burks

Hi all,

I will be landing in Vancouver at the end of January with a 12 month work visa from BUNAC.

I graduated from uni this summer just gone with a BA in International Business. During my degree I studied for a year in the Netherlands and a year in Kelowna, BC. It was my year in Kelowna which made me want to move to Canada.

My girlfriend is Canadian and she has been here with me in England for the best part of a year now. However the plan has always been to live in Canada.

I obviously need a job for when I am in Canada, and although I am only on a 12 month visa am hoping to secure to more career orientated job rather than the usual seasonal posts which BUNAC members usually take.. maybe even get a company to sponsor me in a dream world!!

Anyways, I was wondering whether anyone could help with pointing me into the direction of good recruitment agencies/websites/contacts etc.. It would be much appreciated.

My fields of interest are International Relations, Tourism & Marketing although I am not going to be too fussy with roles. I'll be based in Surrey, BC but I don't mind having to commute to Vancouver or other surrounding areas.. Commuting is what us Brits tend to be good at!

If anyone could help that would be great..

Burks.

christmasoompa

You are aware that your gf can sponsor your for PR once you've lived together for a year or more? So you may not need to find that elusive company to sponsor you after all!

Good luck and have fun.

burks

I was aware, however we will be living at her parents place to start out with.. If I am registered at their address also.. does that count as living together do you know!? That would be pretty good if it does haha

Thank you

christmasoompa

Depends. If you can prove you've been living in a 'marriage like' relationship, then yes it does. It will really depend on how much proof you can get and obviously, the more the better. Things like wills naming each other as beneficiaries, joint bank account, joint insurances, etc. Things to show you are common-law partners rather than just two people sharing a house.

You may not have joint utility bills or rental agreement if you're living with her parents, but if you've go those from the UK instead, that should be ok.

mattieuk

If you are looking for something to get started with, there is plenty of entry level business type jobs on craigslist - on the level of office administrative staff etc, which from what I've seen from working in Canada seem to be the best way to get into a company over here (no one is going to hire you because you have a degree, yet no experience, however it may well go a long way to speeding up yur progression at a company). However, whilst you are in Blighty, it can't hurt you to go ahead and apply for as many 'entry level' positions/resume bombard some of the larger companies with a covering letter/resume.

As for commuting from Surrey- depends what area it is, but if you are near a Skytrain you are looking at paying about $1500 (tax refundable!) for a Vancouver commute, taking about an hour.

Have you lived with your girlfriend in Britain, cause that can count towards PR elegibility as well as Canada time, as long as its continuous? Outside of that, get a joint bank account, and perhaps buy a car together?

JB0591

Hi

Have a look at www.jobbank.gc.ca, you can search for ********** and it will show you what agencies are advertising.

Ive used it to find agencies in Ottawa.

Hope it helps.

JB

hunsister

Check out www.monster.ca

burks

Thanks for the help people! It's appreciated.

Although now you've got my gf talking about joint bank accounts and buying cars!!! hahaha....

dboy

surrey can be a bit of a grind into Vancouver and the skytrain is in the bad area of surrey. I assume that one you get settled you would move elsewhere. My ex and I did the same thing and lived in Delta for a few months till we got settled.

Breaking into the job market here can be tough and requires a lot of hardwork. As noted, degrees here are two a penny.

Goodluck

CanadaJimmy

I commute from Surrey, and in my opinion it's really only acceptable if you can live as close to the Skytrain as possible. For me it's a 5 minute walk. Having to Bus it, then get on the Skytrain and then Bus again can become quite grueling.

The Skytrain is mostly populated with students and low-wage workers, you only see a large amount of business-people on it when you get into downtown vancouver. Car ownership is expected if you live out in the burbs; and not owning a car does attract some social stigma, not that I particularly care right now. It's certainly possible to live without one.

As for Transit, if you're working downtown you'll have to get a monthly transit pass with 3 zones, but for Burnaby or Richmond you'll only need a 2 zone: http://www.translink.ca/en/Fares-and...thly-Pass.aspx
http://www.translink.ca/en/Fares-and...-Zone-Map.aspx

As for employment options, networking is the key, you just have to get out there, meet employers in person, call them and so on.

Also just to clarify, companies cannot "sponsor" you, this is a common misconception . The only people who can sponsor you are family members, and as christmasoompa mentions if you live with your girlfriend for one year you will be considered in a "common-law" marriage, provided you can prove it. What I've seen used is dated photos of your relationship, shared bank statements and shared utility bills.

All that Companies can do is provide you with Job Offers, which can then be confirmed with HRSDC to get either an LMO, which is needed for most work permits, or an AEO, which can be used as proof of arranged employment for Permanent Residence.

Alan2005

Really? I was car-less for 18mos and there wasn't any stigma. When I did buy a car most people asked me why I was even bothering.

ExKiwilass

Yeah never experienced stigma either. Maybe it's a Surrey thing?

Alan2005

Wouldn't surprise me. Maybe all the drugs and crime has turned people into snobs.

CanadaJimmy

If you don't have a car it shuts you off from a lot of things, particularly in the suburbs. I'm lucky living right in Surrey because I'm at a hub, but anywhere further east and living without a car becomes a difficult experience. The social stigma aspect is reflected in the problems this causes (who would go out to dinner with you if it means waiting 30 minutes for a bus for example?).

Also Kiwilass you probably haven't had such difficulty as you're female, girls can get away without driving more easily than guys since they can blag lifts off of people more easily*

* Just a tongue and cheek observation, might not be true in your case, don't take offense, etc.

Alan2005

If you are taking people out to dinner then book a taxi. Jeez, making people get the bus...