New Zealand - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

[patches]

Correct, I don't need it for residency application, and luckily my partner is a PR already (hence the reason why we can register the little one as a NZ citizen at birth), but I will need it to do my LAT (Limited Authority to Teach) registration. They unfortunately only accept 4 tests, the Parsons isn't one of them. To register at the education council one needs to get a 7 in each section of the IELTS test (not as an overall). This seems like a big mountain to climb, as my sister wrote a couple of weekends ago and got 7.5 overall, but on 2 separate sections got 6.5 so she cant submit her education registration yet (although she already has a job offer).

 

It is overall such a long process too (just to write the test), because you have to complete registration at least a week before the test date, then after the test date they take 2 weeks to give the results, so the quickest turn around time just to know if you passed is 3 weeks. That's longer than her Registration at the council will take and probably longer than her work visa too.

 

I see that the 2 Cambridge tests (CAE and CPE) are also accepted. I would recommend those (well the CAE in particular. The CPE is harder), but from first check the turn around times.

The CAE tests in 5 areas:

• Reading
• Use of English
• Writing
• Listening
• Speaking

And if I recall correctly, for my original intended use of the certificate, it was also the case that if one if one scores below a certain level on 1 particular section, no matter how high the other scores, it is not a pass.

 

To give you an indication, my 5 scores ranged from 200 - 210 (8 -  9 in IELTS terms), and the LAT requires a minimum of 185 each. I'm definitely no master of the English language, and I didn't study. It just takes a bit of careful thinking. So I'm sure you'll be fine!

 

Edited May 3, 2018 by patches

[patham]

I found that like most 'tests' in order to nail the higher bands it generally comes down to exam technique. A friend pointed me to a great website run by an English teacher who also used to be an IELTS examiner. She teaches you about the techniques to use in all four areas of the IELTS exam. It certainly helped me - I managed to get an overall band score of 8.5 (minimum of 8 in writing which imo is the most difficult part of the exam).

 

Check out ieltsliz.com She also has a great YouTube channel, which is what I mostly used, you can find the link on her web page.

 

Exam technique it is, and don't fall into the trap of believing that because your first language is English that gives you an automatic right to score high. I also put in a few weeks of research into the IELTS beforehand, and the tips on the writing and listening components were very helpful. They enabled me to get perfect 9.0's on all bands first time round and permanent bragging rights over my wife and some in-laws.

 

I am just thankful that in my road to Australian citizenship I could make do with just one set of English test results, I was not looking forward to the hassle of doing it again and the potential loss of superiority in case my results dropped!

[Zatopek]

I found that like most 'tests' in order to nail the higher bands it generally comes down to exam technique. A friend pointed me to a great website run by an English teacher who also used to be an IELTS examiner. She teaches you about the techniques to use in all four areas of the IELTS exam. It certainly helped me - I managed to get an overall band score of 8.5 (minimum of 8 in writing which imo is the most difficult part of the exam).

 

Check out ieltsliz.com She also has a great YouTube channel, which is what I mostly used, you can find the link on her web page.

This - I don't know these days, but around 2000-2005 you was writing by hand - which was then already a difficult task to do for me. Practice that beforehand - speed/accuracy etc.

 

The test itself is not that difficult (and I'm a boertjie educated in an agricultural school )

Edited May 4, 2018 by Zatopek

[Imploder]

Working holiday anyone? All meals included.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/09/kiwi-crisis-new-zealand-changes-visa-rules-to-save-bumper-crop-of-national-fruit

[coppi]

Working holiday anyone? All meals included.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/09/kiwi-crisis-new-zealand-changes-visa-rules-to-save-bumper-crop-of-national-fruit

Kiwi fruit work is physically demanding, commands minimum wage (NZ$16.50 an hour) and requires workers to relocate on a temporary basis, making it an unappealing employment option for many New Zealanders, including those living on welfare benefits.

Same mentality as here then...................

[Imploder]

Kiwi fruit work is physically demanding, commands minimum wage (NZ$16.50 an hour) and requires workers to relocate on a temporary basis, making it an unappealing employment option for many New Zealanders, including those living on welfare benefits.

Same mentality as here then...................

 

R145 bucks an hour - sign me up

[coppi]

R145 bucks an hour - sign me up

The same old argument.......you CANNOT do a direct conversion like that !!!

If you save all your cash and don't need to spend a penny its great, you will come back home after a few weeks and have scored.

But if you are spending there you are gaining zilch !!! 

[patches]

R145 bucks an hour - sign me up

The same old argument.......you CANNOT do a direct conversion like that !!!

If you save all your cash and don't need to spend a penny its great, you will come back home after a few weeks and have scored.

But if you are spending there you are gaining zilch !!!

Yup, fruit picking works for medium-to-upper class school leavers, coming to NZ from Europe/US on their gap year as a backpacking hostel adventure.

 

They pick fruit when the money that mommy & daddy gave them is running low, so they can continue campervanning round the countryside.

 

So yeah, if you have emergency access to your trust fund, and you're willing to live in a hostel/commune, then minimum wage fruit picking might be the career for you

Edited May 9, 2018 by patches

[intern]

The same old argument.......you CANNOT do a direct conversion like that !!!

If you save all your cash and don't need to spend a penny its great, you will come back home after a few weeks and have scored.

But if you are spending there you are gaining zilch !!! 

Fully - cost of living here is pretty extreme.

[Pieter1]

Are any of you guys or your spouse teaching in NZ?

[GrahamS2]

Yup, fruit picking works for medium-to-upper class school leavers, coming to NZ from Europe/US on their gap year as a backpacking hostel adventure.

 

They pick fruit when the money that mommy & daddy gave them is running low, so they can continue campervanning round the countryside.

 

So yeah, if you have emergency access to your trust fund, and you're willing to live in a hostel/commune, then minimum wage fruit picking might be the career for you

I've 'heard' many stories about the parties on farms during picking season. Most backpackers don't really do it for the cash... 

[hayleyearth]

Are any of you guys or your spouse teaching in NZ?

 

I have found out quite a bit lately about teaching here, anything specific you want to know?

[hayleyearth]

My wife had to do the academic IELTS for nursing registration, also requiring 7 or higher in every section. 

 

She passed well with average above 7, but 6.5 for the writing - so she has to do it all again. Looks like the academic writing is quite difficult.

 

 

 

Has she written again and got a 7 for writing?

It seems like that one is the most difficult to pass here, of the time my sis got a 6.5 for it only 2 people that wrote on that day got 7's (nothing higher).

[Herman V]

She wrote it again on 12 May. Still waiting for the results but she does not feel very positive - and that after studying very hard for it. Too little time seems to be the biggest issue. 

 

Has she written again and got a 7 for writing?

It seems like that one is the most difficult to pass here, of the time my sis got a 6.5 for it only 2 people that wrote on that day got 7's (nothing higher).

[hayleyearth]

She wrote it again on 12 May. Still waiting for the results but she does not feel very positive - and that after studying very hard for it. Too little time seems to be the biggest issue.

 

Yip, my sis is getting her re-write results on Friday - DAMN I hope she makes it!

[Wayne Potgieter]

Yip, my sis is getting her re-write results on Friday - DAMN I hope she makes it!

hope so too.

 

She is lovely by the way.