The moment we walked out of the airport in Dunedin we saw a beautiful green mountain in front of us. It felt like we could breathe again. “Is this real, are we back in New Zealand after this roller-coaster of 2,5 years”. Surreal but happy to finally be able to start building the new life we have been working towards for so long!
The hospital is taking good care of us and providing everything we need to make a good start. Airfare tickets were provided as well as a rental car and an Airbnb for the first 4 weeks. The recruitment team booked the Airbnb location we found online within a 2 minute walking distance from the boulevard and beach at Saint Clair. All the ingredients are here to rest and recharge. Nice cafes and restaurants, beautiful sunsets, people surfing and seals resting. But 4 weeks go fast when looking for a place to rent. And that’s not just something, because depending on where you live in New Zealand will also decide where your child will go to school. So doing it right the first time and not having Eva to move multiple times is stressful in a city we don’t know that well. Currently we find ourselves in our second week and I will have my first shift on the ED (Emergency Department) this coming Sunday the 8th of October. Mireille will start the 16th.
Last week I went to the hospital to say hello to my colleagues and fit my new uniform (sorry, but not fashionable/ sexy at all like most of the hospitals :-). I feel very welcome and look forward to getting started!
Bank account and IRD number (Inland Revenue Department)
In the first few weeks after arrival you have to organize a few things to get started. We opened a bank account while being in The Netherlands which is not very complicated. It's possible to put money on this account but you’re not able to use it or make payments with it. Once arrived in NZ we had to go to a physical location of the bank to activate our accounts after which we received temporary eftpos cards. What you need to activate this bank account is: a valid passport and a letter from an accommodation provider confirming temporary residence (as we haven't found a house to rent yet). We asked the hospital to write a letter because they provided the Airbnb for us. Click here for more information from the Bank of New Zealand to read more about how to activate a NZ bank account. The next step was to apply for an IRD number . This is a personal tax number which will stick to you the rest of your life. We expect to receive this number within 10 days after application. You need this number to receive wages that are properly taxed.
In addition to everything that needs to be arranged is there plenty of time to discover the city, nature, wildlife and food. Everywhere you go good barista coffee is being served. We love it here! As spring is on its way Eva and I went swimming at Saint Clair as a salt water swimming pool at the end of the boulevard.
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