These are the French who succeeded in New Zealand

Nouria Chiriji: “I feel good at my work, respectable”

“I arrived on a tourist visa, and my partner on a working holiday visa. After a few months of traveling and deciding on a direction, we looked for work. I was lucky to immediately find a job that matched my skills thanks to a lucky person. A set of circumstances, but to get it, I had to convince My future employer who was hesitant because I didn't have a work visa.

With BTS's executive assistant, Noria found a job at an interior design company as an office manager. It's a bit more complicated for his friend Bastian, an engineer by training specializing in communications. He has been hired here as a French consultant at Microsoft but the couple is confident that he will end up finding a job that meets his expectations. “We thought Bastian would find him right away, and I would later,” Noria continues, “but it was the other way around in New Zealand, thanks to the network, where you had to go out and meet people and rely on word of mouth, not by posting ads on the Internet.” world wide web…”

Here, they found a welcoming country and a way of life to suit them, less stressful and more enjoyable with the sea nearby, in Auckland, in the Ponsonby area. “Our lives have changed a lot, and we no longer want to go back to France. I feel good in my work, and I respect it. In New Zealand, the hierarchy is less burdensome, and I am asked for my opinion, which is as important as it is.” “Kiwi culture breaks down barriers, we are all close.” So much so, in fact, that I sometimes have a little problem with the fact that the boundaries between private life and professional life are so thin, even non-existent. The downside: the distance that separates the island from France, from their loved ones… “But fortunately, there is Skype,” Nouria concludes.

Vivien Wren: “Teach, don't do this.”

After a preparatory semester and two master's degrees from the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Vivian taught for several years in Colombia and England. Then the young woman decided to retrain by joining a large consulting and auditing company. She spent three years in the Paris office and then jumped at the opportunity to join the company's New Zealand branch. Today, she feels particularly content in her new life.

“What I like most professionally today is that I have the feeling that I am respected as an employee. My work is recognized, and my skills are often appreciated. And my bosses take the time to listen and help, according to this principle that I find very smart: Teach, don't tell.”

The young woman also really appreciates the place and pace of life, which is less stressful and more balanced than in Paris. “I find New Zealanders particularly helpful and friendly. Immigration rates are very high, especially in Auckland but I don't feel any aggression or rejection in the community. As always, integrating into a new country takes time but I think New Zealand is one of the countries where the transition is easier.” “

Gabriel Esso: “New Zealanders are very welcoming”

“I left as part of my studies at Sciences Po. In my third year of study, when I was 20, I chose New Zealand because it was an English-speaking country and to discover a more remote culture.” Auckland resident, Gabriel studied history and political science while doing odd jobs, particularly as a babysitter.

“Here, young French people rarely come to practice a profession, except perhaps to work in Anglo-Saxon audit and finance groups; but they are particularly interested in practicing the language. They work odd jobs, save, and then travel the country. New Zealanders enjoy a part of the island, and they are aware of their isolation.” And the small size of their country, which makes them very human and interesting.

A rich experience that made Gabriel want to leave again. “I didn't want to lose the linguistic and cultural capital I gained in New Zealand, so I'm leaving for South Africa!” A new adventure, this time as a VIA where he will be on assignment for the French Development Agency.