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.
