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[bashir001]

Do NOT consider NZ! If you have a choice, AUS universities are at least 5 times better than any NZ university. Think: no standards, no English skills (they are considering allowing text messaging language in exams, for crying out loud!), no motivation, no competition, and general laziness. Salaries are miserable. You will get almost no superanuation, compared to AUS, and will not be able to save anything from your meagre salary for retirement. Ambition is frowned upon, if that is what you mean by the 'kiwi way of life'. If you want a poor and lazy lifestyle, NZ is the way to go, but if you want an actual career, go to AUS. Once you are in NZ, you are stuck - your salary will not buy you many flights out of here, and all flights, even within the country, are expensive! Housing is outrageous and generally unliveable. The health care system, and private health insurance are useless - go to Australia!

For what it's worth, from someone who spent five years in NZ and recently moved to Aus, I find the above largely accurate.

At least, you didn't get stuck there in NZ.
Regarding the superannuation, if I understand this correctly, you get 50% of your last salary, given that you have been working for 15 or 20 years in the NZ University system. Beside that you can of course invest in mutual funds, in your home and so on. That seems OK for me.
If once you are settled in NZ, this system should work. It is difficult, however, if you move back to US or even Europe, because your savings do not have the same equivalent value in these regions.

[mingus]

What number you put on it is immaterial.

Exactly.  This is what I mean by the irrelevance of raw marks.

[inthediaspora]

Do NOT consider NZ! If you have a choice, AUS universities are at least 5 times better than any NZ university. Think: no standards, no English skills (they are considering allowing text messaging language in exams, for crying out loud!), no motivation, no competition, and general laziness. Salaries are miserable. You will get almost no superanuation, compared to AUS, and will not be able to save anything from your meagre salary for retirement. Ambition is frowned upon, if that is what you mean by the 'kiwi way of life'. If you want a poor and lazy lifestyle, NZ is the way to go, but if you want an actual career, go to AUS. Once you are in NZ, you are stuck - your salary will not buy you many flights out of here, and all flights, even within the country, are expensive! Housing is outrageous and generally unliveable. The health care system, and private health insurance are useless - go to Australia!

For what it's worth, from someone who spent five years in NZ and recently moved to Aus, I find the above largely accurate.

At least, you didn't get stuck there in NZ.
Regarding the superannuation, if I understand this correctly, you get 50% of your last salary, given that you have been working for 15 or 20 years in the NZ University system. Beside that you can of course invest in mutual funds, in your home and so on. That seems OK for me.
If once you are settled in NZ, this system should work. It is difficult, however, if you move back to US or even Europe, because your savings do not have the same equivalent value in these regions.

I worked in New Zealand for 8 years in the late 90s and early noughties and now work in the UK.  The teaching load in NZ is considerably lower than in OZ (or the UK) which was wonderful because I got a lot of research done. Students were great, hardworking but provincial in their attitudes.   It depends on where you get a job in NZ.  You being single should seriously consider applying only in wellington or Auckland, otherwise 8 years later you will still be single (as I was!).  Furthermore, from your name, OP, can I presume you are from either the middle east or south asia?  I ask this because NZ is bicultural in policy so most Pakeha (white) Kiwis will be anti racist towards Maori but not other non-white foreigners.  I know because I was one such in NZ.  Also A lot of Maori don't like Asians because all of us are arguing over the same few morsels. Having said all this I still miss NZ and my friends there several years later, but I could never live there again as you do get a sense of being far away from everywhere else.  And yes you can, if you want, get out of NZ...

[bashir001]

Hi everyone,

I'm just posting an update. Meanwhile I had been invited for a video interview. Since it did not work as intended, we had a phone conference instead. After that was OK, the SC at a small NZ university even invited me to visit NZ and their nice campus.
Unfortunately, I got the impression that I would have to teach in a subfield somewhat out of my main expertise. Also the startup package would probably not allow me to hire some assistants immediately.

Therefore, I decided not to give up my current position (3 years + 2 years renewal) in Europe. I'm at a stage, where several research projects arise, and it would be a pity not to follow this way. I felt I had to withdraw my application before starting an expensive travel with campus interview. However, I also regret that now I will not visit NZ and will not meet some great potential colleagues.