# Possible student/resident



## wingedrt (Apr 1, 2013)

Hello everybody, I am currently a high school student in the USA and am looking into studying abroad, New Zealand in particular. This is due to the fact the more I research the country the more I like it and if all goes well with Uni there I would hope to stay there for good. Now I hppe I can get some advice/opinions.

1) Regarding uni. I am looking at Victoria University in Wellington, and although I have read up on it am looking for some possible opinions on the school or any tips. After Uni I would most probably want to go into law enforcement with an NZ police job. Although NZ police reqs. dont require Uni is there any particular major/studies that would boost my chances / pay / opprrtunities? 

2) Visas. The NZ immigration website is a bit confusing in my opinion. I have read and seen that in order to work part time through school (as I intend to pay for living costs) I can work 20 hrs/week or I have to upgrade to a work visa to work more. In terms of living expenses only (tuition excluded) is it possible for a student to be able to pay for expenses such as 150/wk rent, cell phone, and general necesities or would I be hard pushed w/o a work visa and longer hours? After school, lets say I do decide to stay, how difficult would it be to convert student to perm. Res.? This brings me to my next point.

3) Employment. As I stated my preffered field of work would be police. I have looked at the requirenents and am pretty confident I can exceed them. Only concerns are, would me being an American immigrant severly lower my chances? How is life off of an officers salary (~70k NZD I saw after probation)? Are officers in NZ respected or looked down upon in society as often the case in the states. How are oppertunities within the force? Is it a competitive job market? What is the demand like for police officers.

Thanks in advance, this is all I am curious about as of now.


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

wingedrt said:


> Hello everybody, I am currently a high school student in the USA and am looking into studying abroad, New Zealand in particular. This is due to the fact the more I research the country the more I like it and if all goes well with Uni there I would hope to stay there for good. Now I hppe I can get some advice/opinions.
> 
> 1) Regarding uni. I am looking at Victoria University in Wellington, and although I have read up on it am looking for some possible opinions on the school or any tips. After Uni I would most probably want to go into law enforcement with an NZ police job. Although NZ police reqs. dont require Uni is there any particular major/studies that would boost my chances / pay / opprrtunities?
> 
> ...


Hi, Welcome to the forum.

(1) Sorry can't help you with this.

(2) If you are granted a study visa, you must apply to have the visa and it's conditions altered if you wish to work.
Assuming you meet the additional criteria, and the conditions of your visa are changed, the maximum work allowed is 20hrs / week.
You cannot increase this.
You cannot apply for another visa - eg a work visa you cannot study full time and work more than 20hrs / week. You cannot be in two places at once plus you must study at home to satisfy part of the study course.
You cannot say you wish to work more to pay your living costs as one of your requirements when applying for your visa is to prove to INZ that you have access to enough funds (NZ$15000 per year of study) to cover your living costs whilst in NZ studying.
You will also need other costs - i.e. tuition fees, money for travelling during holidays etc etc although you don't have to prove these funds to INZ.
All the above answers your other question - if you can afford to live whilst studying........Yes you should be able to. Many students do.

Also another requirement is that you must prove a means of onward travel after your course is completed to prove to INZ that you intend to leave the country, however, if you decide you wish to stay, you could make another application whilst on a study visa which, if granted would allow you to live and work temporarily or permanently in NZ.
All depends how you score on the skilled migrant points and if you have a job offer etc etc.
Not difficult if you meet the criteria.

(3) Shouldn't think you would have any issues with being welcomed into the NZ Police force. There are many of my compatriot's from UK established in the force here so can't be that much of an issue and in my opinion police officers are more respected here than in the UK. Sorry can't help you with the job market regarding police officer vacancies etc.
$70k not a bad salary for a young singleton, but all depends where you live, cost of rent/mortgage and what you spend your money on.

Good luck!


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## Liam(at)Large (Sep 2, 2012)

One thing to be aware of, "[t]o be eligible for employment with NZ Police you must obtain NZ Citizenship or New Zealand Residency first."

(My nephew is currently going through to be a police officer, like his uncle. He spoke with them after school and was advised that rather than Uni, they preferred to see a few years real world work experience. He worked in restaurants and construction and was successful in his application.)


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## wingedrt (Apr 1, 2013)

Thanks for the helpful info!


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