It has been a rather open secret. Since New Zealand citizens can work in Australia freely and it is (arguably) a tad easier to get a Permanent Resident visa in New Zealand, some are targeting New Zealand as their choice of migration. Just to clarify though, New Zealand PRs are not eligible to work in Australia. Only New Zealand citizens are. For a PR to be eligible for a New Zealand Citizenship, one of the key requirements is to stay in New Zealand for a number of years (4 or 5?) as a PR. But wait a minute... if I make myself to New Zealand as a PR and find the means to survive for 4 years, why would I want to move to Australia to work?
Money! Come on Singaporeans. Is that the only thing you think about? I believe most of the Singaporeans who made their decisions to move to New Zealand had broken (or at least made a dent in) their mental barrier. Most of us, under normal circumstances, should make more money in Singapore than we can in New Zealand. So anyone who had decided to make the 'crazy' move to New Zealand would have desperately want to live differently. Earn less money? Doesn't matter. Treat it as buying or paying for a better life. A wise trade off anyone can make. Breathing the air in New Zealand already makes your money worthwhile, if you ask me. And New Zealand offers much more.
Well let's get into the topic. The backdoor which I mentioned in the title didn't mean the backdoor to Australia. Like I said, why would I want to move to Australia if I already found the means to survive for 4-5 years in New Zealand? If money is the factor, I wouldn't have move to New Zealand from Singapore in the first place. Instead, I was talking about getting into New Zealand.
If you do not already know, Singaporeans are (for reasons unknown to me) barred from a Working-Holiday programme in Australia, which is available for our friends from Asia countries nearby such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh. Though it's none of my business, it fills me with sadness because young Singaporeans will benefit so much from a Working-Holiday stint in Australia.
The good news for young Singaporeans is that, you can do that in New Zealand! A few years back, a young man J wrote to me [link] about his trip to New Zealand and even blogged about it. I read every post and admired the beautiful pictures of New Zealand before he lost his camera and stopped blogging. He retrieved his camera in the end. (Apparently someone found it and he managed to get it sent back to Singapore). I never heard much from J since and I hope he is doing well and keeping the dream alive.
Lately I came across a thread in a forum which attracted my interest. You can read about it here [link] It was started by a young Singaporean who was looking for travel mates to New Zealand. The response was pretty good. That told me that young Singaporeans are a lot more adventurous than the youth in my era. Back then, we were too chicken to even make a trip to Malaysia. How embarrassing.
Why do I keep encouraging young Singaporeans to try a Working-Holiday trip in New Zealand? Simply out, there are more pros than cons doing so. Firstly, by having the liberty to work (which is tough in other circumstances), it is as good as a paid trip, paid from your youth which you can afford plenty of at this stage of your life.
Secondly, it's never a bad thing to roam around outside the well. You gain perspectives at a level you will never gain from books or by staying in Singapore. If anything, after experiencing the imperfection of the world outside the well, it will help you appreciate and love Singapore better. (Be warned though, if it goes badly, you'll end up hating it.)
Thirdly, IF you are lucky enough, you may impress an employer so much that they may offer you a full working visa. (and you know where that leads to...) Even for a speck of chance like that, it's worth the trip alone, if you ask me.
Lastly, treat it as the rite of passage to the real world. After graduation from school, it's time to step into the real world where the fittest survive. Everyone wants a piece of you and you will need to be committed. Your work. Your family needs your help. Your love relationship needs to advance to the next step. Even your dog needs a better bone. To some young Singaporeans, this might be the first time they are working and they have never needed to worry about money before. A working-holiday stint in New Zealand will be one of the best opportunities you can have to learn and experience how hard it is to earn money and what it is like to manage money, to earn your keep, to pay for gas and to discover the true meaning of luxury. For lovers, it is another good test for a love relationship to take on such a discovery trip.
I came across a Facebook Group named the (criiiiinge) Yang Meh Meh Club (fuck man, kids these days...). Check it out here [link] They look legit, young, clean and smiley. The sort of people parents like me will not mind our kids mixing around with, even as a company picking apples in New Zealand. Terrible club name aside, they seem to know what they are doing. By the mere reading of their mission statement I felt inspired already.
We are a group of young, aspiring andadventurous travelers from Singapore that has taken a non-conventional and daring step in applying for a WHV to New Zealand in search of our new direction and purpose in life, as well as gaining the once in a lifetime experience working, living and travelling concurrently in a unfamiliar environment over there. And of cos not forgetting to go there and purify our lungs at the same time haha!
Why go for NZWHV now?
1) Cos SG only allows us to go NZ.. eh which isn't a bad choice anw!
2) You can only go once in your lifetime, so if not now den when?
3) After 30 years old, you are being labeled as too OLD to go for it!
4) The term "Grad Trip" is overated, this is the TRUE GRAD TRIP of your LIFETIME! So start jioing all ur friends!
5) Gain valuable Experience
6) Add colours to your Resume
7) Make lots of new friends of common interest along the way, be it SG or foreigners!
8) Indulge in the culture of the local Kiwis
9) Opportunity to take fantastic photos of beautiful landscape in NZ which you can't see them anywhere near Singapore.
10) Purify your lungs!
Sharing of useful information, websites and even photos of your Kiwi experience are most welcome here!
I wish I did this when I was young. Don't be the next one to say this. Please send this to every young Singaporean you know.
CB, we're full (of sheep) so piss off!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, J is one of a kind and I doubt there are many like him.
I am happy to show some sweet young things around, and I'm still available for marriage.
u open your house free for these kids la. if not how to get xmm
DeleteI open house, they open legs. Fair deal?
DeleteI cannot get past the name.
ReplyDeleteYeah I'm 25 and already too old for ck hahaha. He is looking for the next sweet young thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm still in touch with J and he's happily working towards his 5 year plan to come back to nz.
And I still want to visit u in Perth nix!
you are the 9/10 babe. ck no taste lah
DeleteI'm after the 6.5-7.5/10 segment. Bigger pool to play with.
DeleteHahahahaba I told him to read this and he just laughed!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm still alive and kicking. hahaha.. Thanks for remembering me Nix despite of me being MIA and lurking around. hahaha.. Just wrote an email to you. ;-)
Delete@ CK: You sound so chee ko pek in that reply. hahaha... So will you be coming back Sg for a visit this year? Really long time never catch up with you liao. hahaha
@ Cin: I second Nix 9/10 rating for you. ;-) And I'm looking forward to catching up again over dessert when you are back.
Cheers,
J
I am a straight, virile young man so of course I am CKP.
DeleteYes I have a visit soon, especially since 28 March is the GE. I'll be there to see them win 67%. ;) I have to show a couple of people how dirty the island is, but I'm sure we can schedule something!
Lol. Your logic on the the 6.5-7.5/10 segment are too hard to fault. hahaha..
DeleteYou got insider info on the March 28 date? The garmen seems to be saying otherwise (although I won't trust them much) but signs are hinting of a GE this year though.
Hahaha.. Yeah, we totally should. Chicken rice again? This time we just go for pure poached chicken, don't eat roasted one liao.
who is this CK? :-s
ReplyDeleteI am the Cunt Kisser.
Delete