Moving to Wellington - advice

FTroydon

Hi,

My boyfriend and I are thinking of moving over to Wellington later this year and we're hoping to get some advice and some answers on here.

We both have IT degrees, and will have 2 years programming experience before we head over.
We were wondering if there are many software developer jobs (preferably C#) in Wellington, and what pay would we be likely to get?
We have looked on the seek website, but many of the jobs don't specify a salary.

Also, are there any pros or cons of Wellington that we should know in advance?

We are thinking of going over on the WHV at the start, instead of paying out the massive fee for the Skilled Migrant Visa. Would being on a WHV hinder our chances of getting a development job?
We were hoping to get a job on the WHV, and then apply for the Skilled Migrant Visa if we liked it enough to stay longer than the initial year.

Also, feel free to give us any info or tips you have on moving over from Ireland.


Thanks in advance!

pclancy

I would put C# developers with two years experience at $60-$70K I guess depending on your skill level and the company's requirements. Xero seem to be hiring a lot at the moment for developers for their online accounting software. Other then that keep an eye on Seek, Dec/Jan are very quiet on the job front here as most people pack up and leave for their summer holidays, you'll see a lot more jobs appear in February.

I came out on a WHV, got a job in IT and then applied for a Skilled Migrant permit after that year and got granted three years more. When that was coming to an end I applied for permanent residency which took about 9 months to get sorted. Its common to come out on a WHV, you'll just have to demonstrate to your potential employers that you do mean to stay longterm (even if you don't) to be taken seriously for jobs. IT is good to be in as there doesnt seem to be enough Kiwis at all, the IT companies I've worked for here all seem to be 50% kiwi, 50% immigrants.

When you get here pop me a PM and I can put your CV in front of the engineering team lead where I work, they're always on the lookout for developers and testers.

The only other tip I would give is load up on cheap pennys undies and socks Clothes are expensive here for some reason.

FTroydon

Thanks a million for your reply pclancy! It has been a great help.

It will be Sept / Oct when we head over, but I will definitely send you some cvs around that time, thanks a million! (There are three of us with 2 years IT experience each heading over now, so expect 3 cv's)

It is 9 or 10 months away yet, but I just wanted to gauge what the IT jobs market is like, and what wages we could expect. I will definitely keep an eye on seek over the next few months.

A couple more questions for you (or anyone else reading this)...if you don't mind...

1. What is the weather really like in Wellington in comparison to Dublin? I keep reading conflicting views, with some people saying it can be cold and windy. I am hoping those people are comparing it to somewhere hot, like Oz. Some sites are saying the average temperature in summer is about 22 degrees, which isn't massively hot, but maybe it feels warmer there due to less clouds and clearer skies etc?

2. How did you get around the whole unfurnished accomodation problem at the start? Is it easy to acquire cheap furniture off TradeMe?


Thanks again for the previous answers and advice, and thanks for the excuse to go shopping before I head over!

pclancy

No problem. I've got plenty of contacts in various IT companies and some in the government so I'll give ye a list of places to forward to as well as my own company.

Also, Absolute IT do regular IT industry salary surveys http://www.itsalaries.co.nz/

Now the weather. I'm quite interested in the science of weather being both a sailor and a pilot so I look at it closely all the time and need to know how it works!

Peoples opinions on the weather do tend to vary a lot, personally I find the climate here to be very agreeable and certainly better then Dublin. But its not fair to compare them. Basically, Wellington gets a maritime climate meaning that the nearby cook strait and "the roaring forties" have a lot to do with affecting the day to day weather. The geography also plays a big part, the airport and harbour are sandwiched between lots of rolling hills and the northern and southern mountain ranges funnel either strong Northerlies or Southerlies our way. Now and then we get cyclones and areas of change from Oz and the Pacific Tropics blown our way too. So what does all that mean? It means its unpredictable! But very hard to compare do Dublin as it doesn't have those features I just mentioned.

Basically you can expect Tshirt/Shorts weather to kick off from late October/November and last until April usually. During that time you get 18-25 degree days, probably 50/50 between sunny and cloudy days. Sometimes the day starts gorgeous then turns to ****e as a southerly rolls in and drops a few degrees. Today as I walked along the harbour to work I felt the sun burning me and it was only 8am! Its not windy every day but yeah at times it can sure blow a gale here. Most days theres a bit of a breeze, other days its totally still, some other days its almost too windy to walk and the office girls hang onto their skirts. Great for sailing! Fun to learn to fly in but probably landing at Wellington International on a gale day can have most people gripping their seats.

Around April/May the days get more like Irish autumn with daytime temps much like back home 5-15 degrees for the most part. You still get gorgeous sun filled days now and then amoungst the cloud or fog that rolls in sometimes.

Winters are fairly mild compared to Ireland, sometimes get a tiny dusting of snow but it generally doesnt freeze in Wellington unless you're up in a high level suburb. Temps hang around 5-10 degrees. You tend to feel the cold more though as the windchill cools it further and the houses are mostly without double glazing, insulation or central heating. So its important you find a place that's warm in winter and gets plenty of sunshine otherwise it will be a damp rot hole.

Regarding furniture you can rent some places at the very start that include furniture but in general if you're going to rent a whole flat or house youll need to pick up stuff from Tradme or Gumtree, there's always travelers selling stuff so its easy get cheap stuff to get started with then upgrade to nicer things if you plan to stay. You can easily rent appliances too.

pclancy

Case in point about Wellington's random weather...Yesterday gale blowing up to 150K with rain and grey skies, today gorgeous blue skies with a slight breeze.

belcampprisoner

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/employment/news/article.cfm?c_id=11&objectid=10857363

FTroydon

pclancy wrote: »

No problem. I've got plenty of contacts in various IT companies and some in the government so I'll give ye a list of places to forward to as well as my own company.

Also, Absolute IT do regular IT industry salary surveys http://www.itsalaries.co.nz/

Now the weather. I'm quite interested in the science of weather being both a sailor and a pilot so I look at it closely all the time and need to know how it works!

Peoples opinions on the weather do tend to vary a lot, personally I find the climate here to be very agreeable and certainly better then Dublin. But its not fair to compare them. Basically, Wellington gets a maritime climate meaning that the nearby cook strait and "the roaring forties" have a lot to do with affecting the day to day weather. The geography also plays a big part, the airport and harbour are sandwiched between lots of rolling hills and the northern and southern mountain ranges funnel either strong Northerlies or Southerlies our way. Now and then we get cyclones and areas of change from Oz and the Pacific Tropics blown our way too. So what does all that mean? It means its unpredictable! But very hard to compare do Dublin as it doesn't have those features I just mentioned.

Basically you can expect Tshirt/Shorts weather to kick off from late October/November and last until April usually. During that time you get 18-25 degree days, probably 50/50 between sunny and cloudy days. Sometimes the day starts gorgeous then turns to ****e as a southerly rolls in and drops a few degrees. Today as I walked along the harbour to work I felt the sun burning me and it was only 8am! Its not windy every day but yeah at times it can sure blow a gale here. Most days theres a bit of a breeze, other days its totally still, some other days its almost too windy to walk and the office girls hang onto their skirts. Great for sailing! Fun to learn to fly in but probably landing at Wellington International on a gale day can have most people gripping their seats.

Around April/May the days get more like Irish autumn with daytime temps much like back home 5-15 degrees for the most part. You still get gorgeous sun filled days now and then amoungst the cloud or fog that rolls in sometimes.

Winters are fairly mild compared to Ireland, sometimes get a tiny dusting of snow but it generally doesnt freeze in Wellington unless you're up in a high level suburb. Temps hang around 5-10 degrees. You tend to feel the cold more though as the windchill cools it further and the houses are mostly without double glazing, insulation or central heating. So its important you find a place that's warm in winter and gets plenty of sunshine otherwise it will be a damp rot hole.

Regarding furniture you can rent some places at the very start that include furniture but in general if you're going to rent a whole flat or house youll need to pick up stuff from Tradme or Gumtree, there's always travelers selling stuff so its easy get cheap stuff to get started with then upgrade to nicer things if you plan to stay. You can easily rent appliances too.

Thanks a million for the detailed reply pclancy!!!
This forum is a great source of information about moving to New Zealand. A few similar threads have popped up recently, confirming that it must be a great place to move to!


It is still a good few months away, but I will be hanging around this forum until then, picking up any other bits of advise I can find. And I am definitely interested in that list of IT companies pclancy. Thanks again!

I have highlighted my favourite part of your reply....."certainly better than Dublin". That's good enough for me!

ThunbergsAreGo

Great reply! i got contacted about a possible job in Wellington and this has answered a few of questions for me

I think the most difficult part is going to be deciding what salary to ask for! im clueles

pclancy

Cool. Well can you benchmark your experience and the company's need for your skills against one of the salary surveys that are on seek and trademe? That's usually the best way to gauge what to ask for.

ThunbergsAreGo

pclancy wrote: »

Cool. Well can you benchmark your experience and the company's need for your skills against one of the salary surveys that are on seek and trademe? That's usually the best way to gauge what to ask for.

Thats actually a great resource. Bit wary of the move as we are dual earners here and that would change for a while in NZ anyways (she is a teacher)

The area i work in in niche enough so hard to get a definite guide on but that gives a good guideline of what to expect though and a great starting point

Shalamov

Wellington is an incredible city to live in - IMO the best in NZ by a mile.
I was there for a year, lived central in a great apartment, good rent, good job.

People are great fun - i'd go back in flash if it wasn't 30 hours away ;-)

BobBobBobBob

Wellington is the best city in NZ by a country mile!!!

Wages aren't the greatest over here but it doesn't really matter because the living is sweet as!

All the suburbs are close to together, Mt Cook, Mt Vic or Te Aro are my favourite. I would stay away from Newtown, that place always depresses me when I drive or walk through it. In the old houses over there there is no radiators (you will find the Kiwis are tight!!!) so maybe look for a modern place to live.

There is a good GAA scene there, plenty of 7s tournaments and tours away.

The Kiwis love the Irish here!

Wellington is a small place so getting to know people is very easy and the nightlife is excellent...Courtney Place yeeeeeee boi!!!

Choice!

pclancy

Awww poor Newtown, why does it depress you? Its got some of the best Indian restaurants in town, lots of shops and ethnic foods, several bars, some very cool cafes, live music, the Zoo, sports grounds, playgrounds, schools, yearly festival and a world-class brand new hospital. Plus some amazing walks through the town belt or around the back of the hospital.

Its probably the clients of the mental health unit and the halfway house that put you off, they can appear somewhat "colourful" Its a pretty safe place though, I never had any issues in five years of working and socializing there.