ok .... hypothetically

Well I've spent the past week spending I don't know how many hours a day sending my cv, rewriting to people who had given positive feedback and I made a few calls .... not many, but a few.

We have spent the past week discussing the student visa, but OH's writing score is 2 points below the mark to get into the teaching degree at the universities and he doesn't want to go under the one the university suggested since it's not a teaching degree, but would qualify him subject wise in one subject.  I tried to suggest he switch out once we get settled or to retake the correct test which would also be the correct test for immigration anyways.

I'm more for going for the student visa since I can get a working visa out of it, but OH feels it's too much money to fork out and not worth it.  He's also afraid we won't have enough money to show immigration.  Apparently we would need to pay the 1st year fees of university (international fees) and he has to show 10000 per year the degree is so roughly another 30000 (if it's the 3 year degree) and then it's questionable how much money he has to show for me.  We've called immigration two times and can't get an answer on what we should calculate for.  I guess they don't really want to put a number on it and decide it individually, but we can't afford to pay the school fee and then not get the visa.  We might just make the bare mark, but I think we'd make it.  I even thought if I could go on a student visa and do the one year ECE degree which then qualifies me in the correct category this time, but then what will OH do for that year?

Putting aside the student visa for a bit, I did hear from two Early Childhood Centres.  One wrote and asked me to send copies of my NZQA assessment and NZTC registration.  I took that as a good sign, but maybe it's common they ask for all applicants.  I scanned them and emailed them directly back.  Then I decided to follow up with a phone call that I felt went well, but it wasn't this lady hiring.  She did ask a lot of questions though which might be good.  Apparently the area is in the middle of nowhere, but I said we'd be happy with that (which we would - we won't dare complain if we can get any offer), and it seems to have a great benefit package.  She did ask when I could move as their teacher was leaving in August.  Well that sure is a tricky question for me.  I said possibly the end of August as I know that's how long our ITA has been extended to in order to give us more time.  The tricky part is I already am a teacher in a job with 3 months notice I have to give.  I am not sure they would really let me go with such short notice.  The only part I might have on my side is if I get an answer if I get the job before I actually get the class I'm supposed to teach because I know my job would probably me rather not start teaching a class if there's a chance I leave in the middle, but then again they might not care.  So I'd be at the mercy of my boss and would have to beg to leave.  Of course I'd also try to see how long the employer would hold out, but it seems August was the date they were talking about.  Of course this is all hypotetical.  I got no indication they were seriously considering me.  I did write in my letter that if I was a serious candidate and all it took was to meet me to make a decision I would fly there.

Now we're off on holidays tomorrow running the risk a job comes through asking me to fly there.  I'm willing of course to do it if that's the deciding point, but of course then comes the worry how I get out of my contract here.  I even started thinking (of course not seriously, but still it ran through my head in a panic), can they chase me out of the country if I just leave?

The other Early Childcare centre is better located - Wellington.  They asked me to fill in an application pack which I received or saw in my mail today with an apology note it was late.  Well I didn't know it was late as I'm sent my cv to so many places I can't keep track.  I figured I'd read thoroughly up on them if they show an interest in interviewing me.  Of course I've read up on the teaching curriculum since that's my area for any job I've applied for.  So I sent the package back, again scanned in and emailed with a letter explaining why I would be good for their organisation.  I wrote a reminder if I could hear from them during the week if I was a serious candidate I would gladly fly there, but I'd have to do it before I went back to work and I gave the date.

So there's lots of worries in this process - worries what if I do get called to go on an interview as I will be going by myself, what if I get the job how do I manage to tell my boss I've been given this ultimatum with the visa and hope he can understand and let me go, what if I do go and don't get the job the amount of money that was spent which could have been put towards the studying visa, etc, etc.

When OH and I first discussed the student visa the plan was I'd go in and ask my boss to take a leave of absence for one year in January or in worse case June.  Then we started calculating and we're not sure we can show immigration we have enough funds.  Like I said I know OH is also thinking the course is simply too much.

You know I even looked at Australia thinking what if I can get in there and later move to New Zealand even though NZ is where we want.  But no, apparently there's only two choices on their application which doesn't allow you to go further and that was when it came to work experience.  Again, I have the points, but there you must be in this category and primary school teachers are not it.

So we're off tomorrow for what is supposed to be a 12 day trip and I don't know whether to hope a job asks me to fly to NZ or not.  I don't know if it's rude to and ask (that is if I'm asked to fly) if I'm a candidate that they want to hire and this is the deciding factor, because then I'll gladly do it, but if I'm just one in a bunch of applicants they already have and it's procedure then it's too much money to fork out for a last minute trip.   I might not have to even worry about making this kind of decision - who knows.

By the time I go back to work any mails that come asking me to come for an interview just won't be possible to follow up on since I can't ask for time off work.  Well I could, but I think I'll have to see if I can get OH to go for the student visa instead.  Our other thought was ask tell my boss now that our plan for next summer is to visit NZ and since we are considering to live there, I want to look for a job.  Then to ask permission if I found a job would he consider letting me out of my contract "early."  This way he's being told a year in advance what we want to do and can have a heads up.  Not sure.  Either way I have to come up with something since I wrote a mail asking if he was working the days before work began in August and we have to figure out if I'm supposed to ask him anything or not.


I probably at this point need something to calm me down.  I would say I don't think I've ever been this stressed, but that's a lie.  Part of my nature makes me chase things down that I want and not give up until there's clearly no hope.  Then if it doesn't go my way I get very frustrated.  My grandmother told me I seem persistent and if you want to make it work, it'll work.  Funny she used the word "persistent."  She's the exact same way!  I guess that word runs in the family.

Well.... the inevitable happened

We received our case worker and it wasn't long before we were told our points don't match up.  I do not have an Early Childhood degree or Early Childhood working experience, therefore, I cannot claim the bonus points and we don't have enough points without a job offer to get a visa to New Zealand.  We are now being given until the end of August to obtain a job offer or get declined officially.  I have sent my cv around the entire of New Zealand to those looking for teachers and those who are not in the hopes someone will want me.  I'm following up on old leads explaining the situation.  I've also offered to start work if need be immediately and I've no idea realistically how that will work with my current employer.  I do plan to talk to them if I get an offer and I have a solution - doesn't mean they will like it, but any chance of employment gets us the visa and I can't turn it down.

The other option we are looking at right now is OH applying for a student visa which is going to cost a fortune.  Not the visa itself is the cost, but having to prove we have the funds for living and pay the first year of university at international costs which are a fortune.  We can do it, it's not fully impossible, but takes away our safety net of savings we have built up the past three and a half years.  I would expect to get a job once there, dropping OH down to domestic fees for second year.  The main problem with this is I would have to ask for time off in the middle of the year from my job, but I suppose I'm at least following my contract and they will get their minimum three months notice.  We're just very worried since we can't get an answer from immigration how much we need to prove we actually have.  OH is also very hesistant to apply for this visa at all since it's simply too much money.

I will keep applying for jobs in the meantime and hope someone wants to meet me before I have to go back to work, otherwise, our dream will have to lie on ice permanently it feels like.  So I am so sad and this is all I can think of.  I think we've exhausted every possible option we have and can afford.

Waiting for post

The same day we got the letter from INZ I called the police of my country of citizenship and I asked them how to go about getting the letter of good citizenship or whatever it is and they told me what I needed to do.  I faxed them all the information and posted the original.  Hopefully with the fax they start the process and when they get my originals they post out my form.  OH will pick up the radiologist reports on Monday and we're off on our holidays on Friday so I'm not sure if my police report will arrive before then.  Feels like it would be too good to be true, but I am hoping.  We haven't heard from our case worker yet, but that's ok because I'd like to have these other forms in my hand so if she asks for more info we can send it all to her in one envelope.  I would love to speed this process up, but again as long as they are still considering us and not denying us based on points, I'm happy to wait (or happy is an exaggeration, but I'm willing :p)

We had a night out with friends last night which was fun.  Beautiful weather leaving their place at 3am!  It was a beautiful evening and so hard to believe that was Stockholm.  So it's a lazy day for us today - movie and no mails to be expecting :)

Arggg

Ok so today after coming home from having coffee with a friend there is a letter from INZ on my table which my husband had opened.  It says "further information required."  It says we are missing two radiologist reports, but pointing out that in addition to the forms it's supposed to be a separate letter on the radiologists letterhead!  It doesn't say that anywhere on the medical forms otherwise I would have requested that when I went there not five months later.  In addition, I don't know the lab office will even do that for us, but we did fax them the request and hope that tomorrow the lady will be able to help us.

Then I needed to request a police certificate.  Ok, that part was my fault.  I thought I was only supposed to supply for countries I lived for more than 12 months in the past ten years.  I didn't realise I was supposed to send one from my country of citizenship too.  So spend a good 30 minutes trying to contact them and tell them my request.  They were very nice so I faxed them my request and sent the original as well.  I'm not sure we'll get this paper before we go on holidays next Friday, but I can always hope.

I'm finding it strange I even got assigned a CO if there was paperwork missing.  I wonder if she's aware of these requests as well.  In the meantime, I'm going to try get this lab paper to avoid any delay on our application.

If we get this visa, I'm never moving to another country again.  It is very stressful not having phone contact to be able to ask questions directly and then email sometimes gets misunderstood and waiting days for a response is frustrating.  Again, breath and patience - neither of which I have :p

We have been assigned our CO!!!

Wow, now it's a bit more exciting.  We've been assigned a CO who wrote to us explaining she is expecting to go through our application within the next ten days and to please allow her the 10 days before contacting her.  After the ten days we are to feel free to write an email.  Since we are going on holidays before the 10 working days we are taking every bit of paperwork we think we might be asked for.  For example, more proof of our living together at the same address, original copy of my Teaching Council papers, original copy of OH's TOEFL results, joint bank account (although we only have a savings account together and it's me that does all the transfers into it, but both our names are at least on the savings account) and I will even print off copies of jobs I have applied for all showing interest in me, but stating that I need to be in New Zealand first and with the correct visa.  Crossing our fingers now that anything else we need to provide can be asked for before we go on holidays so as not to hold up our application any longer.

officially lodged

Our application is now officially lodged on the homepage for INZ.  I just wonder how long it will take now to get a case officer to deal with our application.  I'm genuinely hoping that we can get an answer before I have to go back to work in August.  We are hoping we can move by December if we would be lucky enough to get a visa.  In the meantime we're back from our first set of holidays and will be going on holidays again in a few weeks.

When we got home from our holidays yesterday OH's TOEFL papers had arrived finally and my papers from the Teaching Council also arrived so if we are now asked for originals we can send them off.  So fingers still crossed for us - really hoping for something positive to come out of this whole process :)

Nerve wrecking wait and we've only begun....

Of course after sending in our application, now the thoughts started going through my head "what happens if we get denied because I'm a primary school teacher and not an ECE teacher?"  First we were hoping for permanent residency from the start.  Now we're simply hoping to at least get the WTR visa since I know I can get a job without any trouble once in NZ.  I sent my cv off for many jobs, but all reply with the same thing..... how great my cv looks and when I'm in NZ to contact them.  The interest is big, but I can't get an offer from this side.  Since my husband is studying, we are relying only on my salary so to give up my job and go for a holiday in the hopes to get a job and then apply for a visa isn't something we can do so to go there we do need to get approved for one of the types of visas so he can continue his studies at the domestic rate.

Well I know it's simply a waiting period and there isn't anything I can do about it ahead of time.  I only hope I get the chance to get a case worker and show the replies I got from Early Childhood centres.

ITA officially sent in

Two papers or not, we took our chance and sent our ITA in anyway since we were going away on our holidays with proof printed out from TOEFL's homepage of OH's results and the date he ordered another copy. For my part I sent in email copies of my results from The Teaching Council so we are now officially waiting for a CO to be assigned and hopefully a positive answer shortly and hopefully the English paper that never arrived home before we went on holidays doesn't cause a problem.