My name is Remy, I'm an Occupational Therapist, and I came to NZ in July 2021 from San Jose, California, USA. The whole process took me a little over 8 months. The most challenging part of the process was getting my registration paperwork sorted out, mostly in that they ask for a LOT of things, not all of which I had on hand (Syllabi from 10 years ago? Thankfully the university I attended was able to help with that.) But finding a job once I had registration in hand was a breeze, thanks to Prue and her team!
I think the best parts of NZ are the work-life balance and the beautiful scenery everywhere! I haven't found a boring or ugly spot since I've been here! The Hutt is such a wonderfully diverse community with easy access to everything from gorgeous hikes to city life. I miss my family of course, but video chatting makes it much easier than it might have been in the past.
Working at a DHB is miles (kilometres!) different from working for a private company in the US. It's about maximizing the benefits to the patient, instead of just what we can bill for. It makes it so much easier to be client centered in my practice, even in a similar role to the one I had in the US. I also find that both mentorship and collaboration between disciplines are both more fully realized here than in the US. Interdisciplinary meetings are truly collaborative rather than adversarial and even with 10 years in practice, I was set up with a mentor to help keep me on track with my professional development. Probably most importantly, I can finally leave work at work! My colleagues are so supportive, and I know I can rely on them.
My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to pack light! We had to move around quite a bit between MIQ, Airbnbs and finally our rental when we first arrived. While I was glad we brought enough clothing to manage for a while, Trademe and Op shops got us through with the household items we needed (our shipped items took almost 4 months to arrive due to covid delays). If you'll need to isolate, be sure to jump on some of the MIQ Facebook groups, they had great advice for getting through a weird time. (Hopefully by the time you're reading this you won't need to worry about that).
I think the best parts of NZ are the work-life balance and the beautiful scenery everywhere! I haven't found a boring or ugly spot since I've been here! The Hutt is such a wonderfully diverse community with easy access to everything from gorgeous hikes to city life. I miss my family of course, but video chatting makes it much easier than it might have been in the past.
Working at a DHB is miles (kilometres!) different from working for a private company in the US. It's about maximizing the benefits to the patient, instead of just what we can bill for. It makes it so much easier to be client centered in my practice, even in a similar role to the one I had in the US. I also find that both mentorship and collaboration between disciplines are both more fully realized here than in the US. Interdisciplinary meetings are truly collaborative rather than adversarial and even with 10 years in practice, I was set up with a mentor to help keep me on track with my professional development. Probably most importantly, I can finally leave work at work! My colleagues are so supportive, and I know I can rely on them.
My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is to pack light! We had to move around quite a bit between MIQ, Airbnbs and finally our rental when we first arrived. While I was glad we brought enough clothing to manage for a while, Trademe and Op shops got us through with the household items we needed (our shipped items took almost 4 months to arrive due to covid delays). If you'll need to isolate, be sure to jump on some of the MIQ Facebook groups, they had great advice for getting through a weird time. (Hopefully by the time you're reading this you won't need to worry about that).
