Vulcanoid

I can't speak for 'the suburbs'. You don't have to 'recognise' it - it's a very well documented issue. If the articles above weren't enough, have some more.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...skforce-canada

https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/c...really_lonely/

Survey says Vancouver a lonely place to be

Daphne Bramham: Lonely in Vancouver? Maybe it’s not as bad as the numbers suggest

Life of solitude: A loneliness crisis is looming - The Globe and Mail

(Although I do think the last one, claiming life in Kabul with bombs going off outside is better than Vancouver's social isolation is grasping at straws!)

It's entirely possible that you've had a different experience, and dispute the frequently argued position. But, like it or not, Vancouver has a reputation (in my experience, somewhat deserved) for being very hard to make friends.

scrubbedexpat091

I have lived in Vancouver as well as the suburbs of Vancouver, and the burbs in my experience are a bit friendlier and easier to meet people.

Vancouver proper, even when I say hello to someone, it's rare to even be acknowledged, talk to someone on transit and they look like you are an alien from space. Overall I have not found Vancouver proper to be an easy place to make friends or even meet people.

dbd33

Loath as I am to defend the town of the insufferably athletic stoners, I do wonder how different this is from other cities. If someone spoke to me on a tram in Toronto or on the tube I'd think them somehow mad and ignore them.

I found Toronto to be friendly in the sense that after a couple of years of living next door to someone they'd nod at me on the street and wave "cheers" across the pub. I would not expect direct conversation, knowing each other's names, until long after that. I wonder if people complaining that Vancouver is unfriendly are expecting a degree of familiarity that might be normal in Newfoundland or Nova Scotia but which would seem uncomfortable in Surbiton.

Charleybear

Hi again,
Thanks so much for all the advice. We've lived in London so are used to people being a bit off, but would like to then go home to somewhere out of the city where people are slightly better.
I will definitely look into all the places everyone suggested. Thanks. Sorry I can't keep changing pages but the person'Souvey?' Where do you live? I googled Ottineau but nothing came up?
JonboyE the info you put about schools was so helpful. Thanks! I have a Trinity Diploma as well as a TESOL. I have contacted schools and they've said my qualifications are fine to teach, but my mate said her friend teaches for the government (opposed to a private language school) and had to take a test to transfer their quals to teach there. I googled and can't find anything. I don't suppose you have any idea? The people being rude on my other forum thing say very nasty things, not necessarily swearing but very personal things. It's all women and emotional!
I know this is very particular, but are people in shops friendly? Where we live now, not even customer service is friendly, so it would take much to upgrade from that!
My husband found a place called Maple ridge which is gorgeous! If I could find a school on the outskirts of the city, that would work.
So in everyone's opinion, where is the friendliest place?

Vulcanoid

That's going to be an abbreviation for Ottawa/Gatineau, the capital region (on the Ontario/Quebec border)

Siouxie

https://www.tesl.ca/certification/te...tification-faq
https://www.bcteacherregulation.ca/T...tesIssued.aspx

From UBC:

Charleybear

Awesome. Thank you both!

JonboyE

Teaching in the public (i.e. state) schools is heavily regulated. You need to be licensed by the Province and have to jump through various hoops to get the license. There is some information here Teacher Certification - Province of British Columbia

It has traditionally been a slog to get a permanent position. Teaching in the public sector is unionized and seniority counts for everything. Once licensed you have to act as a supply teacher or on temporary contract to a school district. This can take several years until the union decides your face fits. You can speed things up a bit if you teach a specialized subject or are prepared to teach in remote locations. On the other hand, once you are in, you are in.

The advice often given here, and I don't disagree, is do not rely on teaching as the main source of family income for a few years. It can be done. Several occasional posters here are teachers originally from the UK.

Yes. To an extent that the more miserable Brits find over-friendly and insincere.

Something to keep in mind is that most social interactions are at a friendlier level than in Europe. It is a social convention and just because someone is friendly to you it does not necessarily mean they want to be friends with you. They might, but most likely they are just being what they see as polite and neighborly.

We have a few posters on here who live in Maple Ridge.

Photoplex

If you live on the west side of the city, and the weather is clear.


Not sure if it's been mentioned, but you can get fantastic lakes and mountains in and around the Kamloops/Shuswap areas of BC. Not sure how much work there is in your field, but worth considering. It's a desert(ish) climate in the summer, snowy in the winter, and has several good ski resorts nearby (Silver Star, Sun Peaks etc).

Atlantic Xpat

Putting aside the fact that the OP's desired lifestyle would likely be financially unachievable on an ESL teachers income, where in Canada can one have mountains, water and public transit to get between one's home-with-space, mountains and lakes/oceans? Can one get the bus from Vancouver or suburbs to The Rockies? Or from Calgary or Edmonton?

Photoplex

Parks Canada is starting up a regular transit service between Calgary and Banff.

There's also car2go, which you could consider as public transportation too. I know a couple of people who live in Calgary without a car, and use car2go for day trips out to the mountains.

JonboyE

No need to get to the Rockies. The mountains are here. The Coast Range ends at Vancouver. North Vancouver and West Vancouver are built on them. Easily accessible by transit.

Mountains? - check
Sea? - check
ESL schools? - check
Affordable homes? - not so much.

dbd33

My daughter in Vancouver routinely caught the bus to go skiing, while she was still a student and could afford to do so. That's certainly possible.

Souvy

Correct. It's a name I invented a few years ago. It's quite apt but it doesn't actually exist outside of BE.

AlexInBC

where in Canada can one have mountains, water and public transit to get between one's home-with-space, mountains and lakes/oceans?

Nope to the public transit, but where I live is cheap, has a small ESL college, we're where 3 mountain ranges converge and have plenty of stunning lakes and rivers within 10 mins drive.

**** all to do if you don't like the outdoors though, LOL!

Location | Rocky Mountain English College