Study in New Zealand: Things You Should Know

Among all the popular higher education destinations for Indian students, New Zealand is perhaps the most confusing option while considering future job prospects. While many experts tout New Zealand as a destination with plenty of job opportunities and rave about the quality of life, many news reports and labor experts from New Zealand have conflicting views. In this post, we will touch on the potential pros and cons for an international student interested in building a career and life in this breathtakingly beautiful country, while answering several popular questions.

As a student, studying at a New Zealand university, you could earn minimum wage or higher. The minimum wage in New Zealand is NZ$ 18.90 per hour, which includes rest breaks. You will be paid for annual and public holidays as well. However, you will be required to pay tax on what you earn. However, keep in mind that there are companies and employers that take advantage of international students.

According to an article published by wireless.co.nz, international students are often exploited in New Zealand. According to Dr. Francis Collins from the University of Auckland, students from the Philippines and India are most vulnerable to exploitation by employers as these are the students who usually have loans to clear. The good news is that the government has committed to cracking down on these cases.

Considering you have sufficient finances, New Zealand is a pretty great option if you do not need to work part-time to finance your education. The quality of education is globally recognized and appreciated.

New Zealand does have a relatively small population, so it may not always be easy to find a job. However, if you meet all the job requirements, you should have a decent chance of finding a part-time opportunity. You could look for opportunities on campus, or you could venture beyond the campus for opportunities as a retail sales assistant, supermarket assistant, waiter/waitress, kitchenhand, call center worker, or even as a seasonal worker in a vineyard or orchard.

Some websites that have part-time job listings include Student Job Search, Trade Me Jobs, and Seek.

After completing your studies in New Zealand, you can apply for a post-study open work visa, which could be for periods of one, two or three years, depending on your degree.

For a three-year post-study open work visa, you will need a degree of level 7 or above.

For a two-year post-study open work visa, you will need a degree of level 4, 5 or 6, or a non-degree of level 7 qualifications outside Auckland. However, study must be completed within December 2021, as the post-study work rights rever to a one-year post study open work visa after this.

For a one-year post-study open work visa, you will need a degree of level 4, 5 or 6, or a non-degree of level 7. If you have completed a graduate diploma, you can get an additional year to register with a trade or professional body.

To apply for a visa under the skilled migrant category, you will have to earn sufficient points according to their system. The higher your points, the better your chances of getting the visa. These points are used to assess expressions of interest, which are referred to as EOIs. In order to be accepted into the pool, you will require 100 EOI. According to the New Zealand government, they are presently only accepting EOIs of over 160.

While the amount depends on your nationality, you will have to prove that you have a minimum of $4200 per year to meet your living requirements if you cannot find a job.

While most work visas do not have an age limit, the age bracket to apply for a working holiday visa in New Zealand is 18 to 30 years.

As mentioned earlier, once you’ve lived and worked in New Zealand on a post-study work visa, you can apply for the resident permit under the skilled migrant category. Once you’ve held this resident visa for 24 months or more, you can apply for permanent residency.

You will need a minimum score of 6.5 to immigrate to New Zealand. The minimum score is the same to study in the country. However, different universities do have different expectations.

According to the New Zealand government, the most promising career areas in the near future will be healthcare and medicine; renewable energy and green jobs; information technology; international and environmental law; content creation and marketing; data science; and financial analysis.

However, if you hope to work in New Zealand, your chances are that much better if you are eligible for a job in the long term shortage list.

Here is the list of long-term shortage jobs:

• Construction project manager (roading and infrastructure)
• Project builder (building project manager or site foreman)
• Quantity surveyor
• Surveyor
• Chemical engineer
• Materials engineer
• Civil engineer
• Geotechnical engineer
• Structural engineer
• Electrical engineer
• Electronics engineer
• Industrial engineer
• Mechanical engineer
• Production or plant engineer
• Environmental engineer
• Civil engineering technician
• Electrical engineering technician
• Electronics engineering technician
• Procurement manager
• Clinical psychologist
• Diagnostic and interventional radiologist
• General practitioner
• Medical radiation therapist
• Medical laboratory scientist (cytotechnologist or cytoscientist)
• Obstetrician or gynecologist
• Physicist
• Physiotherapist
• Psychiatrist
• Sonographer
• Specialist physician in Palliative medicine
• Surgeon
• Veterinarian
• Multimedia specialist or film animator
• ICT project manager (organization and methods analyst)
• ICT business analyst
• Systems analyst
• Web developer
• Analyst programmer
• Developer programmer
• Software engineer
• Software tester
• Software and applications programmer
• Database administrator
• ICT security specialist
• Systems administrator
• Computer network and systems engineer
• Network administrator
• ICT quality assurance engineer
• ICT support engineer
• ICT systems test engineer
• Telecommunications engineer
• Telecommunications network engineer
• ICT customer support officer
• Chef (chef de partie or higher)
• Spatial scientist
• Environmental research scientist
• Food Technologist
• Automotive electrician
• Diesel motor mechanic (heavy vehicle inspector)

There are many job sites that you can use to search for a job. Some of these include:

• workingin-newzealand.
• workhere.co.nz/
• newkiwis.co.nz/
• seek.co.nz/
• trademe.co.nz/jobs
• applydirect.co.nz/
• getaflex.co.nz/
• hays.net.nz/
• haystack.jobs/job-board/
• jobgurus.co.nz/
• jobify.co.nz/

According to Payscale, the average salary is $66,000. However, as is the case in most other countries, salaries could vary significantly depending on a range of factors such as the type of industry and job profile. Salaries could also vary depending on your qualifications and negotiation skills.

Also interesting to note is that an article by the Global Indian, a leading Indian magazine in New Zealand, pointed out that the job prospects for Indians in New Zealand aren’t always great. Even after years of working sincerely, some Indians complain that their wages are lower and they don’t receive promotions for years. However, there are also Indians, who claim to be satisfied with their career growth and the reality is that there are many successful Indians.

According to IDG’s CIO, the best companies for a tech-related job are:

• Datacom Group
• Fisher and Paykel Appliances
• Fisher and Paykel Healthcare
• Xero
• Gallagher Group
• Orion Health
• Douglas Pharmaceuticals
• Tait Communications
• NDA Group
• Temperzone Group
• Magic Memories