Do the homework before the OE

By ANGELA McCARTHY

The great OE is a rite of passage that has been sustained for years by a British working holiday visa allowing Kiwis and other Commonwealth citizens between 17 and 28 to stay in Britain and work part-time for up to two years. Around 7000 Kiwis head off to Britain each year.

This year the visa is part of a British Government review on nationality, immigration and asylum.

Fortunately, an initial fear that the visa may be cut to a single year appears unfounded. The latest consultation paper on the review, which is posted on the New Zealand British High Commission's website, holds nothing but good news.

It proposes that working holidays remain two years' duration with no restrictions on the number of young Kiwis allowed into Britain under the scheme.

There is also discussion about extending the qualifying age to 30, relaxing rules prohibiting professional work and allowing individuals to take more than one working holiday.

It isn't only the rules that are changing - attitudes are too.

The latest generation of Kiwis wanting to head off shore are increasingly interested in signing up with recruitment agencies with British connections and hunting out information services before they leave.

Ana Hensley, a Kiwi and the British-based owner of the newspaper UK Recruitment, believes Kiwi backpackers need to be more organised because there are more stringent rules about working, and increased competition from European Union countries.

Hensley applauds the trend to pre-planning, saying it is a myth that London work is a guaranteed money-maker.

"Things are a lot harder than expected unless you research the opportunities, ensure you prepare your CV correctly, have all the necessary paperwork, register with the right recruitment agencies and approach the market with realism," she says.

Hence the need for information such as the British Tourist Authority (BTA) New Zealand Big OE pack.

The $7 pack is indeed big - it weighs a kilo. "We put the pack together because we were continually getting the same queries," explains BTA New Zealand office manager Maggie Hunt.

"We include contacts for recruitment agencies based here so people can register before they leave, and information on a national number [IRD equivalent] and a bank account."

OE evenings are another popular source of information. British High Commission event organiser Yvette Adams has already run eight evenings for the commission this year in Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland.

Registering with recruitment agencies with British ties offers a foot in the door for Kiwis in Britain - the bulk of positions in the UK are advertised through agencies.

Signing up is important, but is still only the start, says Adams.

Help is also available through relocation services. Melanie Bunyan returned from Britain to open the first New Zealand 1st Contact office last year.

The relocation service offers support to 18 to 30-year-old independent travellers relocating to Britain.

Before leaving you can sign up for 1st Contact's Kickstart London package ($85).

This provides a day's seminar on arrival in London, a bank account, phone account, six months' mail holding, on-line job assistance and information on employment issues such as visas and recruitment agencies.

While the consultation document is suggesting an easing of British working holiday visa conditions, at present they are still reasonably stringent - you can work no more than 50 per cent of your time and not in your chosen career.

However there are exceptions for areas short of staff: agency nursing, supply teaching, nannying, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, radiography, speech and language therapy and locum vets work.

The other possibility for Kiwis is the four-year ancestry visa, open to people with a grandparent or parent born in Britain who have a job offer.

Whatever your visa, most eventually head back home.

Therefore it is important to think about how experiences you gain overseas can help you find work back here, says Brad Gatehouse, team leader of recruitment consultancy Robert Walter's accounting and finance team.

He says many people are attracted to investment banking overseas because of the high hourly rates and demand for accountants.

However, if doing this work, you need to concentrate on gaining transferable skills because New Zealand investment banking is a very small market with few opportunities.

He suggests people try and get contracts for at least six months' duration. "Employers here look more favourably on someone who has worked a decent period of time gaining experience."

British High Commission

Recruitment UK