If I were to have my career all over again, knowing what I know now, I probably would have gone to Australia… then again, in another 10 years I might be glad to have stayed in NZ. It’s extremely difficult to predict how a 40 year career (Air NZ vs QF) is going to turn out.
If you joined Air NZ Link today, I have no idea what your progression to Jet will be when you eventually get there, but I guarantee it won’t be the same as it is now. What the progression is from QLink to QF I couldn’t tell you, but again, I’m sure it’ll change over time.
Jobs aside, I would rather be living in Australia right now. New Zealand’s appeal has all but vanished and we’re now a country with high living costs and low wages. So with that in mind, I’d suggest QLink solely to start your career in a Country with more opportunities for a better life overall… if I were 10 years younger I’d even consider starting my career again in Australia just to get out of New Zealand. Can’t say I’m overly optimistic about the nations future during the rest of my working life.