Hi all,
On this post I want to share my experience working as a Software Engineer (DevOps, Cloud) in New Zealand.
Before starting, a little background about myself.

I've been working on IT for more than 16 years. I did a lot of linux sysadmin, networks, development and automated qa before DevOps/SRE/Cloud.

First Job:

My first job in NZ was in Auckland, a non IT company with an IT team. I worked there for almost a year migrating from NZ Datacenters to the Cloud, AWS mostly. It was a nice environment but with legacy stuff that doesn't run on the cloud. I resigned because another company offered a more challenging role, through the same recruitment agency.

Second job:

The company was around for 5 years. I worked there for almost 2 months until I realised they didn't have the money to pay other employees (~10). They were paying me but not others. In addition, cloud environments were down due to lack of payment and even the recruitment agency couldn't get their fees paid. During this situation, the founder of the company continued hiring people from overseas (he was delusional), and they were moving in with their families. I talked with the team (they reported to me on that time) and I explained the situation. While I was away, the team contacted me saying that they didn't get paid for the last 5 weeks. I talked with the owner and I told him to shut the company down as he cannot afford it. I've also realised during that time that this was the company approach to get things done for years: 1- Hire people, 2- They work for you, 3- Fired them, 4- Dont pay them. 5- Hire new People, 6- Repeat.
Most of the engineers are still owned ~3 months of salary. I talked with different advisors on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. We had several meetings with the director but nothing really happened at the end. We signed a "Letter of Understanding" and that was it. :( The company finally closed on 2017 but the director opened another one recently. Please be aware :(

3 Job:

A couple of months later, I started working on another company where I stayed for almost ~2.5 years. Everything was fine, with things to improve on the management layer like everywhere else. Due to changes on immigration laws, I moved to Wellington where the company had another branch. Here they had 3 guys working from the office, however, due to the lack of projects and management issues, most of them where on bench. People started resigning massively in Auckland.
One of the engineers working on this branch told me that the company hired him from overseas and he moved directly to Wellington. He was the first engineer working on this branch and he worked alone for ~1.5 year. This has negatively impacted with the personal life of the engineer that just moved in to NZ. Besides, the company didn't follow the NZ Policy that focuses on employees that work alone. https://www.employment.govt.nz/starting-employment/rights-and-responsibilities/protecting-employees-who-work-alone/
I managed to get a project implementing Kubernetes for one of the clients, but as soon as I started, the client decided to change the JD and asked me to do something completely different. (Banking software administration) The company didnt help me at all and I was required to stay in the client so they can get the money...
As the visa was attached to the employer, I was unable to resign. I did it as soon as I managed to get the visa conditions removed.
Today: 90% of Wellington branch resigned (including myself) and 70% of the Auckland branch (including most of the managers)

Last job:

I joined one of the Big 4 as a Cloud Specialist on Docker & Kubernetes. As soon I joined, the job changed to build APIs using Mulesoft and update Windows Servers. The company was also hiring Cloud Architects from overseas and asking them to do something else, not related to Cloud. 95% of the employees resigned (including myself) due to this. Other people couldn't resign due to their visa being attached to the employer.

Summary

• Be aware of scammers directors.
• Ensure that the JD reflects the real job
• Be aware of bait-and-job switch companies.
• Be aware of the lack of people skills on managers.

https://www.indeed.com/company/XL.net/jobs/IT-Support-d0b1629ca9ec6eee?fccid=b82d5257d1331eb6&vjs=3
Please mention this post when/if you receive a phone interview
IT Support / Service Desk Engineer
Let us introduce you to XL.net. We are the best and fastest growing Technology Management Partner in the Chicago area, with no plans on slowing down. We have a unique approach to our success. We combine leading technical automation and tools, operational processes and effective training with talented XLnetters and leaders. We provide solutions and deliver results to our companies making them loyal customers. As an XLnetter, you will be providing services for our clients that you are proud to represent
Why XL.net? We are an exciting, team-oriented, growing organization with immense opportunities for growth. XL.net is always working hard to hire the most talented, team-oriented people and we work even harder to retain them. We provide a competitive salary and bonus structure, amazing benefits, and an awesome team atmosphere. Our business is growing rapidly and we are looking to add super-talented candidates who will thrive and contribute to our evolution while aligning with the values we instill: integrity, world class customer service, and the drive to achieve goals together!
What would make us even more successful? You XL.net is looking for an experienced IT Service Desk Engineer to join our team. This is a full-time position, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. This role will require occasional travel within the Chicagoland area, as needed to client sites for onsite troubleshooting of issues and setup of new hardware.
We are already unparalleled in the solutions that we offer to our customers, but we know the other half of our success is acquiring the best employees to deliver those solutions. We are looking for those with the abilities to multi-task, problem-solve, proactively answer the “How-to” questions and work collaboratively with the XL.net team. Outstanding listening and communication skills are a must, for it is imperative that our clients get the best service we have to offer. Navigating challenging situations in a professional manner, while articulating confident solutions to our customers’ concerns and needs will make you successful in this role.
Individual Responsibilities
-Delighting customers with quality service IT support -Committed to providing excellent customer service -Manage expectations of customers -Respond to email, phone and chat support requests from customers, along with onsite visits and customer interactions -Use your impressive communication and problem-solving skills to continually surpass our own status as the best IT service organization in the Chicagoland area -Resolve customer issues as quickly as possible to minimize downtime -Assist in the on-going development of the support knowledgebase
Qualifications
-Associates or Bachelor’s degree completed in a computer technology related program or comparable experience -3 – 5 years’ experience providing support to end users and IT infrastructure -Understanding of IT best practices -Ability to work in a team environment -A desire to continually learn new technologies and improve their skill set -Assertiveness in pursuing resolutions to issues -Must have strong problem solving and organization skills -Strong verbal, written, telephone and customer service skills -High attention to detail -Must be able to manage multiple work items at one time with a high sense of urgency -Experience and familiarity with the following: Microsoft Office Suites, Microsoft Window desktop and server systems as well as Active Directory -Experience with Apple and Linux is a plus -Solid understanding of networking (TCP/IP, DNS, routing, subnetting, etc.) and remote access technologies (VPN, terminal services, etc.) -Vendor management (email, hosting, DNS) -Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation -Authorization to work in the United States -Desired Technical Knowledge
Our Vision Striving to build a culture that is continuously improving our clients’ productivity Our Core Focus Enabling and accelerating innovation in SMBs to solve and change the world Our Culture Customer satisfaction, teamwork, and personal growth
Our Benefits
Starting salary $55,000 + Excellent benefits including health, vision, and dental 401K Plan with generous company matching Life Insurance Disability Coverage Bonus Opportunities Vacation Plan Certification Reimbursement To learn more about why this is a perfect next step in your career watch our core values video and see what makes us exceptional.
https://youtu.be/NzJcaeI6Hbg
Job Type: Full-time
Experience:
Customer Service: 5 years (Preferred) Windows: 5 years (Preferred) TCP/IP: 5 years (Preferred) Microsoft Office: 5 years (Preferred) Education:
Associate (Preferred) Benefits offered:
Paid time off Health insurance Dental insurance Healthcare spending or reimbursement accounts such as HSAs or FSAs Retirement benefits or accounts

Hi guys, Living in Melbourne, I am thinking of moving to NZ in order to live in a smaller city and spend more time with my family. I read that NZ has lower wages than Aussie and it makes sense as the cities are smaller. However, the cost of living is higher than Melbourne. What would be an average salary for a DevOps System engineer or an automation engineer? Is New Zealand a better place for growing a family than Australia? Thanks