What do you do

Thanks Peanut - there is hope!

Wow Dal maybe I know the wrong people! This has been an eye-opener, I honestly don't know what my friends and colleagues are doing wrong to not be earning much though, they're all hard-workers Maybe just in the wrong fields I guess.

The military does pay well (and DH is only on 49k plus the super 'allowance' which is a crock anyway) but if you got a job in civi street you'd have to get an extra 10k approx a year to cover medical, dental, deployment pay and field pay. Sal - you don't get the mortgage payment anymore, anyone who doesn't live in the housing areas now gets it (so even if you rent). Kind of stupid I thought but they needed to entice people away from housing areas as they're chocca (well they are down here anyway).

sally belly wrote: Maybe your DH should look at leaving if the pay is more in the "real world"? Got to take into account their super as well I guess.

Ha ha DH isn't in the airforce for the money, I don't think anyone in the military is.
Everyone gets the allowance now except those in military housing. Super has been crap this past year as they keep losing money on it and its compulsory - that has annoyed DH as he would have got a better return sticking it in the bank.

They've changed a lot of the allowances and the benefits, and got rid of a lot of incentives that the airforce used to have, its annoying as now DH is eligible for promotion if we get posted to Akl we lose the housing allowance and effectively end up with less money in a more expensive place.  Not worth if for another stripe.

BooBoo wrote: emz wrote: Wow Dal maybe I know the wrong people! This has been an eye-opener, I honestly don't know what my friends and colleagues are doing wrong to not be earning much though, they're all hard-workers Maybe just in the wrong fields I guess. Unless they are just telling you an amount less than what they actually earn? I know a lot of places wont let you talk to colleagues about what you earn etc. I know it PI$$ED me off when I heard about the CS worker getting that amount because when I was there I was only on just over $30 and we did exactly the same! Although I was there quite a few years back and she told us this last year - but still wouldnt think that hers would have gone up $20k in 8 or so years! ETA - The quote doh! Lol

Dal - that is exactly why they dont let you discuss money matters

Actually I left my last job for the same reason, we took over a company so the person who did my role at their company came in and we did the same thing, but she got 20k more, I asked them to match it but they wouldnt (thank goodness, because I wouldnt have ended up here).

Sal - SD did look good in his blues .. but he looked very rambo in greens

DH looks pretty good in his DPMs too, quite rugged which is far from the type of person he is.

Raspberry Jam there are a number of ways of working towards a qual in environment at Massey, either through the sciences or humanities, it can be quite tough getting polytech papers cross credited to uni, you also need to ensure you geta B pass or better or you'll have to redo them.

Super in the military isn't long term though, as term of service is at the most 20 years some are only getting 10 now. I guess its trusting someone else to invest your own money and they're not doing very well with it.  

sally belly wrote: All I know is that my current job is extremely poorly paid. I don't even get the minimum wage & hardly any breaks

Haha aint that the truth!

Hi freckle. Well anywhere in the south island would be fine with me! haha. Most of the jobs are in Auckland. And when I say most, there are only a handful available, and even less that are wanting new grads. Many of this years grads from Chch are taking time off, doing further study in different fields or travelling.

solitairediamond wrote: Hi freckle. Well anywhere in the south island would be fine with me! haha. Most of the jobs are in Auckland. And when I say most, there are only a handful available, and even less that are wanting new grads. Many of this years grads from Chch are taking time off, doing further study in different fields or travelling.

oh no! times have really changed then... use to be heaps of jobs! there is .8 at advertised at CCS in chch...

Thanks for that Freckle- had just seen that last night!