Loraine 1

Hi,

I'm finding this website very interesting and have seen some great threads.

My other half and me are going to submit our applications this year I just wondered if there are any AAT qualified peeps on here who have made it in Canada who can offer a little insight? I'm interested in any info really, but things like how you found the job search process? Did you have to re-qualify to find work? Were there plenty of opportunities or did you struggle? Are the accounts processes very different? Do you find your financially better off, have a better standard of living?

Any insight would be most appreciated

Thanks
Loraine 1 x

SchnookoLoly

One thing you may want to look into doing is if you have your ACA designation, you should look at the agreement with Canada. Canada will formally recognise your ACA qualification and will admit you to the Canadian Chartered Accountants board (can't remember their actual name). It's some paperwork to fill it out, but it's worth doing as then having an actual Canadian qualification can help with your application.

(My husband is an ACA and is in the process of doing the paperwork to get his CA, though he's stalled on it since he already has a job!)

As for job opportunities, recruiters are probably one of the best bets for getting into this area. (If you're heading to Toronto and looking for accounting/audit jobs, PM me and I can recommend a few.)

As for there being opportunities - you will very much struggle if you aren't in Canada already. It's not impossible - my husband got his job while still in the UK, however we came to Canada for 2 weeks, and told recruiters well in advance this was our plan so that we could have interviews set up in that time. The employers were good about "fast-tracking" the interviews so they could be completed while we were in Canada, and then they sorted out all the paperwork when we were in the UK.

Accounts process - can't comment... I have something in the back of my mind saying that my husband may have had to do an extra course or something if he was going to be using his ACA/CA to actually audit/sign accounts but he's not in that area so it wasn't an issue for him, so I don't quite remember.

As for being financially better off, the job he got is paying him a tiny bit less than he was earning in the UK, but not by much. A small pay cut is expected, salaries here are generally a bit lower (particularly now with the exchange rate going down the tubes). Be aware, holiday is also much less here, though depending on your seniority you can often negotiate 4 weeks, which is what my husband was offered straight-out (I had to negotiate for it in my job, they only wanted to offer 3 but I held out and got it). There are also 9 stat holidays here (UK has 8) and if you're working for government or a bank then there are 2 additional ones (Remembrance Day, 11 November, and Civic Holiday, first Monday in August).

Standard of living - this is a big "it depends". My husband and I are living in West GTA, he commutes on the train to work, I drive. We don't live a particularly lavish lifestyle - don't go out all that often, and don't splurge out on expensive restaurants (normally). We are finding cost of living broadly evening out. Produce is more expensive, but packaged goods are cheaper. Car and gas prices are cheaper, but car insurance is notably more expensive. Real estate is better value (mostly), but property taxes are high(ish). Clothing and entertainment is cheaper (generally), transit is more expensive and not as robust. For us we've broadly found that it evens out and we don't feel notably different than we did in the UK - what our house money will buy is is really the big difference, but we comparing GTA to London Suburbs. Not sure how central London vs downtown Toronto compares...

Hope that helps! Out of curiosity, what route are you using to get to Canada?

Loraine 1

Hello and thanks for such an informative reply.

My other half has had a very interesting interview that we're hoping will result in a job offer. If not we're thinking of going down the PR route. We did look at me going as a student to get my CA so he could come and find work but that works out very expensive and we'd like to use that money to help with our initial start up there. He's an IT wiz so we're hoping it be to hard to him to find work.

We've been to Toronto and Ottawa and we're going to Calgary and Edmonton later this year. Fingers crossed we might even lucky enough to secure an interview or two while we're there.

How do you find living in Toronto?

SchnookoLoly

[QUOTE=Loraine 1;11193049]Hello and thanks for such an informative reply.

My other half has had a very interesting interview that we're hoping will result in a job offer. If not we're thinking of going down the PR route. [\quote]

Hmm... you say below your husband is in IT as well... the issue is that once he has a job offer, the employer will need to apply for an LMO for him... this is just my opinion and I may be totally wrong but I don't think IT positions have great luck with having LMOs granted... I doubt the employer could demonstrate that they were not able to find a qualified or willing Canadian for the role. Of course if your husband is in something very specialized then that might be a different story, but I don't think IT LMOs have a very high approval rate. Just something to be aware of.

Which PR route are you looking at? FSW? PNP? Have you read the wiki and informed yourself of the different ways to get a work permit? Simply having a job offer isn't enough...

Again, look at the study permits and see what options that offers your husband - I don't know enough about them to give any solid advice.

As I said, get in touch with recruiters in the area and let them know your dates, they hopefully can help get some interviews set up.

We like it. We are in Oakville, my husband works in Toronto so takes the GO Train, he doesn't mind it at all since it's just one train straight. I drop him off at the train station, and he walks to the office on the other end. I work a short drive from home and that works well for me. Toronto is fun - great restaurants, lots of stuff on, lots to do. Living in the suburbs works well for us, it's a more settled lifestyle, Oakville is a very cute down. I grew up here, so I know it well, and my husband is liking it. Not exactly a hopping down, but very family-oriented, which is what we wanted.

Yandros

I can't speak to AAT, but as a UK qualified ACA I had little difficulty finding a job in Calgary. I know it will delay any move to Canada, but you may wnat to look at qualifying as an ACA or ACCA in the UK and then moving over. If I'd wanted to work in oil & gas I may have struggled as I think the accounting is fairly specialized and I don't have oil & gas experience. However, I think this may depend on how old/experienced you are. I got the impression that if I was looking at more junior jobs then the oil & gas companies may have been more receptive as it would have been worth their while to train me in oil & gas accounting. This is not to put anyone down, but more to indicate it may depend on what stage of your career you're at - I'm nearer the end of mine than the beginning (enough said).

As regards a Canadian qualification, so far I've not really felt the need for one, but again I think it's usefulness may depend on career stage when you get here. I think most of the UK accountancy bodies have a reciprocal arrangement with their Canadian counterparts (eg as an ACA I could become a Canadian CA but I would have to take a conversion exam, and I think a UK ACCA can convert Canadian CGA through a similar process).

Good luck

Loraine 1

Thank you for your replies. It's so nice to hear from people who have managed the move and are making a life for themselves. Hopefully, it won't be long before we're in the same position.

My partner has been offered a further interview so I'm crossing fingers, toes and everything else. All being well he'll secure this job and I can decide once there what's the best option for me (us). It'll all depend on where his job is.

JonboyE

It tends to be a lot more personal here. Particularly with smaller companies (which is all I really know about). They like to see you and chat to you before offering a job. That you have the right personality to fit in with company culture is as important as having the technical ability.

Also, many smaller companies prefer to recuit through referral rather that advertizing. The more you can put yourself about and impress people the more likely you are to be referred to someone who is recruiting. Read the wiki article on networking.

No. I took 8 years to get a Canadian designation. In those 8 years I had two days of unwanted unemployment. As I said, I have always worked with small companies and they tend to be less interested in qualifications and more interested in ability.

However, you should note that not having a Canadian qualification will very definitly limit your opportunities.

I had no struggles.

Some of the terminology is different (Income statement not a profit & loss account) and the balance sheet is in a different format. But a debit is still a debit. Sage 50 and QuickBooks are the most commonly used small business software.

Not at first. I took a substantial drop in comparative earnings to land my first job. I had a pay rise after 6 months but it took me a few years to get back to something comparable. It is difficult to compare now as I have no idea what I would be earning if I stayed in the UK, but I do OK.

Standard of living is about more than dollars and cents. Yes, much better.

AAT is not recognized in Canada. You will be classed as a student accountant. Until now Canada had similar organizations to the UK: chartered, certified and management. We are all currently merging as Chartered Professional Accountants. You will need to work out where you are on the CPA certification program if you want to compare yourself to Canadian accounting students.

It depends on what type of work you are looking for. Larger organizations (and especially recruitment agencies) pigeon hole people. They might decide that a job is suitable for someone studying capstone 1 and if you are not studying capstone 1 then you are SOL. Smaller companies are much more flexible but you have to convince them that, as a fob, your are competent and a safe pair of hands. Make sure you have at least one referee back in the UK that the prospective employer can call and chat about you in some depth. Also, a primer on Canadian tax is well worthwhile.

I think you might be OK to style yourself

Lorraine 1
Qualified accounting technician.

Castello

Sorry to hijack this thread, I am a relatively newly qualified CA and interested in making the move with Calgary / Vancouver of particular interest.

What area of accounting do you work in? Did you manage to secure your job from the UK?

@SchnookoLoly - what area of accounting is your husband involved in?

rivingtonpike

My wife is UK Chartered and I think now holds the CPA designation. The job process took about 4 months of looking (we were setting up a new business for the first couple of years we came to Canada). This meant she'd been out of the "normal" employer/employee scenario for more than 3 years in total. However, she's now Director of Finance for a University - so it is possible!

Can your partner's prospective firm get a LMO for the job he's after? As someone has already said, it's hard for IT roles. Not sure how easy for accounting positions these days.

Good luck though.

SchnookoLoly

He doesn't actually work as am accountant, he's now in capital markets.