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moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

Old Jan 15th 2015, 8:28 pm
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Default moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

Hi everyone,
Im James, I'm 24 and I live on an island in the scottish highlands. I am married , have a 4 year old son and my Wife is 16 weeks pregnant with our next one.
I am a heavy equipment / HGV mechanic and got in touch with an agency about a year ago after a few years of talking about relocating to canada.
We like travelling, like seing new things, meeting new people, we like the outdoors and snow related sports and generaly a adventurous family.
The agency interviewed me and quickly decided I should quite easily get a job due to there being a skill shortage of HGV techs in Canada.
We are through with the climate here, it rains all the time, grey skies, all the locals are misserable and where both stuck in jobs we don't enjoy. We stay in a very remote area, 6 miles on a single track road to our local shop and about 21 miles each way to the local co-op food shop.
We have never been to Canada but have friends who have visited or lived in various parts. We like the idea of the snowy winters, warm summers and all the other things Canada has to offer including the great outdoors.
We are very worried about the move, we have money saved but we own a house in the uk which i will need to rent out while we settle down in Canada, we have 2 dogs that we need to bring with us, plus our 4 year old and our new born when he/she arrives, Im a little stressed about getting a house and car and everything in place for us to get by, would be much more simple if it was just the two of us but I want everything roughly in place so my family can settle quickly, I will head out before them to hopefully get everything sorted.
Last week i had an interview with HGV company recruiting for Regina and sasktoon, they seem very keen on young enthusiastic families who are looking to come over for a better life for there family. Interview went very well and was more or less told I have the job although i dont find out for sure until monday.
the salary is good ranging from $27- $39 dollars an hour, due to my 8 experience i will be the lower end of the scale, its 4 days on, 4 days off, 4 days on 1 day off and then repeat.
The agency said he was very happy with what i had to offer and said i was one of the few he remembered from the interviews without having to look over the cv's and profiles.

I have been reading through stories on here and most seem to settle well and i really think this could be a good opportunity for my family providing we can manage financially. Some seem to be defeated by homesickness which is a worry for me as my wife will be at home while im at work, we will only have 1 car which i will need to use so during the harsh winter she will be stuck in doors a lot with the young baby, she does love the outdoors and will get out as much as she can to meet new people etc, she has lived 6 hours drive from her family for around 8 years now and doent really get bothered with missing them, me on the other hand have lived on the same island in the same village for 18 years, everyone knows me , my parents live a few hundred metres away and my 2 sisters have both build houses within a mile, I have all of them around me. They have all said they would go if they had the same opportunity and my dad has said Im better to just embrace it and have a shot at it while were still young, better to try and fail than think for the rest of our lives if life could have been better for us in Canada.
My wife works a lot, i work 7 days, my son goes to 3 different nursery's and we just generally always rush around and struggle for family time. My wife is a secondary high school teacher and would be taking a few years out to raise our newborn if we can financially afford it in Canada.
The lady from the agency mentioned they can the Regina branch in mind for me and this is where i have been doing my research on lately.
We are very thankfull of what we have but we spend most of our time working, when we are off the weather is awfull (100 mph winds just now)
with our son being 4 years old he would start school in Canada until 2016 according to some googling but he will go to pre-school type thing, is this a government funded thing or do we pay this.
My wife has 2 years off and they will hold her career meaning if it doesn't work out in the next 2 years we can return to the uk and she will keep her job and we can just merge back into life as it was. This is a huge benefit as we aren't risking our selfs financially and will give us a taste of Canada for before going for residency and looking at buying property

Any tips, advise or stories would be appreciated
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Old Jan 15th 2015, 9:44 pm
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

I can't give you any practical advice James as I've never been to Regina, but, as a fellow Scot, still in Scotland, who has been dithering about emigrating for years, I would advise you to go for it. I left it too long and we both worked so much, having very little family time and spending a lot of time apart because of it, we ended up growing apart and we are now getting divorced :-(

Canada is a fabulous country, especially if you have young children. Much more family oriented than here and yes, much better weather. The winters are cold, but at -20 degrees will feel warmer than -1 here in this horrible damp weather. You will have a much higher quality of life and better opportunities for the children's future.

Please just go for it. You have nothing to lose by the sounds of it and you will regret it, seriously, if you don't.

Good luck.

x
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Old Jan 15th 2015, 10:10 pm
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

a ken where youre coming from ..we lived in the back o beyond as well ..4 houses in sw Scotland ..we decided that the shock o moving tae a foreign country was bad enough without moving intae a city .so we moved into a wee village. much better from our view .
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Old Jan 15th 2015, 11:02 pm
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

The obvious question that will be asked of you is, if your so discontented with your lot on the islands why haven't you looked at moving south onto the mainland, say Southern England.
It's also a big move but not as devastatingly huge as to Canada. I have been to the Isles and no doubt it's a difficult place to live if ones heart isn't in it. The South of England has better weather for sure and much better overall living conditions.
Regina, Saskatchewan is a smaller city, a long way from anywhere. It is in the middle of the Prairie Provinces. It is very flat making it ideal for agriculture (part of the world's bread basket).
Your wage of $27/hour with wife+2 is not great but doable if you watch your pennies. I recommend you rent at first until you get the lay of the land.
Homesickness is a serious issue with many immigrants. If you choose to come get a handle on your feelings about it. It makes many people most unhappy.
For many people Canada is just the answer to all their prayers, for others an extreme disappointment.
I wish you much luck with this endeavour.
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Old Jan 15th 2015, 11:35 pm
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

They don't just need HGV techs in Regina...i'd look somewhere else...Saskatchewan probably wouldn't be on my list of places to live, having worked in a couple of places there, it doesn't make me say "Hey, you know where would be nice to live? Moosejaw!"
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Old Jan 16th 2015, 1:27 am
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

My only comment is Regina is baltic.
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Old Jan 16th 2015, 2:20 am
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

Originally Posted by jamesmacc
Hi everyone,
Im James, I'm 24 and I live on an island in the scottish highlands. I am married , have a 4 year old son and my Wife is 16 weeks pregnant with our next one.
I am a heavy equipment / HGV mechanic and got in touch with an agency about a year ago after a few years of talking about relocating to canada.
We like travelling, like seing new things, meeting new people, we like the outdoors and snow related sports and generaly a adventurous family.
The agency interviewed me and quickly decided I should quite easily get a job due to there being a skill shortage of HGV techs in Canada.
We are through with the climate here, it rains all the time, grey skies, all the locals are misserable and where both stuck in jobs we don't enjoy. We stay in a very remote area, 6 miles on a single track road to our local shop and about 21 miles each way to the local co-op food shop.
We have never been to Canada but have friends who have visited or lived in various parts. We like the idea of the snowy winters, warm summers and all the other things Canada has to offer including the great outdoors.
We are very worried about the move, we have money saved but we own a house in the uk which i will need to rent out while we settle down in Canada, we have 2 dogs that we need to bring with us, plus our 4 year old and our new born when he/she arrives, Im a little stressed about getting a house and car and everything in place for us to get by, would be much more simple if it was just the two of us but I want everything roughly in place so my family can settle quickly, I will head out before them to hopefully get everything sorted.
Last week i had an interview with HGV company recruiting for Regina and sasktoon, they seem very keen on young enthusiastic families who are looking to come over for a better life for there family. Interview went very well and was more or less told I have the job although i dont find out for sure until monday.
the salary is good ranging from $27- $39 dollars an hour, due to my 8 experience i will be the lower end of the scale, its 4 days on, 4 days off, 4 days on 1 day off and then repeat.
The agency said he was very happy with what i had to offer and said i was one of the few he remembered from the interviews without having to look over the cv's and profiles.

I have been reading through stories on here and most seem to settle well and i really think this could be a good opportunity for my family providing we can manage financially. Some seem to be defeated by homesickness which is a worry for me as my wife will be at home while im at work, we will only have 1 car which i will need to use so during the harsh winter she will be stuck in doors a lot with the young baby, she does love the outdoors and will get out as much as she can to meet new people etc, she has lived 6 hours drive from her family for around 8 years now and doent really get bothered with missing them, me on the other hand have lived on the same island in the same village for 18 years, everyone knows me , my parents live a few hundred metres away and my 2 sisters have both build houses within a mile, I have all of them around me. They have all said they would go if they had the same opportunity and my dad has said Im better to just embrace it and have a shot at it while were still young, better to try and fail than think for the rest of our lives if life could have been better for us in Canada.
My wife works a lot, i work 7 days, my son goes to 3 different nursery's and we just generally always rush around and struggle for family time. My wife is a secondary high school teacher and would be taking a few years out to raise our newborn if we can financially afford it in Canada.
The lady from the agency mentioned they can the Regina branch in mind for me and this is where i have been doing my research on lately.
We are very thankfull of what we have but we spend most of our time working, when we are off the weather is awfull (100 mph winds just now)
with our son being 4 years old he would start school in Canada until 2016 according to some googling but he will go to pre-school type thing, is this a government funded thing or do we pay this.
My wife has 2 years off and they will hold her career meaning if it doesn't work out in the next 2 years we can return to the uk and she will keep her job and we can just merge back into life as it was. This is a huge benefit as we aren't risking our selfs financially and will give us a taste of Canada for before going for residency and looking at buying property

Any tips, advise or stories would be appreciated
Hey James

Which island are you from? I was born on Lewis and have family in Stornoway. I grew up in England though.

Me and my BF and 9 year old son moved to Alberta nearly 2 years ago....BEST THING WE EVER DID
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Old Jan 16th 2015, 2:30 pm
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

Originally Posted by haggis88
They don't just need HGV techs in Regina...i'd look somewhere else...Saskatchewan probably wouldn't be on my list of places to live, having worked in a couple of places there, it doesn't make me say "Hey, you know where would be nice to live? Moosejaw!"
oh really, what is it that puts you off?
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Old Jan 16th 2015, 2:32 pm
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

Originally Posted by sms1984
Hey James

Which island are you from? I was born on Lewis and have family in Stornoway. I grew up in England though.

Me and my BF and 9 year old son moved to Alberta nearly 2 years ago....BEST THING WE EVER DID
On the isle of skye, in what ways do you find it better? could you PM me, would be handy to here from someone else what sort of salary they are on and how they get by on it, i have been offered $27 but in the future once im finished some training it could rise to $36
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Old Jan 16th 2015, 2:38 pm
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

Well the day has come, I have officially received a offer of employment. Here are some of the things it mentions, it sounds quite good but im a tad worried that we may be tight for cash as a nice house seems to be about $2000 a month in regina.

40 hours per week
$27 per hour
volvo dealership training
3 year contract
life insurance
medical insurance
dental and vision cover
RRSP plan after 12 months

they are willing to pay my travel and relocation costs up to $9000, this will be split into 3 payments , one at the end of every year

i will come out with roughly $43800 a year after all the taxes
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Old Jan 16th 2015, 3:09 pm
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

Sterling Volvo have quite a few Brits working there , the ones I've met all seem happy with the move .
Best of luck .
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Old Jan 16th 2015, 3:34 pm
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

Originally Posted by flat to the mat
Sterling Volvo have quite a few Brits working there , the ones I've met all seem happy with the move .
Best of luck .
the guy who interviewed me was a true gent, he gave me his email and said if i find a house i like then let him know and he will go around and check it out , or if im struggling then they will put me up in a hotel while i go and look myself.
its tough because i dont know what regina is like and i dont know what areas to look at for houses that are suitable for my family with the dogs etc be nice to be farely close to some greenery/ water etc
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Old Jan 16th 2015, 4:29 pm
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

Try Lakeview/South Albert , anywhere but North Central
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Old Jan 16th 2015, 4:38 pm
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

Hi James,I made the move in 2007 from Edinburgh to Winnipeg.Im a truck driver and have been to Regina many times.Regina is a mini-boom town with lots of new housing and businesses.Recently other parts of Canada namely Alberta have been hit by the oil prices dropping but I couldnt say if this is the case with Regina.Maybe someone living there can confirm this for you.Regina is a small city ,there is small Brit community living there.The summers are warm but the winters are the extreme opposite ,temps can drop to-40c with lots of snow and winter lasts 6months.Its an experience!On the brightside it doesnt rain so much and not damp and grey clouds.
My advise to you on housing is,rent a apt. first rather than a house.It will keep costs down as you need heat your home all through winter .
If you make the move to Regina and after you get your PR ,you can move to a different part of Canada if Regina is not for your family.
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Old Jan 16th 2015, 4:51 pm
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Default Re: moving from highlands of scotland to Regina

Originally Posted by jamesmacc
Well the day has come, I have officially received a offer of employment. Here are some of the things it mentions, it sounds quite good but im a tad worried that we may be tight for cash as a nice house seems to be about $2000 a month in regina.

40 hours per week
$27 per hour
volvo dealership training
3 year contract
life insurance
medical insurance
dental and vision cover
RRSP plan after 12 months

they are willing to pay my travel and relocation costs up to $9000, this will be split into 3 payments , one at the end of every year

i will come out with roughly $43800 a year after all the taxes
James: my 2c as follows. If you are by yourself you will be able to get by on that kind of money. If you are coming with a wife and kids I'd suggest that your wife gets work ASAP. If she is able to get, say $30K a year, you will be able to survive very well. Otherwise, yes things will be tight. Not impossible though. Here's a ballpark (my expenses in Calgary which is slightly more expensive):
Mortgage: $2200 a month.
Electricity/Water/Gas: $500 a month
Car insurance: $150 a month
Cable TV/Internet: $200 a month
Groceries: $1200 a month. Includes $250 a week in supermarket and $200 a month for meat bought from Costco.
Gasoline: For a 30 MPG car: about $120 a month. For our 18MPG Truck about $200 a month.
Misc daily spending while at work: About $250 a month (lunch etc)
Home Insurance, Life Insurance: $300 a month.
Pay for my own dental/health: About $200 a month (approx $2000 a year).

Totals about: $5070 a month.

Now bear in mind there will be a slew of protesters saying "but but you can live on less than that. Yes you can if you CUT eg by renting an apartment instead of buying a house or renting a house".

For me this is what I'd describe as the costs (in Calgary) for about the basic "middle class" standard of living.
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