I am an Occupational Therapist working in New Zealand. My first impressions of NZ were AWESOME. NZ has a good work-life balance which makes the Quality of Life better.
I came to NZ in February and the process took me about one year, the first 10 months of preparing were slow, but the process really gathered speed after I secured a working visa (via my husband) which the entire process took roughly a month.
Getting in touch with Accent and Prudence and her team was the simple part. They have been really supportive throughout and they organised and scheduled interviews for me efficiently.
The most challenging part of the process was to communicate my relevance as an Occupational Therapist in the NZ market in spite of being from a different country.
In New Zealand, there is more awareness about Occupational Therapy in NZ and this helps me in putting my role easily across the clients.
The best parts of NZ is that its People are very warm and friendly. It's a very good environment to work and be in. I do miss the most is being away from family and friends.
My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is be open to job roles and locations. Having a work visa prior helps if you can.
Relocating to a new country comes with its set of pressures and the AHR team was there with me throughout. They even went as far as sending me a welcome cake on my 1st day of work.
Apart from the cultural differences, my role as an OT remains more or less the same.
Coming from a multi-cultural country, it has taught me to be more sensitive towards different cultures. This is helping me to practice in bi-cultural NZ with ease.
In New Zealand, there is more awareness about Occupational Therapy in NZ and this helps me in putting my role easily across the clients.
