not2old

post#13 & post#14 great comments

OP, I'm not discouraging you from coming to Canada, yet, its always better to find out any obstacles or drawbacks first.

Now if the OP keeps trying the IEC they may get in. That done its about money, jobs & the rest. The other option is go the immigration route

begin with the following

Category:Canadian Immigration : British Expat Wiki

TheGummys

If I was in your position I would definitely go for the experience if nothing else. If you get the IEC visa then essentially you're just putting your UK life on hold for a while without burning any bridges...if it doesn't work out you can come back and carry on.

Do it before you get bogged down with mortgages, furniture, pets and all those other things that make it difficult to just pick yourself up and move away!

Paul_Shepherd

I agree i think he should do this. It was a bit more of a gamble when i did it, as i was 38, but like OP had no ties, and no reason to stay in UK, so that was the final push.

The first 9months to a year was very tough, but i dont regret the move one bit. If i had to make an overall assessment, I would say i am happier in Canada, and i cant see that changing.

So to OP do it! youre 25, zero ties and always wanted to live in North America, you have nothing to lose!

As my signature line says, regret what you have done, not what you havent!

Piff Poff

OH earns 4x what he earned in the UK so monetary gain has been beneficial for him, he doesn't enjoy his work so much. Career wise for me went down the pan, needs changed desires changed and ive just bumbled from one dead end job to another, if I wanted to work evenings and weekends things would be different. I wouldn't say life was better or worse, we just find where we are a little less fulfilling than we hoped, therefore a move to a different Province is on the cards.

We've got friends who have been here 50 years and hate it and know other lifers that wouldn't turn back the clock for anything.

Your young with no ties, do some exploring and see where life takes you. Some friends of ours, son has the travelling bug, he spent a couple of years travelling and is just back getting his electrician certificate before he heads off again.

Teaandtoday5

A second for this

MR Tea&T and I wanted to live abroad when we were your age. Took us 20 years to get round to it though.

ExKiwilass

I left NZ at 23. Do it.

My impression is that it's much easier when you are younger.

haggis88

I moved here at 23...dunno if my life would be better or worse had i stayed, but it's definitely different, mostly positive.

They always say, the grass isn't always greener...just fed with a different kind of manure

scootb

I came over with my missus,3 kids,and our dog.
So far we have no complaints.
Winters are colder,but for us they are dry with mostly blue sun filled skies compared to the constant black cloud blanket that seems to hover over the west of Scotland.
Mossies are a pain,but when you are used to swarming midge clouds they don't feel so bad.
Cell phone plans aren't too bad,they have gotten pretty reasonable now,cheaper than what I paid in the UK when I left for sure.

My kids love school here(everyone thinks my 10 year old is Merida from Brave lol),my job is fairly easy and I earn 3 times what I earned in the UK,plus now I usually get as much overtime as I can handle,last year I earned 4 times the best wage I ever earned in the UK(I done lots of overtime)
We will never return to the UK to live,the missus wants to go back in a couple of years for a holiday,I would rather travel north and explore the northern areas of the Rockies for a week or two.

When I first mentioned it to my father he told me to go for it or I would regret it,we are glad we took the chance!

Like others have said,you are young,no commitments,try get an IEC and go travel Canada and see how you like the place,I heard that UK IEC is now valid for 2 years instead of just the one.

Jericho79

Interesting.

I've expressed a desire to move back to the Uk recently, whereas my wife is dead against it. She's adamant that our kids' future is better here compared to the UK. I'd say there's not much difference between the two, but I'd give the UK the edge due to the cultural enrichment.

not2old

yer reckon the OP is either confused or is about to get going?

My opinion is that 'you have it in you or you don't to be an wanderlust immigrant' & the OP seems totally unsure. Is it maybe a pipe dream, or because he is unable to leave the nest - that's my opinion

OP, come back & give us your thoughts on all the posts

MarylandNed

Wow. That seems like such a waste of a life.

Aviator

Answers on here, will never answer the question for you or help you make a for you. Lots of folks like it, some hate it, all for different reasons and circumstances that are as individual as they are. Some would hate it wherever they are.

I did OK in the UK and I have done OK in Canada. The lifestyle suits us very well, but then it did in the UK as well. Of the 2, I prefer the Canadian lifestyle and the mountains around us.

Piff Poff

Oh they have done so much with their lives, more than most people could even imagine. Alberta was a 2nd choice. She's never been back to the UK, he has once in the 80s. Too many animals have made moving back prohibitive. They've had very full lives, they've just not relished Alberta.

scilly

We left the UK in 1967, 5 days after we married. OH had an 18 month contract in Texas, he'd done 6 months, so we had 12 months to do as a young married couple, no emcumbrances.

We were thinking of returning to England after 2 years ............ so he looked for another job, and choose the one in Vancouver.

We arrived here in August 1968, and are still here.

What can I say?

Yes, Canada has been very good to us

Yes, life here has been better than I think it would have been if we had stayed in the UK

BUT we both had university degrees, we both worked at a university, we both earned good salaries, we've travelled all over the world, and have a private pension beyond our wildest dreams!

If we had stayed in the UK, it is probable that one of us, at least, would have worked in a university, that we would both have earned good salaries. Not sure about the pension!

Have we ever regretted it? NO!

Would we do it again? Knowing what I know now, yes. Only knowing what I knew then ........... which was I'd love to see more of the world while we're young ....... YES!


Go for it .......... but be prepared to find it a little hard at first if you are coming on your own. It can be a little difficult to make new friends, and jobs could be hard to get. As one of the posters said .............. distances are much farther than in the UK, and so there are less opportunities for working in a particular industry within a reasonable driving distance.


I'd say try it while you are still young ................ don't risk come back on here in 30 years saying how much you regret now doing it

orly

Depends where in the UK you're coming from and where in Canada you're going to. There's a slight difference of perspective if you come from Cornwall to Toronto as opposed to London to Prince Edward Island.

Also depends if you're really set up for the change. Some people never really adjust to the climate/weather or being away from their family/friends back in the UK. Others don't embrace Canadian culture or flat out deny that it exists in the first place.

I personally much prefer SW Ontario to Northern Ireland. The weather is more extreme but preferable to general rain and wind most days. Opportunities are greater. The people are generally nicer in my experience. That's mostly due to the Canadian affliction of not wanting to express strong opinions on anything lest someone gets offended. I feel, if/when the time comes, that my children would be better served growing up in Canada.

(You'd do well to start following ice hockey)