Work in NZ

My visa is a Working Holiday visa. So, while I’m getting plenty of time to travel and see wonderful places and have exciting adventures, I do have to work a bit, since I have yet to figure out how to make the bills pay themselves.

I was here for about 6 weeks before I began working. I spent that time traveling, researching my options, and determining what I wanted to do. Once I chose to settle in New Plymouth, I began looking for a place to live, and a place to work. I’m renting a room in a lovely house with a big kitchen, and I now have a piano, so all is good on that front.  The job situation sorted itself out pretty quickly as well.

My first job in New Zealand was at a coffee shop, a place called Muffin Break. It turned out to be a good find because it was quite flexible, and shifts could be scheduled on a weekly basis. Although I have acquired full-time work elsewhere, I still fill in occasionally when help is needed and it’s nice to be able to save a bit of extra cash for upcoming travels. It’s also a good opportunity to interact with the locals. One day I was serving a young lady who seemed to be in her mid-teens. As she was about to leave, she asked if I was from America. When I said yes, she began jumping up and down and saying “oh my gosh, you’re really an American, that’s so cool, I can’t believe it, hey bro she’s an American, I just met an American, oh my gosh, this is the best day EVER!!!!” However, most people don’t have such an enthusiastic reaction to meeting me. One day an older gentleman made me repeat everything I said to him at least twice, if not three or four times. As he was leaving I heard him grumbling about “those darn Americans coming here to take over.” Just last week when I was putting in coffee orders with my co-worker who was running the coffee machine, a lady waiting for her coffee heard me talking and said “Oh my, how nice, there’s someone here who speaks another language!” 

To supplement the casual work I was doing at Muffin Break, I worked a couple days a week for an insurance broker. They were in the process of moving to a new office and needed extra hands for organizing, sorting, cleaning etc so it worked out to be a good short-term arrangement.

About a month ago I began working full-time for a company called PowerCo, which supplies electricity for the North Island. I have the pleasure of handling the scheduling and processing of all incoming projects, which can be anything from trimming trees that are too close to power lines to replacing entire substations. My co-workers are great fun, many of them are linesman or electrical engineers who are retired from the field.

I've also had the pleasure of doing a bit of accompanying. Yes, I've been busy, but it didn't all happen right at the same time J It’s my fun money, because it’s a fun way to earn it, and since it’s extra cash I can save it for going somewhere fun. It’s also been a good way to get out in the community a bit and meet some of the local musicians.

I have found the work environment to be more relaxed here than back home. Something that I noticed right away is the importance placed on taking breaks. The attitude is that you aren't paid more for working through your break so you may as well take it. In addition to the 30 minute lunch break, the entire office takes a 15-minute tea break in the morning and another one in the afternoon. Some people drink coffee, but tea, especially Earl Grey or English Breakfast, seems to be the favorite. Best part about the tea breaks is that the break room is pre-stocked with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar, milk, cups, saucers, spoons, a fancy coffee machine that I can’t work, cappuccino mix, cookies, and a dishwasher, all supplied by the company. Far as I can tell it is a built-in operating expense. I think it’s a fantastic way to keep up employee morale. On busy days the break might get shortened down to 10 minutes, but it still happens. Another wonderful unspoken rule is that when you've worked your shift, you go home. If your work isn't done, that’s ok because you have tomorrow to finish it. I've been told the idea behind it is all that you go to work so you can live, not live so you can go to work. This means you go and do your best and when the day is done, that’s it, it’s done until you have to be back. This rule can of course be set aside when the need arises. There have been a couple storms since I was at the electric company and that meant longer days to ensure customers had power turned back on as often as possible, and so we could sort out what had to be repaired where and when and how soon. The company’s response to this was to treat all staff to tim tams, and a barbeque.

My co-workers have asked for a comparison of my work experience here compared to my experience at my job prior to coming to NZ. They were surprised at the difference in approaches, and thought it was ridiculous that I’d even consider working through a break. It’s their mission to ensure I do not work through breaks J I have definitely come to appreciate the laid-back approach to things here. Naturally things in the coffee shop are a bit different from the office, but even there, when your shift is done it’s done, doesn't matter if things are busy or not, you get to go home and whoever hasn't finished their shift will handle it.