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.
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