Pushpa Bhardwaj Wood
Wellington, October 15, 2024
Lately, I have been reading a lot of desperate calls for help in finding employment, people struggling financially, and the stress is ruining their experience in this country.
I am so proud of our readers that every time a call for help comes through, you all try and help out wherever and whenever you can. However, this is never going to be enough unless we also start to work at the front end.
What I mean by that is – that once you are here, it is already a bit late if you have not come with sufficient preparation including sufficient funds and a realistic outlook on the job market here.
We are all human and once a chance materialises to go overseas especially to a country like New Zealand to better our life, there will be excitement. But we sometimes forget how difficult it would be to live in a foreign land without family and social networks. On top of that, the stress of finding a place to live, a source of income and making social connections can be daunting.
Having lived here for over 40 years, I have gained some insights and prepared my own list that I use every time one of my relatives or friends asks to give them some tips about life in New Zealand and things they should be doing before even leaving home to get here.
So, having read some desperate requests for help, I thought to share some of my suggestions on ‘Before Leaving Home’ tips.
These are more for you to share with your family and friends in India so that they can prepare for their journey and land here fully prepared.
- If you are asked by your friends or relatives about coming to New Zealand for study leading to employment, please suggest to them to complete their due diligence before deciding to leave home.
- The world economy is going through some tough times and New Zealand is not immune to this. So the employment situation here is changing as well. Even finding part-time work to survive can be challenging. So come prepared for a tough time.
- If your main motive is to settle here and you are coming as a student hoping that your qualification will lead to employment, then please do your homework first in choosing the course/qualification. The job market is changing even part-time work. So think and plan carefully before leaving home.
- Do keep an eye on the changing employment conditions in New Zealand and any requirements for specific jobs.
- Do come prepared to survive (mentally and financially) without any income for a few weeks/months as jobs are not that easy to come by as your agent may have you believe
- Things here are not the same, the people are not the same and the weather is different.
- Unless you know someone here already, making friends is not as easy unless you have an outgoing personality.
- Homes here are not the same, employment expectations are not the same, and you need to be prepared to do your own housework – cooking, cleaning, washing etc.
- Food is not the same and you may have to adjust your taste.
- Unless you are planning to live with Indians or your friends or relatives, opportunities to speak your language can be a challenge. So come prepared to speak English most of the time. If your English still needs work, it might be cheaper to polish that back home than pay to improve it here. It is not cheap here.
Dr Pushpa Bhardwaj Wood is the Director of the Fin-Ed Centre of Massey University based in Wellington. She is associated with the Wellington Interfaith Council and is involved in many social, cultural and educational initiatives. Fluent in 15 languages including English, Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, and Rajasthani, she is an expert in managing harassment complaints and training people to manage workplace safety issues. She was the first woman of Indian origin to be appointed by the late Queen Elizabeth as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in her Birthday Honours List in June 2016.
