Qualified......by Experience!

On the One Hand:

I've never studied, and don't really have much in the way of school qualifications either, however over here in the UK, I have built up 15 years of accountancy experience which has always got me pretty well paid temp/permanent work and once I get a position I'm usually retained for much longer than the original contract, so I know I'm good at what I do (8 years with American Express, 2 years with the NHS, so not all small companies either). I've even been taken on for jobs over qualified applicants at qualified rates of pay, and have never been out of work unless I've chosen to be.

I strongly suspect that all of this will amount to sweet FA over in New Zealand!!!

Any thoughts on the above??

On the other hand:

The reason I have never studied is that I don't really want to be an accountant for the rest of my life so starting from scratch opens up a whole new world of possibilities that excites me greatly!! :D

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Originally Posted by Chedward

On the One Hand:

I strongly suspect that all of this will amount to sweet FA over in New Zealand!!!

Any thoughts on the above??

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It may mean a lot to employers in NZ (my own experience suggests that Kiwi employers will take your word for it and give you a chance) but it will definitely mean sweet FA to INZ!

HOWEVER, since you're going for partner-sponsored Residence, INZ only need to check out your health and the fact that you are in a provable partnership. :nice1 So you can take your choice between convincing NZ employers wanting an accountant with your efficiency, charm and UK references, and finding that interesting new direction. ;)

Phew.
Glad you said that JandM, we are in a similar situation, OH has 5 City & Guilds in Industrial electronics (but the are over 25 yrs old), he has worked for himself off and on for the past 10 years, but has not worked for anyone else for about 12 years, so this is a bit of a difficult situation for us as well.
Wishing you the best of luck Chedward, an eager to hear how you get on.
:O)

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Originally Posted by benhila

It may mean a lot to employers in NZ (my own experience suggests that Kiwi employers will take your word for it and give you a chance)

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On the One Hand:

Phew! Would be a shame for the last 15 years hard work to go completely down the pan!


On the Other Hand:

There's a part of me that wants to firmly shove the last 15 years hard work down the pan, sit on the lid and keep a finger on flush for a good 20 minutes!:)

It will likely make it hard to find a job, when I returned to NZ in 2003 after 10 years in the UK, 10 years of legal practice management, involving IT, admin, document and project management etc etc, I could not get a job in NZ as I lacked qualification.
However, my step son, who has a 2:1 in engineering with management from Brunel University could not get anything in NZ either, because he had no experience, a vicious circle.
It took me a few years to get established in a good job, and different industry. However, due to my wifes family reasons we moved back to the UK last year, and I can't get a job here either, so we are moving back to NZ, but alas, I am stuck trying to find a job again, problem is, my last job in NZ was very niche, and my position was filled by 2 people, so trying to find a job will be difficult for me too, but atleast I know people, and network does help.
I would suggest joining a sports club or two, perhaps golf and tennis or squash, then just talk and talk to people, you never know!

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Originally Posted by krisby

It will likely make it hard to find a job, when I returned to NZ in 2003 after 10 years in the UK, 10 years of legal practice management, involving IT, admin, document and project management etc etc, I could not get a job in NZ as I lacked qualification.
However, my step son, who has a 2:1 in engineering with management from Brunel University could not get anything in NZ either, because he had no experience, a vicious circle.
It took me a few years to get established in a good job, and different industry. However, due to my wifes family reasons we moved back to the UK last year, and I can't get a job here either, so we are moving back to NZ, but alas, I am stuck trying to find a job again, problem is, my last job in NZ was very niche, and my position was filled by 2 people, so trying to find a job will be difficult for me too, but atleast I know people, and network does help.
I would suggest joining a sports club or two, perhaps golf and tennis or squash, then just talk and talk to people, you never know!

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Sounds like you've had a frustrating time Krisby, Good Luck this time around (but hands off those accounting roles!). I'm hoping that having a network of 'in-laws' over there will stand me in some good stead, and I'm more than happy to temp long/short term to build up a profile in NZ and maybe even get a foot in the door for a permanent role - I've always found companies more willing to take on temps based on experience - easy to get rid if they prove to be rubbish I guess.

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Originally Posted by Chedward

...I've always found companies more willing to take on temps based on experience - easy to get rid if they prove to be rubbish I guess...

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Too right. I'd say 75% or more of our permanent hires start off as temps hired through agencies.

One advantage (for potential employees) is that if temps prove capable and suitable, we frequently offer them contracts with very little scrutiny of their formal qualifications and employment details. This occasionally proves a bit challenging when we later seek to present their CVs to potential clients, only to find that they aren't very presentable.

Creative writing always seems to save the day, however.