I arrived a little over a year ago. It’s a good time to reflect on how the year has gone and to think about goals for the coming year.
Of course, foremost has been my search for a full-time professional job that uses my skills. The year has been quite a bit more difficult in that reflect. In fact, the year has been infinitely more difficult in that respect. I’ve been extremely fortunate in my professional life in that I enjoy networking and working hard, have a positive attitude, and am able to take constructive criticism well.
I would not advise that any skilled migrant move to New Zealand without a job lined up first. If you must move here without a position arranged, you should be in a field such as IT or medicine with local employee shortages. I came with a tenured academic position and quality professional communications experience. Both were worth almost nothing when I arrived because in communications you must have “New Zealand experience.” Additionally, there are so many Massey, Victoria, Otago, etc. communications graduates flooding the area that your skills are really not in demand.
Fortunately, I networked and found a few people who took pity on me and tried to help. Volunteering at Arts Access was critical because it got me into an office setting on a daily basis. I also began to accumulate local clippings from the organisation’s blogs and news articles.
I had my first interview for a full-time professional role back in December 2013. As would be typical of my interview experiences for that elusive permanent job, I came in a close second on the list. The hiring committee took a long time to decide because they were blinded by my CV, but befuddled because of my lack of local experience. This was to be my experience almost every time after that.
My job search has been nothing short of frustrating and painful. Some hiring committees were inept interviewers (US State Dept., sadly enough) whereas others did not deliver decisions in a timely manner.
I finally found a position in early May when the then-manager took pity on me during the interview and realised that I needed “NZ experience.” She was a wonderful manager and I loved my first few months working under her.
Labouring in a huge open room with computers was a major shift for me. I am used to thinking and working alone. I still have major doubts that this situation will work for me long-term, but it is good to experience it.
In early July, our new manager moved in and my experience under her has been hell. I am a person who has always had positive relationships with my co-workers and supervisors. I work hard, am respectful, and meet deadlines. This new manager is a known bully in Wellington with a history of bullying at various government agencies. Of course, I was a prime target for her. I know that underneath it all this person is an insecure and troubled person, but it’s unfortunate that my life brushed against hers for more than a few moments.
The good news is that it is unlikely I will find her kind again because these types are not that common. She goes beyond an occasional grumpy manager like I have now. We all have our bad days, but she was truly hateful. When I write my book about workplace harassment, I will have to be careful to write my portion in a way that I won’t be sued.
I’ve been so consumed by my full-time job, doing part-time marking, keeping up the house, spending what little time I have with Timothy, and reading that I’ve had little time for anything else this year.
I just had a few more interviews with the same result as before. After the last interview, I suggested to the recruiter that we change our strategy and aim me for more contract positions. I think with a little more local experience, I will be in a much better position. I would like to have next year sorted out. Contracting, though no ideal, pays quite well and I am actually making more than I did as a tenured professor, even with the exchange rate difference!
Looking back on this year and reflecting how the job experience really did go, would I make the same decision? I can say with certainty that I would not stay in my previous role at a conservative undergraduate college in the Midwest. I was no longer growing there and the conservative environment was stifling to me. Having said that, it has been a challenge to get used to Kiwi bluntness after being in such a polite part of the country. Kiwi’s are overall friendly, but there is a certain edge to the culture that I did not sense in Perth.
In considering the past year, if I had stayed in my previous situation, I would have always wondered how things would have gone. I do miss my beautiful house and hope to have another one someday. I would like a smaller home, though, this time around.
Over the coming year:
- find a contracting job to start off with, get out of EPA, then use that new contracting job to flow into new permanent job
- get closer to university environment again
- work on music and find dedicated time to do it
- exercise five times a week as I used to
- eat in a healthy way and enjoy cooking
- continue reading
- do some traveling
- do the gardening I want to do
- I must find a way to incorporate writing more in my life. Perhaps that would be part-time work and part-time writing? It is a sin not to use that talent in the way I should.
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