“I came to NZ in early July from Singapore (Yes, in the middle of winter!)

The process to come to NZ took me 9 months. The easiest part of the process was getting the job and medical registration.

The most challenging part of the process was waiting for an opening. My first impressions of NZ were: lovely people, vast open spaces and non-congested roads.

The best part of NZ is the slower pace of life in Southland and its natural beauty. Although, I miss the 24hr food outlets and my family.

Be well prepared for cold weather! It was our first time in NZ so that took some getting used to. I have the privilege of having a dual role of a GP as well as a medical officer in a rural hospital. This gives me the opportunity to handle both acute and chronic conditions during the week. Back home I was a GP in a shopping mall handling mainly corporate/contract patients.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR PREVIOUS ROLE OVERSEAS AND IN NZ:

Medicine is fairly universal I must say. The medical system in NZ is based on the British system as well as in Singapore so the similarities are there. The appointment system is such a welcomed change in the GP system. This allows ample time for patient interaction and not having to rush due to long queues/waiting times. Paediatric patients are also exempted from paying consultation fees in NZ which eases the burden of the family. Pharmacists in NZ are also able to prescribe some medications and give vaccines. I feel this may go a long way in helping to ease the already congested primary care providers in Singapore.”

My name is Paul, I am an eye surgeon and loving living in Christchurch New Zealand. I came from the UK and I have been here over a year now, and really enjoy the lifestyle that Christchurch offers.

We have so many sporting and cultural activities to enjoy and there is always something going on. We have the symphony orchestra, court theatre – and the outdoors free entertainment is as varied as it is available. We have enjoyed the open air opera, food and wine festival and Buskers festival.

We have amazing water sports including surfing, paddle boarding, wind and kite surfing, awesome cycling both road and off road and with much better weather than the UK people spend much more time outside.

But for me the best part of being here is the people. New Zealanders are incredibly friendly helpful and happy people and this has a huge impact both at work and in leisure.

Christchurch is the perfect size for us, it has an international airport and only takes 20 minutes to get there from the centre of the city.

I have been lucky to secure a permanent position, and enjoy the variety of patients I see – many New Zealanders, but also people who have migrated from all over the world.

The Medical Council registration was quite a long and challenging process, but to be honest, if I was to work anywhere in the work, I’m sure it would be the same.

The Immigration process was very straight forward – with the help of a good migration agent that Prudence referred me to.

My advice – make a visit out here – or take the plunge!

My name is Dr Oliver Comyn and I am a Consultant Ophthalmologist and I am working in New Zealand with my wife Kate who is a GP. (Family doctor)

I came to NZ from the UK. The whole process in regards to timing took me five months from the first Skype interview.

The easiest part of the process was having the immigration medicals and most challenging part of the process was getting together the necessary paperwork to prove equivalence of training to the medical council.

My first impressions of NZ were bright sunshine, enormous skies, open roads and beautiful countryside

The best parts of NZ are the time and space that people have, the emphasis on having a balance in your life between work and leisure, great coffee and food. I do miss a pint of ale in a country pub, in a village with old buildings

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is absolutely go for it!

NZ is a country where the quality of life is high but the cost of living can also be high. Expect to pay more for food and bills than in the UK, but less for commuting. Travel costs for going further afield are also going to be a big part of your new life. Nowhere is close to this collection of amazing islands on the bottom of the world.

I have moved here to a role in a private eye clinic so see a mixture of insured and self-funding patients, plus have a number of public patients to see through our contract with the local district health board. Having to deal with the financial and business side of the practice has presented different challenges to those of the NHS. The patients speak English and are generally quite easy going and trusting of doctors. They are reliable and on time for their appointments (this isn’t necessarily a similarity with the UK but it does make life easier!)

The role of ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) in dealing with accidents, including treatment injuries, encourages an open and honest culture about mistakes that occasionally happen in healthcare. It is good not to have to practise an overly defensive form of medicine through fear of litigation and complaints.

To view a video case study of my experiences click here :

Hello – my name is Per. I am a general surgeon from Sweden with a special interest in colorectal surgery.

In January 2018 my family and I left Sweden and came to Invercargill where we spent one year. There were lots of paperwork before we left but ACCENT Health Recruitment guided me through and made the process a lot easier. I am sure it would not have been possible for us to come to New Zealand without the excellent help from Prudence and the rest of the AHR team. It has been an amazing year in so many ways and we think it is the best thing we have ever done as a family.

We first arrived to Christchurch where Prudence, from AHR, met us at the airport. She invited us for dinner and made us feel very welcome and safe. These first couple of days in Christchurch she also helped us to start up bank accounts, cellphones and interview with medical council. AHR kept in contact a long time after I started my work to make sure everything was alright which was very impressive. The help and support I have had from the AHR team has been extraordinarily good in all aspects from the first contact and all the way through the relocation process.

When we arrived to Invercargill the head of the surgical department met us at the airport together with his wife. They guided us to our temporary accommodation and invited us for lunch the day after. Our family were amazed about the hospitality and kindness we received in New Zealand.

I started my work as a consultant general surgeon at Southland Hospital, Invercargill. Southland Hospital serves a population of around 110 000 people. As a colorectal surgeon I did colorectal surgery but also biliary surgery, hernias and general abdominal surgery. I also had outpatient clinics, endoscopy and took part in the on call service with acute surgery. I had one week of introduction which felt sufficient. All colleagues and staff were very supportive and helpful so the transition to the New Zealand health system felt very smooth and fast. The hospital was great and provided high quality health care. The workload in New Zealand was less than I am used to in Sweden and I could finish work in time and go home to have dinner with my family. I also had scheduled time for administration and non clinical duties which was really good. This meant that I had more time together with my family in New Zealand than I have in Sweden.

Our oldest girl was 13 years and our twins, a boy and a girl, were 10. They started public New Zealand schools which of course was very scary for them. Their english language was very limited before we came but they quickly learned. The schools were very good and supportive for international students and our children got on well and really enjoyed their school year with both friends and teachers.

My wife did not work and was beforehand a little bit worried that she would be socially isolated as a housewife in a new country without friends and family. However there were many other mothers with children that stayed at home or worked part time that she got to know and spent time with. There was also a wide variety of activities in sport, culture and music that you could take part in. She played tennis, did an art course, studied English and sang in a choir. She loved our year and made friends for life.

One of the best things about our year in New Zealand was that we had much more time together as a family than we usually have in Sweden. We spent many weekends enjoying and exploring the beautiful scenery of New Zealand in the mountains, forests and on the beach. We travelled around New Zealand and also did a trip to Australia and Fiji which are not to far away. This gave us many wonderful moments that we will always remember.

The thing that we miss most from New Zealand however is all the wonderful people we met. Many of them have become close friends and we are sure that we will keep in touch and visit each other. The Kiwis are very friendly, generous and welcoming. It is easy to thrive and feel at home in New Zealand.

We are all so grateful for our New Zealand experience and are sure that we some day will come back to the country and people that we love.

Hello there! I’m Joan, a GP who left the UK and arrived in NZ in September 2016.

I started the process of applying to come to NZ in December 2015. The easiest part of the process was getting the job with a 24 Hour Surgery after a successful Skype interview, and the hardest part was filling in all the application forms in the correct order! The most difficult form was for the New Zealand Medical Protection Society. Accent Health Recruitment were so valuable in helping and advising me through the process.

My first impressions of NZ were how warm and welcoming everyone is and also how all the different nationalities live together without seemingly any racial tension.

The best parts of NZ are the beautiful and amazing scenery, the “can do” attitude of the kiwi population and the relaxed lifestyle. Traveling into the countryside is easy and very varied and under populated. Eating lots of NZ fish which can be bought cheaply is also great!

I mostly miss family and friends (but many are coming to visit), old buildings and shopping in local small shops rather than “malls”. We are still delighted by the style of many of the houses in Christchurch and their lovely gardens. (Some central heating would also be nice though).

My advice if you are coming to NZ is – get fit, so that you can enjoy all the outside activities – you will be astounded at the beauty of the country. With the fall in value of the pound, be prepared that the cost of living here is similar to UK. It’s a good time to be paid in NZ dollars.

The major difference between my role as a GP in the UK and now, is that in NZ often some payment is made for medical services. In many ways this is good as it makes patients value the service offered, but it does sometimes add a different dimension to the consultation. A longer time is allowed for each consultation which enables a better understanding of the patients’ conditions. Most patients are very stoical and grateful for a consultation with a doctor.

There is predominantly only one IT system which GPs use – this links with the local hospital enabling all referrals to be sent electronically. All x-rays that are requested by GPs are reported within 30 minutes which is an amazing service! Patients have the choice of health providers and this has taken some time to understand. There are enough similarities in the medical conditions for a doctor from the UK to be able to work here without major difficulties once they understand the systems.

With the common English language, it has mostly been easy to understand patients’ symptoms but at times the kiwi accent and local idioms have been interesting and a slight challenge. Overall, there are many advantages that the NZ Health Care system has over the NHS in UK – with more highly valued and contented medical and nursing teams. It is very refreshing to work in this environment.

My name is Dr Jane McCarthy. I am a Consultant Psychiatrist. I came to New Zealand in February 2018 from London, England. The process to come to New Zealand took me about eight months. The easiest part of the process was making contact with ACCENT Health Recruitment who took me through each step of what was required at a pace that worked for me.

The more challenging part of the process was completing the forms and paperwork for the New Zealand Medical Council but that, in my view, would have been significantly more challenging without the help of the recruitment agency.

My first impressions of New Zealand were the welcome and warmth of all New Zealanders. It is a beautifully country and the weather is much warmer than England. The best part of New Zealand is the stunning beauty of the land, the mountains and the sea. Also, there is a good quality of life with not only easy access to outdoor life (we now have a sailing boat) but generally a cleaner and healthy lifestyle.

What I missed most was a daily paper version of an English newspaper but now through the local newsagents I am able to order a weekly version of an English newspaper.

My advice is: take the advice of a recruitment agency, save money for the move and allow yourself time to rest and relax before starting work. I would also add pack everything you can as we left a lot of kitchenware behind. There are plenty of shops to buy good quality house goods at a reasonable price but having your own belongings does help you to settle a little easier.

Anything else? To me it was the small things on arrival that made a difference. We were given accommodation near the hospital and the owner/manager of the motel was very kind and welcoming, checking we had all the things we needed to be comfortable. In addition, she also let our cat stay with us who had just arrived from England via quarantine in New Zealand. Also, when we arrived at the motel from Auckland the recruitment agency had provided a lovely food hamper on our first day which was much appreciated.

I would say in terms of the workplace that there is not a major difference between my current role in New Zealand and my previous role as Consultant Psychiatrist in England. There are many similarities in practice and approach that make the adjustment very easy. There are a number of people from the UK working in the health service in New Zealand so there is always a British person not far away to talk to at the beginning. I would say the practices that are specifically different in New Zealand are that there much greater emphasis on the awareness of cultural needs and that every member of the clinical team are very much encouraged to work together in a way that supports vulnerable and complex patients.

My Name is Michael, I am a physician. I came to NZ in January from the USA and the process to come to NZ took me approximately 6 months.

The easiest part of the process was finding an employer through Accent Health Recruitment. The most challenging part of the process was putting together my resume and filling out all the paperwork for the NZ medical council.

My first impressions of NZ were that I was surprised how helpful and friendly people were and how green and striking the views were of the mountains and coastlines.

The best parts of NZ are: The unbelievable beauty of this country–clear, blue mountain streams and oceans, the snow-capped mountains and forests and the vast empty stretches, all available within a 2-4 hour drive!

What I miss the most is Mexican food and Whole Foods.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is find some short term lodging until you can explore your city and find what neighbourhood suits you best. Join a couple of “meetup” groups and explore as much of the country as you can on your days off!

There is an emphasis on having time off and enjoying life and being active here, which is very refreshing. People are civil to each other–you need to be in order to navigate their roundabouts and single lane bridges!

ABOUT MY JOB IN NZ: In the US I worked in an Emergency Department and here, in Christchurch I work at a “24 Hour Surgery” which is what I would have called an expanded Urgent Care. There is much less stress here and the patients are for the most part active, healthy, friendly overseas workers, visitors and students in addition to kiwis. They are appreciative and kind and always interested in where I’m from and how I’m enjoying NZ.

The practice of medicine is similar between the US and NZ, it’s just that the medicines have slightly different names and the same tests are available – although they are ordered or scheduled differently. I’ve found that my skills and knowledge have served me well.

In NZ, I noticed that doctors and patients address each other by first name. Although a small thing it really changes the conversation and emphasizes the collaboration between doctor and patient. There is not the imperative of “defensive medicine” here as there is in the US and there is not the expectation of a pill or procedure to fix every problem.

Chris – Emergency Department Physician, South Island

My name is Chris, I am an emergency physician. I came to NZ in March, from Canada.

The process to come to NZ took me about a year from when I first contacted Accent to when I started work in Invercargill.

The easiest part of the process was working with Prudence and the other Accent staff – they were always quick to respond to any questions and helped me know what the next step would be as the process unfolded.

The most challenging part of the process was all the paperwork that had to be completed to get my medical license. This was especially difficult because I had worked as a locum all over western Canada and I had to account in detail for all the time, all the hospitals, all my duties, with letters of standing from all the various health authorities, etc.

My first impressions of NZ were that the people were very relaxed, friendly, and easy-going. My wife immediately fell in love with the thousands of sheep we see everywhere we go. The weather is very moderate compared to Canada – in the summer a very hot day could get into the high 30s (Celsius), and a very cold winter day could reach minus 40 or 50. The summer here is more like our spring, and the winter is more like our fall. Consequently we seem to spend much more time outdoors than we did back home.

The best parts of NZ is the natural beauty and how accessible it is. We are on the South Island and we are 20 minutes from the ocean, and 2 hours from the mountains and skiing in the winter. Four of New Zealand’s nine “Great Walks” are within a few hours’ drive of where we live. I also really love the people, particularly their good humor and helpfulness.

What I miss the most about Canada – in Canada although the weather can be chilly, it’s always warm inside because the houses are very well insulated and quite cheap to heat compared to NZ. In NZ, although the weather is quite temperate, homes tend to be the same temperature inside as outside. This necessitates things like heating blankets, something I had never seen before coming to New Zealand! Also, I miss little things like the flavour of our North American ketchup. The NZ equivalent, known as tomato sauce, has a similar appearance but the taste is quite different.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is: bring as many electrical adapters as possible, or, even better – pack a power bar to plug in all your electronics – that way you can plug in numerous items and only require one adapter. Also, for various reasons, including the recent strength of the NZ dollar, we found that many things in NZ are quite a bit more expensive than in North America. Once you start earning NZ dollars this becomes a bit less of an issue, and the strong NZ dollar is great when traveling overseas, but I would recommend setting aside plenty of money so you can afford whatever you need to buy when you first arrive (for example, a vehicle).

Anything else you would like to say: There is a lot of stress associated with moving to a new country and adapting to a new way of life (even for a country like NZ which is very similar in many ways to other parts of the English-speaking world). Despite that, I would highly recommend coming to NZ for a year for anyone who is able to do it – and I have met many people who came to NZ from North America or the UK and loved it so much they now live here permanently.

Are there any major similarities/differences between your current role in NZ and your previous role in Canada’ In general Emergency Medicine is quite similar compared to Canada, however the NZ medical system is very frugal compared to back home. This is often quite a sensible approach and it dramatically decreases the number of unnecessary investigations or interventions compared to what is seen in some parts of North America. However, there are occasionally situations where a test or treatment IS appropriate but it requires considerable effort on the physician’s part to get it done in a timely manner.

Many medications are the same ones that we would use back home, however there are many medications which are different, either different formulations, or completely different medications; this is something which does take some getting used to, but it was not as big a challenge as I feared.

A great source of pleasure for me at work is the patients. They are almost always grateful, good-natured, and very stoic. Generally they seem to want to avoid medication if possible. Abuse or addiction to prescription medication is extremely rare where I work in New Zealand, whereas this was a constant source of stress for me when I was working in Canada. Also, patients rarely come to the ER seeking a “quick fix” for a given problem – they mostly just want reassurance that there doesn’t appear to be anything dangerous going on.

My Name is Kuo Yau, I am a General Practitioner. I came to NZ in September from Singapore.

The process to come to NZ took me 9 months. The easiest part of the process was looking for a job. Prudence was very helpful with advice on how to tackle the interviews. She was also constantly checking in on me when I first arrived, to make sure I was settling in OK.

The most challenging part of the process was the paperwork (council registration, visa application etc.).

My first impressions of NZ were fresh air and wide open spaces. The best parts of NZ are her beautiful nature and friendly people.

What I miss the most is my family.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is don’t be afraid to give it a go.

Questions about your new workplace

Are there any major differences between your current role in NZ and your previous role overseas?

Being a GP in NZ is quite different from Singapore. Some conditions that would be managed by specialists in Singapore are being managed in Primary Care. There is more communication between specialists and GPs here, which is a good thing. Certain medical conditions are also more common here compared to back in Singapore.

Is there anything specifically done differently in NZ that has interested you and the way you practice your profession?

I certainly enjoy the fact that I have more time allocated per patient (compared to back home) and this makes my work more fulfilling as I can work with my patients to look after their own health.

Hi my name is Charlie (short for Charlotte) and I am a trainee registrar in Psychiatry.

I came to New Zealand in October 2017 from the Netherlands.

The easiest part of the process was finding the job! Which is surprising I know. The whole process took about 8 months and the most challenging part was getting the Visa in time.

My first impressions of NZ were the lovely weather and beautiful natural surroundings.

One of the things I love is that everyone says “no worries” when you ask them to do something or apologize for something and they actually mean it!

Something I do miss is being able to cycle everywhere.

My advice is if you are planning to come to NZ is to figure out how your medical degree translates to NZ and to make sure you have a recruiter that can politely hound people on your behalf.

Overall the difference to me work wise isn’t huge, Registrars still work hard and long hours, the difference is that my partner and children are much happier here which means that coming home is much nicer J I find there is a lack of bureaucracy compared to the over complicated Dutch system, but I have noticed there is also less funding.

From a psychiatric standpoint NZ is far less psycho-dynamically orientated and it can be quite difficult to find psychotherapy for patients. On the other hand there is a much greater feeling of social responsibility for patients and families are more engaged with patients which makes a large positive difference.

Are there any similarities that have helped you orientate/transition easily?

The lack of hierarchy and informal way of dealing with things is quite similar to the Dutch situation.

People are very forthright and tend to tell you what you are doing wrong to your face making office politics much easier to navigate.

Is there anything specifically done differently in NZ that has interested you and the way you practice your profession?

Family or Whanau is involved in many aspects of patients care and individualisation is less sought after and prized here. This leads to a more paternalistic attitude that offers many more options for mentally ill patients without insight.

Kia Ora, I’m Glenn and I have been a GP in Upper Hutt, Wellington, for the past 4 months. Truth be told, making a move to New Zealand to live and work seemed daunting when I was still in Singapore and I’m very glad Accent Health Recruitment made the entire process easier – not only was Prudence, my recruitment consultant, efficient and resourceful in helping me explore suitable job placements, she was also approachable and enthusiastic. I felt like I was well taken care of. The time it took from my first contact with Accent Health Recruitment, through the job interviews, to finally arriving here in Wellington took a mere three months, most of which was held up by the administrative work required by New Zealand’s immigration. I did not expect it to have run so smoothly!

I have been to Wellington a few times before, and have relatives here, so settling in was probably less bumpier for me than others. However, I should not discount the fact that Accent Health Recruitment equipped me with most of the required preparatory knowledge and work, which have allowed me to transit into my new employment environment without much hassle.

As with most changes, it has been a steep learning curve at work but has been refreshing to experience real work-life balance and to see it actively encouraged here in New Zealand. With nature at a stone’s throw, and plenty of options when it comes to the outdoors, I find it easier to fill my time fruitfully outside of work. Sports is very much a part of the fabric of New Zealand, and interestingly, major sports events like the Rugby Sevens have taken on a more social, celebratory element, adding to the enjoyment for all. On top of that, Wellington offers its myriad, diverse cafes, pubs and restaurants in culturally-vibrant Cuba Street and uber-cool Courtenay Place, both virtually next to each other. I guess that’s why Wellington is also known as the “coolest little city in the world”.

Leaving my family and friends behind was the hardest part of the move. Thankfully, since I arrived in Wellington, I have made a few good friends who have extended a warm Kiwi welcome and rendered help whenever they could. Looking forward, I think there is a very high possibility of making New Zealand my permanent home.

My advice to those who have any considerations in moving here: get a good recruitment agent, be brave and take a chance, make friends and don’t forget to enjoy the whole process!

I arrived in NZ in September and the process to come to NZ took me approximately 5 months. The easiest part of the process was getting the job – Accent Health Recruitment are super-efficient!

Hi, my name is John. I am a GP from England now working and living in North Canterbury in Hanmer Springs.

My first impressions of NZ were that it is absolutely Stunning, Stunning, Stunning! I feel that the best parts of NZ are the scenery and the friendly people.

Some differences I have noticed between my new NZ workplace and the UK are the appointment times are 15-20 mins versus 7-10 mins in UK. I believe that the type of patients varies considerably depending on whether you are working in a farming community or the centre of a city or town.

Patients seem extremely well informed and want to discuss their condition in far more depth than patients in the UK. Rural nurses are highly skilled practitioners, no UK equivalent except a GP, so very well supported. Hospital specialists are very approachable and willing to discuss patients.

The “Healthpathways” resource in Canterbury is excellent and ensures that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. Much more easy to follow than NICE Guidelines. Fellow GPs in other practices are very friendly and supportive.

The most challenging part of the process was going through the visa process and what I miss the most is having a few pints of English beer with my mates.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is bring an iPad or similar to keep in touch, bring some extension leads so you can plug all your electrical gadgets in without changing plugs, be prepared to drive long distances to go places or get stuff – it’s not a huge change of mind set.

Tips for the English – NZ is different from the UK, even though we more or less speak the same language! Food prices (and some alcohol) can be a shock but it is all good quality. Mobile phone contracts are steep too. Having said that, it’s much cheaper to run a car, there are no TV licenses etc so it probably works out much the same. I have been amazed by how pleased my patients are to have me here- it’s a lovely feeling.

As a family we spent a wonderful and precious year down in Southland’s Invercargill, New Zealand. The children loved school (and their school uniforms) and picked up the new language amazingly quickly and soon had many friends.

To come to New Zealand with our two children age 11 and 13 for a year, was a wonderful experience indeed. Having had bad experiences with another recruitment agency we luckily met Kristin from Accent Health Recruitment online. Kristen made it possible for us to work and live in an English speaking country for the very first time.

Prior to this Kristin perfectly organised the most suitable school for the children, accommodation, travel arrangements, etc. She took great care of all the necessary paperwork including the recognition of the Austrian “Facharzt”-title by the National Medical Council or application of the visa, so that bureaucracy was not a real pain for us.

We actually received instructions how to bring the necessary visa forms into a specific order!

Despite having been here during one of the most disastrous years in New Zealand’s history (the big snow last spring with collapse of several rooves and the local stadium and killing thousands of lambs on the local farms, the horrible sequence of earthquakes that hit Christchurch – the capital of the South Island, the many tornados that hit the North Island, the Pike river mine disaster, Tsunami-warning after the horrific earthquake in Japan and an ash cloud interrupting air transport that came over from Chile and turned up on a weekly basis circulating around the southern hemisphere) we always felt safe and sound.

The adaptation to a different health system and foreign language was a smooth landing due to the natural amazing friendliness of the Kiwis.

As a family we spent a wonderful and precious year down in Southland’s Invercargill, last exit to Antarctica, and enjoyed a quiet rural lifestyle in the most southern city of New Zealand.

Kristin made it possible for us to go on extensive summer holidays (in January!) in order to explore both the North and South Island. There were heaps of opportunities to go for trips to Australia or the nearby city of Queenstown or the pristine landscape of the Sounds of Fjordland. The children loved school (and their school uniforms) and picked up the new language amazingly quickly and soon had many friends. Of course we enjoyed most that after work remained plenty of time for the family and to maintain old and new hobbies like meeting friends, travelling, hiking, cooking, fishing (Robert effectively had the rare opportunity to catch a brown trout of 5 kg!), paintballing, cycling etc. Surprisingly weekends down here feel one day longer than back home!

We would never like to miss our Southland experience and will always keep it in our hearts and recommend it most warmly to everybody – but if you come here don’t forget a warm jacket 🙂 X

Hi there, my Name is Dr Frederick Goh and I am a General Practitioner in New Lynn, Auckland.

I came to NZ in August from Singapore. The process to come to NZ took me approximately 6 months – The easiest part of the process was getting the job through the wonderful work of Prudence and the Accent Recruitment team and Trish and the Radius team. The most challenging part of the process was getting registration with Medical Council of New Zealand.

My first impressions of NZ were the vastness of the sky and the cool and clean air. The best parts of NZ are the friendly people and the beautiful natural places. What I miss the most is the hawker food in Singapore.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is come and see the place, because falling in love with NZ takes a different amount of time for everyone (not much time though!). Prepare to slow your life down, and become time rich.

Anything else I would say? Let Prudence and her team know what you can do, what you want to do, what kind of practice you want to work in. Once you get an offer, make a trip and come scout the place out. Meet your employer and stay in touch with their admin team as well as Prudence. They will be able to help smooth out the complicated registration and work visa procedures. My thanks to Prudence for her help and support!

I just came back from a Medical Conference in Napier and I have attached a wonderful picture of their beachfront. Frederick

One of the main reasons I wanted to move was for a better lifestyle: the old expression of “live to work or work to live” very much applies to our situation.I’m Ian Bradford, I am a surgeon working in Christchurch, and at the beginning of this year, I moved from York, England.

In the UK, We found that the work circumstances had become so onerous that there was little time left to spend with each other and for me to spend with my teenage children (a typical work day at the NHS was typically 8am to 7pm, and private work required a substantial chunk of evenings or weekends).

We had always known New Zealand to be a spectacularly beautiful country, with comments made by travellers such as “All the most beautiful places on earth rolled into one”, or “It’s like Scotland or Canada, but on steroids”, or “It’s unspoilt and pristine” or “It’s the greatest outdoor playground on earth”.

The isolation of NZ was actually an attraction to us – we found UK party politics, Europolitics and global politics had a really negative effect on us.

In NZ the the best private schools attract fees approximately ⅓ that of the average private UK school. In the public/state sector the schools are generally outstanding with an excellent academic, sport and cultural curriculum.

We have always been very keen on our sport, both playing and watching it. My wife and I have between us participated in competitive rugby, tennis, squash, cricket and swimming, but also enjoyed sailing, diving, cycling, golf and attending the gym.

For us the multiplicity of sport and recreational opportunities, together with the more temperate climate, have been a huge draw. Our choice of destination, Christchurch, provides us with ski slopes within 2 hours and beaches within 20 minutes! Yet it is not just about opportunities for being active. We have witnessed a prevailing culture of people really “getting out there”: cyclists, walkers, sailors, kayakers, fishermen, boaters, hunters.

In contradistinction from the UK, there seems to be a much healthier attitude towards work – most businesses close at 5pm and virtually all employees seem to disperse to home (or to an activity) the moment the clock strikes 5pm. For someone hospital-based, in the medical profession and turning 50, this was a Godsend and unimaginable in the UK.

In contradistinction from the UK, there seems to be a much healthier attitude towards work – most businesses close at 5pm and virtually all employees seem to disperse to home (or to an activity) the moment the clock strikes 5pm. For someone hospital-based, in the medical profession and turning 50, this was a Godsend and unimaginable in the UK.

In contradistinction from the UK, there seems to be a much healthier attitude towards work – most businesses close at 5pm and virtually all employees seem to disperse to home (or to an activity) the moment the clock strikes 5pm. For someone hospital-based, in the medical profession and turning 50, this was a Godsend and unimaginable in the UK.

We arrived in mid-January 2018. After 2 weeks of orientating ourselves and getting grounded (buying a car, finding a home, buying school uniforms, getting mobile phones etc.) I commenced work and the “routine” of daily life set in. There was an exasperation at the enormity of the list of practical things that have to be done (nothing can properly prepare you for this no matter how much research you do or preparation you make for it), but the fantastic thing that we experienced was the willingness of people to facilitate things for you. It was such a pleasure to have a “yes, can do” person on the end of a line, rather than the “sorry, you have to…” persons we usually encountered in the UK. And they’d get it done quickly, effortlessly, without red tape and usually at a fraction of the cost for the equivalent service in the UK.

We arrived in mid-January 2018. After 2 weeks of orientating ourselves and getting grounded (buying a car, finding a home, buying school uniforms, getting mobile phones etc.) I commenced work and the “routine” of daily life set in. There was an exasperation at the enormity of the list of practical things that have to be done (nothing can properly prepare you for this no matter how much research you do or preparation you make for it), but the fantastic thing that we experienced was the willingness of people to facilitate things for you. It was such a pleasure to have a “yes, can do” person on the end of a line, rather than the “sorry, you have to…” persons we usually encountered in the UK. And they’d get it done quickly, effortlessly, without red tape and usually at a fraction of the cost for the equivalent service in the UK.

We arrived in mid-January 2018. After 2 weeks of orientating ourselves and getting grounded (buying a car, finding a home, buying school uniforms, getting mobile phones etc.) I commenced work and the “routine” of daily life set in. There was an exasperation at the enormity of the list of practical things that have to be done (nothing can properly prepare you for this no matter how much research you do or preparation you make for it), but the fantastic thing that we experienced was the willingness of people to facilitate things for you. It was such a pleasure to have a “yes, can do” person on the end of a line, rather than the “sorry, you have to…” persons we usually encountered in the UK. And they’d get it done quickly, effortlessly, without red tape and usually at a fraction of the cost for the equivalent service in the UK.

The Visa application took approximately 4 weeks for the INZ work visa, and then a further 3 weeks for the family members’ visas to come through on the back of my work visa. Because of my profession, I needed to have professional registrations in NZ and this took a total of 6 months to complete. My niche area of medicine means that there are few areas in New Zealand in which I could work – it had to be a large city by necessity. So work was the factor that decided where we lived. We live in a 5 bedroomed home high on the slopes overlooking our city, with views to the East of the beach, views of rolling plains to the North, and views of snow-capped mountain ranges to the West. I have been rejuvenated, as has my wife. We are eating better, sleeping better and exercising more than we have done in 15 years. We now live in a positive frame of mind and we look positively at everything around us.If you are moving from the southern counties or from London, you can buy a palace for the price of a small flat! We have the energy to do things that we never had before. Evenings are spent going outdoors for walks up the hills or on the beach, and in the 5 months that we have been here we have still not connected up the television. Back in the UK I used to get home at 7-8pm and crash onto the sofa with my dinner (where I usually fell asleep within the hour). This change has manifested itself in far healthier attitudes towards one another and created a united sense of purpose in making a great future for ourselves. We don’t feel like outsiders at all and we have been warmly and genuinely received by all. But you have to be open minded, and accommodating, and tolerant and willing to think or behave differently if you have not been required to do these things before e.g. if you haven’t lived outside the UK.