Jobs for Nurses in New Zealand : Jobs for Doctors in New Zealand

As a family, we had considered emigrating to New Zealand for some time, so were in the process of applying for residency visas. We first met Prue at the 'Professional Nursing Exhibition", London where I had the opportunity to discuss nursing in New Zealand and provide a copy of my CV. Further to that meeting, we remained in regular contact despite not having a time of departure or any firm plan of where in NZ we might locate to. We met again at the "Fresh Start" Expo. London, and as we were much further down our immigration process were able to discuss nursing prospects in greater detail. Prue emailed regularly for feedback regarding various positions which might be suitable and arranged for my family and I to meet with her at her hotel during the Olympia working abroad Expo. By now we had our residency visas and a location in mind. It was here that I "willingly" took part in a videoed interview with her to present myself to future employers.

We arranged for our container to be shipped to Christchurch via an agency recommended by Prue and left London with 4 suitcases. We knew we had a long journey ahead as we had planned to explore Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia on route. After 6 weeks we arrived at Auckland (with 5 suitcases) and sailed through immigration. We spent 2 weeks touring NZ and combined this time with meeting hospital personnel Prue had introduced me to via the net. After passing through Christchurch on route south, when we returned we felt we had "arrived home" so knew we wanted to settle. The most stressful time for us as a family was finding a suitable rental home in an area we wanted our children schooled. If arriving as a family with young children, it's worthwhile taking this aspect into consideration as the area you live is likely to affect the school your children can attend.

Whilst the children were settling into NZ life, I did agency nursing which allowed me to choose my hours to suit my families needs, experience various health care settings and develop a deeper understanding of NZ health care provision. During this time I emailed and met with Prue regularly and she helped me to broaden my scope and identify roles in which my skills could be utilised.

At the end of November 2006, Prue drew my attention to a position vacancy at the Christchurch Clinical Studies Trust (CCST) and encouraged me to apply. The postion of Charge Nurse went to press and after a visit and shortlist re-interview I was offered the position. The role is dynamic and challenging and although different to my previous role as a clinical nurse specialist, allows me to utilise many of my skills whilst providing me with the opportunity to develop further. I haven't looked back. I am enjoying the challenges of the role and meeting lots of new people.

Emmigrating to NZ has not been anywhere near as stressful as we thought it might be, particularly with the job hunting aspect being taken care of in a very personal way by Accent. Our children have settled into school life very quickly, have made lots of new friends and the move has given us the opportunity to enjoy the hours we spend together as a family amid spectacular scenery, very friendly people and away from the rat race that London had become.

Accent Case Studies:

Clinical Nurse Specialist from the United Kingdom