Pharmacist from wales, uk. looking to work in NZ or Aust. Fancy the heat of Aust, but heard NZ much nicer.Help

Question

Working as pharmacist, so know i will be able to get visa most prob to work,. my girlfriend is a vet nurse, but apparently she wants to get a different job becuase vet nurses have to work night shifts on weekends. I really liked the look of NZ until i saw the beaches in australia - i think i would definitely prefer Hot as opposed to COLD! but then again, i would like to work as a Locum in either country, so there would be lots of travelling involved in australia. i am 28, so i think i would prefer to have an amazing nightlife - more likely in australia but i heard auckland is really good. Also I want to be different, because everyone in the UK who is a pharmacist, has been to Australia ( I have even considered Spain). I dont know, im more confused than when i started!

so to Conclude, australia looks hot, and exciting, but NZ looks cleaner, friendlier , less travel, and a biggie - skiing from june til NOV.

Can anyone help?

thanks

Simon

Answer 1

I love Australia, I would live Central Coast NSW, or Brisbane, you have the Sunshine Coast which is 20miles north of Brisbane, & Gold Coast 5mlies south,

It never gets cold in Queensland, and the lowest it gets on the Central Coast is about 14C in the winter.

Whatever you decide Good luck to the both of you.

Answer 2

As far as locuming goes, you only need to travel to where you want to. It could be just within one city, or all over the country. In Australia I believe you currently need to be registered (and therefore pay the registration fee) in each state you practice in but this is changing soon for all health professions to national registration. Also if you are registered in one country I think you can automatically obtain registration in the other (Aus or NZ), so you could even do both.

It is usual for the employer to pay for the travel costs and accommodation for locums, at least in my field.

Both countries are clean and friendly, but there is definately more skiing in NZ and more warmth/beaches in Oz. Otherwise they are fairly similar in most respects. The scenery is very different.

Answer 3

heres an idea of some of the beaches in NZ... it gets just as hot in parts of NZ as it does in Australia just not quite so many of the uncomfortable 30 degree plus days (although they do happen!)

Top of the South island:

http://www.iantraffordphotos.com/gallery...

C:\Documents and Settings\desknet.CCLPUB\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\SF4RIZ0Z\IMG_3628-1s[1...

http://www.photoseek.com/07NZ-2/bin/imag...

http://www.goldenbayconnections.com/phot...

http://www.photoseek.com/07NZ-2/bin/imag...

Bay of Plenty:

http://images.google.co.nz/imgres?imgurl...

http://www.bnbtauranga.co.nz/images/main...

http://www.davidwallphoto.com/images/%7B...

christchurch

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/123/37788...

http://www.richard-seaman.com/Travel/New...

http://www.sumnertoferrymead.co.nz/image...

Wellington:

http://www.mountainrunning.org.nz/photos...

Auckland:

http://www.1sthomeexchange.com/images/68...

http://www.jasons.com/listings/00058770/...

And well you get the idea... also you certainly won't be able to ski until november in NZ, its starting to get warm by then!! you'd be lucky if the biggest, best ski fields in the south island would stay open till labour weekend (october 23rdish)

New Zealand is amazing, you wouldn't regret shifting here.

for more info on our climate see http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/ab...

and for a taste of winter in NZ see

http://www.vroomvroomvroom.co.nz/content...

http://www.thedrive-twizel.co.nz/graphic...

http://www.queenstowngallery.com/images/...

Good luck with your decision making :-)

Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch would be good choices as they are the biggest cities in NZ and where the good night life is at (yes our pubs and clubs stay open till 6am too!

Answer 4

If you are thinking of Australia as HOT as in Heat, then think again. Its late autumn now and its getting decidedly nippy. I've got the heaters on, long track pants and woolly socks, and I'm in WA.

Of course, if you go "up North" then it is decidedly warmer. A work colleague has just come back from 3 weeks in Kalbarri and he said he could really feel the difference as he drove back down to the Perth metro area.

Australia is such a vast continent that we have all sorts of different weather at all sorts of different times in the different parts of the country.

I'm in Fremantle WA, which has a "Mediterranean" climate, but over East they actually have some very good snow skiing areas.

Go figure, as they say.