G
GordonGekko
Guest
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=26738
4th September 2009, 05:13 PM
Paul & Rach
I think its time to leave
We came here just over 3 years ago hoping like many people on this forum to make a new life in this country. We both gave up well paying jobs and were prepared to make every sacrifice to change our lives and live here forever. We rode out the early days blues, the home sickness and doubt which many here will recognise. After 2 years we felt we could live here happily and start planning to get our own house and make a life.
11 months ago every thing changed. I was marched in to an office at work and "dis-established" as they call it here (made redundant). A shocking experience but I tried not to dwell upon it. Since then I have made every effort I could to find new work. Initially I thought I could find work quickly but I have found the IT employment market to be impossible. There is deep recession in the job market here and some very dodgy practices such as :
* false adverts (extremely common),
* people interviewing simply to gather information from me about my former employer,
* Interviewing for non-existant jobs
* Agents Interviewing for vacancies which had knowingly already been filled.
* changing job descriptions as a means to exclude applicants,
* poor pay,
* pathetically short contracts
* project withdrawals,
* interviewing for projects which haven't been approved.
* withdrawing the vacancy after being told I got the job.
* Impossible sets of technical requirements. Bizarre combinations of tools which surely only a few people anywhere may have encountered.
* Absolutely no scope for adapting existing closely related skills to the job.
* Being excluded from applying because I once worked for a company they did not like. (this happened this week)
* A total in-ability to act quickly and decisively about projects and people.
Auckland is a desperate place to find work. I've applied for countless jobs. Some, I have 110% confidence I could do well. Others, I could turn my hand to easily. I've been told 5 times I got the job only for the employer to withdraw the vacancy or project. I work hard at finding work. I have many, versions of my CV. I've sought professional help with the CV and interviewing. I spend every day looking for work and find almost nothing to be positive about. My confidence in this job market is shattered. Even if I get a job now I cannot picture myself being happy, valued, confident and progressing here. The situation has by now, affected my personal confidence and I find the length of my unemployment an embarrassment and an issue in itself.
New Zealand is a lovely place but if you cannot earn a living, what is the point ? I feel lost and isolated here. I think I have made a huge life changing mistake coming here. I spend most days alone trying to grind out some opportunity for work. Its a miserable depressing existence. Also, we are gradually losing everything we have. Living off money we brought here for a house. Its a sickening feeling. Total financial free-fall and I have no way to reverse it except to consider leaving.
I know things are bad in the UK right now but looking at job sites there, I feel like a starving man peering through a restaurant window. I see opportunities which simply don't exist here. I see opportunity and a means to to carry on. I see friends and family I don't see here. I see potential and a better "life" than I have here in this place. I've never given up on anything in my entire life, ever. But with the annual christmas employment slump on the horizon (usually 4 months long) I am now days or weeks away from buying a ticket out of here.
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=26738
4th September 2009, 05:13 PM
Paul & Rach
I think its time to leave
We came here just over 3 years ago hoping like many people on this forum to make a new life in this country. We both gave up well paying jobs and were prepared to make every sacrifice to change our lives and live here forever. We rode out the early days blues, the home sickness and doubt which many here will recognise. After 2 years we felt we could live here happily and start planning to get our own house and make a life.
11 months ago every thing changed. I was marched in to an office at work and "dis-established" as they call it here (made redundant). A shocking experience but I tried not to dwell upon it. Since then I have made every effort I could to find new work. Initially I thought I could find work quickly but I have found the IT employment market to be impossible. There is deep recession in the job market here and some very dodgy practices such as :
* false adverts (extremely common),
* people interviewing simply to gather information from me about my former employer,
* Interviewing for non-existant jobs
* Agents Interviewing for vacancies which had knowingly already been filled.
* changing job descriptions as a means to exclude applicants,
* poor pay,
* pathetically short contracts
* project withdrawals,
* interviewing for projects which haven't been approved.
* withdrawing the vacancy after being told I got the job.
* Impossible sets of technical requirements. Bizarre combinations of tools which surely only a few people anywhere may have encountered.
* Absolutely no scope for adapting existing closely related skills to the job.
* Being excluded from applying because I once worked for a company they did not like. (this happened this week)
* A total in-ability to act quickly and decisively about projects and people.
Auckland is a desperate place to find work. I've applied for countless jobs. Some, I have 110% confidence I could do well. Others, I could turn my hand to easily. I've been told 5 times I got the job only for the employer to withdraw the vacancy or project. I work hard at finding work. I have many, versions of my CV. I've sought professional help with the CV and interviewing. I spend every day looking for work and find almost nothing to be positive about. My confidence in this job market is shattered. Even if I get a job now I cannot picture myself being happy, valued, confident and progressing here. The situation has by now, affected my personal confidence and I find the length of my unemployment an embarrassment and an issue in itself.
New Zealand is a lovely place but if you cannot earn a living, what is the point ? I feel lost and isolated here. I think I have made a huge life changing mistake coming here. I spend most days alone trying to grind out some opportunity for work. Its a miserable depressing existence. Also, we are gradually losing everything we have. Living off money we brought here for a house. Its a sickening feeling. Total financial free-fall and I have no way to reverse it except to consider leaving.
I know things are bad in the UK right now but looking at job sites there, I feel like a starving man peering through a restaurant window. I see opportunities which simply don't exist here. I see opportunity and a means to to carry on. I see friends and family I don't see here. I see potential and a better "life" than I have here in this place. I've never given up on anything in my entire life, ever. But with the annual christmas employment slump on the horizon (usually 4 months long) I am now days or weeks away from buying a ticket out of here.
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=26738