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All about New Zealand

The education system in New Zealand was highly influenced by the Colonial administrators, and it was not until the World War II was over, the free public secondary education became wide open to the residents of New Zealand. The earliest schools were established by the Missionaries to educate and Christianize the natives in New Zealand. The first secondary school in the country was set up in 1843 by the Anglican Church. The local people (termed as Maoris) started to realize the worth of education very soon, and that accelerated the movement for education in New Zealand.
 

Admission requirements at Kiwi institutes:

The Universities in NZ requires these following things from the international students for their admission.

  • Academic transcripts
  • Evidence of qualification
  • Minimum 6.5 scores in IELTS or 79-80 in TOEFL (iBT)
  • Work history
  • Letter of recommendation
  • A statement of purpose.

There can be specific requirements for each of the institution, so it’s better to contact the administration of the respective institute to get the detailed information about the admission requirements and eligibility criteria.

Scholarship available for international students in NZ:

The tuition fee and the admission criteria can be the reason to worry about a lot of students, but there are few scholarships that can help a student ease the burden. If a student is thinking about pursuing his masters or PhD in New Zealand, he can apply for Commonwealth Scholarship program. This program covers some of the popular courses like Environmental Studies, Agriculture, Fisheries, Biosecurity and Food Safety. It gives an allowance of NZ$ 1,500 and also covers visa processing fee, travel expenses, tuition fees, living expense, institutional course cost, and medical and travel insurance charges.

There are few other scholarships as well that are offered by the Universities, and most of them are based on merits and need. In fact, up to 35 scholarships have been jointly announced by the New Zealand Universities and Education New Zealand (ENZ) that will serve the students coming from India exclusively. Each of these 35 scholarships will be of NZD $5,000 (Rs 2.41 lakh approx) for the first year’s tuition fee.

 Student loan facilities:

The Indian banks can offer a student loan if a student decides to go to New Zealand for higher studies. However, the person needs to meet certain eligibility criteria here as well. This list of requirements includes documents that prove one’s nationality, academic record, work experience, acceptance to the international institution and age. Some courses may not be covered by these loans, for this reason, it is wiser to visit the bank and talk the branch manager about the terms and conditions of these bank loans.

 Accommodation for international students in NZ:

After settling everything in the native land, one needs to decide on the accommodation while he/she will be studying overseas.  At New Zealand, students get the facility to live on-campus in halls of residence. Some students may choose a homestay or in a rented property, depending on their need and affordability.

 Halls of residence: This sort of accommodation offers a single room or twin share with shared laundry, bathroom and dining hall. This can cost around NZ$ 200 – NZ$ 300 per week.

Homestay: At a homestay, the student gets to live with a local family, where they provide him/her with food and other needs. It allows the students to experience the local life up close. This accommodation usually costs NZ$ 180 per week.

Rented property: This option allows a student to live independently at a house or an apartment. A student can also choose to share the apartment with his friends to split the expense. This costs roughly around NZ$70 – NZ$ 150 per week. However, other expenses like food, electricity, phone and water come separately with this accommodation.

Visa for international students in NZ:

To get a student visa for New Zealand, one needs to provide certain relevant documents and appear in an interview for the validation. Following are the documents that a student needs to present while applying for a student visa for New Zealand.

  • A valid passport
  • A completed visa application form
  • Payment receipt of the application
  • Confirmation letter from the University stating the status of the student
  • Health insurance receipt
  • Health and character certificate
  • Transcripts from previously attended institutions
  • Proof of sufficient fund to support one’s education in New Zealand.
  • Scores of English competency tests (TOEFL or IELTS)

It usually takes 8 to 12 weeks to complete the visa procedure, which is why students need to apply for their visas at least three months prior to the commencement of their course in New Zealand.

Part-time jobs for international students in NZ:

The student visa for New Zealand permits a student to work part-time for up to 20 hours a week, that too under one of these conditions.

  • The course one is pursuing is at least two years in duration.
  • The course provides with New Zealand qualification.
  • If the purpose of the study is to develop the English language from a tertiary institution, the student needs to have an IELTS score of 5 or above.

If an international student qualifies any one of these above-mentioned conditions, he/she can work part-time for 20 hours a week in New Zealand. The students are allowed to work full-time during their vacation if they are enrolled in an academic institute in New Zealand.

Job opportunities in NZ:

The job market in New Zealand has been on the rise since the global financial crisis, and the rise has been steady for years. If a student is pursuing his/her higher study in New Zealand, he/she can get a plethora of job opportunities as the job sectors are expanding and they need more people to fill in the place. Currently, the industries like engineering, IT and medical are the stars of the job market in New Zealand. However, the major industries in the country include

  • agriculture
  • construction
  • financial services
  • fishing
  • logs and wood articles
  • manufacturing
  • real estate services
  • tourism

So if a student wants to settle in the island country, they have plenty of options in their hands. The crime rates are considerably low in New Zealand, and the natural beauty of the land can make anyone fall in love with this country. Popular fantasy movies like the Lord of the Rings and Narnia have been shot in the gorgeous landscapes of New Zealand, so the serenity of the country is well-known to most of the people. Being placed in the southern hemisphere the summer starts in December, and the winter begins in June. Both the islands (North and South) of New Zealand offer moderate maritime climate and temperature.

The healthcare system is also amazing in New Zealand, and people's love for sports and outdoor activities are worth encouraging. The best thing about the people in New Zealand is that they are very friendly and they believe in socializing a lot. So if a student is visiting the country for the first time, it will take less than a week to make good friends on the campus or in the locality where he/she may choose to live. Among the immigrants in New Zealand, more than 100,000 are Indians, and one third of them live in Auckland.