I hope you enjoyed your year working here :) Im happy you mentioned Intercity Coachlines :) Verry good way of travel :) And The Ferries :) Spectacular Scenery.
Just binging all your videos and I feel like I'm on such a similar path as you! I lived in NZ for 5 months and then went back to road trip it, and now I'm applying for JET! I also went island hopping in Fiji. Keep up the great work!
Fab video, thanks for the info. I'm hoping to go NZ from UK, gotta say I'm nervous to go alone! But I wanna bite the bullet, I'm just confused as to how to sort out a place to stay, it's the only thing that really worries me is if struggle having a bed at night.
+Harriett Esmee I lived out of hostels for the majority of my time in New Zealand. When I got a job, I looked for an apartment online and found something within a week. It was pretty easy to find places to stay unless there was a big event going on in a city (holidays, rugby matches, etc.) in which case you just want to book early.
Thx for the advice! I'm going on a work and travel program for 12 months , leaving in a couple of weeks!!! I'm excited but also slightly terrified!! very nervous about finding work , making friends etc, wow how did you manage to sustain yourself for 12 months by only working for 3 months? thats some amazing budgeting!... oh well , wish me luck dude and thx again for sharing :)
+robbie jones I had about double the recommend savings when I arrived. I also managed to get a pretty high paying job for those 3 months and saved up a good amount for the final leg of my trip and a vacation in Fiji... I'm actually putting together a video about budgeting in NZ right now so I'll go into more detail about the cost of things there.
I have a ton of bartending and film industry experience in NYC and I'm looking to head to New Zealand after I graduate college. I really want to go a country where people know how to chill the hell out.
i'll never meet you, so i can say this, you have film-star good looks, like the really beautiful ones. You look like an oil painting; spectacular. i hope you like this comment. Thank you.
+alexandra david Typical office attire, I guess - collared shirt and trousers. I worked in an office but it was also a start up so they were pretty casual. I would wear jeans and t-shirts but play it safe until you get a good feel for whatever company you work for.
This helped me so much!!! I'm from the UK and is looking to extend to a 23 month working holiday visa once my 12 month working holiday visa expires, do you know how easy it is to obtain an extension on your working holiday visa? Thank you!
Hey, I'm from the uk and going in 3 months. Was it easy to find work, and where did you go/stay? Thanks. Sorry for the questions I am a bit nervous about getting work!
+Craig D I'm actually doing an internship as part of my Univeristy degree so I obtained work through that! Obtaining work/job is as she says on the video above! Good luck with everything and all the best to you
Hi Meggie Kay. Thanks for this video. Im planning to do a Working Holiday and Im excited :-D Just wanna know if it's easy also to have a Resident Visa there? any idea? thanks
+Grace M. I never really looked into what it would take to get a resident visa there. It would probably take a few years (at least that's typical for most countries unless you have family who are citizens). It would probably be best if you find a proper career-related type job and get a work visa for a couple years and then look into getting residency after that. Really, I wouldn't even think about that until you're well into your Working Holiday and decide you want to stay longer than that visa allows.
Thanks for the advice. I have a few questions you didn't cover and I was just seeing if you could help me out. so currently I got my passport, paperwork for my work visa and plan ticket to NZ for August 3rd. So question number 1-Are you able to work at more than one place in a given year on your visa or do you have to stay at one place. Question number 2- On average how many hours a week does a work visa allow you to receive....I heard the work visa only allows you to get park time hours and if so would you say I would receive 25-30hrs a week?
I've never heard of those restrictions on working. The only one I knew of was that you weren't supposed to take up a permanent position on a working holiday. I worked full time at an office under a 3 months contract and then did some working for accommodation to fill in gaps.
Hi Meggie, I´m 18 years old, I´m from Mexico, and I´m about to finish high school. I really don´t want to go straight to university, and I think that taking a gap year would be a great thing to do.I really want to travel to NZ for a year on a working holiday visa. The people I´m surrounded by here (including an older friend that has gone backpacking before) all tell me that I´m too young, that I will only make a fool of myself, that I won't find any job. All these things have really started to dissuade me a little bit from going. I´m still pretty determined to do it, however, I´m starting to have some fears. I just wanted to ask you for advice, It would help me a lot! Thank you so much!
+David Calderon I would say do it! I met a lot of people younger than me on Working Holidays in New Zealand. There were quite a few Germans I met who were 18, just finished high school, and doing the Working Holiday before starting university so you wouldn't be the only one. It may be harder for you to find work because you don't have a degree but fruit picking type jobs or working at hostels/restaurants are always an option (and typically the kinds of job the younger backpackers went for). It's not always easy but if it's something you want to do, I'd say give it a shot! If things don't work out, you can always go home (just make sure you always have the money for that plane ticket home) and at least you can say you tried which is better than not trying at all.
+David Calderon No problem! The other thing you could look into are organised gap year programs. You would have more security than the working holiday and it might be a more comfortable option if it's your first time going abroad by yourself. You're at the right age and time in your life for those.
I already looked into some of those, but I haven´t found something that I would prefer to do over the working holiday. I´ll do more searching! Thank you!
So I’m in Australia , and by the time I leave I’ll saved up 8,000 Australian dollars . Is this enough money to head over to NZ and including visa , flights, insurance all that crap ? I came to Australia minimum money . But I’m getting a little confused with currency exchanges etc ! Help lol
im doing a working holiday in NZ next year and i wanted to know how much fruit picking for example earns you and whats the best way to get a lot of money in a short period of time :)
probably around minimum wage $15.25 an hour ($122 for an 8-hour day). my brother and his partner used to work in a pack house so I can ask them if you like?
So they got around $500-700 a week. Minimum wage has just gone up so you will probably get around $550-$750. They got minimum wage for 'normal' work (not sure what they mean, sorry) and $16.50 for Quality Control (so they tried to work QC as much as possible) This is a good resource here employment.govt.nz/er/pay/minimumwage/ Hope this helps! If not, you know where to find me :)
By any chance, do you know if, when you work in-as I assume it is-such an isolated place, do employers provide workers with an accommodation, or at least offer this possibility?
Low-key feeling FUCKED right now.. I don't have a degree or GED and i really wanna travel. The main problem is money because in order to get a working visa i have to have a certain amount of money. I hear for Australia that minimum is $4-5,000 and I don't know about NZ. Any advice on what I can do?
Go on some budget backpacking trips near home. Get a degree, do as much as you can at community college. Once you have a degree you can always teach english abroad. Or, get some kind of training as an electrician/plumber/etc. Save up for a year or two and then go for a long haul trip! I've spent years trying to travel and make things work a lot of different ways and there's not a magic answer. :/ Cruise ships are really difficult to pull off but you might be able to with enough experience.
You don't need a degree to teach abroad in most countries. Even if you wanted to go to Japan (pretty strict degree requirements) and teach English, you'd be able to pull it off if you know the right people. I've taught in Japan, Thailand, and India without a degree or certificate. Check out volunteering sites like workaway.info and try some of that out. Volunteering is a good way to cut costs, have great experiences, and possibly get your foot in the door.
I'm from the uk moving to NZ thankyou for this vid! When applying for ur visa do you do it well in advance or right before you leave? My friend moved to Canada and her visa activated as soon as she got approved so she missed out on 3 months of her visa~ is it the same for NZ?
I honestly don't remember. I applied sometime in the summer, left in September, and stayed a full 11 months so I don't think it matters. I think they asked when your intended arrive date is but I can't be sure. I know Canada limits the number of visas that they allow for the UK so maybe that's why Canada does it that way...? The NZ immigration website should be able to tell you the specifics with that for your country.
I also work in digital media and video production. I'm really considering going on a Working Holiday in New Zealand. Do you have any tips for finding work in this field specifically beside just looking in Auckland? Thanks!
Look at applying to recruitment agencies directly. It's something I didn't think of since where I'm from recruiters are really only for high-end executives. But I ended up getting my job through a recruiter.
Hello Meggie! (and everyone-any other person who went through the process of getting the IRD in New-Zealand could help me ;) You said that you got a letter from your hostel stating that you "lived" there to open up a bank account. Is there any specific file or paper which needs to filled in in this purpose or anything does it? Also, any advice about what bank to pick? Also a friend of mine told me that she encountered an obstacle: she didn't have a driving license (neither do I) and therefore had to command a 18+ card before getting her IRD number, what required more than one month.... is there any way to avoid this problem? Thank you for this video anyway ;)
+Simon I actually think Toronto is a great city! Living in Auckland made me realise that and I missed Toronto a lot while living in New Zealand. I thought New Zealand was great but somewhere I would prefer to retire to - not live out my twenties.
hi, quick question - did you get your comprehensive medical and hospitalization insurance before or after applying online? do they ask about in the online form? THANKS! :)
+MrZeratul88 I didn't have any kind of medical insurance until a week after arriving in New Zealand. I kept forgetting about it and bought the cheapest and most basic one I could find that would cover me for the year. During the application, they ask about your medical history/any current medical conditions. If something flags then you would have to get a medical form done by a doctor to determine if you're healthy enough and your condition wouldn't be a burden or become a major issue. Like I had to get a chest x-ray form filled out because I used to live in a country that was considered high risk for TB. But yea, they don't ask about insurance on the application.
+Meggie Kay thanks! when you got in through NZ immigration did they ask for a return ticket or proof of funds? btw, how much was the cost for your insurance?
+wantedvictor They didn't ask me for anything at immigration. I was so prepared with proof of everything, but they really didn't ask anything. I can't say that's normal so it would be good to have some proof of funds just incase. I think the insurance I found was around $300.
I need to find a job IMMEDIATELY and have just arrived. What are the best sites or ways to find some sort of employment? I'm aiming for Queenstown as well but am ok with Auckland.
I found the cost of living in NZ similar to what I was used to in Canada. I made a video talking all about the cost of travelling New Zealand so it might give you a better idea - ua-cam.com/video/jksuDaxHjQA/v-deo.html
+LeftOfToday I rented a flat while working. I found a posting for a flatmate online and lived with an Australian guy who had just moved to NZ for work and looking for someone for the second bedroom in his flat. I've also known backpackers who are all staying in the one city for a while rent a place together. Just check online (websites, facebook groups, etc.) and you'll find lots of options.
They don't require it for the visa but you are show be able to provide it if you are asked at immigration. Though honestly, I've never heard of someone actually being asked. Just have it in case.
I put a lot of stuff on my credit card at this point (a.k.a. my hostel for the first week in the city). I found a roommate who was really relaxed and didn't ask for any deposit or whatever so it wasn't too bad. I also received my income tax return from the year before at this time which cover the rent when I moved in. I basically had the $200 for food and small expenses until I got my first paycheque.
Do you actually Need a bank account ? The places iv worked at this past year while traveling around the States, I just cash my checks at the bank the business goes through and pocket my cash. No problems yet. Just wondering!!
+steve james It's really rare to find a job that would pay you in any form other than direct deposit and doing e-transfers is how a lot of people just pass money over to friends. It's how I paid my flatmate rent. I think it would be more trouble to not have one and it's not like it costs anything to have it so there's no reason to not have one. But I guess it's up to you in the end.
I hope you enjoyed your year working here :) Im happy you mentioned Intercity Coachlines :) Verry good way of travel :) And The Ferries :) Spectacular Scenery.
Just binging all your videos and I feel like I'm on such a similar path as you! I lived in NZ for 5 months and then went back to road trip it, and now I'm applying for JET! I also went island hopping in Fiji. Keep up the great work!
moeyday any advice?
for what specifically? working, living, studying, moving to new zealand?
Moving to Auckland 2018. Can't wait
Good luck!
Update?
Wow I wish I knew about working holidays when I was in my early 20's. Thanx for the information.
Fab video, thanks for the info. I'm hoping to go NZ from UK, gotta say I'm nervous to go alone! But I wanna bite the bullet, I'm just confused as to how to sort out a place to stay, it's the only thing that really worries me is if struggle having a bed at night.
+Harriett Esmee I lived out of hostels for the majority of my time in New Zealand. When I got a job, I looked for an apartment online and found something within a week. It was pretty easy to find places to stay unless there was a big event going on in a city (holidays, rugby matches, etc.) in which case you just want to book early.
"buses and shit..." you made me laugh sooo hard! great vid btw. thanks!
Thanks- very well thought through- thanks- useful!
Thx for the advice! I'm going on a work and travel program for 12 months , leaving in a couple of weeks!!! I'm excited but also slightly terrified!! very nervous about finding work , making friends etc, wow how did you manage to sustain yourself for 12 months by only working for 3 months? thats some amazing budgeting!... oh well , wish me luck dude and thx again for sharing :)
+robbie jones I had about double the recommend savings when I arrived. I also managed to get a pretty high paying job for those 3 months and saved up a good amount for the final leg of my trip and a vacation in Fiji... I'm actually putting together a video about budgeting in NZ right now so I'll go into more detail about the cost of things there.
This is great, thank you so much!
+Imani Love You're welcome!
I have a ton of bartending and film industry experience in NYC and I'm looking to head to New Zealand after I graduate college. I really want to go a country where people know how to chill the hell out.
Hey, bro are you in new Zeland?
Just curious how random guy from the comment section is doing in life.
Pause and right-arrow through the video to admire the gesticulating.
i'll never meet you, so i can say this, you have film-star good looks, like the really beautiful ones. You look like an oil painting; spectacular. i hope you like this comment. Thank you.
Hahahahahah
Any tips on work clothes to pack for a non-backpacking Auckland job? Possibly office-type attire.
+alexandra david Typical office attire, I guess - collared shirt and trousers. I worked in an office but it was also a start up so they were pretty casual. I would wear jeans and t-shirts but play it safe until you get a good feel for whatever company you work for.
This helped me so much!!! I'm from the UK and is looking to extend to a 23 month working holiday visa once my 12 month working holiday visa expires, do you know how easy it is to obtain an extension on your working holiday visa? Thank you!
Hey, I'm from the uk and going in 3 months. Was it easy to find work, and where did you go/stay? Thanks. Sorry for the questions I am a bit nervous about getting work!
+Craig D I'm actually doing an internship as part of my Univeristy degree so I obtained work through that! Obtaining work/job is as she says on the video above! Good luck with everything and all the best to you
Oh ok. Thank you! I'm sure I'll be fine it's just the trepidation that kills you lol
+Maggie Kay Why didn't you want to be in Auckland?
Hi Meggie Kay. Thanks for this video. Im planning to do a Working Holiday and Im excited :-D Just wanna know if it's easy also to have a Resident Visa there? any idea? thanks
+Grace M. I never really looked into what it would take to get a resident visa there. It would probably take a few years (at least that's typical for most countries unless you have family who are citizens). It would probably be best if you find a proper career-related type job and get a work visa for a couple years and then look into getting residency after that. Really, I wouldn't even think about that until you're well into your Working Holiday and decide you want to stay longer than that visa allows.
Merci beaucoup
Great video. Thank you
Thanks for the advice. I have a few questions you didn't cover and I was just seeing if you could help me out. so currently I got my passport, paperwork for my work visa and plan ticket to NZ for August 3rd. So question number 1-Are you able to work at more than one place in a given year on your visa or do you have to stay at one place. Question number 2- On average how many hours a week does a work visa allow you to receive....I heard the work visa only allows you to get park time hours and if so would you say I would receive 25-30hrs a week?
I've never heard of those restrictions on working. The only one I knew of was that you weren't supposed to take up a permanent position on a working holiday. I worked full time at an office under a 3 months contract and then did some working for accommodation to fill in gaps.
Any suggestions on travel insurance while abroad in Mew Zealadn?
Hi Meggie,
I´m 18 years old, I´m from Mexico, and I´m about to finish high school. I really don´t want to go straight to university, and I think that taking a gap year would be a great thing to do.I really want to travel to NZ for a year on a working holiday visa. The people I´m surrounded by here (including an older friend that has gone backpacking before) all tell me that I´m too young, that I will only make a fool of myself, that I won't find any job. All these things have really started to dissuade me a little bit from going. I´m still pretty determined to do it, however, I´m starting to have some fears.
I just wanted to ask you for advice, It would help me a lot!
Thank you so much!
+David Calderon I would say do it! I met a lot of people younger than me on Working Holidays in New Zealand. There were quite a few Germans I met who were 18, just finished high school, and doing the Working Holiday before starting university so you wouldn't be the only one. It may be harder for you to find work because you don't have a degree but fruit picking type jobs or working at hostels/restaurants are always an option (and typically the kinds of job the younger backpackers went for). It's not always easy but if it's something you want to do, I'd say give it a shot! If things don't work out, you can always go home (just make sure you always have the money for that plane ticket home) and at least you can say you tried which is better than not trying at all.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your advice.
+David Calderon No problem! The other thing you could look into are organised gap year programs. You would have more security than the working holiday and it might be a more comfortable option if it's your first time going abroad by yourself. You're at the right age and time in your life for those.
I already looked into some of those, but I haven´t found something that I would prefer to do over the working holiday. I´ll do more searching! Thank you!
So I’m in Australia , and by the time I leave I’ll saved up 8,000 Australian dollars . Is this enough money to head over to NZ and including visa , flights, insurance all that crap ? I came to Australia minimum money . But I’m getting a little confused with currency exchanges etc !
Help lol
Awesome video! Pretty informational though :)
im doing a working holiday in NZ next year and i wanted to know how much fruit picking for example earns you and whats the best way to get a lot of money in a short period of time :)
probably around minimum wage $15.25 an hour ($122 for an 8-hour day).
my brother and his partner used to work in a pack house so I can ask them if you like?
Dayle Fulton sounds pretty good to me the minimun wage here is 'only' 8,50 ..that would be cool thank you :)
So they got around $500-700 a week. Minimum wage has just gone up so you will probably get around $550-$750.
They got minimum wage for 'normal' work (not sure what they mean, sorry) and $16.50 for Quality Control (so they tried to work QC as much as possible)
This is a good resource here employment.govt.nz/er/pay/minimumwage/
Hope this helps! If not, you know where to find me :)
Dayle Fulton thank you so much!:)
By any chance, do you know if, when you work in-as I assume it is-such an isolated place, do employers provide workers with an accommodation, or at least offer this possibility?
Low-key feeling FUCKED right now.. I don't have a degree or GED and i really wanna travel. The main problem is money because in order to get a working visa i have to have a certain amount of money. I hear for Australia that minimum is $4-5,000 and I don't know about NZ. Any advice on what I can do?
Go on some budget backpacking trips near home. Get a degree, do as much as you can at community college. Once you have a degree you can always teach english abroad. Or, get some kind of training as an electrician/plumber/etc. Save up for a year or two and then go for a long haul trip! I've spent years trying to travel and make things work a lot of different ways and there's not a magic answer. :/ Cruise ships are really difficult to pull off but you might be able to with enough experience.
You don't need a degree to teach abroad in most countries. Even if you wanted to go to Japan (pretty strict degree requirements) and teach English, you'd be able to pull it off if you know the right people. I've taught in Japan, Thailand, and India without a degree or certificate. Check out volunteering sites like workaway.info and try some of that out. Volunteering is a good way to cut costs, have great experiences, and possibly get your foot in the door.
£2100 GBP for New Zealand the thing is you can get this money lent to you and when you get through customs you can transfer the money back
$350 nzd a month is minimum requirement for NZ
I'm from the uk moving to NZ thankyou for this vid! When applying for ur visa do you do it well in advance or right before you leave? My friend moved to Canada and her visa activated as soon as she got approved so she missed out on 3 months of her visa~ is it the same for NZ?
I honestly don't remember. I applied sometime in the summer, left in September, and stayed a full 11 months so I don't think it matters. I think they asked when your intended arrive date is but I can't be sure. I know Canada limits the number of visas that they allow for the UK so maybe that's why Canada does it that way...?
The NZ immigration website should be able to tell you the specifics with that for your country.
Meggie Kay thankyouuuuuuuuu x
I also work in digital media and video production. I'm really considering going on a Working Holiday in New Zealand. Do you have any tips for finding work in this field specifically beside just looking in Auckland? Thanks!
Look at applying to recruitment agencies directly. It's something I didn't think of since where I'm from recruiters are really only for high-end executives. But I ended up getting my job through a recruiter.
Thanks for all of your answers and responses! I appreciate it! Good luck in your future travels! :)
How did you get into the media field? ❤️
That's great
Hello Meggie! (and everyone-any other person who went through the process of getting the IRD in New-Zealand could help me ;)
You said that you got a letter from your hostel stating that you "lived" there to open up a bank account. Is there any specific file or paper which needs to filled in in this purpose or anything does it? Also, any advice about what bank to pick?
Also a friend of mine told me that she encountered an obstacle: she didn't have a driving license (neither do I) and therefore had to command a 18+ card before getting her IRD number, what required more than one month.... is there any way to avoid this problem?
Thank you for this video anyway ;)
Grégory Frenay, ur already in new Zealand? U need to go to the inland revenue office to apply for orders, first u need to have a NZ bank account.
Looking forward to your video on how shitty Toronto is compared to New Zealand.
+Simon I actually think Toronto is a great city! Living in Auckland made me realise that and I missed Toronto a lot while living in New Zealand. I thought New Zealand was great but somewhere I would prefer to retire to - not live out my twenties.
hi, quick question - did you get your comprehensive medical and hospitalization insurance before or after applying online? do they ask about in the online form? THANKS! :)
+MrZeratul88 I didn't have any kind of medical insurance until a week after arriving in New Zealand. I kept forgetting about it and bought the cheapest and most basic one I could find that would cover me for the year. During the application, they ask about your medical history/any current medical conditions. If something flags then you would have to get a medical form done by a doctor to determine if you're healthy enough and your condition wouldn't be a burden or become a major issue. Like I had to get a chest x-ray form filled out because I used to live in a country that was considered high risk for TB. But yea, they don't ask about insurance on the application.
+Meggie Kay thanks! when you got in through NZ immigration did they ask for a return ticket or proof of funds? btw, how much was the cost for your insurance?
+wantedvictor They didn't ask me for anything at immigration. I was so prepared with proof of everything, but they really didn't ask anything. I can't say that's normal so it would be good to have some proof of funds just incase. I think the insurance I found was around $300.
Hi Meggie Kay, would you be able to link me to the insurance you found please? Thank you so much
I need to find a job IMMEDIATELY and have just arrived. What are the best sites or ways to find some sort of employment? I'm aiming for Queenstown as well but am ok with Auckland.
I found my job using seek.co.nz. You can also check backpacker boards. They might be a quicker start date if you don't really care what you do.
Cool. Thanks for the advice :)
What's the cost of living like? I hope to move there one day!
I found the cost of living in NZ similar to what I was used to in Canada. I made a video talking all about the cost of travelling New Zealand so it might give you a better idea - ua-cam.com/video/jksuDaxHjQA/v-deo.html
+Meggie Kay Thanks :)
What about long-term living/accommodations?
+LeftOfToday I rented a flat while working. I found a posting for a flatmate online and lived with an Australian guy who had just moved to NZ for work and looking for someone for the second bedroom in his flat. I've also known backpackers who are all staying in the one city for a while rent a place together. Just check online (websites, facebook groups, etc.) and you'll find lots of options.
Heyy xoxo, questions did you need to have 4,000 bank statement for the visa?
They don't require it for the visa but you are show be able to provide it if you are asked at immigration. Though honestly, I've never heard of someone actually being asked. Just have it in case.
How did you find housing after arriving to Auckland with only $200?
I put a lot of stuff on my credit card at this point (a.k.a. my hostel for the first week in the city). I found a roommate who was really relaxed and didn't ask for any deposit or whatever so it wasn't too bad. I also received my income tax return from the year before at this time which cover the rent when I moved in. I basically had the $200 for food and small expenses until I got my first paycheque.
Can I worked in NZ ill be there in January 2017 but my passport is tourist visa.
Do you actually Need a bank account ?
The places iv worked at this past year while traveling around the States, I just cash my checks at the bank the business goes through and pocket my cash. No problems yet. Just wondering!!
+steve james It's really rare to find a job that would pay you in any form other than direct deposit and doing e-transfers is how a lot of people just pass money over to friends. It's how I paid my flatmate rent. I think it would be more trouble to not have one and it's not like it costs anything to have it so there's no reason to not have one. But I guess it's up to you in the end.
Meggie Kay Alrite cool! Thanks
I'm from Tauranga Moana Māori for life
Dam she's beautiful 😍
well you are cute :
you are cute ;)