MillieF

AfroGlasgow, I wouldn't say Fredericton is 'out' just it's not all embracingly 'in' either!

Atlantic Canada is very much an employment black spot at present, and this cannot be ignored.

If I personally wanted to come to Canada and nothing else would do, then I would probably come to NB and then go to Manitoba.

NB is pretty desperate to grow its society, we are accepting all sorts of skilled workers from all sorts of backgrounds then they get here and discover there is no work, nepotism and the old boy network are alive and well, and they all suffle off to Ontario....and they wonder why they can't retain newcomers

A young woman I met last year, an Iranian civil engineer whose husband is a chemical engineer, and who found herself unemployed and 'unqualified' but who was accepted by NB told me "I came here with my dreams...and now all I have are dreams" it made me sad. She and her husband are now in Toronto and he's driving a cab!

BristolUK

Does this mean they haven't found it any better or did she at least get something closer to what she wanted?

AfroGlasgow

Oh thank you. I am actually an accountant (recently qualified) but i have worked mostly as a Financial Analyst within financial services industry. Also i use the title because its not a regulated occupation. So i dont have go through the hoops meeting all the regulatory requirements at this stage.

AfroGlasgow

Thanks. I do intend to stay and make a go of it as i have always want to move to Canada but never found the courage to.

MillieF

She wanted out of Iran. She was well qualified and her husband had a factory employing 200 people. Maybe they weren't quite sure of exactly what they wanted? Sometimes we don't ask ourselves quite what we are diving for before we take the plunge? She ended up a little disappointed. As do many.

BristolUK

Ah...I meant had things improved for them in Ontario if the husband was driving a cab.

scrubbedexpat133

I cant imagine you will find much in the way of that in NB. I would think Toronto would be your destination of choice.

scrubbedexpat133

It is and it isn't. It will depend on what your expectations are and whether you would be happy taking a step down just to be here or not. The problem with NB is the lack of opportunity as they are few and far between, As a result of this people who get themselves into a good position tend to hold on to it for dear life. You are waiting for somebody to move,retire or drop dead.

Are you looking for a slower pace of life? NB is pretty laid back and a bit behind the times. Glasgow it is a large multicultural city of over a million people. A throbbing hub of nightlife and entertainment opportunities. NB is roughly the same size as Scotland with 750,000. I live in the largest urban area in the province - Greater Moncton. Population 120000. We have about half a dozen Pubs on the Main Street and whopping total of 2 Indian restaurants(One is terrible and One is OK). I would strongly suggest that you come for a visit before packing up and moving here. It isnt for everyone.

AfroGlasgow

Thanks for the comments. I think its a bit late because we have putting our application. I am not sure how easy it is to change the application to a federal one. I suppose we will get there and see how things are. I am not sure what the provincial rules are for new immigrants.

BristolUK

That's fair. And from what many others say it also applies to those parts of Canada that are not mega cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
I always wonder about this. I've never been in the market for looking for work here so I have absolutely no experience of applying for work. But if I was it would most likely likely be in the public sector and I see no end of those opportunities.

Whether I'd get them is another matter but then would I have in the UK? From the experience I had of applying for other jobs and promotions while I held down my 30+ year job I suspect not. But then maybe the others that succeeded instead of me would?

But my main wonder is that given low population levels (not to mention high illiteracy rates) might it not be the case that if you are suitably qualified/experienced for the 'higher end' jobs of which there are fewer going, isn't it true to say your competing field is that much smaller as well?

I mean, isn't it all relative? If there are 100 positions of interest in Toronto and only 10 here, is it not the case that there may be 10 times as many applicants in Toronto?

Of course the pay will be lower here, but so will the housing costs.

One thing I've noticed in my time here is that an awful lot of people in what I imagine to be more specialist positions - based on the fact that they are deemed important enough to be interviewed by media - are British. CEOs, airport spokesmen, Chamber of Commerce people, scientists, researchers, other journalists...


I've never been a clubber but whenever I'm on Main St of an evening it seems exactly like the club/pub areas of my old city, Bristol. Maybe it's different when you step through the doors.

But the Pump House seems like your typical Wetherspoons apart from table/waitress service.

On the other hand, Main St in daytime always makes me think of a high street in a smaller town.

Absolutely.