be a citizen of either New Zealand or Australia or have a work visa.

Your employer will need to verify that you have met these legal requirements before hiring you.

If you work in an industry with a skills shortage or have specialized skills, you will find that there will be numerous opportunities for you.

You can apply for either a permanent or temporary visa. A temporary visa allows successful applicants to live and work in NZ for a specific period of time.

These do not have an age limit and can be a gateway to a residency visa later on.

If you are from the UK or Canada, there is a working holiday visa that can be availed to you for a period of 23 months. For citizens of other countries, you can get one for 12 months. This is for people aged 18-35 depending on Citizenship.

A resident visa allows one to live and work in NZ indefinitely and enjoy access to most publicly funded services.

Eligibility is determined by factors such as an offer of skilled employment, age, qualifications and work experience.

Explore the Job Market

You will probably want to find a job as quickly as possible. Understanding New Zealand’s job market is instrumental to the relocation as you will require a job or at least, an offer letter to obtain a visa in the first place.

There are numerous sites such as work here and New Kiwis that help connect foreigners to jobs in New Zealand. The government website also has a list of jobs by industry.

For locals, year ten students join a training program that helps them gain some work experience.

For foreigners that study in New Zealand, taking this week-long program can also help you get a job in New Zealand should you wish to work here later on.

Work Culture

NZ has a pleasant work and business culture, which you can thrive in with a positive can-do attitude. In fact, New Zealand is hailed as one of the countries with an excellent work-life balance.

Similarly, the country is not big on hierarchies, making most workplaces significantly informal.

If you thrive in an environment where you get your say, New Zealand will be a great place to work in.

Most businesses here are also smaller compared to those in other parts of the world. Often, this will mean more responsibilities and a close working relationship with management.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

Employees in New Zealand have various parenting-related leave options. These are the primary carer leave, extended leave, partner leave and special leave.

New moms typically take the primary carer leave after having a child, for a duration of 22 consecutive weeks.

Ready to Make the Move?

Life in Kiwi land is much slower than you have in most countries in the developed world.

If you dream of a great career, that allows time for family and vibrant social life, New Zealand is a great country to consider.

I hope you enjoyed reading: Moving to New Zealand for Work? Here Is What You Should Know. If you would like more information on international travel, please visit our office HERE.  I would also like to share a few articles that I believe you will love!

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