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Dear Geoff
I apologise for not contacting you sooner. Thank you for sending me the details regarding application for Permanent Residence dated 4th November. At this time I am unable to take this particular aspect any further, the principle reason being I am a little strapped for cash. As you will understand I have not been working for some four months and this has obviously effected my financial position. I hope to contact you within the next few months when I will be in a stronger position financially (to allow you to do the necessary work to replace my temporary work visa with a Permanent Residence visa).
Separate from this, may I say how pleased I was to accept the teaching post in New Zealand. When I got to New Zealand I felt ready and prepared for the interviews that had been arranged by the company. It was surprising to meet so many people having come to New Zealand in search of a job. I do feel as though The Emigration Group and Taylor & Associates had prepared the paperwork and myself well for jobseeking. Amongst the many people I met during my five week stay I only came across one other person who had secured a position. I learned from this that going on 'spec' was not a very productive way to finding employment. Far better to prepare before travelling.
Special thanks go to Richard and Janice in New Zealand. They were very friendly and helpful. I felt that I was indeed being supplied a personal service.
May I thank the whole staff involved in my search for a job. It was all carried out at a very high professional level. You may be interested to know it took 133 days from signing the agreement to finding a job and only 15 days from stepping foot in New Zealand to securing a position.
For the moment, thank you and best wishes, and I hope to contact you in the future regarding my residence application.
Yours sincerely,
Gary Lester (Teacher)
Dear Ian
I would like to thank The Emigration Group for all your efforts on our behalf. When we began this rather long and eventful journey, I had three major doubts:
1. That I would fulfil all the criteria and earn enough points to qualify for New Zealand Residence.
2. That your sister company, Taylor & Associates, would be able to find me a job in New Zealand knowing that hundreds apply for journalistic vacancies in this country even though countless vacancies are advertised each week, but in New Zealand the population is one/twentieth the size and, therefore, with correspondingly fewer opportunities.
3. I was uncomfortably close to the age limit and this may have a detrimental affect on my chances as it had been doing the U.K.
However, despite the overwhelming odds, you pulled it off. It has been a long and frustrating experience, with two appeals on the way.
I am sure we could not have achieved this without The Emigration Group and Taylor and Associates. It was well worth the effort and the cost.
There were several consultants from which we had a choice before setting out on this journey and I will always be grateful that fate steered us in your direction.
Yours sincerely,
John D Winters (Editor)
Dear Geoff
I just wanted to thank you and your colleagues for your considerable help in securing me a teaching post in New Zealand and so quickly. In September of this year I had decided that another cold grey winter at a split site school, trudging through mud to get to lessons, would finish me off!! This was what prompted me to respond to your advertisement in the Times Educational Supplement and send for details on teaching in New Zealand. After a very encouraging interview at your Chester offices, I was impressed with the professionalism and commitment of the company in finding me a teaching post. As you know, having retained your services, things started happening very quickly. Armed with full instructions as to what documentation I would need and where to obtain everything in two weeks, I was able to send a complete package of certificates and letters to Ian Wallace at Chester. I would never have known where to start without his help and advice. It was such a relief that the company were able to deal with all the applications needed.
With some fear and trepidation I handed my notice in at school on 30 October having already been shortlisted for a position near Auckland. Two weeks later at 8.10 a.m. on a Sunday morning I had secured a post at New Plymouth after three brief telephone calls.
The speed and ease of the whole process was amazing and very reassuring. I am departing for sunnier shores in early January and looking forward to it immensely.
Thank you again for all your help.
Your sincerely,
Elizabeth Seal (Teacher)
Dear Ian & Julie
We thought it was time to let you know how we are getting on here. We didn't realise we had been here for 6 months - the time is just flying by.
We bought a car two weeks after arriving and stayed in a motel for four weeks - a bit expensive but not much more than renting. We were at the Blue Haven Motel in New Lynn and can recommend it - very nice people run it. The day we arrived was just awful, the tail end of 'Gavin'. Never seen wind and rain like it - but it didn't put us off.
Anyway, we decided to take the plunge and buy a house.
I got a job at Avondale College in the office and started there at the end of April. We moved into the house at the end of May.
Gary was offered a job with Enerco (the big gas company here) in the Business gas division. He was sad to leave Barnes & Follas after so short a time but he keeps in touch with everyone there and they were fine about him moving on - and not surprised. He has a company car - a Mazda 626 wagon, mobile phone, lap top computer, long hours and is very well thought of. He is the Business Gas Engineer and Enerco are even thinking of buying a small company for him to run!
We are very happy here and have made lots of friends. Gary plays football for an over 35's team at Oratia United, most of the players are from Liverpool and still sound the same even though they've been here for over 20 years. We've also met and made friends with lots of Kiwis and we both work in places were people have a good social life together. We've been away for a few weekends and even went to see Victoria Wood in concert. The oddest thing we've done yet is to go to a Christmas party in July.
We find food quite cheap compared with England and very much tastier and easier to cook. All in all we are much better off over here and our quality of life is much improved.
We want to thank you both for all you did for us in getting us accepted here. We couldn't have done it on our own. We have a wonderful future in front of us and are grateful to you for making it all possible.
All the best to you both.
Sue & Gary Jones (Gas Fitter)