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New Zealand Engineering 1998 November New Zealand Engineering Letters to the editor can be sent to:Letters,
Letters should be wise, witty and brief. The editor reserves the right to seek replies, edit and not publish letters. Immigrant Engineers I wholeheartedly agree with Ian Deverick of Auckland (Immigrant Engineers. New Zealand Engineering, September 1998). I am an immigrant engineer myself and would like to share some of my experiences. Upon arrival in New Zealand in July 1995, I almost immediately started to look for a suitable engineering position. When applying for a permanent resident visa at the NZ Embassy in Moscow, I was literally told that with my qualifications I would find a job within 4-6 months. Of course, I was not so naive to believe that and was prepared for any difficulties. In reality it took me two (!) years before I finally got a job, and it was not the happiest time of my life. During that period I accumulated a pack of rejection letters about one inch thick, attended a number of job interviews (which gave me a lot to think about), but only one interviewer had the courage to openly admit that he couldn't employ me just because my spoken English wasn't fluent enough. Others offered different reasons for rejection which varied from saying that " the position has already been filled", to lack of NZ work experience or necessary qualifications. As for latter, I hold a BE (Mech) degree along with 14 years of extensive industrial experience, and my present employer considered my English to be good enough to employ me as a sales engineer. Therefore, from my point of view, the major problem with immigrant engineers in NZ is not their more or less confident command of English, or their high (sometimes very high) qualifications. The main reason for their difficulties in finding a job is an excessively cautious approach taken by many NZ employers due to a lack of information. Since 1992 NZ (following the example of other developed countries) has let in a considerable number of highly skilled people from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, etc. But unlike the other countries, knows neither what to do with them now, nor how to integrate them into society. This kind of situation reminds me of a man who, copying others, grabbed a handful of rough diamonds (reckoning that it might be something of great value for him) but who possessed neither the necessary skills nor tools to make any use of it. And I am simply unable to comprehend the purpose of having let so many immigrant experts (engineers, doctors, and teachers) into the country. Maybe, just to have some fun by watching how newcomers are struggling and suffering from frustration and broken hopes? Sergey Zhadan, TM, IPENZ, Palmerston North |
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