Arriving in London just as the global pandemic hit might seem like a nightmare to some, but to fire engineer Sacha Holt, it was just all part of the challenge! With a job already lined up at the UK’s leading independent fire engineering consultancy, OFR, Sacha was well prepared for her move to the UK.

Growing up in the rural town of Masterton, Sacha was ambitious to travel; she wanted a career in which she would gain skills that were needed all over the world. She decided to study Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Canterbury and while at university, immersed herself in extracurricular activities. This included taking on the role of President of the University of Canterbury Women in Engineering club.

Upon her move to London, Kiwi marketer Amelia Murray was determined to immerse herself in the new city and all it had to offer - from career development to weeknight pints in the pub.

Despite having moved with a couple of friends and having a Kiwi contingent in London, she launched herself into the hunt for a job and worked on securing herself a spot in a flat with a group of new British friends.

Two and a half years later, Amelia, a 28-year-old seasoned Londoner, speaks of having embraced the challenges that came with these experiences and thriving in the change. She’s now somewhat come back to her roots, working for New Zealand-based company Xero In their customer and partner marketing team, and living in north London with Kiwi friends.

With New Zealanders now freely able to move home we’ve seen an increasing interest in those planning to make the move back from the UK either this year or longer term.

Along with our NZ community last month we hosted a webinar on returning home, which included everything from finding jobs, to pension transfers, opening bank accounts, transferring money and buying a home. It’s something we’ll definitely be running again in the near future

In the meantime we’ll be sharing bite size pieces from those who can help you, including Home Recruitment, who specialise in helping Kiwis coming home to find roles, mostly focused on corporate support – so anything spanning HR, Recruitment, Marketing / Brand / Comms, Account Management and Sales, Projects or Office Support. And they also partner with a tech agency – where there is currently a good demand for experienced hires.

We spoke to Minta Holton, Manager at Home Recruitment, who shared her top tips when it comes to thinking about making the move home.