ExKiwilass

Yeah, i have a coworker looking around Clayton village I think? They just put in offer in on a 15 year old house, a 'fixer', for under $400. Don't know if they'll get it but that is significantly cheaper than houses here so there is hope.

Dotty P

It's so hard to work out what to do from this side of the Atlantic. Google maps are great but only being there gives a true reflection of what it's really like. We think that renting is the only option when we first arrive....it may be money in the landlord's pocket but it's worth paying out rental. Holidays do not reflect what an area is REALLY like, only living there for a time does.

Ooooo....it's snarf hard.....

ExKiwilass

No, the internet really only goes so far, so I agree with Jonboy's advice about renting for a while. The other factor that people don't always talk so much about on here is finding a neighbourhood of people that you fit in with. Intangible factors like that are hard to figure out from the net. We really like where we live now but a large part of it is because of the people in our neighbourhood. We kissed a LOT of frogs before we found it

Dotty P

When we first started this process, the exchange rate was FAB (2.20)....we used to look at acreage in the middle of nowhere (because we were useless dreamers) but I remember thinking that I would end up hanging from a pine tree if I didn't have people (nice people) around me. My son was then 8 or so and liked the idea of climbing trees on acreage and helping my husband to do boy type outdoorsy things....now he's 16 and just wants to be with his mates (as any teenager would do). So, things change....I would rather stick rusty nails in my eyes than live in the middle of nowhere but I like the thought of a bit of peace and quiet with some nice, leafy areas around us.....and dotted in those leafy areas are nice, friendly neighbours with whom we can share a poker evening or two and chink our glasses to happiness .....

ExKiwilass

I hear ya.

Dotty P

you are cordially invited to our first poker evening (when we get there!)....

JonboyE

You have probably already been to these sites, but just in case ...

http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cbc-gcc...g/bq00019.html

http://www.biotechcareercenter.com/NorthAmerica.html

Dotty P

thanks for those links, not sure if my husband's seen them but I will certainly show him.

Did you find it hard to make the move and find a job?

JonboyE

If you find somewhere nice to rent at $2,500 a month (and you should be able to find somewhere very nice for that) then you will spend $30,000 in a year.

If you buy a house for $500,000 that you don't like you will pay $8,000 in property purchase tax to buy it and $20,000 in relator's and lawyers fees to sell it. Six and two threes really.

Dotty P

putting it like that, you make utter sense.....

ExKiwilass

thanks...but gotta confess I have never played poker!

JonboyE

We moved in 1999 and it certainly seemed like the last century. None of this landing and going back to the UK, non of this "give it 3 months/two years" to see if it works. We had made the decision, sold up everything in the UK, and arrived in Canada to start a new life. Going back was never a thought or an option. We had two choices: sink or swim.

That said, I had laid some groundwork. I made sure that I understood the differences between the UK and Canadian work environments and had a few recruiters to meet. The recruiters turned out to be useless in finding a job, but they did give me a very good idea of the market for people like me.

So, I don't know whether it was luck, down to the preparation, or whether it was my determination to make a go of it come what may but I found a job within a week of searching and have not looked back since. In the end it turned out to be an easy move - as though it were meant to be.

Dotty P

i gotta confess that neither have I but my hubby likes a bit of online poker for fake stakes. I suggested that maybe he should suggest a poker evening with the boys once we've been there for a while to help with getting to know them......

Dotty P

Glad it's worked out well for you! It's good to see a success story...so many posts on here say how it hasn't worked out and that gives us the eebee geebees. We've been told so many times that we're mad to have sold our house and all our belongings because we could have rented it out in readiness for our return [I]when[I] it fails.....but we like to think it won't fail and will try to stick at it no matter how hard it becomes. We feel we don't want an easy bolthole as, for us anyway, we'd probably not work as hard at making it work. I hope that made sense.....

adele

I moved here on my own without a job and with bare minimum funds in January 2009 - I'm still here and making a good life for myself! I stayed in a hotel the first 2 weeks until I found a place to live and got settled. I don't earn mega money or have a lavish lifestyle but I rent a nice apartment in a good area and enjoy my life here very much. I think a lot of it depends on how flexible you are willing to be - you probably won't walk straight into your dream job at the level you're used to, but if you have a broad range of skills to draw on and are open to a variety of roles then there is work out there.

I've got a lot of admin experience and have temped extensively in the UK. When I arrived I went to a large number of temp agencies over the first few days and registered with them. I started work 2 weeks after arriving and although the role was initially temp for 3 months I was offered a permanent contract after a couple of months and am still with the organisation now. I work in Yaletown and live in South Granville so my commute is a joy compared to what I used to have in the UK.

EDIT: It's important to note the differences between job hunting here and in the UK (see Wiki) - I already knew how tough it could be from my time here on a working holiday in 2004 so arrived here determined and ready to hit the ground running. Sitting back waiting for the phone to ring once you've emailed off an application does not tend to work here!

In terms of looking for affordable houses/townhouses take a look at Port Moody - 25 mins on the West Coast Express from downtown and the setting is beautiful. The trains only run a very limited schedule at certain times of day though so that would only be feasible if you work regular office hours downtown or near another station. I believe the drive from PM to downtown is approx 45 mins (maybe a bit more?) assuming no bad weather or accidents. I would agree that renting to start with until you see where you end up working is definitely the best idea.

Good luck - go for it!