Hi, my name is Debbie. I am an ODP (Operating Department Practitioner), although in NZ I am an Anaesthetic Technician.

I moved to New Zealand from the UK. The process to come to NZ took me 6 months from when I first contacted Accent Health Recruitment and went to the Opportunities Overseas Expo in Manchester (where I met Prudence) to getting my start date.

The easiest part of the process was… all of it really! Accent were so helpful every step of the way, including getting me an interview, interview preparation, applying for registration and APC, applying for Visa, looking for accommodation in NZ, etc. They always responded to my emails promptly and even called me before and after to my interview to wish me well and see how it went.

The most challenging part of the process was trying to pack all my clothes and shoes into a 30kg luggage allowance!

My first impressions of NZ were how green it is compared to the UK and how friendly everyone is.

The best parts of NZ are the beautiful beaches, loads of summer activities and a chilled out relaxing lifestyle. What I miss the most is my friends and family.

My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is: DO IT! You only live once so if you’ve got the chance then give it a go – what do you have to lose?

I decided to come and work in NZ after being qualified for 2 years in the UK, although I loved my job in the UK I felt I wanted to challenge myself and gain more experience. I also wanted to travel round the world as I had never been further than Europe before. I am undecided how long I will stay in NZ as all my family and friends are back in the UK and it is hard without them but I am bonded to my job for 18 months and I do love the kiwi lifestyle and travelling around NZ so will definitely be here at least 2 years. I may even go to Australia for a year or so after this. It’s an amazing experience and will open up many more doors for me!!

Calum Sheehan – Featured in the Down Under Magazine, Jan 2020

I wanted to live in New Zealand because of the lifestyle and it was always a country I had wanted to visit.

I love the outdoors, sport and a laid back life, and these were all things I thought New Zealand could provide. I had a small bit of knowledge about the country, mainly through watching sport and reading travel books before I came out, but I also did lots of research, including online, looking at YouTube videos and travel guides.

I came on a working holiday visa, however I have since applied for a Work to Residency visa. My expenses for the move were not high. I came with just a suitcase full of clothes, and I only had to pay for the visa, professional registration, flights and initial accommodation. My working holiday visa cost just under £150, my professional registration cost £200 and I found a good one-way flight deal for £400. I also saved money to help me to get started in NZ.

I had moved to Australia, for a year, six years ago, so I had a bit of experience in what I needed to sort out. Plus, the recruitment agency who helped me to find a job here, Accent Health Recruitment, were great in providing tips and advice, via email or Skype. Planning and research was key in this process being easy, in my view. The professional registration took a few weeks to sort, just because of the amount of paperwork I had to acquire. Once I had my registration sorted, I had an interview and a job offer within two weeks.

ARRIVAL SURVIVAL

I arrived in New Zealand at the beginning of May 2019. The settling-in process was fine and didn’t take long. I started off in an Airbnb, and spent about five weeks looking for places to live until I found the right place. I then had to buy a bed and other room furnishings.

My employer was great with helping me to settle in. Everyone was friendly and helpful, and the orientation process was a smooth transition, despite going from working in a public hospital to a private one, as well as working in a different clinical setting, learning about different policies and cultural differences.

I live in Remuera, where I live in a house share. It’s close to work, close to a beach, and backs onto a nature reserve. The property I live in is two-storey with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a double garage, a big open plan living room and kitchen, and a big window and balcony. Remuera is an affluent inner city suburb, and is fairly quiet; with mainly working professionals and families living here.

On a typical working day it is a five minute drive in to work, an eight-hour hour shift in a hospital, followed by a visit to the gym or cinema, going for food or a walk by the sea if the weather’s nice. My weekend involves exploring Auckland city and its surrounding islands, driving out of the city for coastal or national park walks, watching and going to sport events, socialising and enjoying the numerous ice cream shops! I bought a car, which helps massively for exploring and day-to-day activities! I spent a weekend in Rotorua looking at all things geothermal, and had an amazing five-day skiing trip in Queenstown, on the South Island, which I enjoyed the stunning scenery, and sampling the local food and beverages.

RELAXED LIESTYLE

The weather here is much better than the UK. Although the winter was very wet at times it was never that cold. I was still wearing shorts on sunny days in winter here! Local facilities are plentiful, with supermarkets, shops, restaurants, petrol stations close to where I live. Life feels much more relaxed here. I live 10 minutes drive from the sea and beach, 20 minutes drive from watching the best rugby team in the world, 40 minutes from rugged, stunning coastlines, and an hour and a half flight from skiing/amazing nature. None of these were possible living in the Midlands!

The food here is pretty similar to the UK. There is lots of Asian-influenced food here. The nightlife is a lot quieter and it’s more of a pub/bar scene than clubs, which isn’t a bad thing. The curry is different here, and doesn’t compare to what I used to find in Birmingham! With spring arriving, and the weather starting to get better, I have done plenty of day trips outside of Auckland, as well as having plenty of trips planned for the upcoming months to different parts of NZ and over to Australia.

It has been very easy feeling part of the community here. The Kiwis are really friendly and helpful. It is difficult being so far away from friends and family in the UK, but all the good things about living here balance that out easily! As for the future, I plan to stay in NZ and see what happens. I’m very much into taking it as it comes at the moment.

My advice for other British people wanting to move to New Zealand is to just do it! Even if it’s only temporarily, it’s a great experience. New Zealand is a stunning country with a great culture. It’s so laid back here and the Kiwis are very friendly. If you love the outdoors this is the place for you! My advice would be, if you decide to come out to New Zealand, try to plan for all eventualities and have contingency plans in place, along with some patience and resolve, as it can require some effort at first to become settled.

WHY MOVE TO AUCKLAND?

Auckland is one of NZ’s largest cities and is considered one of the best cities in the world to live…

WHAT IT’S LIKE

Over 1.5 million people live in Auckland, a third of New Zealand’s population. This vibrant city is situated near the top of the North Island and is surrounded by stunning beaches, bush clad mountains and farm land. Set amongst volcanic islands and a multitude of harbours, it’s easy to see why this beautiful city is known as the ‘City of Sails’.

Auckland is considered one of the world’s most liveable cities, ranking third in Mercer’s Quality of Living surveys since 2011. It is the region of choice for over half of new migrants. They’re drawn here by the job opportunities, good climate and stunning natural environment. Aucklanders can choose between a sophisticated urban lifestyle, living in the suburbs, or moving just a short distance away to the coast, bush or countryside for a more relaxed outdoors-orientated lifestyle.

EMPLOYMENT

Almost half of New Zealand lives and works in or near greater Auckland, so there are jobs in most industries, but particularly in medicine, engineering and IT. Highly skilled and experienced managers and professionals across a number of areas are in high demand, accounting for about 50 per cent of employment growth.

To find out about the latest job vacancies in Auckland visit www.trademe.co.nz and www.seek.co.nz.

EDUCATION

Auckland has three universities and two technical institutes, as well as a range of private and state secondary and primary schools. Auckland University also ranks in the world’s top 250 in the 2019 Times Higher Education’s world rankings.

TRANSPORT

Private cars are the dominant mode of transport in Auckland. Public transport relies on buses, with train services to the south and west of the city, and ferry services connecting the city centre to suburbs on the North Shore, in the West, South East and islands.

HOUSING

Auckland is spread out over a large area, with a mix of established and new property, ranging from timber-built standalone houses to city apartments.

The housing market in Auckland is competitive and the cost of renting or buying here is high. Be prepared to look hard and act quickly. You can search for houses at www.trademe.co.nz and www.realestate.co.nz. Auckland has the country’s most expensive housing with an average house price of NZ$825,000 (£476,534), according to Global Property Guide.

Article originally published in Get Me Down Under’s Australia and New Zealand Magazine, January 2020

My name is Steven Bennett, I am an ODP from the UK. I’m practicing as an anaesthetic technician here in New Zealand.

I arrived into New Zealand 19th March 2018 with my family. We left the snow of Wigan on the 17th March to land into sunny weather in Auckland on the 19th.

The whole process took well over 2 years from my first contact with Prudence and her team to finally landing on New Zealand soil.

The easiest part was securing a job. Prudence and her team really took on board the lifestyle we wanted and pointed us in the right direction. The interview itself was very laid back, it didn’t really feel like an interview.

The most challenging aspect was definitely the application for visas

My advice would be to shop around and get advice from a number of sources.

My immigration agent made process easier but looking back it just cost me a whole heap more cash.

My first impressions of New Zealand was somewhat of a cliché but it was definitely true. It was the friendliness of the people and willingness to help a complete stranger. It made the whole process a lot less intimidating.

I’m working at Kensington private hospital in Whangarei. All the staff are really friendly and helpful and the work is pretty much similar to the UK. As an anaesthetic technician you stick to anaesthetics. There’s no scrub role or recovery role but that I don’t actually mind. I’m finding work a lot more laid back than the UK. There doesn’t seem to be a mad rush to get everything done as quickly as possible and it feels like a better work life balance. An anaesthetic is the same the world over it’s just the small aspects of each work area that takes some getting used to but that’s the same if you move hospitals in the UK.

We are lucky enough to be living and working in Northland so we have an abundance of nice beaches to visit. This is the part my kids have loved the most.

My advice for anyone planning to make the move is to not be put off by the hassle of the whole process. It is hard work and time consuming but definitely worth it. We are loving life in New Zealand but we had doubts along the way.

I would definitely recommend PSS removals for any shipping they made the process really easy and were always on hand for advice along the way. Their team packed all belongings in the uk and it was delivered to our door in New Zealand and unpacked.

I would look around for advice and prices for immigration planners.

I’d like to thank Prudence and her team they really did help out. They took on board everything we asked for and never pushed me to apply for jobs that they felt wouldn’t suit my family. I felt safe taking their advice as I genuinely felt they had our best interests as their main goal over making easy money by placing me in the first job that came up.

I have recommended them to so many people and can safely say if we had to do the whole process again I wouldn’t think twice about using Accent.

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.

ODP/Anaesthetic Technician, Christine is thoroughly enjoying a positive work/life balance in NZ

“Hi, I’m Christine and I am an Anaesthetic Technician (ODP) from Liverpool, UK.

The whole process took approximately 4 months (I think, it’s all a blur) and the easiest part of the process was joining Accent Health Recruitment. Prudence was so helpful and a fountain of knowledge for all my questions! The most challenging part was organising my life into boxes to store, ship and sell – that was quite stressful.

I had already been to NZ as a student on a placement at Wellington hospital, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I knew I was making a lifestyle choice.

The best bits about NZ are the people – everyone is so friendly and helpful. Both in work and in general, people have more time to just sit back and enjoy the scenery with a glass and chat about the day. Also the scenery here is fab, the water sports, the coffee is to die for and the wine isn’t too bad either.

I have managed to bag myself a wonderful apartment on the waterfront, in a very lovely area of Wellington – I do not believe I would have been able to achieve this back in the UK. It’s true what they say about Wellington, that it’s the coolest little capital in the world.

I miss my family and friends, as would be expected. And I do miss the good strong British tea bags… but I have a steady stream that come from friends and family in UK.

My advice if you are coming to NZ would be to research the job you are applying for, as roles slightly differ here. Use Accent Health Recruitment and take the advice that they offer, (as you all know exactly what you are talking about!) Just do it, you only live once and it’s the best decision I have ever made!

Lastly, Accent Health Recruitment have been fabulous all the way through the process; on arrival (a fab goodie box) as well as ongoing checks – and thanks for the chocolates at Christmas too guys!”

My name is Sheena Ali, and I am an Anaesthetic Technician (ODP). I came to New Zealand in October 2012 from Oxford, United Kingdom.

The process of coming to New Zealand took roughly 3-6 months but this was because of other commitments. Send forms off on time as soon as you decide you want this change in your life!

I am a keen cyclist and a runner and I also play basketball – I am in paradise here as I can play sports every single day after work because the skies are always blue in New Zealand. Well, in the summer anyway. The parks are beautiful and very family oriented, most have built in BBQs. The best part about New Zealand is the beaches! There are hundreds of them, and after a long day at work, one relaxes with a trip to the beach and a swim in the blue sea.

My first impression of New Zealand was that it was very British, but greener. Everything is slightly similar to the UK, but calmer and slower – much more chilled out. It is also very clean and friendly.

The hardest thing I found was the medicals for the permanent residency visa. They are a nightmare but do them as soon as possible because unfortunately you need them for a work visa to be approved.

The most I miss about UK (Oxford) is the history and good television programs but I am out most evenings so it’s not that bad. I miss my friends dearly, I miss my good old banter and British jokes and sense of humor and I miss family and being able to pop to friends and hang out. Most of all I miss the choice of things we have in regards to shops, club nights out, transports because here everyone drives, furnished rental properties but the beauty of New Zealand is worth more than all the above.

Hi my name is Gary, I am an ODP (Anaesthetic Technician) and I made a permanent move to NZ from the UK with my wife and son. The process from my EOI until arriving in NZ took approximately 4 months.

The easiest part was getting the job! Accent sorted out my application and interview, gave me good pointers for the interview as well.

The most challenging part was definitely getting the visa sorted. Managing to compile everything needed was very difficult in the timeframe and the whole process was far more expensive than we thought it was going to be. All in all though, the money spent was well worth it!

NZ to me is like England was when I was growing up in the 70’s and 80’s. Everyone is very friendly, it is a safe, clean and healthy place – perfect for bringing up a family! The best parts are definitely the landscape scenery; mountains, beaches, lakes etc. It is very beautiful.

What do I miss most about UK? Well, apart from my family and friends …… nothing!

My advice would be to give yourself plenty of time to get the whole visa application, submit your EOI early, prepare to spend a fair bit of money, don’t get disheartened if it takes time and make sure to check and double check everything in your visa application!

Accent Health Recruitment provided me with a professional, yet personal service. The friendly staff assisted me with all aspects of my move to NZ; from IRD numbers, to removal firms, banking, residency application etc. They listened to my requirements and really went that extra mile to find the right employment for me, rather than just concentrating on the recruitment itself.

My name is Julie and I am an Anaesthetic technician (ODP) from the UK.

The process to get here was quite straight forward; I even had TWO JOB OFFERS in Wellington, which Accent Health Recruitment arranged for me. I choose to work for a private hospital and I love it. The work life balance is better than in the UK and it seems like half of my colleagues seem to be British.

Prudence even travelled to Wellington (they are based in Christchurch but recruit all over NZ) the day we arrived, and she took us to the motel (which they paid for). I would recommend using a NZ based agency – and definitely recommend using Accent Health Recruitment!

I decided to use Accent Health Recruitment because of their in-depth knowledge of the role of both ODP’S in the UK and Anaesthetic Techs in NZ. The team took the time to get to know both my husband and myself. They all looked after us so well, nothing is too much trouble for them. They helped with all aspects of the move, not just the immigration process.

What impressed me the most was that they wanted to find the right job in the right location for me, so that both my new employer and I would be happy. I cannot thank them all enough for their excellent help.

We are very happy in NZ, life is more relaxed and everyone is so friendly. It has been such a busy time getting here and getting settled but it really is worth it. My advice is start planning early, get as much done as you can before getting that job offer, because when you do, everything happens very quickly!!

I met Prudence and her Accent Health Recruitment team at an expo in Manchester in 2006 and we still keep in touch! Since I have been here, we have had a baby and now I am working part time which suits us fine.