Help with creating plan...

[5forNZ]

Hello all,
We are a family of 5 (husband, wife, 3 kids ages almost 9 yr, almost 5 yr, 1 yr) who are eagerly considering a move to New Zealand from the United States.

In a perfect world we would enter NZ sometime next year (between June - December 2012). We picked then with hopes that we allow enough time for the PR process, selling our home and so that our 2 oldest children can finish out their school year (the school year will start in Sept and end in June). Then, once in NZ, it would be great if we were able to "settle in" until February when it seems the next school year will begin.

Is that even ok to have that settling in period or will the children be required to go to school during that time even though essentially they'd be repeating the grade level they would have just finished here in USA?!

Based on EOI quick check, we will need a job offer to "guarantee" ITA (over 140 points). Because of that, when do you recommend OH begin looking for employment? (OH is currently an arborist/tree climber and would be seeking same in NZ.)

Whatever feedback you can provide is more than appreciated! Many thanks!

[gzapp]

Do arborist/tree climbers make enough money in NZ to meet yalls needs(and wants)? It surprises me how many people move to NZ with experience in lower paying or not in demand jobs(in NZ), a lot before even securing a job, and end up wondering what went wrong a year later. A lot of them end up over at expat exposed. I'm certainly not saying that's your situation, but it's something to look into. NZ is expensive and a one income family floating in the US may sink in NZ.

That being said. I would start looking for work 3-4 months from the earliest you would like to move if you already have your residency taken care of. Maybe even 4-5 months depending on how in demand the jobs your looking for are.

[kiwihusker]

You can enroll a child as of the age of 5, but all children must be enrolled in school as of the age of 6. I am fairly certain it is a requirement for kids to be in school, they can't just hang out for 5 months http://www.schoolzones.co.nz/enrolme.../HelpPage.aspx
Good luck with your planning.

[Kanga]

Hi 5forNZ- when we arrived it was my plan to keep my school aged daughter out of school for a while for us all to 'settle' but actually after a couple of weeks I realised that school offered her the best settling opportunities. While you could keep them out for that period of time and probably slip through the net (here you need to either have your kids in school or be registered to home school), you may find that your kids can meet new friends and get to grips with Kiwi culture best from attending school. Primary school is fairly relaxed here It's a good idea to hang fire with choosing schools until you've arrived though as websites and ero reports are no substitute for visiting and meeting staff and kids. Good luck with your plans

Your one year old will be able to go (with you or your partner) to playcentre, which is one of the best ways to meet other parents and pre-school kids, imo: http://www.playcentre.org.nz/

[5forNZ]

Do arborist/tree climbers make enough money in NZ to meet yalls needs(and wants)? It surprises me how many people move to NZ with experience in lower paying or not in demand jobs(in NZ), a lot before even securing a job, and end up wondering what went wrong a year later. A lot of them end up over at expat exposed. I'm certainly not saying that's your situation, but it's something to look into. NZ is expensive and a one income family floating in the US may sink in NZ.

That being said. I would start looking for work 3-4 months from the earliest you would like to move if you already have your residency taken care of. Maybe even 4-5 months depending on how in demand the jobs your looking for are.

Thanks for your reply. I intentionally shared his line of work in hopes someone would chime in...glad to hear your opinon.

Having said that, we did take his work into consideration when choosing to investigate NZ. From what we've found online, his pay would be similar to here (if not higher, believe it or not) and while NZ cost of living is higher than our current city, we aren't TOO concerned (yet). It is still very early in our planning stages...

You say his line of work isn't in demand...we read online (in a few places) that supposedly NZ is in need. It's even on a shortage list...

We have not yet applied for residency as we will require a job offer (for EOI points and also because we wouldn't move without one).

[5forNZ]

You can enroll a child as of the age of 5, but all children must be enrolled in school as of the age of 6. I am fairly certain it is a requirement for kids to be in school, they can't just hang out for 5 months http://www.schoolzones.co.nz/enrolme.../HelpPage.aspx
Good luck with your planning.

Thanks, kiwihusker! I sort of assumed that would be the case.

[5forNZ]

Hi 5forNZ- when we arrived it was my plan to keep my school aged daughter out of school for a while for us all to 'settle' but actually after a couple of weeks I realised that school offered her the best settling opportunities. While you could keep them out for that period of time and probably slip through the net (here you need to either have your kids in school or be registered to home school), you may find that your kids can meet new friends and get to grips with Kiwi culture best from attending school. Primary school is fairly relaxed here It's a good idea to hang fire with choosing schools until you've arrived though as websites and ero reports are no substitute for visiting and meeting staff and kids. Good luck with your plans

Your one year old will be able to go (with you or your partner) to playcentre, which is one of the best ways to meet other parents and pre-school kids, imo: http://www.playcentre.org.nz/

Thank you so much for writing - it's great to hear a perspective of someone who made the move with kids.

We considered that school would be the best place for the kids to settle. My hopes in "settling in" would mostly involve finding a place we want to call home and getting the kids registered in nearby schools versus just popping them into any school and then yank them out when we decide to move to another neighborhood. Of course the area we live in depends on where OH's work will be, but I'm sure there's plenty of area around to choose from.

[Hagabel]

My line of work is also on the shortage skill list and we went for PR and had (luckily) enough points before receiving a job offer.
Our kids are 6/4 and just about to enter Kindergarten and 1st grade. We did not plan the timing but it was great with moving at end of summer hols here(august).
My 4 yr old will be able to go to school in oct (5) and I will send him asap as he was used to daycare/preschool here and I think it will help him settle. I am also planning on sending 6 yr old as soon as we can as well. Plus we both have to work so being at home not an option.

With kids that young I would not worry about transition too much, I think personally that getting them into a routine as much as possible wil makeit easier.

Anyways welcome..just my 2 cents!

[gzapp]

You say his line of work isn't in demand...we read online (in a few places) that supposedly NZ is in need. It's even on a shortage list...

Nah, I was just saying that a lot of peoples jobs are not but they move anyway. Just bringing it up so you could look into it if you hadn't already, and avoid getting burned Your in a good position if it's on the shortage list, especially long term. Might be able to score a job early and have the employer wait a few months for you guys to get there.

[dharder]

You could home school the children, and they wouldn't have to go to a school, but personally, and as Kanga said, I wouldn't want my children hanging about the place for months on end with nothing to do. To be honest, I'm not sure we'd all make it through a week of that intact...

I think school is the best place to meet other children and get an idea of how things are here, so would certainly try to decide on an area sooner rather than later.

My sons arrived here in November, and they started school within a week of getting here. That meant that they at least had some friends and new people in the area before the summer holidays.

Daniela