My name is Lorraine, I am currently practising as an Anaesthetic Technician, (or Operating Department Practitioner for you in the UK). I have been qualified for 10 years.
My husband Chris and our Jack Russell Terrier (George) arrived in New Zealand in May (on my dad's birthday!). We have settled in Wellington. We put our house on the market in February and had sold in July, the whole process took us less than 12 months, from selling to arriving!.
The part that proved the most challenging was getting all my paperwork sorted for my NZ Registration, contacting different people for different things. Everything else was surprisingly easy!
We landed on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Wellington, we did have some reservations about coming to a Capital City (would it be too large? Too busy?) These reservations couldn't have been further from the truth, it did feel big to begin with, but now it feels comfortable - cosmopolitan without the disadvantages of a large city.
We absolutely love the fact that everybody is so relaxed and friendly, the amazing scenery, and that everything is laid back, we haven't got children, but it seems so child orientated and family friendly that it's nice to be somewhere like this. The coffee is also amazing!
Of course there are things that we miss - family obviously, but with Skype you can still share everything and being able to see my family has helped me settle in enormously. Tea bags, being English are an obvious for us! We haven’t really missed much else, we have replaced Cadbury chocolate with Whittaker’s chocolate, which I think is just as nice! (Sorry die hard UK Cadbury fans!!).
My advice to anyone thinking of coming to NZ? “DO IT!”
We don't regret moving, it is hard leaving family and friends behind, but the rewards are worth it.
I have started working in a really nice private hospital, everyone is lovely and friendly. I'm looking forward to Christmas off, so we go camping in the summer for a change!!
There are some differences, but mostly the work for myself has been the same. Learning new things such as new anaesthetic machines was a challenge at first, but now it's all become second nature!
I would also like to say a huge thank you to Merryl and the Accent Health Recruitment Team, your help, knowledge and support has been invaluable. Merryl did a fantastic job, looking for jobs and listening to what I had to say, and coming up with other suggestions. Her help also extended to other things not just jobs, but to great cafe's, along with other things! Thank you again.
Chris, George and I are looking forward to the summer now, and spending more time exploring this wonderful place.
