OK, it seems you easily get misunderstood in these forums, so I'll clarify my point for the last time:
First of all I am not looking for an IT job. I had done my home work, or at least I thought I had done it, and I couldn't do it better. As many people here have pointed out: living here is TOTALLY different than doing a fancy research! Although me and my family were prepared (or again we thought we are) when you really are under all of that burden of doing a low paid job with savings running out and being rejected every where you apply, even for menial jobs; it really feels different than what you had in mind about "having a hard time". I'm not going to go back to UK, so I was (and still am) determined to stay here.


That was not supposed to be moaning, just to tell to the others who have not moved here yet: BE PREPARED FOR THE WORST. And the worst is not "not finding a $60K/year job", but it is "not finding a min wage job", or at least taking a long time to find even such jobs. So bring as much money as you can; apply for ANY job from the early days, don't wait to run out of money!

That's it! Good luck for everybody, and bye!

[QUOTE=wcitizen] If you haven't been there yourself, if you admit having an accent hasn't help you to get a date, and you have not looked for a job here yourself, it's not fair to patronise people by sending them to "the organisations that could help you with your resume and letter of applications". QUOTE]

I have to say that this comment really upset me. I actually considered leaving the forum because of it last night. Thank you for taking my comments on a different post out of context on this one.

Everyone who lives here knows that settling and building a new life here is difficult. The reason that I sugggested help from the organisations are two fold.

First of all, Canadian applications are very different from UK applications. A CV is not the same as a resume. I was very lucky as the headhunter I dealt with reformatted my resume for me. In all honesty I didn't know where to start.

Secondly, when I graduated from my Masters in the UK, I found it difficult to find work. I joined a job club and was told that my (as I believed) excellent CV, was actually not very good. After help putting a new one together, I got job interviews left, right and centre, and in very competitive fields.

What I learned from that is to take help from whereever and whomever it is offered. You might just learn something...

Here here

and hang in there Sarah, try not to take people replies to heart, not everyone will see the light, and its just an online community after all. I like your posts, so pppuuurrrrllease dont leave...

When I get to the urge to start replies with "well, dumbass ..." I decide it's time to take a break ... I mean, *sheesh*, first of all, would you discuss your deepest personal issues with a complete stranger and secondly, if another complete stranger who was passing tried to join in, would you take their half baked opinions to heart?

It's just an online forum ... some posters have humungous chips they want to beat you with, some have axes to grind, others seem to be perpetually hammered or are just trouble making trolls ... fortunately most posters are very nice genuine people ... I think you're probably in the final category ... if the forum gets you down too much, log out and go watch some TV or go pursue some human interaction ... even most of the long term inmates earn parole occasionally.

The last posts from some of the more senior members are very true. Very interesting thread but the problem with someone who wnats a moan about how bad they're doing is not gonna take any kind a of reply comments well. The same of those who are waiting/working on a dream of wanting a new life, will not take lightly criticism of their views/research. Its always difficult thru txt/email to portray the contxt of tone of a comment and quite often be taken the wrong way. I always think as soon as it gets personal its probably best to walk way, its only a forum!!

On a separate note, thousands of Britons are moving to Canada each year, we don't have thousands of members in this forum, which leads me to think the majority are doing ok and are loving their new life. You'll always have the minority having a hard time and need to vent, welcome to Britshexpats.com!

I'm slightly different from most people here, in that I reluctantly agreed to come to Canada with my Canadian partner, who was refused a visa extension to remain in Britain.
I didn't come to 'seek a new life'.
I did a lot of research and knew that the work situation would be difficult and I may have to start again in a new field of work. What I didn't expect was to turned down for basic entry level stuff.
People here claim that Canada has a 'can do' culture. I beg to differ.
Britain has a 'can do' culture.
If you want to do well in Britain, you can and it's far easier.
People will always be willing to give you a chance in the UK, even if it's a rubbish job, which you can work your way up from.
Seemingly that isn't the case here. All I hear is 'Canadian Experience', it's extremely frustrating not even being given a chance to get an ENTRY LEVEL position for minimum wage! That would never happen in Britain.
Canada is a closed protectionist market where nepotism and 'jobs for the boys' rules.

Thats not what I claimed, I said that you need to have a "can do" attitude to succeed. As a couple of others here have said, in order to convince a canadian employer to take a chance on you rather than a local candidate you really need to go the extra mile. Hang in there, it will get better, once you have a job everything else looks so much better.

Do you do things like follow up on resumes youve sent with a phone call to pitch your skills, or send faxes after interviews to say thanks and all those other little things that make you stand out?

Anyway, ill butt out, good luck, keep trying!

Again, I hear your point, but I guess you haven't experienced immigrating into Britain, where I would guess some find it also difficult to find work. I met a doctor from hungary working in a taxi, my friend an american with lots of years teaching couldn't get a job, now has a successful company tho!!

Let me tell you how I got my last job in Canada...I was working for a local newspaper in central Alberta as a sales rep...went to visit relatives in another community in Saskatachewan. Out of boredom more than anything...stopped in at the local newspaper in that town...not associated in anyway to the one I was already working in...asked for the publisher/manager. Didn't know him from Adam. (there were no jobs advertised in his newspaper...nor was I really looking for a job...I was simply networking..thinking of any future prospects etc.) Told him I was just stopping in to say hello and was curious about his newspaper (stroked his ego) etc..etc...etc...well needless to say...that led into a 2 hour coffee...with a job offer for Sales Manager before I left his office (took his job 1 year later and became publisher ).

Now before you yell that it was because I was Canadian..I say..tosh...it was because I did the unexpected and the unusual. I got to meet the decision maker...made him talk about what was important to him...gave him a chance to gloat about his business etc.. and I sold myself to him while he was doing it. He hadn't made any decisions about even placing a person in that position until I walked in. Now substitute newspaper for whatever industry you are in...use the excuse that you are curious about how their business is run since you've just arrived from the UK (use this an advantage...not disadvantage). If nothing else...you've got your foot in the door. Now that might not work for you...but use your imagination...it might just impress your new boss and you've got absolutely nothing to lose!

Honestly, that is not my experience of Britain at all. My Canadian partner went to Britain in 2000 and walked into a job within 3 days! Sure, it was only a bar job, but it's a hell of a lot better than I'm doing.
I have loads of friends in Britain from India/Hong Kong/Pakistan who came to the UK and found jobs almost instantly. Usually people who're unemployed in the UK either don't want to work (most cases) or are unskilled or deskilled (miners etc.). I didn't know anyone who tried to find a job and couldn't. Factors like Nationality or British Experience don't matter a jot, just so long as you can do the job. I even know a practising doctor in Leeds who came from Estonia because Britain pays better! Would that happen here? I doubt it. He'd probably be working as a security guard if at all.

I've come to the conclusion the only way I can get a job here is by knowing someone personally who's in a position to offer me one.

Could be, sometimes it works that way, and partly thats exactly what networking is about. Doesnt have to be a personal contact though. If you dont talk to everyone about what you are looking for and let them know you are out there in the market they arent going to mention your name, and if your resume is no good, or you dont follow up, you are still going to be overlooked, so use all the resources that are at your disposal.

I am still convinced the only reason I landed the job I mentioned earlier was because I took the trouble at everystage to find out the names of all those present in interviews etc, and then fax them afterwards to thank them for their time and subtly add extra "evidence" or clarify some info as to why they should hire me. I know my supervisor was impressed as he said as much after I was hired. Little things and attention to detail make a big difference. I would never have done that in the UK, and a UK employer would probably have considered it to much brownnosing, so it would have worked against me. Not here though, you are expected to give the hard sell.

Obviously Typos and non canadian spelling can have an instant negative effect, but Im sure you have been through that resume (those resumes) with a fine tooth comb so many times you are sick of looking at them by now. If not then you should be.

Are you doing things like following up resumes with a phone call, and sending them to a specific named (non HR) person when you can? These things make a huge difference to your chances of landing a job.

Yeah and judging by how you put yourself across on this forum, even that isn't going to help!

[What are you qualified in as you say there are no job propects in Canada. I am in the process of emigrating to Canada and can not believe you prefer the U.K

Quote:

Originally Posted by seacreature

I'm slightly different from most people here, in that I reluctantly agreed to come to Canada with my Canadian partner, who was refused a visa extension to remain in Britain.
I didn't come to 'seek a new life'.
I did a lot of research and knew that the work situation would be difficult and I may have to start again in a new field of work. What I didn't expect was to turned down for basic entry level stuff.
People here claim that Canada has a 'can do' culture. I beg to differ.
Britain has a 'can do' culture.
If you want to do well in Britain, you can and it's far easier.
People will always be willing to give you a chance in the UK, even if it's a rubbish job, which you can work your way up from.
Seemingly that isn't the case here. All I hear is 'Canadian Experience', it's extremely frustrating not even being given a chance to get an ENTRY LEVEL position for minimum wage! That would never happen in Britain.
Canada is a closed protectionist market where nepotism and 'jobs for the boys' rules.

First it's not easy to find a job in the UK for a foreigner. I emigrated here from Canada and it was really hard even at Entry level and for minimum wage.

Second, has it occured to you that you might not have been the right person for the jobs you have applied for? Even if the job advertised seems perfect for you the other person employing might not think the same regardless of being a foreigner or not. Also you said that you were reluctant to go to Canada, that might show in your attitude.

The fact that it seems to be who you know for getting a job, that's absolutely EVERYWHERE. Most jobs I've had both in the UK and in Canada have been like that.

So I think that your talks of nepotism are a bit too much of a generalisation

I've had the funny accent thing in the UK. Especially people thinking I was French during the French banning British beef. I've had people not treating me very nicely because I wasn't British. But it's a real minority and the nice people are more than making up for it. If you have a nice attitude to life and people surrounding you that will be return to you.