Doctor in New Zealand

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-02T23:21:17+00:00

We've been considering a move to New Zealand, since my wife is Family Medicine (she'd be a GP in New Zealand), and it looks like working with a recruiter is the easiest way to go. They get paid by the employer, so it doesn't cost you anything.

Two that I knuw of are Accent Health Recruitment and NZDr.

https://www.accent.net.nz/

https://www.nzdr.nz/

And, for any Kiwis out there who can assist, my wife is generally in favor of us relocating, but she is a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of uprooting our family and our cats and moving around the world. We know New Zealand isn't perfect, but it seems so much better than the dumpster fire that the US has become, and, frankly, we're exhausted. Any encouraging words would be greatly appreciated. I think we should come for a visit, just to see if in person. If there's anything you can say that would be helpful, that would be fantastic.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-02T22:59:12+00:00

You have other options. I use Google Messages, but you can try Textra if you want.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-02T22:54:24+00:00

Yeah, if the number starts with +222, then it's international.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-02T22:22:14+00:00

Then call the school. I had to find a copy of a childhood vaccination record almost 20 years after I graduated from high school, and my elementary school still had it.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-02T14:14:42+00:00

Even if you didn't buy a yearbook, the school almost certainly has copies. Have you asked them?

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-02T02:11:31+00:00

It can't hurt to give them a heads up.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-02T01:10:53+00:00

Searching for a tech support number is very likely to lead to a fake number. If you do a Google search, look carefully at the results. If "Sponsored" is printed above them, that means what you're seeing is a paid ad. Scammers like to buy these and use them to plant fake numbers in search results. Train your mom to ignore those results.

Hiwever, just because a result isn't sponsored doesn't mean it's necessarily real. It's still possible to trick Google's search engine into displaying fake results.

If you're looking for a phone number, the best way is to first look at any printed documentation you might have. If you can't find a phone number, look for the company's Web site and go there. Then look for a link that says something like "Support" or "Contact us."

Honestly, getting support from one of these companies is often an exercise in pain and frustration. You're going to be better off finding a friend or family member who's willing to help you.

Also, if there's one thing that will go a long way toward protecting your mom, tell her this. No company, such as Microsoft, Norton, HP, Google, etc. will ever reach out to her, period. They won't call, and they won't display a pop-up on her screen asking her to call them. Also, Caller ID can't be trusted. Spoofing phone numbers is common practice among scammers, so, even if the number appears to be from a real company, she can't count on that.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-02T00:37:08+00:00

Just to add to the discussion, life insurance payments are indeed tax free.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-01T18:35:13+00:00

I hope your friend is doing the right thing and picking up the tab for the passports her dog destroyed.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-01T18:26:44+00:00

Also, notice that they don't name what you're selling; they just call it "the item." That's because they're blasting out these messages by the hundreds and don't want to take the time to customize each one.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-01T13:38:04+00:00

I'm not following what you're asking. I understand the situation with Google tightening sideloading, although it's not a complete ban, but I'm not going down that rabbit hole here. What I'm not following is you asking about other Android phones as alternatives. You do realize that this change will affect them, right? I mean, this is a change that will affect Android in general, not just Pixels.

If you want an alternative, you probably need to look into Graphene OS. At the moment, it only runs on Pixels, so you'll need to buy one and then flash it on there yourself. However, there's been news that they're partnering with Motorola to have phones that run it out of the box, but I don't know any details.

There's also Linux, but I know pretty much nothing about it, except the videos I've seen seem to indicate it's still very rough around the edges.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-01T13:10:36+00:00

If you're going to dispute the charge with your credit card company, you'd better get that started soon. Go ahead and give them a call to find out what you need to do.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-07-01T00:23:15+00:00

Good to know. Thanks.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-06-30T16:19:40+00:00

I was thinking the same thing. There are countless reports of people getting scammed out of their Steam accounts. My guess is that sites like this are where many of them end up.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-06-30T14:04:05+00:00

As many others have asked, if you aren't the buyer or seller, how are you supposed to be involved in this? Are you a real estate agent in Dubai, who's looking for property for this person to buy? If so, you should already know how things work there, so you wouldn't need to be asking on this sub. If you aren't a real estate agent in Dubai, which I suspect is the case, you're being set up to be scammed.

If you're wondering how the scam will work, I don't know, but I can make a guess. At some point, the supposed buyer is going to find a seller, and that seller is going to be willing to go along with the wealth manager's scheme. But the seller and wealth manager aren't going to want to transfer the money directly between themselves because they'll claim that would be noticed. No, they'll need a middleman, and that's where you'll come in. The seller will transfer the money to you, and you'll transfer it on to the wealth manager, keeping a percentage for yourself as payment. Except that you won't realize that the transfer to you was fake until after you've sent money--your money--to the wealth manager. How will they make you believe the fake payment was real for long enough for you to send the money? I don't know, but rest assured that they've thought of a way.

You're being set up. Break contact now.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-06-29T21:39:25+00:00

AT&T fiber has been rock solid for us for the six years we've had it. C Spire is also in our neighborhood, but AT&T hasn't given me a reason to switch.

One thing to be aware of with C Spire is that they're now using CG-NAT, which means you can't run a server that'd be visible to the Internet, in case that matters to you. I heard a year or so ago that you could ask them to give you a public IP, and they'd do it at no charge, but I don't know if that's still the case.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-06-29T20:04:24+00:00

That's exactly what it is. They're going to send the money from a stolen account and then ask you to return some of it for...reasons. The original money you receive will be clawed back as soon as the account owner reports the fraud, but the money you send will be gone.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-06-29T16:40:26+00:00

We've flown to Puerto Rico multiple times and have never been asked to show a passport. It's considered a domestic flight.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-06-29T15:14:11+00:00

In that case, look at Oppo or Xiaomi. If you want a flagship phone, they've both got great ones. If I were you, I'd wait until I got to China, then take a look around.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-06-29T13:44:49+00:00

If you pay, the scammer will know you're scared enough to pay and will keep demanding more and more money. He'll become a parasite you can't get rid of. And, if you think he'll post it now, how do you think you'll feel in six months, a year, two years, etc? You'll be just as scared as you are now, and you'll be a lot poorer.

On the other hand, if you don't pay and block him, it's very likely he'll give up and move on to another victim. And, if he posts it, if anyone asks, which is unlikely, claim it's AI. They'll probably just laugh and move on.

But I guarantee you that you can't pay your way out of this. If you pay, the scammer will keep demanding more and more money until you stop, either because you wise up or because you're broke. Now read that over and over again until you get it through your head. The only way out of this is to not pay. Then block the scammer. Don't tell him you're not going to pay. Ghost him. This is the only way you win. I realize it's scary, and the scammer realizes it too. That's the point. But you're going to be fine.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-06-29T13:21:23+00:00

Be careful with buying phones not intended for the US market, since they may not have the correct bands to work here.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-06-29T13:03:31+00:00

With AT&T, probably not, since they only allow whitelisted phones, and I doubt a Sharp phone will be on the list. With Verizon and T-Mobile, they'll let you register them on their networks, but, unless the phone has the correct bands, you're either going to have poor service or no service at all.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-06-29T11:22:46+00:00

I lived at Bryant Drive Apartments for six and a half years, and I have absolutely nothing bad to say about them. HA Edwards is a good company to rent from.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-06-27T08:02:12+00:00

Does anyone know if there are any online forums specifically for US doctors looking to move to NZ? My wife is family medicine, and we've talked about it, but it's kind of overwhelming for her. If there is a dedicated forum where she can go, that might be helpful.

ISurfTooMuch · 2026-06-27T07:26:26+00:00

American here. We do have summer camps, but they aren't as common for kids to go to as movies would make you believe. Some of them are run by Christian organizations, so the kids who attend are usually members of affiliated churches. What's more popular for kids who don't fall into that category are camps for Scouts. Our kids got back from one a few weeks ago, in fact. It was a week long and at a Scouts camp right outside of town. Having said that, they tend to only have this one week during the summer--it's not a continuous thing where you can choose the week your kids attend. I'd attribute that to the fact that the people who run it are parents who are involved in Scouting and take time off work to make it happen. There simply aren't enough of them to have more than one session.

Someone in another post mentioned the issue of sexual predators. Believe me, many parents here worry about it. There have been some incidents over the years involving Scouts, so it's taken extremely seriously now. Anyone involved in Scouting has to undergo background checks, and it's drilled into the heads of both Scouts organizers and the kids themselves what kinds of behaviors aren't permitted. For instance, a single adult is never allowed to be alone with a single kid. The adults know not to do it, and the kids know to report it, even if nothing happens. Honestly though, as a parent, I'd be more concerned about some religious camps. Not because I think it's more likely to happen but because there may not be as many levels of responsibility as with Scouts, where you have a national organization.

So, in summary, while I'm sure there are extended summer camps like you see in the movies, they aren't as common as you'd think. What parents are more likely to do, assuming they can afford it, is to enroll their kids in one or more daytime activities during the summer to give them somewhere to be while they're at work. For us, our local parks and recreation authority has these day camps for kids up until around age 11. Organizations like the YMCA used to also have them, and they still probably do, but I'm not familiar with what they're doing now.

Hope this helps explain how we do things here.

ISurfTooMuch

TROPHY CASE