Am I Missing Something? (Salary/Cost of living)

[suslik]

Originally Posted by carosapien

I have to agree with you about the student lifestyle thing, that's fun when you're starting out in life but only because you know it's not likely to be for much longer. I wouldn't like to have to raise a family under such meager circumstances.

As the original poster - the one with a "student lifestyle" - I totally agree. Except, my point was to show that two people with part-time jobs can earn 70k and live off 50k (with quite a bit going into savings accounts).

So in order to go up a step in "lifestyle" we can either turn our savings into money spent on bills, or work full-time to bring in more income - either way, if it is doable on 50k a year, then both 70k and 100k are doable also.

[topcat83]

Originally Posted by Krazyspence

I am currently looking for an IT Job in NZ while applying for a Visa (as advised by the immigration office in London) and am now getting emails/phone calls from NZ asking a few questions including what wage I was expecting and I dont know what I should accept as a good wage to pay bills and have a life! I have been saying about $60K as a minimum but should this be revised at all or would you say this is a good wage to get started in NZ?

Its just myself coming over so no-one else to buy for etc..

I don't know your level of experience, but you should be able to find some salary comparisons here:
Jobs on SEEK - New Zealand's no.1 Employment, Career and Recruitment site
IT Salaries | A Free IT Salary Comparison Website for New Zealand IT&T Professionals (this is from a company i regularly use for contract IT work)

[Weta]

Originally Posted by Krazyspence

I am currently looking for an IT Job in NZ while applying for a Visa (as advised by the immigration office in London) and am now getting emails/phone calls from NZ asking a few questions including what wage I was expecting and I dont know what I should accept as a good wage to pay bills and have a life! I have been saying about $60K as a minimum but should this be revised at all or would you say this is a good wage to get started in NZ?

Its just myself coming over so no-one else to buy for etc..

$60k is low for a qualified IT position, however, much will depend on the location, your qualifications and experience. NZ immigration themselves have set the bar at $55k as a minimum salary requirement for a skilled position - which is a good indication of the minimum they expect a person would require to maintain a basic standard of living.

[Krazyspence]

Interesting! I have my degree and have worked in IT support for 9 years now both militarily and in the civillian world.. so sounds like I should try for a little more if I can! but sounds like $60K would be at least livable to get me over there?

Thanks Top Cat I appreciate all the links to information!! so do you do IT Contracting yourself? if so is it the same sort of situation as contracting in the UK?

[suslik]

Originally Posted by Krazyspence

but sounds like $60K would be at least livable to get me over there?

Another way to look at it is that last year median weekly income was $800 a week. That times 52 would make approx 42K a year. I'm not sure what this year's figures are, nor whether holiday pay should be added to that figure - make it 45K then - but either way, 60K is way above median.

New Zealand Income Survey - Statistics New Zealand

[carosapien]

Originally Posted by Weta

$60k is low for a qualified IT position, however, much will depend on the location, your qualifications and experience. NZ immigration themselves have set the bar at $55k as a minimum salary requirement for a skilled position - which is a good indication of the minimum they expect a person would require to maintain a basic standard of living.

I agree that $60k is low.

Isn't the $55k a minimum because that's the what one can earn without being eligible to claim benefits, nothing to do with earning a living wage?

[Weta]

Originally Posted by carosapien

I agree that $60k is low.

Isn't the $55k a minimum because that's the what one can earn without being eligible to claim benefits, nothing to do with earning a living wage?

I don't know what, if any, benefits are available for low income workers. I had assumed the bar was set at $55k being the difference between an essential or skilled job. Anything below that and you would be in the realms of everyday clerical and administration roles, although some skilled trades do still struggle to meet this threshold.

[Song_Si]

^
Often criticised as being a welfare state, there is a confusing (to me) amount of support available to families, and not all limited to people on lower incomes.


Working For Families
Working for Families is a package designed to help make it easier to work and raise a family. It pays extra money to many thousands of New Zealand families. Greater financial support is available for:

• almost all families with children, earning under $70,000 a year
• many families with children, earning up to $100,000 a year
• some larger families earning more.
• This increased assistance is delivered by Work and Income and Inland Revenue.

Working for Families Tax Credits are made up of four types of payments:

• family tax credit
• in-work tax credit
• minimum family tax credit
• parental tax credit.

You may qualify for one or more, depending on your personal situation.

More affordable housing
The Accommodation Supplement is available to more working families and many people without children.

Help with childcare costs
Subsidies for pre-school and out-of-school care have increased significantly under Working for Families and are available to more parents earning higher incomes.

Source

Inland Revenue Dept - Calculators and Worksheets

NZ Government - links to info for Child Support, Family Assistance, Working for Families, Supporting Children and FamiliesFamily Benefits and for Individuals

[Weta]

Originally Posted by Song_Si

^
Often criticised as being a welfare state, there is a confusing (to me) amount of support available to families, and not all limited to people on lower incomes.

Working for families is is not a welfare benefit, as such. It's no different to what we are used to from the UK, simply an allowance that recognises those with dependent family by way of a tax allowance. Fairly reasonable and equitable that a person earning $70k all to themselves pays the full tax, but if same $70k needs to support a family with five kids then something has to give.

[Krazyspence]

Well I am hoping to get $70K for a job to move over there, I cant really afford to be that picky about wages until iv been there a couple of years! Just got to get over there and established first!

but from the sounds of it, as its just myself coming over $60K + is what I should be aiming for as a minimum? or would you guys say id be perfectly ok asking for $70K?