[AGL] Where to live? Australia Junior

[michelemason]

Oh, dear God, thank-you for Karen. You just saved me a LOT of time and 
frustration. Its sort of creepy!  I can understand not wanting 
Americans and I'm disabled, but could teach Art or English—you know—why 
bother. Thanks,  mm

On Sep 28, 2006, at 8:53 PM, Karen Willis wrote:

> I visited New Zealand for 3 weeks in the mid-80's.  They were in the 
> midst
> of 20 percent inflation, and although prices were reasonable then, 
> they are
> much higher nowadays.  The appeal of New Zealand economy is that there 
> is
> much more middle class and almost nonexistent really poor and really 
> rich.
> The food, the culture, the technology are all very boring.  The 
> country is
> beautiful.  The people are friendly.  Crime is/was extremely low.  The 
> bad
> news is that they don't really want Americans to move there.  You must 
> be
> skilled in a trade or profession they lack sufficient native citizens 
> to
> perform.  And you must be willing to be assigned to any out of the way 
> place
> they decide to put you and you are REQUIRED to stay and work there for 
> 3
> years.  And you must be younger than about 42 years old.  These 
> are/were the
> requirements to gain citizenship status.  If you are not a citizen, 
> then you
> are a tourist, and you must leave (remember it's an island) every 12 
> months
> or so.  Australia doesn't count.  You have to go to Fiji or Hawaii or
> somewhere else before you can come back.  This gets to be a serious 
> problem
> on the slave wages they are paying you at the JOB THEY ASSIGNED YOU TO 
> DO
> for 3 years.  Well, anyway, you can see I did my research and even 
> though I
> was trained in computer programming which was one of the trades they 
> would
> offer citizenship for, I declined after all.  It sounded too much like 
> the
> deal they made single women when they sailed over to the American 
> colonies.
> Get married, have babies, or you will be imprisoned and/or sent back to
> England.
>
> Glad I stayed in the good ole U S of A....
>
> Karen
>
>
> Had to put my two cents' worth in.
>
>> From everything I've heard New Zealand is incomparable for the type of
> civilized, comfortable, environmentally-stable refuge you are talking
> about.
>
> Two grand islands with a total population of around three million, a
> reasonably healthy if sluggish economy, and a welcoming people.
>
> Square as Jehovah's Witlesses from what I am told but I have enjoyed my
> contacts with Kiwis (Ozzies not so much).
>
> Of course I've never been there (snicker). That would have spoilt my 
> power
> of recommendation.
>
> Seriously though... Just don't go expecting to try to do business or 
> make
> money (the bane of energetic ambitious Canadian immigrants as well...)
>
> BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
>
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