Work and learn English in New Zealand for a working holiday year.

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Living in New Zealand

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Living and working in New Zealand - what it will cost, and what you can earn!

If you come to take a 12-week course, you may expect to spend about:

	NZ$
ARC Programme	$4,830
Living expenses for 12 weeks*	$4,200
Flights from/to your country	$1,500 to $2,500
Visa	$120
Total (maximum)	$11,650

*This depends on lifestyle. You could spend much less. But if you have a working holiday permit you must bring NZ$4,200 with you. This is one of the conditions of your Working Holiday Visa.

Accommodation (See Accommodation page)
Homestay fees range from NZ$175 to NZ$210 per week.
Flatmate positions are from about NZ$70 to NZ$120 per week + a share of the household expenses.
Rents for a house are from NZ$250 per week (up to NZ$500 per week, or more).

Other costs
If you are in a homestay, you may spend about $100 per week on lunches during the week, bus fares, entertainment etc. If you are renting or sharing a house or flat, you must expect to spend this plus more money on electricity, meals etc.

For example, if you are living alone, you may spend about:

	NZ$
Electricity:	$12 per week (summer); $25 per week (winter)
Telephone:	$15 per week
Bus fares:	$20 per week
Food:	$100 per week

If you are sharing, you may spend about:

	NZ$
Electricity:	$5 per week (summer); $12 per week (winter)
Telephone:	$8 per week
Bus fares:	$20 per week
Food:	$80 per week

If you come to New Zealand with a working holiday permit, you must bring NZ$4,200 with you. You do not have to spend it, but you must have it available.

Guide to salaries

Salaries in New Zealand are normally calculated on an annual basis. You can just divide these figures to see how much you would earn for shorter periods.

Carpenter	NZ $45,000
Builder	NZ $45,000
Mechanical engineer	NZ $40,000
Nurse	NZ $42,500
Electronics technician	NZ $40,000
Skilled agricultural worker	NZ $35,000
Hotel worker	NZ $25,000

Please note that salaries vary a lot from job to job and in different parts of New Zealand. Some parts of the country are more expensive to live in, and in these places salaries are usually higher than in the cheaper places. The above rates have been provided by an employment consultant and are not a guarantee of the wages you will receive in any particular job. You may earn more or less than this. If you have a working holiday visa, and you spend three months studying then nine months working, for example, as a carpenter, you may expect to earn about NZ$38,000 in total.

You will have paid around $11,000 to come to New Zealand, take your course and live for three months. You will need around $8,000 to live on during the nine months you are working. You can see that the money you will earn should cover all your costs in New Zealand.

You may not become very rich, but you can afford to live quite well. And then, when you return home, you will take back a lot of useful experience, your English will be really competent – and you will also have had a great time in New Zealand!

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