Christchurch

heybuddy

Hey i have been offered a job in christchurch doing carpentry for the next few years. Its with an agency called canstaff. Going over in july, any one ever worked for the company or have any info about christchurch.
any help/advice welcome...thanx

burkulosis

im just back from a weekend in the south island. i had a night in christchurch and ill tell ya its still pretty devastated. the town centre is closed and its just the outskirts and suburbs you can pass freely through. in saying that, there will be loads of work to do there. i was talking to a local lady who reckoned it will be 10 years before the place is back to normal. she said her husband and son are architects and they reckon any skyscrapers will have to be taken down cos ppl dont want to go in them or work in them. its also still experiencing aftershocks with a 5 on Sunday night and I felt a lil one on Tuesday so it would seem like theyre happening quite regularly.

but new zealand is a beautiful breathtaking country, the people are really friendly and there are so many outdoor activities to do there. no doubt you will have an amazing time if you choose to go... hope this has been someway helpful to you

heybuddy

hey thanx for the reply..Ye i have decided to go..we were told between 3 and 5 year contract..which is grand cause there is no work in ireland...I heard that about the central business district..1000 buildings to be taken down and reconstructed...so its a nice place...that is great thanx..

Iwonder1

Hi Heybuddy

I sent you a pm. Hope you don't mind.
Thanks

Crumble Froo

heybuddy wrote: »

Hey i have been offered a job in christchurch doing carpentry for the next few years. Its with an agency called canstaff. Going over in july, any one ever worked for the company or have any info about christchurch.
any help/advice welcome...thanx

I've known a couple of people work for canstaff, and not too many problems with them. Man, I wish so much I had a trade like carpentry riht now, I'd be absolutely rollin in it, soooo much construction work here, you'll be sussed for work for a lon time to come.

When you comin and have you looked at somewhere to live yet, cos househuntin will be the fun part here...

heybuddy

hey cheers mate...the company are sorting out accomadation so it will be ready when we arrive thanx god..they seem like a god crowd to work for. we are over on the 26th july..cant wait now.. is it a nice place???

kiwipower

Crumble Froo wrote: »

When you comin and have you looked at somewhere to live yet, cos househuntin will be the fun part here...

The OP is a carpenter.
Surly they could just build their own house first when they get there??? LOL

rosie46

hi just wondering how you are finding working for canstaff, my family have been offered a postion also with them in christchurch

Munster_Gal

rosie46 wrote: »

hi just wondering how you are finding working for canstaff, my family have been offered a postion also with them in christchurch

My father has just been in contact with me in relation to this as well... he's thinking of putting an application forward!! Would be great to hear of others who have already done it so that I can pass on information

heybuddy

hi,
ye i am over here now 3 wks working for canstaff..They are an agency and arrange work for u through other companys. We are working for a company called hannan and philip..have so much work on...Reckon we could be here for at least 5 years.. They have about 20 years work before there r back on there feet. Myself and my mate travelled over. Its all at your own expense but they sort out accomadation for you and meet you at airport. They organise for you to start work a few days after you land (which u will nee as it took 1 week to get over jet lag), they sort out ur bank account and also ur tax number...All the stuuf that you need is done and they r great help. Just realise that its freezing over here right now..The summer or warm weather starts in sept/oct...but if u arrive before this bring therminals and warm jackets..We didn as we were told its not that cold and we were caught out. If u need any more info let me know..thanx graham

kiwipower

heybuddy wrote: »

Just realise that its freezing over here right now..The summer or warm weather starts in sept/oct...but if u arrive before this bring therminals and warm jackets..We didn as we were told its not that cold and we were caught out. If u need any more info let me know..thanx graham

I think just about everyone in NZ got caught out with the weather this week! Snow in places its unheard off!!!!!!!

Munster_Gal

does anyone know what the story is with people who have partners or family? Would my mother be able to go over with my dad?

testicle

As an aside, can someone recommend a pub or the like (that's not closed due to the earthquake) to watch matches during the RWC?

jank

Munster_Gal wrote: »

does anyone know what the story is with people who have partners or family? Would my mother be able to go over with my dad?

For that I think you need a skilled migrant visa i.e. PR
Or he has to go over and get someone to give him a visa to work. NZ is different to OZ in that respect. Much more restricted IMO.

corkgirl88

would you be able to get a job working in christchurch as a carpenter if you had no papers. i know someone who has almost been offered a job, but they dont know he never got the proper carpentry papers, even though he has worked in the trade for years now

PhiliousPhogg

Report in New Zealand Sunday paper today that they're looking for Irish men!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-earthquake/5480927/Irish-rush-for-quake-jobs

Lil37

Hi All,
Interesting reading, as my hubby has applied for a position in construction also with Canstaff. Sounds good what they offer to help with starting you off there. We would hope to follow over ( me and two daughters) after he is on his feet. I don't know yet what the process would be for him to bring us over. I have a business degree and lots of experience in accounts and admin. Will this be an advantage to us? How is cost of living and income? I am concerned about schools and finding a suitable place for us to live. How is rent and how plentiful is accomodation? Anything is better that languishing here on Social Welfare, but it is so far and we know nobody there, and really know nothing about NZ. Although on the upside with lots of irish heading that way, plenty of like minds and circumstances....
All advice welcome. Thanks!

sia 1

did u move over to nz

Crumble Froo

Lil37 wrote: »

We would hope to follow over ( me and two daughters) after he is on his feet. I don't know yet what the process would be for him to bring us over. I have a business degree and lots of experience in accounts and admin. Will this be an advantage to us?

I'm not quite sure about this, to be honest, I got over here as was in a relationship with a kiwi citizen and was brought in as family. I'm not sure about getting over here as you are, but the official immigration site should have all your answers.

How is cost of living and income?

It's similar, but different to Ireland. Honestly, it's about 4-5 years since I've lived in Ireland, so it's difficult to compare anything at this stage, but it's quite easy to live comfortably on minimum wage as a single person - with both of you working in skilled/qualified jobs, I wouldn't worry too much. New Zealand is pretty good at providing cheap/free activities too - I'm not sure what age your kids are, but there are parks, skateparks, and playgrounds aplenty, as well as the 2 main beaches, the port hills, gardens and all the art and cultural activities going on around the place.

I am concerned about schools and finding a suitable place for us to live. How is rent and how plentiful is accomodation?

Housing is going up a bit in Christchurch at the moment - supply and demand and supply is short. Have a look at property on trademe.co.nz to see what the market's like. Areas to stay out of would be the eastern suburbs - traditionally both the poorest/dodgiest, but also the most munted post earthquake. That said, I really do love Linwood and New Brighton - the communities there are fantastic.

Schools have zoning, so kids living in zoned areas get first choice at local schools. At the moment, schools are losing heaps of funding and teachers cos of all the migration from the city, so can't imagine it'll be especially difficult to find places.

Best of luck, gtg now, about to get kicked off library computer.

Lil37

Hi Sia1,
No we did not go, YET.....
Canstaff only came to Ireland to do the interviews two weeks ago and when they were here we were unable to attend, and they only let us know less than a week before about the interview. Our circumstances have changed a LITTLE for the better, but we have still not ruled it out.
Did you hear anything from anyone else about Canstaff? They have been helpful in sending by email lots of info about NZ, cost of living etc., but have not heard much from anyone who has actually made the move with them.

Markcheese

Lil37 wrote: »

Hi Sia1,
No we did not go, YET.....
Canstaff only came to Ireland to do the interviews two weeks ago and when they were here we were unable to attend, and they only let us know less than a week before about the interview. Our circumstances have changed a LITTLE for the better, but we have still not ruled it out.
Did you hear anything from anyone else about Canstaff? They have been helpful in sending by email lots of info about NZ, cost of living etc., but have not heard much from anyone who has actually made the move with them.

Christchurch is still shaking, a lot and quite hard. It could go on for a long while yet ( heard some kiwi geologist on radio station saying the longer they happen, the more likely they are to continue) and there could be a few big shakes left to come....as far as I know lots of locals are still getting out ....

sia 1

cant seem to find anyone whos worked for them asking a few friends who stayed in NZ . But hope still to go had a interview with Canstaff on Saturday in Scotland . There is no work here and cant see it getting any better

Crumble Froo

Markcheese wrote: »

Christchurch is still shaking,

Yes it is.

a lot and quite hard

.

No it's not.

It could go on for a long while yet

They're reckoning another 2-3 decades.

and there could be a few big shakes left to come

Almost all unsafe land and buildings have by now been well identified. Definitely rather be here than anywhere else in the shaky isles.

....as far as I know lots of locals are still getting out ....

And lots of locals and out of towners are returning and/or moving here.




Maybe I'm just being a bit touchy/sensitive, but particularly given the post you quoted, that really didn't come across as a very helpful post.

DG22

Hey Buddy i was just woundering if u still working for canstaff and how life is life in NZ... We are moving over in October to Ashburton to work for Cansttaff..

sia 1

never went money wasnt enough

DG22

what ind of payrates do canstaff pay...

sia 1

26 dollars a hr but its the 40 % tax

DG22

Hiya just wondering how you are getting on a year on.. Did Canstaff stick to their word, is the company ok with the renewal of your visa.. Was the pay rate ok... We are heading out in October on a 12 month contract but hopefully will renew and stay a bit longer. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

BeeBumble

DG22 - I worked for canstaff (tho not in construction) based in Ashburton for the past few months and found them helpful and nice enough to work for. I just noticed tho that you said you're moving to Ashburton... I've just moved from Ashburton after living there for the past 5 months or so ... do you know your work location yet? Just asking cos I wouldn't recommend it as somewhere to settle for the next year or so... are you moving over with friends/family?

DG22

Hey tanx for the reply I have loads of questions for ye if u dont mind.. is it possible to PM u.

BeeBumble

DG22 wrote: »

Hey tanx for the reply I have loads of questions for ye if u dont mind.. is it possible to PM u.

Yeah no worries

DG22

Just pm'd you

Samuri Suicide

The peg.

EffieM

Hi all, my husbands just been offered a Job in Christchurch with Canstaff. Just looking to get in touch with anyone there at the mo. Lookong forward to a change and we have 2 small kids (both in our early 30's).

Crumble Froo

Heya, I'm in my early/mid 20s and have been living in Christchurch about 5 years now, if ya need a hand or info, just post on here, or private message me, no worries

(though I can tend towards sporadic use of boards.ie)

EffieM

Crumble Froo wrote: »

Heya, I'm in my early/mid 20s and have been living in Christchurch about 5 years now, if ya need a hand or info, just post on here, or private message me, no worries

(though I can tend towards sporadic use of boards.ie)

Brilliant thanks crumble. What brought u over there? Have u family there?

toshy321

Hey all looking for a bit of info about chritstchurch.. Have a interview for a job there and just wondering how people are finding the work and conditions out there whats the money like also?? Is there much of a social life there as from I hear most of Chrischurch was desimated cheers.

What are the benfits of say headin to New Zealand when maybe more can be earned in the likes of Austrailia, Canada sorry lots of questions..

Crumble Froo

EffieM wrote: »

Brilliant thanks crumble. What brought u over there? Have u family there?

Haha, no family. Accidently fell in love with a kiwi on the internet when I was 17, moved over when I was 19, broke up a couple of years after that, and hell, it's as much a home to me now as Ireland ever was.

toshy321 wrote: »

Hey all looking for a bit of info about chritstchurch.. Have a interview for a job there and just wondering how people are finding the work and conditions out there whats the money like also?? Is there much of a social life there as from I hear most of Chrischurch was desimated cheers.

What are the benfits of say headin to New Zealand when maybe more can be earned in the likes of Austrailia, Canada sorry lots of questions..

Right, not sure quite how much I can help here... There's work here, particularly if you've got something that can help with the rebuild. I've heard lots of good things about all the Irish over here already for that purpose - good workers apparently. Money, I've no idea. I think, generally, people will tend toward a paycut coming here, but the lifestyle is just so 'other' to what it was in Dublin, rather live here on a pittance (and you can, quite easily, too) than be there making heaps.

Social life... well... what do you do for a social life at home? What part of the country are you living in? Coming from Dublin to Christchurch, pre-quakes was a bit of an initial shock, cos I'd just never spent time in such a small city before. That said, I was never particularly into the nightclub scene, so no major worries there. Since the quakes, the centre of town is dead, unless you count the colossal rats and demolition machinery, but the suburbs have sprung into a new life of their own. Riccarton, Addington and Merivale seem to be the new hotspots for people who used to enjoy that side of town and the local council have brought in alcohol laws similar to what was in town in those areas too.

For me, the biggest losses were in all the awesome live music venues in the city, literally every single one is gone, and all replacements have been scattered all over the place.

Can't speak for Australia or Canada, but I love the people here, the attitudes, the communities, the activities, the landscape, the sports. took a little while to get used to some of the differences between outlooks and humour from kiwi to irish, but hell, I love it here.

daveblinkbass

I'm moving out to Christchurch next week with a job. The money in my opinion is good in terms of exchange rate but I'm not sure if the spending power will be better or worse than Ireland. I heard the cost of living is rising faster in NZ than the wages are so perhaps somebody already out there can shed some light on that. Work and Conditions appear to be the same as home (on paper at least) with hours per week, breaks, holidays etc.

I cannot personally compare the benefits of NZ to OZ or Canada, but friends in OZ have told me that some (not all) Australians can be difficult to integrate with, possibly due to the large amount of Irish immigration there and the "they're taking our jobs" attitude. But understand I have only heard this - not definitive fact nor my opinion of the Australians! (I'm hope I don't offend anyone).

Friends in Canada and NZ seem to love it. Benefit to Canada is the ability to come home relatively easily should you want/have to.

toshy321

Lads thanks for the replies and info had the interview friday and it went quite well so I'm hearing back in the next two weeks or so if I have the job starting dates etc. Looking to work as a carpenter out there.. The recruitment firm I done the interview with are one world resourcing and from what I could gather I think they have already sent tradespeople out to christchurch so if anybody has any info about what there are like to deal with that would be great.

daveblinkbass

Well I'm glad the interview went well Toshy321! I haven't heard of that firm but I wish you the best of luck. I saw on some other threads about a company called Canstaff hiring carpenters for the Chch rebuild. So might be worth your while trying them also and cover all angles.

This is just one of the links: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=72308393

Enter Canstaff into the search bar and plenty other threads appear also.

toshy321

Lads will probaly be heading for Christchurch within the next 3wks sorting details nxt week. I suppose I'm still a little concerned over money think I'm going to be starting on something like 25 dollars an hour so a 45 hour week would be 1125dollars converted back is around 725 euro is this enough to survive comfortably on out there. How much is renting bills per month, is food expensive etc?? Ne info would be great cheers..

tom_ass19

First thing to do is don't do the convert thing. You got to forget about the euro while you are here. You can't compare things to back home.

Depends where you want to live, I live in St. Albans and pay 360 a week for a 3 bedroom townhouse. My last power bill was just under a 100 for the month. Internet I find is a bit expensive for what you get but does fine.

For food, Countdown is like tescos and Pak n Save is like lidl and aldi.

You'll pick up a car pretty cheap, just keep in mind that if you buy a diesel car you'll need to pay road user charges, just like road tax back home. Petrol have those charges built into the fuel when you buy it. You'll see the price difference when you arrive anyway if you get a car.

Hope this helps and safe travels

kiwipower

tom_ass19 wrote: »

First thing to do is don't do the convert thing. You got to forget about the euro while you are here. You can't compare things to back home.

Depends where you want to live, I live in St. Albans and pay 360 a week for a 3 bedroom townhouse. My last power bill was just under a 100 for the month. Internet I find is a bit expensive for what you get but does fine.

For food, Countdown is like tescos and Pak n Save is like lidl and aldi.

You'll pick up a car pretty cheap, just keep in mind that if you buy a diesel car you'll need to pay road user charges, just like road tax back home. Petrol have those charges built into the fuel when you buy it. You'll see the price difference when you arrive anyway if you get a car.

Hope this helps and safe travels

Well put tom_ass19!
I found the same when I immigrated from NZ to Oz then to Ireland. I have a theory that generally when your living and earning in a country things tend to work out similar overall. Some stuff will be cheaper some more expensive but it balances out.

toshy321

Thanks for replies lads great help..

tom_ass19

No worries Toshy!

Just one more thing to add as well which I forgot to mention last night regarding accommodation.

Two things that shocked me were that the large majority of places are unfurnished and don't be surprised to see a lot of people turn up at the same time for viewings. They're set times from the estate agency so a bunch of people turn up, so it's like a competition pretty much I remember one viewing there was about 30ish people there, crazy like.

When I was looking at places on trademe the pictures show the place furnished. I thought that place looks amazing but when I showed up for the viewing nothing was there. So when I found a place I had to kit it out fully. So maybe set a bit of cash aside for that

You never know you could find a lovely furnished place and you'll be sorted! Best of luck

Cheers,
Tom

Mrs OBumble

tom_ass19 wrote: »

the large majority of places are unfurnished

FYI, it's normal to rent places out unfurnished in NZ, most people have their own furniture, so trying to let a place with furniture in it would cut down the pool of potential tenants.

And besides, the way a landlord sees it, if you cannot afford furniture, you can't afford the rent either.

Ways around it: move into an established flat, that way you only need to furnish your bedroom. Or the big cities do have some apartments that are targeted to travelling executies and the like. These are often furnished.

If you need to buy furniture - remember that you don't need to buy new. Try second hand shops (either charity ones or commercial operations), or trademe.co.nz

DG22

Hey Dave just woundering if you made the move and how u are finding it. I am hopefully going over before christmas, just waiting for the start date.

kiwipower

Just wondering if anyone here is working in the hospitals in Christchurch?
Just spotted a job on Seek that might just tempt me back to NZ and Christchurch.
Only downside would be distance from Wangavagus and related travel costs.

daveblinkbass

@DG22 - I did make the move, I'm here two weeks yesterday. Started my job almost straight away and the place so far it's great. The city centre is non-existent. At the moment they are demolishing the high rise buildings and access is restricted. That being said, the suburban areas have come to life and there are lots of great pubs. Unfortunately, there is no night club as such anymore but some places have dancefloors and DJ's. Other than nightlife, there is so many things to do here. If you have a sense of adventure I can't think of a country with more things to do! Had my first earthquake the last day too, think it was a 4.3. If you don't mind me asking who you starting with?

If anyone has specific questions about Chch, just ask and I'll do my best to help! I'm getting to know the place pretty well now

CatFromHue

I haven't been to ChCh since the earthquakes but one of the things I did like about it when I was there was it's closeness to many nice outdoor things that we don't have here. For example there are a few surf beaches pretty close to the city and then the Southern Alps would only be 1.5hr to 2hr away. So you could realistically surf and hike in the Summer with relatively little commuting and then Ski/Snowboard in the Winter too.