annual leave
Mar 14th 2007, 3:35 pm
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 8
annual leave
hi all,
new to the web site. my wife and i have had our visas since feb 2006 and we went to vancouver to 'activate' them in august 2006,(only stayed for two weeks).
why?, you are all wondering, well work seems abundant in vancouver,(me-steel fabricator, my wife retail manager), and we have made enough on our house sale for a good deposit, possibly in the further outlying suburbs, it boils down to two weeks holiday a year, thats all you get. i had an interview at a shipyard and they told me 2 weeks after a full year of employment, then you get 3weeks after 5 years, then 4 weeks after 10 years!!!!!. we checked out job agencies/other firms etc and it appears to be the case no matter what job you do.
in my job,(hard physical + dirty + shifts + overtime), I need my time away from work , i get six weeks where i work now and so does my wife. so even though the canadians get 2 more bank holidays than us i'm afraid we couldn't live in canada under those working conditions. its amazing how many people don't know this,(even people planning to emigrate to canada). also we had to wait 2 years for our visa which kinda took the shine off it.
so as we still want to emigrate we applied for oz in june 2006 and are awaiting the arrival of our visa confirmation within the next few weeks,(and yes the ozzies have 4-5 weeks off at least a year).
i had lived in oz before and should have gone with what i knew but my wife fancied canada until we found out about the holidays situation, which we only did about the time we got our visas.
i'm sorry if this puts a downer on anyone one but if the canadian authorities want to attract more skilled migrants,(as they say they do), i can't see many european ones fancying a 50 week a year work schedule.
back row
new to the web site. my wife and i have had our visas since feb 2006 and we went to vancouver to 'activate' them in august 2006,(only stayed for two weeks).
why?, you are all wondering, well work seems abundant in vancouver,(me-steel fabricator, my wife retail manager), and we have made enough on our house sale for a good deposit, possibly in the further outlying suburbs, it boils down to two weeks holiday a year, thats all you get. i had an interview at a shipyard and they told me 2 weeks after a full year of employment, then you get 3weeks after 5 years, then 4 weeks after 10 years!!!!!. we checked out job agencies/other firms etc and it appears to be the case no matter what job you do.
in my job,(hard physical + dirty + shifts + overtime), I need my time away from work , i get six weeks where i work now and so does my wife. so even though the canadians get 2 more bank holidays than us i'm afraid we couldn't live in canada under those working conditions. its amazing how many people don't know this,(even people planning to emigrate to canada). also we had to wait 2 years for our visa which kinda took the shine off it.
so as we still want to emigrate we applied for oz in june 2006 and are awaiting the arrival of our visa confirmation within the next few weeks,(and yes the ozzies have 4-5 weeks off at least a year).
i had lived in oz before and should have gone with what i knew but my wife fancied canada until we found out about the holidays situation, which we only did about the time we got our visas.
i'm sorry if this puts a downer on anyone one but if the canadian authorities want to attract more skilled migrants,(as they say they do), i can't see many european ones fancying a 50 week a year work schedule.
back row
Mar 14th 2007, 3:38 pm
#2
Banned
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: In Limbo
Posts: 15,706
Re: annual leave
Hi (again) Mate,
Ok thanks for expanding on your post in the Meet and Greet.
Good luck in Oz, which state\city you hoping to finish up in?
Butch
Ok thanks for expanding on your post in the Meet and Greet.
Good luck in Oz, which state\city you hoping to finish up in?
Butch
Mar 14th 2007, 3:43 pm
#3
Suzy Q
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: AIRDIRE, ALBERTA,CANADA!!!!!
Posts: 355
Re: annual leave
The fog has cleared and I can understand your reasons. Good luck in Oz.
ps If my med requests don't come soon I may well go to Oz myself!!!
ps If my med requests don't come soon I may well go to Oz myself!!!
Mar 14th 2007, 3:50 pm
#4
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 8
Re: annual leave
hi all,
we are landing in perth for 3 weeks to see friends then we are flying to a place called the illawarra ,(2 hours south of sydney), its quite industrial,(good for my job), and i have family there. the work situation is not as good as perth,which is booming, but i have worked in perth before and the heat killed me. the illawarra region has a more even temprature,(rarely gets above 30c), and the houses are cheaper, so thats why we've decided to go there.
back row
we are landing in perth for 3 weeks to see friends then we are flying to a place called the illawarra ,(2 hours south of sydney), its quite industrial,(good for my job), and i have family there. the work situation is not as good as perth,which is booming, but i have worked in perth before and the heat killed me. the illawarra region has a more even temprature,(rarely gets above 30c), and the houses are cheaper, so thats why we've decided to go there.
back row
Mar 14th 2007, 8:11 pm
#5
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Toronto. ON
Posts: 919
Re: annual leave
Forgive me but I cannot understand how this never came up in your research prior to waiting endless months for a visa?
hi all,
new to the web site. my wife and i have had our visas since feb 2006 and we went to vancouver to 'activate' them in august 2006,(only stayed for two weeks).
why?, you are all wondering, well work seems abundant in vancouver,(me-steel fabricator, my wife retail manager), and we have made enough on our house sale for a good deposit, possibly in the further outlying suburbs, it boils down to two weeks holiday a year, thats all you get. i had an interview at a shipyard and they told me 2 weeks after a full year of employment, then you get 3weeks after 5 years, then 4 weeks after 10 years!!!!!. we checked out job agencies/other firms etc and it appears to be the case no matter what job you do.
in my job,(hard physical + dirty + shifts + overtime), I need my time away from work , i get six weeks where i work now and so does my wife. so even though the canadians get 2 more bank holidays than us i'm afraid we couldn't live in canada under those working conditions. its amazing how many people don't know this,(even people planning to emigrate to canada). also we had to wait 2 years for our visa which kinda took the shine off it.
so as we still want to emigrate we applied for oz in june 2006 and are awaiting the arrival of our visa confirmation within the next few weeks,(and yes the ozzies have 4-5 weeks off at least a year).
i had lived in oz before and should have gone with what i knew but my wife fancied canada until we found out about the holidays situation, which we only did about the time we got our visas.
i'm sorry if this puts a downer on anyone one but if the canadian authorities want to attract more skilled migrants,(as they say they do), i can't see many european ones fancying a 50 week a year work schedule.
back row
new to the web site. my wife and i have had our visas since feb 2006 and we went to vancouver to 'activate' them in august 2006,(only stayed for two weeks).
why?, you are all wondering, well work seems abundant in vancouver,(me-steel fabricator, my wife retail manager), and we have made enough on our house sale for a good deposit, possibly in the further outlying suburbs, it boils down to two weeks holiday a year, thats all you get. i had an interview at a shipyard and they told me 2 weeks after a full year of employment, then you get 3weeks after 5 years, then 4 weeks after 10 years!!!!!. we checked out job agencies/other firms etc and it appears to be the case no matter what job you do.
in my job,(hard physical + dirty + shifts + overtime), I need my time away from work , i get six weeks where i work now and so does my wife. so even though the canadians get 2 more bank holidays than us i'm afraid we couldn't live in canada under those working conditions. its amazing how many people don't know this,(even people planning to emigrate to canada). also we had to wait 2 years for our visa which kinda took the shine off it.
so as we still want to emigrate we applied for oz in june 2006 and are awaiting the arrival of our visa confirmation within the next few weeks,(and yes the ozzies have 4-5 weeks off at least a year).
i had lived in oz before and should have gone with what i knew but my wife fancied canada until we found out about the holidays situation, which we only did about the time we got our visas.
i'm sorry if this puts a downer on anyone one but if the canadian authorities want to attract more skilled migrants,(as they say they do), i can't see many european ones fancying a 50 week a year work schedule.
back row
Mar 14th 2007, 8:45 pm
#6
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 8
Re: annual leave
we did research our proposed move to canada, and we both felt that the things we did'nt like about the country,(high vancouver house prices being one), were acceptable for a better life. we would still consider canada if we do not get into oz for, as we both feel the uk is going nowhere fast. but the two weeks holiday thing was the straw that broke the camels back. i only found out by reading a book called 'living and working in canada', and it was one paragraph which could easily be missed. it just did not occur to us that a modern cultured country like canada would only give its workers 2 weeks off a year, until you realise how tied to the US economy they are and its quite common for the americans to get only two weeks also.
so next time you watch an american film and someone says,' i haven't had a vacation in years', you know why.
back row
so next time you watch an american film and someone says,' i haven't had a vacation in years', you know why.
back row
Mar 14th 2007, 9:11 pm
#7
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 494
Re: annual leave
This if often discussed and it does seem to vary with jobs/posters.
Anway, I was interested so I did a wee search on the Oz forum and it seems it is often discussed there too!
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ay+entitlement
It does seem more generous but can vary according to the employer.
Anway, I was interested so I did a wee search on the Oz forum and it seems it is often discussed there too!
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ay+entitlement
It does seem more generous but can vary according to the employer.
Mar 19th 2007, 4:13 pm
#8
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2004
Location: vancouver island! BC Canada~ Lovin it!
Posts: 1,883
Re: annual leave
hi there good luck with your future plans.
as an aussie...moved to canada to be with my canadian husband. i can say it was a bit of a surprise to discover that 2 weeks is more the norm rather than the exception.
husband has worked same company 6 years. first 5 was 2 weeks vacation time per year now he has 3 weeks....hehehee
however with saying that i am awaiting for news on a position i applied for in health care which offers 3 weeks holidays for the first x amount of years. plus public holiday leave with pay, and health benefits (which you do NOT get in australia with your job, well none that i know of)
i do agree it is a huge factor to consider. -especialy when moving to another country and wanting to plan return trips home to visit with family/friends etc.
so i can see there is some pay offs. Australia longer vacation time...Canada health benefits. i am realising more and more that there is benefits to both.
have to follow what feels right for yourself.
as an aussie...moved to canada to be with my canadian husband. i can say it was a bit of a surprise to discover that 2 weeks is more the norm rather than the exception.
husband has worked same company 6 years. first 5 was 2 weeks vacation time per year now he has 3 weeks....hehehee
however with saying that i am awaiting for news on a position i applied for in health care which offers 3 weeks holidays for the first x amount of years. plus public holiday leave with pay, and health benefits (which you do NOT get in australia with your job, well none that i know of)
i do agree it is a huge factor to consider. -especialy when moving to another country and wanting to plan return trips home to visit with family/friends etc.
so i can see there is some pay offs. Australia longer vacation time...Canada health benefits. i am realising more and more that there is benefits to both.
have to follow what feels right for yourself.
Mar 19th 2007, 4:28 pm
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: northamptonshire onway to Calgary
Posts: 221
Re: annual leave
i read the same book !! that is a bitter pill !my employer will pay 10% on top of wages each fortnight, for vacation! when i asked about how much time off he said thats up to you and work load
it does make you think why bother getting an RV for just two weeks
it does make you think why bother getting an RV for just two weeks
Mar 19th 2007, 5:10 pm
#10
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 50
Re: annual leave
Hi,
With regards to annual leave,my future employer in Victoria has said that He pays me 4% on top of my hourly rate.How long I take is up to me as long as I am reasonable.
Four -five weeks is good for me.come on you have to have your holidays!
With regards to annual leave,my future employer in Victoria has said that He pays me 4% on top of my hourly rate.How long I take is up to me as long as I am reasonable.
Four -five weeks is good for me.come on you have to have your holidays!
Mar 19th 2007, 5:12 pm
#11
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Oakville, ON
Posts: 147
Re: annual leave
I was grumbling about my leave that will go down from 30 days to 20 days 
. Still better off than what most others are getting
. I guess that across the board you get less leave when you get there. The irritating thing is that they discount previous experience when they allocate leave. So the guy next to you who has worked 10 yrs in the company gets more than you who has equivalent experience and have decided to move to a new country. I would think that you may require more leave to enable you to visit your old country and see your new one
.
. Still better off than what most others are getting . I guess that across the board you get less leave when you get there. The irritating thing is that they discount previous experience when they allocate leave. So the guy next to you who has worked 10 yrs in the company gets more than you who has equivalent experience and have decided to move to a new country. I would think that you may require more leave to enable you to visit your old country and see your new one .
Mar 19th 2007, 5:29 pm
#12
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: The Vancouver Suburbs... for the next few years anyway!
Posts: 558
Re: annual leave
hi all,
new to the web site. my wife and i have had our visas since feb 2006 and we went to vancouver to 'activate' them in august 2006,(only stayed for two weeks).
why?, you are all wondering, well work seems abundant in vancouver,(me-steel fabricator, my wife retail manager), and we have made enough on our house sale for a good deposit, possibly in the further outlying suburbs, it boils down to two weeks holiday a year, thats all you get. i had an interview at a shipyard and they told me 2 weeks after a full year of employment, then you get 3weeks after 5 years, then 4 weeks after 10 years!!!!!. we checked out job agencies/other firms etc and it appears to be the case no matter what job you do.
in my job,(hard physical + dirty + shifts + overtime), I need my time away from work , i get six weeks where i work now and so does my wife. so even though the canadians get 2 more bank holidays than us i'm afraid we couldn't live in canada under those working conditions. its amazing how many people don't know this,(even people planning to emigrate to canada). also we had to wait 2 years for our visa which kinda took the shine off it.
so as we still want to emigrate we applied for oz in june 2006 and are awaiting the arrival of our visa confirmation within the next few weeks,(and yes the ozzies have 4-5 weeks off at least a year).
i had lived in oz before and should have gone with what i knew but my wife fancied canada until we found out about the holidays situation, which we only did about the time we got our visas.
i'm sorry if this puts a downer on anyone one but if the canadian authorities want to attract more skilled migrants,(as they say they do), i can't see many european ones fancying a 50 week a year work schedule.
back row
new to the web site. my wife and i have had our visas since feb 2006 and we went to vancouver to 'activate' them in august 2006,(only stayed for two weeks).
why?, you are all wondering, well work seems abundant in vancouver,(me-steel fabricator, my wife retail manager), and we have made enough on our house sale for a good deposit, possibly in the further outlying suburbs, it boils down to two weeks holiday a year, thats all you get. i had an interview at a shipyard and they told me 2 weeks after a full year of employment, then you get 3weeks after 5 years, then 4 weeks after 10 years!!!!!. we checked out job agencies/other firms etc and it appears to be the case no matter what job you do.
in my job,(hard physical + dirty + shifts + overtime), I need my time away from work , i get six weeks where i work now and so does my wife. so even though the canadians get 2 more bank holidays than us i'm afraid we couldn't live in canada under those working conditions. its amazing how many people don't know this,(even people planning to emigrate to canada). also we had to wait 2 years for our visa which kinda took the shine off it.
so as we still want to emigrate we applied for oz in june 2006 and are awaiting the arrival of our visa confirmation within the next few weeks,(and yes the ozzies have 4-5 weeks off at least a year).
i had lived in oz before and should have gone with what i knew but my wife fancied canada until we found out about the holidays situation, which we only did about the time we got our visas.
i'm sorry if this puts a downer on anyone one but if the canadian authorities want to attract more skilled migrants,(as they say they do), i can't see many european ones fancying a 50 week a year work schedule.
back row
Mar 19th 2007, 7:38 pm
#13
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jul 2006
Location: Cochrane, Alberta
Posts: 7,861
Re: annual leave
We're going from 28 days down to 12 days 
but with the opportunity to 'bank' time off instead of overtime. Think that might be happening alot !
Or we'll be going on the only-one-parent-at-a-time holiday !
but with the opportunity to 'bank' time off instead of overtime. Think that might be happening alot ! Or we'll be going on the only-one-parent-at-a-time holiday !
Mar 19th 2007, 9:51 pm
#14
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: British Columbia
Posts: 470
Re: annual leave
That's exactly what I ended up doing, one parent holidays and it wasn't fun
Mar 20th 2007, 4:20 am
#15
Ontario
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 403
Re: annual leave
At the end of the day we feel its a small price to pay, we still get the bank hoildays in Canada that makes your 2 weeks grow into 4 weeks ok you can`t lump them together but I never had more than a 2 week full hoilday in the UK.
The rest of our hoildays where taken with sick kids, the odd long week end, ect, ect Ok hubby had the 6 weeks off but hey he still went on only 2 weeks off with the family once a year the rest was used up with the school hoildays and dentist and all the other things in life you do ....
2007
New Year's Day 1 Jan
Good Friday 6 Apr
Easter Monday 9 Apr
Early May Bank Holiday 7 May
Spring Bank Holiday 28 May
Summer Bank Holiday 27 Aug
Christmas Day 25 Dec
Boxing Day 26 Dec
January 1 Monday New Year's Day Federal -- National
April 6 Friday Good Friday Federal -- National
May 21 Monday Victoria Day Federal -- National
*July 1 Sunday Canada Day Federal -- National
August 6 Monday Civic Holiday --Ontario
September 3 Monday Labour Day Federal -- National
October 8 Monday Thanksgiving Day Federal -- National
*November 11 Sunday Remembrance Day Federal -- National
December 25 Tuesday Christmas Day Federal -- National
December 26 Wednesday Boxing Day Federal -- National
It depends why your wanting to move in the first place, Oh didn`t I tell you all? I seen my first ever wild beaver today, Now thats one of the reasons I love it so much here..........................
The rest of our hoildays where taken with sick kids, the odd long week end, ect, ect Ok hubby had the 6 weeks off but hey he still went on only 2 weeks off with the family once a year the rest was used up with the school hoildays and dentist and all the other things in life you do ....
2007
New Year's Day 1 Jan
Good Friday 6 Apr
Easter Monday 9 Apr
Early May Bank Holiday 7 May
Spring Bank Holiday 28 May
Summer Bank Holiday 27 Aug
Christmas Day 25 Dec
Boxing Day 26 Dec
January 1 Monday New Year's Day Federal -- National
April 6 Friday Good Friday Federal -- National
May 21 Monday Victoria Day Federal -- National
*July 1 Sunday Canada Day Federal -- National
August 6 Monday Civic Holiday --Ontario
September 3 Monday Labour Day Federal -- National
October 8 Monday Thanksgiving Day Federal -- National
*November 11 Sunday Remembrance Day Federal -- National
December 25 Tuesday Christmas Day Federal -- National
December 26 Wednesday Boxing Day Federal -- National
It depends why your wanting to move in the first place, Oh didn`t I tell you all? I seen my first ever wild beaver today, Now thats one of the reasons I love it so much here..........................