Petr Vasilenko came to Auckland from Russia to study English at Auckland English Academy and after completing his studies was able to stay in the country and find a job.

Read till the end to learn about his full journey.

Why New Zealand?

I was mainly considering New Zealand, but had backup options like Canada/USA, Australia, and several European countries such as the Czech Republic, Germany, and even Spain because of the climate, food, and lifestyle, etc. But since New Zealand was my priority, while researching all the countries, it became clear that New Zealand significantly stands out in terms of nature, living conditions, comfort, and location/remoteness, etc.

First impression
I arrived as a language student with a clear goal: to first accomplish the main task: learn the language and pass an exam that would allow me to enter university, or find an accredited employer and get a work visa. That was at the top of my priorities, so I was very reserved when it came to “exploring” and discovering all the local beauty. Besides, I had already watched a lot of videos and roughly understood where I was going. In other words, I was focused on winning first — and enjoying everything else later.

Life now
Right now, I’m living through what may not be the best moments yet, but definitely amazing ones. I’m still on the path of building and developing myself and my family here in a new place, so I haven’t reached the absolute peak yet. But even now, without the same freedom of action I had back in Russia, I still feel good here — very comfortable, relaxed, goal-oriented, and confident in my success.

It’s very calm here, the atmosphere is just great. It feels like you’re living in a small town where everyone knows each other and you don’t expect bad looks or actions from anyone. There’s an overall environment where people are not interested in conflicts or any kind of negativity.

I can’t fully explain it, maybe I just don’t have enough words, but it feels like the New Zealand vibe is about friendship, nature, the ocean, forests, and ecology, not about negativity, dirt, or anything like that.

Study process

Petr described the level of studies as: “It’s okay, convenient to get to, the program is quite standard,” and in terms of difficulty, it turned out to be easier than he expected 👍

I expected more. But I’m 100% satisfied. I don’t take into account that there are many young Asian students who can be quite noisy and chaotic, and not really focused on studying, as they said themselves: “we’re here to have fun.”

In 2022, I went to Ireland, to the city of Cork, for a 6-month language course –  and wow, just remembering it, it was absolutely amazing. It was a powerful combination of age, financial freedom, a European city, incredible teachers, interesting people from all over the world, the climate, and my overall mindset.

In short, it was “an-unforgettable-indescribable-incredible-enjoyment-of-life.”

Would you recommend this school and program to other students?
Yes and no. I can’t recommend it 100%, but I also can’t say it’s a bad place, there were some excellent teachers. Some of them were extremely boring, especially when I moved to the C1 level – it was just tedious. The teacher was very academic, glasses on, no breaks at all: like a machine: text, then exercises, then video, then practice, non-stop, as if we were robots. And the atmosphere felt quite dull and heavy, even for those who were fully focused on studying.

One Chinese student at the B2 level, the top performer, scoring 95–100 on weekly tests, couldn’t keep up and ended up moving back down to B2.

At the previous levels, it was actually great, even with an older British teacher. We learned a lot of interesting things from her: idioms, old games, historical facts, etc. And some teachers were just amazing: friendly, joking around, inviting us to go hiking, etc. By the way, in Ireland, almost all the teachers used to invite us to their favorite pubs on Fridays — now that’s life.

Part-time job during studies
I managed to find a job with the right employer and worked every day, even on Sundays. Since I’m a jeweler with solid experience, I was only looking within that field. I found a job in about 2 months. Luckily, my boss posted a vacancy looking for a jeweler, etc.

By the way, about a dozen messages I sent to different jewelry workshops — both small and large companies — were not successful, but almost all of them replied with something like: “Thank you, Petr, this is interesting, but at the moment we don’t have a position or extra workload for another jeweler.” So they weren’t empty responses, which was encouraging.

Career path after studies
I was already actively working, and my boss immediately suggested applying for a visa. But there were circumstances: personal, health-related, and psychological, which were also important. After achieving the result, I suddenly felt like I didn’t want to move anymore and started delaying the process.

On top of that, my boss was a bit stubborn and didn’t want to work with my immigration lawyer, which led us into a deadlock. Fortunately, once Yana Gild got involved, she quickly organized everything, and the process got back on track.

Yana Gild — our partner and an experienced immigration lawyer. She helps build the right strategy and supports cases through to the final result. Feel free to reach out 👍
Learn more

I deliberately gave myself time to “think everything through,” and from September 2024 to November of the same year, I was in a state of not working and basically doing nothing. Then it just clicked — I had to move. I gathered all the documents in 2.5 months, it was really tough. And after 2 months of waiting, I got my visa. By May 2025, I was already working in Auckland.

Recommendations

I strictly follow one principle: every job should be done by a professional. That’s my rule. For me, time is more valuable than money. I never take on work I don’t understand. That’s why I trusted Kiwi Education. First of all, there are no serious competitors on the market — you can see that within minutes of searching on Google.

What really matters for anyone considering or planning a move is your personal feeling. Listen to your inner voice: does it tell you that moving is right for you? Does this idea still excite you even after months of researching and preparing documents? Do you truly want to leave the place where you grew up and lived your previous life, etc.

Do you think I left because I had a bad life? Not at all. I lived very comfortably, very freely. I continued my father’s business and developed it in my own way. I had more than enough clients willing to pay. I had many hobbies, and maybe it was this desire to do more than just work that pushed me toward self-development and learning new things. That’s how I built my life — creating a business that supported my dreams.

One of those dreams was not just to enjoy life, but also to see cleanliness around me, to feel the environment, with my lungs, my eyes, etc. Everything suited me in Russia except politics, widespread corruption, rudeness and lack of culture, year-round dirt, and similar things.

1. If you want to move — start from within. Talk to yourself. We often think it’s silly, but in reality, being alone with yourself, asking yourself questions, having that inner dialogue — it’s something people have stopped doing. And who, if not you, knows best what you truly need? Exactly.
2. At the same time, learn about the psychology of moving, watch videos about immigration, understand what is actually difficult and what is really worth being concerned about, etc.I was under a lot of stress being alone, without my family — it was very hard for me to live separately. Family is everything to me, my foundation. I have a wonderful wife and amazing children. If you’re not doing things for your family, if you’re not building your future with your family in mind, then you don’t need a family. You’re either with them and for them, or you risk failing.
3. Be realistic about your capabilities and plan accordingly. Don’t be afraid to make plans for the next 3–5 years. Don’t think you can move in just one year. Sure, situations vary, but to make such a move that quickly, you would at least need to already have: strong English, sufficient funds, a solid background that would be appealing to immigration authorities, etc.

In the first year, I simply read, watched, and studied materials about the principles of moving. I was preparing and building a strategy, restructuring my business, opening separate accounts where I transferred extra money, and investing in movable and real estate. This helped me strengthen my family’s position, grow our capital, and create multiple sources of income.
Most importantly, I saved a lot. My goal was to accumulate as much as possible, and as they say, money attracts money. Later, I found an opportunity to invest and was able to multiply my savings, which made my decision to move even stronger and more confident.

Experience with Kiwi Education

If all services in the world worked like Kiwi Ed, the world would be a much better place.

I’ve been working with these guys since the moment the idea of moving first appeared in August 2019, and I’m still consulting with them to this day — and it’s already April 2026!

They guided me from the very beginning, helped build a strategy and fine-tune all my processes for the future move, supported my trip to Ireland in 2022, in 2023 I used their language school services (online), and in 2024 I moved to New Zealand through them for language courses. Through them and their partners – lawyers, etc. I received a full range of services, from консультаций to legal support. I rate them 10 out of 10.

Yes, there is one major nuance: thanks to my attitude towards people and my friendly approach, I didn’t focus on minor mistakes or some delays in feedback. I understood this, because I’m not their only client — I was simply patient. And as I said earlier, I’m focused on winning, and getting into conflicts is pointless. I always focus on solving problems, no matter who is right or wrong. Personally, I’m proactive and turn any misunderstandings into something positive, and the people working with me simply had no chance to do a bad job, the collaboration was good and pleasant for everyone.

The managers at Kiwi Educetion are wonderful — truly great people. Everyone I worked with deserves a 5+.

Summary

• Plan your relocation timeline based on your income. If you only have one source of income, think about how to create a second one: a side job, a hobby that can bring extra money, a new skill that can generate additional earnings. You could even become a welder and take on welding jobs, learn how to do nails/brows, offer car cleaning or detailing services, etc. Any additional income matters. In this sense, you need to focus on activities that generate income. Read books on financial literacy, personal growth, etc.
• Be honest with yourself. If you’re not adventurous, if it’s hard for you to leave your family, friends, your dog, your native language, your familiar environment, then don’t take the risk.

  If you clearly understand that you are living your own life — not someone else’s, not your parents’, not your friends’, and you truly want change, then you need to tell yourself: nothing matters more than me for myself, my family for me, and me for my family. Understand that your parents and friends are not your life. Your life is you, your spouse, and of course your children. This doesn’t mean you have to burn bridges and forget everyone — no. But you will have to make decisions, and you will have to pay a certain price.

• Don’t regret your decisions! If you’ve started — keep going. If you’re halfway there and have decided to move, just continue: slowly, steadily, but don’t quit. Ask yourself which type of person you are: the one who fights not to lose, or the one who fights to win.
  Think about these words. They’ve motivated me my whole life. I fight to win — and that’s why I’m here.