My name is Ruqayyah and I’m an ODP from the Chilterns in the UK. I came to NZ with my husband in December 2020. The whole process took us 6 months from the first time I contact Prudence at ACCENT. She was there for us at every step of the process from job interview practice to providing snacks for our mandatory isolation.
I contacted Prudence on a whim one evening whilst we were living in Stockholm and were getting more and more frustrated with the Covid-19 situation there. We had always wanted to holiday in NZ but never thought we would have the chance to live there. Prudence made that possible. The process was super easy, and the longest time was waiting for documents from my university and police certificates. I thought I would interview at several hospitals, but Prudence knew exactly what I wanted. My first interview was successful, and I am now working at the biggest private hospital in NZ.
As an anaesthetic technician in NZ there aren’t really many differences between the work, however it does of course take a little while to find your feet. There was some medical ‘lingo’ I had to learn but at least we could have a laugh in the coffee room about it afterwards. My shifts are nice: working 10 or 8 hours a day with my weekends and evenings off. There’s always time to do a quick weekend retreat and get back into work by Monday morning. Everyone is super nice, and I’ve really enjoyed meeting so many different people, as NZ is so culturally diverse.
The hardest part of moving to NZ has been the time difference between the UK and NZ, varying between 11 and 13 hours, so you can’t just ring your family when you miss them. However, FaceTime and Skype has made it feel like you’re still very much still with them. We’ve attended one wedding, two engagements and one baby shower all over FaceTime so I think we’re getting pretty good at that! With the international borders hopefully opening very soon it isn’t too long until we see our family. Although it is far (in fact the furthest you could ever be) the lifestyle, the food, the culture, the nature, and the people make up for all of it.
We will be looking to apply for permanent residency when the time comes and can really see ourselves living here for several years. We’ve been here a year and we can say it now feels like home. Unfortunately like most countries, the rental / buying housing situation is tough here, so be well informed before you come. I miss the UK and being next to the rest of EU. But here in NZ there is everything you can think of. From sunny beaches to snowy mountain tops, it’ll take a while before you get bored!
My advice to anyone planning on making the move, go for it! You have nothing left to lose and everything to gain. It’s a beautiful country and I’m so happy to call it my home for now.
I contacted Prudence on a whim one evening whilst we were living in Stockholm and were getting more and more frustrated with the Covid-19 situation there. We had always wanted to holiday in NZ but never thought we would have the chance to live there. Prudence made that possible. The process was super easy, and the longest time was waiting for documents from my university and police certificates. I thought I would interview at several hospitals, but Prudence knew exactly what I wanted. My first interview was successful, and I am now working at the biggest private hospital in NZ.
As an anaesthetic technician in NZ there aren’t really many differences between the work, however it does of course take a little while to find your feet. There was some medical ‘lingo’ I had to learn but at least we could have a laugh in the coffee room about it afterwards. My shifts are nice: working 10 or 8 hours a day with my weekends and evenings off. There’s always time to do a quick weekend retreat and get back into work by Monday morning. Everyone is super nice, and I’ve really enjoyed meeting so many different people, as NZ is so culturally diverse.
The hardest part of moving to NZ has been the time difference between the UK and NZ, varying between 11 and 13 hours, so you can’t just ring your family when you miss them. However, FaceTime and Skype has made it feel like you’re still very much still with them. We’ve attended one wedding, two engagements and one baby shower all over FaceTime so I think we’re getting pretty good at that! With the international borders hopefully opening very soon it isn’t too long until we see our family. Although it is far (in fact the furthest you could ever be) the lifestyle, the food, the culture, the nature, and the people make up for all of it.
We will be looking to apply for permanent residency when the time comes and can really see ourselves living here for several years. We’ve been here a year and we can say it now feels like home. Unfortunately like most countries, the rental / buying housing situation is tough here, so be well informed before you come. I miss the UK and being next to the rest of EU. But here in NZ there is everything you can think of. From sunny beaches to snowy mountain tops, it’ll take a while before you get bored!
My advice to anyone planning on making the move, go for it! You have nothing left to lose and everything to gain. It’s a beautiful country and I’m so happy to call it my home for now.
