Emma Chilton
Teacher, Auckland.
Emma is a
Technology teacher from the UK who contacted Education
Personnel from overseas and is now a teacher of Technology at
Queen Charlotte College
Working alongside
Education Personnel
"I am sure
we were not alone in having a few sleepless nights once we had made the
decision to apply to emigrate to NZ. One of the biggest worries I
had, being the lead application, was how was I going to find a suitable
job from the other side of the world in a country we had never visited.
We were put in touch with Education Personnel by the agency who
were handling our Residency application. Working with Melanie and
the team at Education Personnel actually made the job hunting one of
the more enjoyable aspects.
We had so much good, useful information that it was easy to make well informed choices about positions that were on offer. We had some good long chats over the phone to establish what our aspirations were as a family. This meant that Melanie was able to give us valuable insights into those areas and schools that would meet our needs in our quest to settle here in NZ. The information she gave us proved to be very valuable in our decision making. I looked forward to our chats while the job hunting was going on. Melanie and the other team members at Education Personnel were always helpful, friendly and professional. With the time difference between the UK and NZ it could have proved difficult keeping in touch but regular e-mails and phone calls meant that we were kept up to date with all the latest developments.
Information about what positions were available, salary assessments, teacher registration, interview processes and what to expect from the school once contact was made all proved to be invaluable at this time.
My New Role
With the right guidance I got the job that I really wanted working at Queen Charlotte College in Picton and a year on I am so glad that we entrusted Melanie with our move on the job front.
Once I started at the school I was allocated a buddy who was able to make sure that I had access to the information that I needed and knew all the things that I didn't know I needed to be aware of!
The experience of emigrating to NZ has proved to be a very positive experience, right from all the help we were given in the planning stages, down to the warm welcome we received as a family from the team at Queen Charlotte College. It's more like a big family than a school and our welfare as a family has been given much thought and consideration. I don't think we expected even half as much moral and practical support from people.
I have received positive responses from all the students at the school and the local community right from parents to the local Marae have made us feel welcome. People have been very interested in hear about where we have come from and what brought us here.
New Zealand
Our initial thoughts before we arrived in Picton were that we would give it 12months to get really settled before we began to make any decisions, but it was love at first sight. Twelve months on we are now settled into the house we have had built on our 1/4acre section in our little paradise by the sea feeling very settled and happy to be here. Living in Picton is a huge change for us having come from a city the size of Christchurch but one we have relished. Finding a permanent job for Mark was a challenge in such a small area where there is such a wealth of seasonal work, but Mark is now happily working as a Teaching Assistant at the College too, which has worked out brilliantly.
Advantages of Using Education Personnel
I would recommend the services of Education Personnel to any teachers looking for their ideal job and having seen how much time and effort is put into matching teachers to jobs that will suit them I think this is a valuable service for any school.
Emma Chilton, Queen Charlotte College, Picton