Christchurch

danielstook

I have a job to go to, I secured a job from home a couple of months back. so just took some time to get my visa and other things sorted out.

got the job through a recruitment agency in Dublin, I will be working directly for a company in chch, not like canstaff. my agency just charge the employer a fee to find me. Took my interview over Skype, they are crying out for workers.

aicushen

Thks for that information Will look into it and good luck with the job Lets know how it goes sometime

danielstook

hey folks,

so I have landed in chch, im here about five weeks, sand if anyone has any questions please ask away! first up, there is loads of work here, I knew there was a **** load to do over here, but you really don't get a scale of the work until you get here. its crazy!

so please ask away and I will try to help anyone I can!

daniel

Crumble Froo

sorta agreed ^

shamrock02

Daniel just landed here ourselves today. Walking around the city was just unreal. Complete building site.
Staying in a hostel, not too sure what area to look for a house in, any reccomemdations? Heard riccarton is good.
Did you go through any agencies?

Son

I was set on going to New Zealand but have been thinking of going to Canada as well,not 100% decided yet

As I have no construction related experience,is it worth travelling all the way there to only get a labouring type job? I heard the pay is not great also and cost of living is high so if you have no direct experience in that field would it be worth going there?
The visa for NZ is only one year,whereas in Canada its two so theres a greater opportunity to advance or learn something in two years,I know the pay is good too,what do you think...

danielstook

shamrock-

hey, ya its abit of a shock when you have a stroll around, I expected some damage when I arrived but not to quiet an extent, can be a little eerie walking around at times, like a filmset. having said that, you get used to it quickly and believe it or not the place is slowly coming back to life, of course with summer on the way, it helps!

ya riccarton is a nice area, but there are so many places that are nice, st albans, merivale, etc. it depends what you are looking foe, let me know and i'll try to set you right! I just used trade me here, its the best, let me know and ill get back to you! Get sorted with a mobile number here, you will need it straight away! im with Vodafone, pretty good, pay as you go, can select different plans on that. quick bit of advice, view as many rooms or houses as you can, sorry must go now, will be in touch again!

gifted

jacksie66 wrote: »

Well im just landing, drinking for a few days and getting a job. Twill be handy getting a job.

I'm a plumber meself, what's it like over there for plumbers?

danielstook

plenty of work for plumbers here, my mate is working for two irish guys and they are flat out. loads of work and there will certainly more coming on, when the commercial jobs really start up!

I also have a friend in Canada Son, he is working in Toronto and are really busy there aswell, the money is better in Canada than here, but there is a great lifestyle here, espeicially with summer on the way. the cost of living here is not bad, I heard the same thing before I came over, but now that im here, its not bad at all. not like oz! rent is reasonable and utilities are fairly cheap, you will find a good place if you take your time in looking around. I have a great place, central, warm, double glazing( very rare ), modern and rent is cheap. beware though, there are some **** places!

perkins 540

Hi
I have been approved for a working holiday visa for new zealand,Im just wondering is there much work in christchurch for the likes of myself,im an excavator driver ,groundworker .

Thanks

danielstook

ya perkins, there is a serious amount of work for machine drivers here, so much civil and demolition work to be done, just land here man and you will have loads of work, if you have the appropriate tickets then you are elected, but I know of guys here that are driving without tickets. have a look at these companies, march construction, diggers nz, have a look, these are two I know straight off. but there are plenty more.

perkins 540

danielstook wrote: »

ya perkins, there is a serious amount of work for machine drivers here, so much civil and demolition work to be done, just land here man and you will have loads of work, if you have the appropriate tickets then you are elected, but I know of guys here that are driving without tickets. have a look at these companies, march construction, diggers nz, have a look, these are two I know straight off. but there are plenty more.

Thanks for your help daniel, Best thing i can do i suppose is book the flights and when i get out there start looking for a job

danielstook

ya, guess so. you will quily find it here!
no worries

jappyfitz

WUFF wrote: »

Thanks Brendansmith.

regarding that job offer in christchurch, did you take it up? i have been offered a job too but not as a brickie. so are you/did you work for this company? The recent comment about them being a cult is quite disturbing!

WUFF

No, plans changed wont be travelling until after Christmas.

That particular company seems to get fairly mixed reviews so I will probably look else where. If you have a trade I dont think you should have much of a problem getting work, plenty of firms looking for staff.

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

GT Tdi

I'm thinking of heading out to Christchurch ahead of my mates who will be following me out within a month or 2, was just wondering what do the majority do stay in hostels or short term leases? Im in the construction sector, do you think I need to purchase a car or is there a good transport system? How long does the visa take from time of applying? I'm thinking of hitting the road ASAP?

danielstook

hi gt,

as you probably know, there is a mountain of work going on in Christchurch, as a result of the devastating earthquakes. before I came out here, I read all about the housing shortages and how hard it would be to get a place. the truth is that, whilst there are a lot of people looking for new homes and places to stay, there are also a great deal of houses and rooms in houses available for anyone looking to come over, it took me about a week to find what suited me and my budget and I'm very happy with what I have here, living in central chch. if you were to come over I could help you out with finding somewhere, I first stayed in a really good family home that covers meals etc, that was a great help in settling in. you could stay in hostels of course, but I would recommend the way I did it, it made things easier.

as for a car here, i would say yes, although i have yet to purchase one myself. something i must do in the new year. it was abit of a shock when you see how many old cars are on the road here, i had thought about shipping my car here, and still think it would have been worth it. cars here are relatively expensive, but you can easily pick up a really cheap run around for under a thousand dollars. in the meantime, you could always use the bus system, or you will find that a lot of co workers will offer you a spin to and from work.

as for the visa, it depends on what visa you are going to get, if its a working holiday visa, then you will get it quickly, but other visas take time. what do you work as at home?

let me know if you need any help and i'll try point you in the right direction!

shamrock02

Gt tdi

Been out here since mid november lad, joiner meself, went to agency at 1:30 wednesday, started at 7:30 next day. Its that easy as long as you have your papers, couple of references wouldnt do any harm, as i had to get one when renting a house. We kipped in the ymca for a week, not the hilton but it done alright just to get settled.
City centre is just one massive building site, you wouldnt believe until you see it yourself.
Cars are really expensive as daniel said, keep your eye out on backpacker sites as theres usually a few. Make sure you get it taxed, we got fined twice in a week for not having it done.
What trade are you in? Theres loads of irish here and the nightlife is not that great,

toshy321

Lads I'm a carpenter myself and strongly thinkin of heading to new zealand what kind of money could I expect to get ,10 years experience or so .. from renting point of view it would be myself and my girlfriend heading over how much would we expect to be paying.? Thanks for replies lads

toshy321

Lads anyone any information, thanks in advance

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

toshy321

What Percentage tax is that working out at Jaksie thanks

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

pclancy

Pretty cool tax calculator here http://paye.net.nz/ that you can use to see what you'll take home.

cpoh1

jacksie66 wrote: »

We'll rent is pretty steep here. I'm paying nearly 200$ a week for a room. Wages wise I don't know about a carpenter but I'm on pretty **** money at the moment. 23 an hour before tax. Tax is fairly big here. I'm a plumber but it would cost me nearly 900 bucks to get my plumbing licence here. Dunno about carpenters. Night life is **** here. Pubs are pretty crap bar one or 2, plus the new drinking laws mean they are ridiculously strict on being drunk. I'm here 5 months and I'm sick of it. I'm going home in a few weeks and I can't wait to get out of this ****hole. The city centre is just a building site.

Jacksie, are you on your own over there or with family? You need to get away at weekends when youre not working, a couple of hours drive from CHCH there are some amazing places and things to do, much more variety than Ireland.

Andrew F

Hi Daniel,
I am waiting for a contract from Canstaff for a job as a hammerhand
How easy to find accommodation is it in or near Christchurch and as I don't drive will this be a problem?
Also I am coming out on my own are there many single people out there.
Andy

danielstook wrote: »

hi gt,

as you probably know, there is a mountain of work going on in Christchurch, as a result of the devastating earthquakes. before I came out here, I read all about the housing shortages and how hard it would be to get a place. the truth is that, whilst there are a lot of people looking for new homes and places to stay, there are also a great deal of houses and rooms in houses available for anyone looking to come over, it took me about a week to find what suited me and my budget and I'm very happy with what I have here, living in central chch. if you were to come over I could help you out with finding somewhere, I first stayed in a really good family home that covers meals etc, that was a great help in settling in. you could stay in hostels of course, but I would recommend the way I did it, it made things easier.

as for a car here, i would say yes, although i have yet to purchase one myself. something i must do in the new year. it was abit of a shock when you see how many old cars are on the road here, i had thought about shipping my car here, and still think it would have been worth it. cars here are relatively expensive, but you can easily pick up a really cheap run around for under a thousand dollars. in the meantime, you could always use the bus system, or you will find that a lot of co workers will offer you a spin to and from work.

as for the visa, it depends on what visa you are going to get, if its a working holiday visa, then you will get it quickly, but other visas take time. what do you work as at home?

let me know if you need any help and i'll try point you in the right direction!

Andrew F

Hi, I have been offered a contract with Canstaff as a Hammer Hand. I am a semi-skilled joiner and have worked on suspended ceilings, partition walls, shop fittings etc and I also worked on a sports stadium. How easy is it to get accommodation and what types are available. Also, I don't drive so would this be an issue. I will be coming out alone are there many others who have come out alone, what is the social life like? I have been quoted $1700 dollars for help getting a visa and $778 for tools is this right?
Also, my contract is only for 12 months how easy would it be to get more work and extend my visa?


Thanks


Andy

danielstook

pretty easy to find accommodation if you are willing to wait for the right place. there are plenty of places advertised on trade me, its the donedeal equivalent. there is a pretty decent bus service around the Christchurch central areas, so you will manage fine to get about and once you start work, I'm pretty sure your workmates may be able to pick you up.If you can afford it, you can buy a fairly cheap run around car for under 1000 dollars. ya the city is fairly young, plenty of people passing through on working holiday visas etc. but, to be aware, its not by any means a buzzing city, fairly quiet and the bars can be quiet spread out, get used to hopping around in a taxi!

do you know much about canstaff?

Andrew F

Not that much I went to a Jobs Fair and they were there. I had an interview but didn't expect to hear anything and then I got an interview in Liverpool. I sent off for my passport as it had expired and am waiting for my passport to come back so that I can send my police check off. I have already received a contract from Canstaff with a start date in May. I just want to make sure that there is the work out there and if my contract expires in 12 months I will be able to find more work. I have worked on shop fittings before suspended ceilings, partition wall etc and also worked on some sports stadiums.
Regards,

Andrew