Video summary
The video highlights several surprising cultural shifts American parents experience when moving their children to New Zealand schools, starting with the fundamental difference in attitude toward weekends. Unlike the intense pressure to finish schoolwork before the weekend arrives in the United States, New Zealand students are not stressed by excessive homework and genuinely look forward to attending school rather than dreading it. This relaxed environment extends to daily routines where children can walk or take public transportation to school independently, fostering a sense of autonomy that contrasts sharply with the stricter supervision common in American suburbs. The educational calendar also offers a more balanced schedule with longer summer breaks and time between quarters, allowing students to engage actively during the day and return home calm and ready for family life rather than exhausted from academic overload.
Beyond the daily rhythm of school life, the video emphasizes significant differences in classroom culture and extracurricular expectations. New Zealand schools prioritize active learning, building projects, and outdoor activities over rigid desk-bound instruction, encouraging students to socialize and use their bodies throughout the day. This approach results in children who are well-behaved yet energetic, having already burned off energy at school before arriving home. Furthermore, the system places less emphasis on resume-building through sports or specific extracurriculars for university admission, reducing stress levels significantly. Students are given freedom to choose their schools and participate in community activities like the "walking school bus," creating a social atmosphere that feels reminiscent of Australia in the 1970s where safety and independence go hand in hand without compromising supervision.
Financial considerations and professional opportunities also present a different reality for expatriate families, particularly regarding teaching roles. While initial costs like uniforms and specific stationery can be expensive, the overall cost of living is often lower than expected when accounting for local wages and housing prices. For teachers, there is a unique grant system that covers registration fees, visa costs, and medical exams, effectively offsetting the transition expenses. Although daily pay rates might seem lower compared to US salaries, the purchasing power remains comparable because all expenses are incurred in New Zealand dollars. Additionally, the work-life balance for educators is notably better, with teachers finishing work by early evening and enjoying weekends without being too exhausted to participate in family activities or hobbies like hiking.
Ultimately, the video concludes that the New Zealand education system functions effectively with a supportive community structure that trusts students to manage themselves responsibly. Parents observe their children thriving socially and academically without the burnout common in high-pressure American systems, noting that even teenagers navigate public transport and social interactions safely. The narrative suggests that families who make the move are not sacrificing educational quality or safety but are instead gaining a functional environment where stress levels drop significantly. By trusting the local system and embracing its laid-back philosophy, parents find themselves able to enjoy life outside of work while their children develop confidence, independence, and a genuine love for learning in a supportive community setting.
Read the full video transcript
I was asked today, "What day is it
today, Dad?" I said, "It's Saturday."
"Do I have school?" I go, "No, pal. It's
it's it's Saturday." He goes,
>> "Oh, I want to go to school."
>> No way.
>> Back in the States, it was just like,
[music] I can't wait to be done with
school. All good. It's the weekend,
right?
>> So, that's a big thing is we're finding
our boys.
It's not this this culture of living for
the weekend.
>> They were so polite, so well behaved. At
the end of each class, they thank you
for teaching them. [music]
They're engaged. They want to learn.
>> My kids are not stressed here. They
don't come home and have to like kill it
with homework.
>> We felt strongly that if we didn't do
the move now, we weren't going to move
our older son just for his senior year
of high school. Now or never, now or 2
years from now, kind of thing. [music]
They finished up in, you know, mid
December in the US and we were like, we
need to get them there in time for the
[music] school year to start in late
January in New Zealand.
>> We moved here because it was more
laid-back. We didn't move here because
[music]
we wanted to keep that breakneck
competitive pace of the US and that
starts in high school. And we did let
them choose their school.
>> Okay, there were a couple of options and
at the end of the day they got to pick.
We're renting. Um, but we picked where
we were going to rent based on where the
boys were going to school. Here, you're
like, you know, we have slots in the
calendar for people to do school pickup.
>> I know. It's so great. It's not even a
question. It's not even does not you
don't [music] look down on because you
have to go pick up your kid.
>> They had this thing in my old suburb
called the walking school bus where like
an adult volunteers and they just stand
at a place and the kids who go to the
school line up and then the adults like,
"Okay, walking school bus." faster than
an adult. They all look like like little
duck wings behind them.
>> But it's been really funny to see on my
when I'm on my way to work in the
morning, the little kids jumping on the
public transportation by [music]
themselves. They can't be any older than
my 8-year-old niece, and it's [music]
safe. My 17-year-old in particular is
enjoying the autonomy. We like got him a
bus pass and he can take [music] the bus
to school or walk or do whatever. and we
we're giving them a lot more freedom
than we did in the US. Lots of people
say to me, New Zealanders say it's like
Australia in the ' 70s. And I'm [music]
like, yeah, in like the best ways. Like
kids can still walk themselves to school
here. You know, if kids are mucking up,
any adult can go and just say, hey, cut
it out. You know, whereas it just was
barely like that when I grew up in
[music] Australia. It's very social and
it's very like what do you guys feel
like doing today? It isn't, you know, we
need to sit down. You have to be quiet.
You have to sit at your desk. It's not
like that. It's like, it's a lot of
building projects, a lot of outside. My
kids are in the public sex sex
segregated schools. So, they have
uniforms. I mean, that's really
different. And they have like the four
like the four houses, right?
>> They like that the guest work is taken
out of getting dressed in the morning.
They're shockingly expensive. When you
first buy them, you're like, "How much
is
>> what's the minimum I have to buy?" The
so the stationary list for the boys
school.
>> Yes.
>> Was wild. Very specific notebooks,
right? Like get the BJ8 or whatever it
is.
>> New BJ8s.
>> Like what is this? I was know I was like
paper.
>> I love the academic calendar here. It
makes so much sense. It's what I always
wanted for them. So it it basically runs
like a year- round schedule in the US.
So you get the six weeks off for summer
and two weeks off between each quarter.
It's very simple. Plus, you get the
public holidays. Plus, you get all the
teacher strikes. [music]
>> Their behavior is changed quite a bit as
well. They're more active during the
day, right? At school, at their schools,
they're more active. [music]
>> So, they come home and they're not as
hyped up, right? And that's great. You
know, a parent of three kids, it's it's
yeah, end of the day, this calmed down,
right? It's
>> it's they've been active. They've used
their brain. They've they've used their
bodies. They've run around. They've
played. They've socialized.
>> They can't wait to go to school here.
>> They have done such an amazing job of
involving themselves in their schools
and in clubs and like making friends.
[music]
I would even venture to say that they
have done better in the transition than
we have. They don't have to build a
resume to get into college. you miss a
sports practice, it's it's not a big
deal. Their stress levels went way way
down despite having moved countries. And
if you look at the country as a whole,
it's like it's a functional country.
Their education system is working. Let's
just sit back and trust it. They're
going to do their thing. It's fine.
Okay, quick break and we'll get right
back to it. If you've been watching this
and you've been thinking about moving to
New Zealand, I know where you're at.
You've been researching it for a while.
You actually don't really know where to
start. and I'm here to help because that
is exactly what I do. I moved my family
of six from the US to New Zealand in
2013 and for the last 6 years I've
helped other Americans do the same
thing. So most people go about it wrong
and I'm here to tell you that the first
step for you is to take a free
eligibility quiz. I have it on my
website kiwiamericans.com. I'll put the
link in the description below. But
that's where you start. Number one,
let's find out if you're eligible. And
if we think that you might have a
pathway, I will then invite you to a
free webinar where you'll find out
[music] the process to actually make the
move to New Zealand. So start there.
That is your best thought. Stop
researching. You need [music] to know
first of all if you're eligible and
clarity around the process. Let's get
back to it. We saw that they have a
severe teacher shortage and it was like,
okay, it feels right. It was so fast. I
started applying for jobs thinking, "Oh,
maybe term one 2026." So, they actually
emailed me saying, "Hey, we've had a
position open all year in our social
sciences department. Are you interested
in interviewing for that?" The school
that I'm at hires international teachers
a lot. The principal has connections
with immigration, with the teaching
council, and so she was able to push
through my teaching registration. The
way that the grant works is you have to
save all your receipts. So teachers save
all your receipts.
>> Oh, okay.
>> They'll cover like the cost of [music]
the NZG QA. They'll cover the cost of
the registration with the teacher
council. They'll cover the cost of the
visa. They'll cover the cost of the
medical exam.
>> The $10,000 New Zealand.
>> The $10,000.
>> Oh my [music] gosh. as soon as she gets
offered a full-time permanent position,
she can apply for the grant, too. So, we
can double dip. As teachers in the
states know, the majority of your job
over there is correcting behavior. Being
a teacher over there isn't so much about
the education. And so, for me, as an
academic, if I could be a student for
the rest of my life and get paid for it,
I would. [music] I would get home from
work at like 5:00 and I would we would
eat and I would be in bed by 7 [music]
like just absolutely
and then the weekends I couldn't [music]
move. I had no life outside of work
because I was too tired. So in New
Zealand we do assembly every Monday. As
soon as someone from administration
steps in front everybody is dead silent.
Everyone is just listening. The entire
assembly, it's wild. We had to stop
doing in-person assemblies other than
pep assemblies at my last school because
the kids were too obnoxious. I have a
group of year 10 boys, you know, who
maybe don't want to. They don't care.
[music] But you're going to get that
anywhere.
>> They're in high school. They're
teenagers.
>> Exactly. They're like 15year-old [music]
boys. Like they don't care about what
any adult has to say. and soaps, but
they're still not badly behaved. They're
not distracting the class. For a relief
teacher, someone [music] who is
untrained at the bottom of the pay scale
is a relief teacher makes $250 a day. If
you are a fully trained [music]
certified teacher, it caps out is it
just over $400 a day.
>> Over in the US, each district sets its
own substitute. That's what they're
called, right? Substitute pay rate. It's
generally around 21 to 22.
>> Yeah.
>> Um, so it's like barely over the cost of
living. I got my first deposit into my
bank account for like the first week I
worked here and I only worked three days
uh what was it? Seven days.
>> Seven days and it was like I had worked
14 in the States.
>> Yeah. And this is what I've been trying
to tell people because like I they're
all like they do the translation and
they're like, "Oh, I'm taking a huge pay
cut." I'm like, "You're not.
>> No, you're not. You're not. You're
making New Zealand dollars in New
Zealand where everything is in New
Zealand dollars. Like that's how you
have to look at it.
>> Our rent had gone up to $2,600 [music]
a month for a teeny tiny little
one-bedroom in Belleview and not a nice
one. We're paying less than [music] that
for our brand spanking newb town house.
And
>> we have space. We're not living on top
of each other. We can have people over
if we want. We could never have even
dinner guests at our last [music] place
because it was too small. But I get off
work and I'm not exhausted. [music]
We can go for a hike or we can go, you
know, do [music] stuff after work and
I'm not dead tired. The work life
balance is there even for teachers.