What to expect in a job offer and contract

[oskanaan]

Hi everyone,
I will be having some interviews when I land in Auckland next week and wanted to know, based on your experience, what should I expect a job offer and contract to include, or better, what should it NOT include? should I be extra careful or are there rules forced by the government (such as the number of leave days, pension if any,notice period,..)?What items of a contract should I refuse?

Thanks

[Manks]

The contents of a job offer will depend entirely on the type of organisation you end up working for. I have worked for a small company (5 people) and now work for one of the biggest employers in the country (2,800 people). The contracts are roughly the same, however there are a few more perks to my current employer.

1) Minimum annual leave is 20 days as stipulated by law. There is some funny wording over here that basically says you're only entitled to the allowance after your 12 months' service. Some people (employers included) mistake that for meaning you don't have any leave in your first year, when it actually means you accrue the 20 days over the course of the year. So you can take leave. Some employers may offer more generous leave allowances, but both of mine have been the same.
2) With the Kiwisaver scheme, very few organisations offer a separate Pension benefit, except for the larger ones. All employers have to pay into the Kiwisaver by law if you are a member of the scheme. Although employer contributions are reducing. My current company offers a very generous pension benefit of $1.50 for every $1 you pay in (so they contribute 150% of your contribution). This is rare from what I can gather.
3) Notice period is usually one month/four weeks.
4) Many people are paid fortnightly - I have been in both of my jobs - so a lot of bills (e.g. rent) are paid this weay too. I find it makes budgeting a lot easier and there's less of that pay-day euphoria you get in monthly pay cultures.
5) I wouldn't be so strong as to attempt to go in "refusing" some terms, but possibly seek to negotiate on them if you're not happy. However be aware that contracts are fairly standard and the general things for negotiation are pay, sick/annual leave, hours of work. Have a look out for redundancy provision - although legislation isn't generous on this and I don't think contracts have to include it. I think my current contract (one month's notice plus four months' salary) is very generous, and was some comfort when I started my new job in the middle of a departmental restructure!

[beadyeyes]

Hi Manks, just wondering did you apply for many jobs before you got an offer. I'm an Engineering and Design Graphics teacher which leaves a lot of types of jobs open but i'm not getting many bites. Did you wait for an offer before you filled out EOI? I have it filled but not submitted. mostly because I want to go first for 3 months as a visitor and do some interviews and sus it out before committing. Is a work visa handy enough if ones skills are desireable? is there much work for the employer. basically I find it hard to see how an employer can offer me a job knowing that it will take months to get my ITA sorted and wonder is the work visa the best route as I am unsure if I will want to stay in NZ permanently...
yours quite unsuredly