Hello again...have you ever wondered about numbers? They are becoming an increasingly important part of my Kiwi Adventure it seems!
Lets start with the basic number, my EOI (Expression Of Interest) score (last one was 105), now this has to be over 100 and has to include points for skills shortage - done, and done - however, being less than 120 means that it did not get picked and has now expired - mmm - but the good news is I can resubmit another one with a Wellington job offer - again numbers here mean the salary must be 45k or more NZ$ - and this would give me approx 135-140 points.
OK, that number could and should be alright...lets move on to another number to do with immigration which has come up recently - BMI or Body Mass Index - normally an insignificant number in the short term and in many cases complete rubbish depending upon the build of the person. Well I have just read in the press (via the links on the left of this blog - see it is even helping me now :), that a man had to slim his 42 BMI down to something less than that to be accepted by the NZ Immigration teams! Well people, my BMI is nowhere near 42, but it is over a normal/obese barrier thing by 1 or 2 points - will this mean my 135 EOI being turned down because I am too fat?!? Another potential unknown there then, but nothing was mentioned during my medical, apart from a couple of blood sugar tests being required - however I was not impressed as he did not even ask me to remove my jeans or the copious amount of gadgets I carried in my pockets! I could have had a BMI made up of me and my Sony P800 phone (aka brick)....the injustice is starting to hurt and I have not even got to that bit yet!
What could stop me getting to that bit? Well, a couple more numbers which came up yesterday as results from the psychometric test things I did! Basically it seems I could not manage a drinking night in the place where the stuff is made! I have never felt so 'dirty' as I was scored average or below in all the categories. Of course they said they would not take one thing in isolation, and the other jobs don't give two figs about psychometric testing (as confirmed by both of their HR contacts I have), but it is still another example of a number which can affect your future!
Again, like the BMI, I may cry foul as the 'tests' actually crashed on me and their slowness became so tedious that I was essentially almost picking randomly - I may as well have done it seems anyway - but I will wait until Monday to see how they mitigate any potential offer. At the end of the day they are screaming for new IT talent here, and every ministry has vacancies to fill, so I am not too worried but more perplexed I guess.
On the apartment front, I am signing a 4 month lease off tomorrow for a really nice place which overlooks Oriental Bay and Welly Harbour. It does have a bit of a steep climb from the beach but then again I could do with the exercise it seems!
On the friends front, we had another little get together last night in an Irish Pub on Cuba Street. Sorry, I took my camera but the battery was not charged :( Anyway this was a lovely, if tad drunken affair, but - with the expection of a lost ring - the ending was nice. As I have said before, the friendly nature of Kiwi's and visitors alike means that all my nights out have been entertaining and without worry or fear you sometimes get in the UK. I guess numbers also come into play with the friends thing, but this time in a much more positive way as I am starting to run out of digits to remember them on! (not bad for someone who came about 3 weeks ago and knew no-one!)
Well, toady was the best yet from a weather perspective and it seems that Saturdays in Wellington with the sun shinning are just like lazy Sundays in the UK (but with the bonus of all the shops being open and a beach to play about on). I was a tad exhausted with some unexpected hill walking to enjoy the beach, but the enticing cafe scene, and a late breakfast watching the, rather more impressive world go by, did me just fine :)