caretaker

Hope things work out James and we look forward to welcoming you to Canada.

jamesmc

james there are quite a few folk on here that live within traveling distance of Regina in smaller towns/villages ,they might come on tae give you an idea.
mind though south of Regina is /was going through a oil boom only time will tell.
looking a your figures, medical what is the cost bi weekly or is it 100% employer paid.
is it 100% dental,glasses etc or 80% and you pay the other20% of the bill.
its the wee things that make the difference.\jimmy

palmerq

I am also from the isle of skye, I think I left at around the same age as you too, I would recommend giving it a go, although a wife and 2 children could be pretty pricey but my friend here has 4 children and survives pretty well(it's hard work obviously) off 25 dollars an hour(5 days a week etc.) and his wife doesn't work.. I think if you're sensible with your money you'll do great, you might not be rolling in money but it'll be a very interesting change from life on skye.

Hemi Dave

Hey James, Congrats on the job offer!

As a fellow Scot, I completely understand your comments on the weather. The older you get, the more it depresses you. We escaped two years ago and haven't regretted a day here.

Yes, it gets cold here in winter. I'm in Southern Ontario, which is relatively warm compared to where you are heading, lol. But the thermometer hasn't gone above zero for a couple of weeks even here. However, it's doesn't feel as cold, because it's so dry.

There's a couple of weeks either side of winter where it gets a bit grey and damp, but not all year round like Scotland (apart from the fair fortnight, lol)

Crisp winter days here, with snow on the ground and blue skies are pretty common. My facebook friends are bored to death of me posting blue sky pictures all the time.

The big trade off you are going to have is lack of scenery, especially coming from Skye, possibly the prettiest place on the planet (when the sun comes out of course)

But, you will have a HUGE sky to marvel at up north.

Having a summer where you can plan events and barbeques etc is a massive bonus. I have always been into cars, and trying to organise a track day at Knock Hill was always a bit hit or miss, lol. You can plan with confidence here.

I'm not going to go into the financial stuff too much. I'm of the opinion that if you are working hard and earning a reasonable wage, then there's no reason you can't have a decent life. There's plenty of Canadians doing it after all.

What I will say though is "check the flyers every week!"

When are you expected to start the new job?

christmasoompa

That doesn't sound a great salary tbh, and in fact it's actually lower than the 'median' wage for your NOC code, which means a LMIA won't be granted anyway. Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics (NOC 7312-B) - Regina--Moose Mountain Region, Saskatchewan - wages (local) - Job Bank Has the company hired foreign workers before?

Also, it says a 3 year contract and 3 year relocation package, but you'd be incredibly unlikely to get a 3 year TWP, it would generally be a 1 or possibly 2 year TWP. Plus of course it doesn't make sense to have to wait 3 years for part of the relocation when you've had to pay it all up front. That $9k won't come close to covering the cost of moving your family to Canada, but at least it's something - you just need to negotiate having it paid within the first year rather than waiting for a time when you won't be on a TWP anyway.

Will you visit Regina before moving? Regina's not somewhere people usually choose to move to, they tend to go for a job rather than the city (unlike a more popular destination, somewhere like Toronto or Vancouver for example). I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Regina, but if your wife is going to be without a car, caring for young children, then could you at least visit first? Reading your posts it's clear you're worried about money, so it could be a big risk to move and then decide you hate it and want to come back to the UK as that would be tens of thousands of pounds down the drain.

Just my thoughts having read your posts, I wish you the best of luck in deciding and hope you can make it work.

scootb

**** Calgary is expensive and someone has expensive tastes in shopping!
My shopping for a family of 5 comes in at around $600-$800/monthly,internet/TV/phone $130,gas for the 5.0 F150 $120-$300 depending on how much shooting/off roading I do,insurance $150,rent is $1400 no where near $5000/month,thats just insane spending!!!

Dental,scripts,optician,etc.. are all covered for me by my union,I can live pretty damn comfortably on about $3,000 and I'm eating steak 3 times a week roughly.

jamesmacc

Thanks for your in depth reply, I am starting on the lowest salary they advertised which was $27, although they are putting me through 12 months of volvo training , after that i should be on about $32 or so.
I wondered the samething about the 3 year contract when my work permit is going to be likely 2 years at max. I am emailing them to see what happens if i dont get residency afterwards and breach the contract. Do you think its cheeky to ask for all the relocation assistance after 12 months rather than split over 3 years, also do you think it would be cheeky to ask for a higher hourly rate? Im not sure how these offers work, if there set in stone or if there offer is final at whats listed on it.
I have never been to regina nor any other region in canada but i will be moving out before my wife so that i can get set up with a house and more importantly make sure the area is suitable for us etc .
The company has taken on quite a few brits in the last year so have experience with foreign workers
cheers
James

christmasoompa

As above, if the salary isn't at least the 'median' range, the LMIA won't be granted anyway, so unless they increase the hourly rate you wouldn't get a visa. It may just be that last time they hired a foreign worker it was lower (or perhaps they last applied before the LMIA rule changes), so you might want to send them the link above and info on the minimum requirements for the wage. http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/forei...PrevailingWage They might also want to note that the job needs to have been advertised at the median salary or higher, so if they've advertised it at $27ph, they'll need to readvertise at the higher rate and then show no Canadians would do the job for that salary.

And yes, it'll it was me I'd definitely ask for the relocation money all in one lump sum. what's the point in getting it three years after you've had to spend out, seems very odd to me!

Given the cost in moving your family (see this thread for figures, and add a bit on as it's from a while ago - http://britishexpats.com/forum/canad...canada-735341/), I don't think it's unreasonable to ask them to pay the relocation package earlier. I wonder if they have it at 3 years so you're tied to them for longer, even potentially after you've got PR?

Good luck.

Juggernaut1064

That pay rate seems low ? I had city drivers (HGV) based in Regina being paid that and your a tech i would expect to be paid higher ?
I only know of one other place that brings in techs and thats Maxim in Winnipeg (wait for the winterpeg jokes lol) I walked in there when i was still driving and the whole service area was staffed by brits !!! Heres a link for their site contact them even if only to compare packages ?

Welcome to Maxim Truck & Trailer | Maxim Truck & Trailer

There is a national shortage of heavy duty (HGV) diesel techs so the possible slow down in Alberta is unlikely to affect demand here. Grand Prairie AB Techs command $40+ per hour, I haven't found any other listings for AB Diesel Techs.

In my opinion as a recruiter they are spreading your relocation costs over three years so you don't quit and go somewhere else ! As i said theres a national shortage of diesel techs and as suggested, don't buy a place, rent one as you may decide to take advantage of that shortage and move to a much better paid position possibly in a different province.

neilcumming

Maxim has a nice place .I have dropped off trucks there for servicing too.
As for the winter in Winnipeg(or Winterpeg as its know) it is very similiar to Regina eg ass freezingly cold!
A good place to look for rentals and to compare different prices and cities is Kijiji.ca.I had a check and saw some apts for $800 a month in Regina ,all depends on what your looking for.

Juggernaut1064

I rented a two bed apartment in Winnipeg incl heat and water and 1 parking stall, AC/Stove/Fridge/Dish washer for $800 (Likely be more now)
Very quiet and safe area too.
I checked, they have gone up, mine didnt have a balcony so was cheaper, heres a link just to view:

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-2-bedroom-apa...ationFlag=true