Stephen47

Hi!

I am currently in the process of applying for my IEC Visa. I am 28 years old from the UK and i have set my heart on living and working in Toronto. I like the idea of trying something completely new and to live in Canada. I have over 5 years of experience in customer service and IT Support.

The only thing that really scares me is trying to secure a job. I fully understand that finding work any where is tough, but I want to give it a shot and see what I can do out there. I feel this is a once of a lifetime opportunity and I know it will be an adventure. The way I see if I don't find anything or for some reason don't manage to settle down I can come back to the UK and say to myself at least I've given it a shot. I've been thinking about doing this for a few years know, and at my age its now or never.

I will be doing this all by myself and it may seem a little daunting but I want to give it a try. Any way I would like to know what is the job market like now in Toronto and what is the easiest way way to find work? Do they have recruitment agencies like they do in the UK?

Any useful information whatsoever would be most welcoming.

Steve

Niobii

I don't know what the job market is like in Toronto but one of the things that really helped me suss out what the jobs where like in another part of Canada was to sign up to specific groups on Facebook, LinkedIn and recruitment agencies etc. I got a 'feel' for what was on offer and the kinds of demands and salaries. I also signed up to the local newspapers and radio stations and listened out for what was going on, what was the next big thing is and large investments/developments etc. I also researched who the main companies and organisations are and went on their website. If applicable, I then sent off CV's (formatted correctly), emails and even rang some to put the feelers out.

Do some digging, keep a note book, keep your favorites tab up to date and network, network, network!! Some of the immigration companies and relocation agencies post jobs on their website too. Have a look at careerbeacon and similar type internet pages.

Hope that helps and good luck.

JamesM

Yes there are recruitment consultants.

You'll be fine- give it a shot!

dgagitw

The job market seems reasonable - not booming but not crashing either. There's plenty of IT support work around so I can't see why you'd have trouble finding something. There are agents, just like the UK, and plenty of stuff online too. Workopolis.com and Monster.ca are probably the biggest but, based on what others have told me, I'd actually suggest craigslist as the best place to look (avoiding scams of course).

Anyway, good luck, you'll be fine.

Craggerz

Do the recruitment consultants work the same way as they do over here in London?

I know the ones over here are quite active in contacting you and putting you forward for jobs.

I've submitted my resume to a few recruitment consultants in Toronto but am yet to hear back from any of them.

dgagitw

Yes, they're just the same as the UK ones and just as flaky on the whole. You need to be clear on your resume that you're actually in Toronto and authorised to work for anyone otherwise your resume will be ignored for the most part.

Stephen47

Thanks for the replies guys, greatly appreciated!! Yes I think I will go through with it and do it else I'm gonna have this in my head "what if". It won't be until later on in the year or possibly next year as I need to save more money.

sinbad23

Hi

I came over to Toronto in July last year on IEC visa after I had another job offer fall through and just decided to come anyway and look for another job.
I also work in IT (Change and Release Management). As soon as I arrived I send out my CV as many different agencies that I could find. I did see that IT Support seemed to be in demand- but if you have skills you can apply to any job then it is good..

I did find that whatever agency you use will want to see you face- to- face first before they pass on your CV to any clients. This was very similar to an actual job interview but it is slightly less formal; but if you can impress your recruiter then it will come across when they represent you in front a client.

I was lucky that I found a job within job in 6 weeks (after three interviews) for a bank.

So go for it!! If you do not find something-get some casual work and enjoy your year (or 2!) in Toronto. It is a great city....

I am lovin' my job and life right now and even I cannot stay here after my second IEC visa expires then at least I have done it right...

Good luck to you..

Stephen47

Hi sinbad

Thanks for your take on your canadian experience. I've been to Toronto before back in 2007 and what I recall was exceptional. I had an awesome time meeting loads of nice friendly Canadians and enjoy seeing the sites.

So are you back in the UK assuming your from there?! I've been doing my research on the best ways of finding work and recruitment agencies seem the way forward and to check out websites such as Monster, Indeed and Craiglist etc. I've sent off my IEC forms now so I'm waiting for a reply do hopefully it won't be too long.

Any more info then it will always be appreciated. Thanks for sharing your experience!!

Steve

sinbad23

No I am still in Canada- my IEC 2011 visa does not expire until the end of July 2012. And I re-applied for my 2012/13 visa from here. (Got my LOI 2 days ago). I did apply for jobs when I was in England but life is far easier when you are here. I must have applied for 30 jobs in the UK and only got a couple of responses; whereas I got calls from employers all the time when I was actually here. Most employers will not want to hire you until you have the right to work in Canada; unless you are lucky enough to find a company to sponsor you- even then it is a tricky and expensive process. Even if you do not find something in IT support there are lots of casual jobs you can do and temping to get yourself sorted and tide you over until the right role comes along.

I am glad that I was able to spend sometime exploring Toronto and meeting new people- I did not start my job until the end of August so I had a few weeks to get aquainted with Toronto. I did not really know anyone before I came here so unless I planned to spend 2 years alone; I was out all the time.....I also joined a site called meetup and met some great people.

The only other thing to check up on is finances- how long can you survive in Toronto with no additional income? I budgeted for 3 months (you need $2500 as part of the visa requirements anyway). But I would try and bring an additional ($3000) if you can. That way you have got a buffer if you need it. Toronto is generally not too expensive but I find that I spend more on food shopping here than I would do in England- and I eat out at least three - four times a week.

But it is still the best thing I ever did!

Stephen47

Hey Sinbad!

Cheers for your reply again and giving more useful insight into Toronto life. Your certainly making my mouth water in anticipation and I can't wait to get out there. I heard that Toronto is much cheaper compare to Vancouver living, but it didn't cross my mind in moving there to live and work in Van....but who knows I may get bored of Toronto life.

I would love to however check out Vancouver one day and see what the fuss is all about. I've seen images of the city and it does look absolutely breathtaking. To have the ocean to one side and the mountains to the other...well let's say you can't exactly complain with the scenery. I figure with living in Toronto there will be more job opportunities compare to that of Vancouver, but I guess it depends of what field your in. I heard that Vancouver is great for filming and media, as they say Vancouver is the Hollywood of the north and not to mention you have whistler not too far for skiing which I adore.

As for money I will most likely fetch with me £2,000 which should be more than enough to live on until I find a job. Can I ask you once you've done your 2nd year on your IEC Visa....can you extend it further? I know that is only open to 18-30 years old, but how easy is it to apply for permanent residency if just say your settled in Canada.

Steve

christmasoompa

£2000 won't last long unless you find a job pretty quickly - but fingers crossed you will.

Re: visas, you can't extend the IEC visa, but you can reapply for a second year, and then that's it. There is no way for you to directly apply for PR from an IEC visa, you'd need your employer to apply for either a LMO (so you can get a normal TWP, which you can then use to apply for PR), or PNP for you.

What type of job are you hoping to do? If it's skilled you'll have more chance of PR*, so work really hard and impress the hell out of your boss so that they don't mind doing the paperwork to keep you!

Good luck and have fun.



*Edit: actually, just realised that your job will have to be 'skilled' (i.e. NOC Level A, O or B on the Matrix) to qualify you for PR as Ontario doesn't have a semi-skilled stream under their PNP.

Stephen47

Thanks for the reply!

I guess I should bring more than £2,000 and increase it to £2,500 just in case. I'm still in 2 minds whether to do this, as i'm currently renting out at the moment and don't have a mortgage to pay off. I'm 28 years old and I still feel like I want to do this before I regret this for the rest of my life.

A lot to think about in the next few weeks or so.

ScarySquirrel

I say go for it.

I'm in a slightly different situation as I'm doing this with my girlfriend. But I've lived in the same town my whole life, and I know that it's now or never to do something like this (I'm 26). We've just sent our IEC application off, and plan to move in Jan/Feb 2013. I can't quite believe I'm making the steps to move abroad for a year (hopefully two), but I feel good, and it feels exciting.

Give it a shot

Stephen47

Hey man!

How is it going? Yep I figure its now or never for me. I'm currently waiting to hear back from them as I sent off all my forms a few weeks ago. I've been told it could take up to a month to get confirmation of LOI (Letter of Introduction). I was going to go with BUNAC but I don't like the idea of being ripped off, but i guess if you want that peace of mind then I say go for it.

I'm most likely going later on this year around Sept/Oct time or Jan/Feb 2013 like yourselves. Let me know how you get on with your plans.

Steve