I need the experience of experts and the experience of university lecturers please....

[Louay]

Dear friends,
One of the applicants on another forum told me something which confused me and let me again feel the same feeling when I applied for Canada.

He told me that the chance of university lecturers in NZ immigration is not good at all. He didn't show any reason but advised me to apply for Australia or Canada which is better and have a good chance to accept me. In addition, he said that they may give me a visa to look for a job in NZ for 9 months and if won't find I must leave NZ.
I want to ask you and please answer me clearly:

Do I have a good chance to get a resident visa to NZ????


I have 150 points ,selected ,and waiting an invitation from London office.

I am a university lecturer and have been working there for six years.

Thank you

[girlwithanewf]

It is perfectly possible to find a job and emigrate to NZ as a university lecturer. Many people do this and there are many non-New Zealanders working in the academic field.
HOWEVER - you really need to get the job offer first. Many people apply from overseas with no visa in place, are offered the job and then apply successfully for a visa. This is standard procedure in academia. It is very difficult to just turn up in NZ and try to get a job at a university, especially if you only have 9 months to find a job. Your chances of being offered an academic job are no higher if you have a visa and are already in NZ. Universities are more likely to be interested in you if you are still working in an university, not hanging around NZ looking for a job. I would really advise you to look at the international academic job websites. Have a look also at the university websites here, look at the staff profiles in the department you wish to work in and see what they have done, just to give yourself an idea of what universities are looking for. As with Canada and Australia, the USA and Britain, NZ recruits university lecturers on the international market and the only thing which really matters is how much and where you have published.
I wish you all the very best for your search.

[hamorabi]

Hi Louay

This is my experience. I am a university lecturer since 2002. I already applied for Canada since 2006 and still no feedback. Also, I was in the process to apply for Australia in 2009 when I discovered I can not secure the required points because of the age and the work experience. So, I gave up.

In December 2010, I applied for IOE and selected from the first pool. I logged my ITA in May 2011 and one year later I got my blue sticker on the passport. I do not know what is your field in the university but I am lecturing in civil engineering.

My visa was full resident visa, where I can live indefinitely and work freely in field as well as in university. Of course, I was afraid of getting WTR visa of 9 months. In this case I have to find a job in the same field where I claimed points (as a university lecturer). This will minimize my chances.

So, you have to keep in mind the chance of getting WTR visa instead of full resident visa. You have to convince your CO that you are a good person who can work and contribute to the NZ market and community in a positive way.

[JandM]

Bear in mind that if you were offered a Job Search Visa (the 9-month deferred Residence thing that used to be called WTR), you do not HAVE to take it.

[Louay]

What do u mean by I don't have to take it??? Do you mean that I refuse it???

Bear in mind that if you were offered a Job Search Visa (the 9-month deferred Residence thing that used to be called WTR), you do not HAVE to take it.

[JandM]

Yes. You can just say 'no, thanks' and stay in your own country.

[bharasheh]

Yes. You can just say 'no, thanks' and stay in your own country.

I liked your words.

Is this advice for all occupations? Or just for Louay as university lecturer?

[jawnbc]

I am a university lecturer and have secured a job offer in advance of my arrival in NZ. My SMC residency visa application is (I pray) in the final stages. Was supposed to start work mid-August, but September's looking more likely at this point.

Assuming you have your PhD (or equivalent professional doctorate like EdD DEng etc)--because getting a lecturer job without a doctorate in most fields is difficult--your next step should be to scour the employment section of university website. I was targetting Auckland so that's where I focused. A job was advertised for which I was qualified in January 2012 and I applied. I was interviewed via Skype in early April and had the offer in-hand in late April. My new bosses were open and keen to my being new to NZ--though their first question was "why NZ?"

I submitted my EOI as soon as the offer came in with about 200 points--and was quickly selected and sent my ITA. Most universities are approved employers, which greatly facilitates the visa process. Many will also have internal migration consultants to help you apply--for free (I did it on my own, however). Processing time for folks like me is 1-3 months: I'm at 6 weeks currently, but there have been some hiccups in the process.

Not to discourage you...but unless your field is one where doctorates aren't the norm for research intensive universities (like fine arts, for example), getting a job offer as lecturer might be near to impossible.

Good luck!

[JandM]

I liked your words.

Is this advice for all occupations? Or just for Louay as university lecturer?

There is nothing individual, or connected with a particular career about this. INZ can grant visas. You apply for Residence, and at the end of the checking process, if they don't refuse, they tell you what you may have - Residence, or JSV. But nobody can MAKE you accept, and move countries. We have heard on these threads about people who were told they could have Residence, but had in the meantime taken a good job at home, and, despite what they had spent for the application and medical, decided not to accept.

[junaidahmed83]

Not to discourage you...but unless your field is one where doctorates aren't the norm for research intensive universities (like fine arts, for example), getting a job offer as lecturer might be near to impossible.

Good luck!

Thanks jawnbc for explanation and congratulations for the job.
Do you mean getting job as a lecturer even after a PhD is near to impossible?

- Did you also contact any professors or university staff for possible openings? Do you think it is also a potential method of getting a job offer as a lecturer in a university? As many seniors lecturers might be looking for good researchers around the world to take them in their team.

- May I know which field are you in?