New-zealand

some jobs grant you a visa if your gf gets one, IT may very well be included since it is a highly qualified one, why new zealand though?

Ye my gf should be able to get a visa and I could get one with the family thing (we're not married , but they allow civil union)

Why new zealand ?
Few days ago a friend who play poker for a living as well told me he was considering Australia
I replied something like "no fucking way , spiders !!! spiders everywhere "
New zealand looks like a cool destination :
-beautiful place
- They speack english (important for my gf)
-exotic one for an European
-nice people
-relatively cheap
-Tax free about gambling (not 100% sure)
-spiders-free !!§§§

I work in IT in Auckland (city in North Island) and I think the pay is quite shit compared to what I could get in Australia. Since pay is quite low the costs of things isn't that low actually. Also in Auckland at least, house and rent prices are pretty high and property prices look to continue increasing. I think the median house price is now about 8 times the median annual income so that's pretty crazy. Things could be cheaper in smaller cities but then again it might be harder to find a good job.

I think the main draw of New Zealand would be the outdoor lifestyle where you can go on tramps and to beaches and ski etc.. If you are not a fan of that then it's pretty damn boring.

If you gamble for a living then I think you'd probably have to end up paying taxes on it. I have a friend who paid taxes when he played online poker a lot a few years ago and had made low 6 figures. I think he was advised by his accountant to do so.

We do have white tailed spiders which aren't very nice but at least we don't have snakes :D

R_I pretty much summed it up. Although personally i've never known anyone in NZ to pay taxes on poker. I don't know many poker players here though.

I went with a lawyer friend to tax lectures at uni and ended up putting up my hand in class and asking the lecturer if professional gamblers have to pay tax, and he said definately yes, if it is a main scource of income. There have been many cases of professional horse-racing gamblers having to pay tax in New Zealand. But on the other hand, poker doesn't seem to noticed.

I know serveral french friends who have come here with working holiday visa, that's one year long, and fairly easy to get ( I think). (emphasis is supposed to be on the holiday part)

pros are safe and reasonable country, Fresh air, awesome natural landscape and space without people.
cons are expensive to live, jobs are faily low paying. It is a little cold in winter, but I enjoy that. But I think finding a job is not too hard if you have relevant experience, but this does restrict you to the major cities, Auckland is by far the easiest to find an IT job in, then Christchurch and Wellington, might find one elsewhere too.

Dunedin is by far my most recommened city, but it will be impossible to find a job in (too many hungry and well educated students there)
recent picture

Thx for the infos guys.
the combo expensive rent + low pay could be a problem.

There is a reason a lot of New Zealanders skip over to live in Australia...

On June 04 2013 20:44 waga wrote: (I'm french if it matters)

Nevermind, yeah NZ is the best country in the world to live.