theDIV

Hi,

Im considering moving over with my family (Ontario - probably somewhere between Toronto and Ottawa), and should have enough money to buy a house outright. However, I am aware that, should I not get a job fairly soon after arriving, then this money will soon dwindle away. So, my aim is to get ANY sort of income as soon as possible after landing.

What is the availability like over there of low-skilled jobs (ie, burger flipping, shop-work - ANYTHING!!!)?

thanks

stepnek

I'm interested in any answers to this one but so far no one has responded so lets get it to the top of the list again.

CANTERBURY.TALE

hi, if you don't mind me asking but by what visa application are you applying?
are you looking for a low skilled job till your chosen job becomes avalible.
we would be in the same situation.

wizzard

You can find jobs like that pretty much anywhere, especially in major cities like Toronto. There are countless malls and strip malls wher eyou can find basic retail jobs and then a whole bunch of supermarket chains like Loblaws or Dominion etc who would have a variety of jobs. North America has no shortage of fast food options from Mcdonalds etc. to places like Tim Hortons and starbucks etc.

While it is true these jobs might suck tehy do add something to your Canadian work experience in that you are at least taking part in the kob market and more importantly you are meeting people and all it takes is a bit of networking to find other jobs in different sectors of the job market. It even happened to my brother back in the UK when he was working as a part time bar tender and one of the girls behind the bar had a husband who worked for a big IT firm who came in for a drink one night and they got chatting and he got an intro there.

Also if you have the skills and education etc you will easily stand out from the regular people who are working at these places as a choice as it were and so you can find lots of oppertunities for becoming supervisors or moving into the administration or management which while maybe not what you want to do as a career at least you can put something at a supervisory or management level on a resume as opposed to burger flipper.

Drew

theDIV

Thanks for the input wizzard.

Caterbury.Tale - I was planning to apply as a sponsored family member (my partner is Canadian), but it might be an idea to get a temporary visa of some sort (I havent really looked into this option in too much detail to be honest.)

I am working as a computer programmer here in the UK at the moment, but would really like to start up a small business in Canada. I just want some form of income coming in in the meantime, while I find my feet over there - dont want to dwindle our money away on living expenses while looking for the ideal job, so am planning to take anything. From what wizzard says, this sounds like a feasible plan?

CANTERBURY.TALE

we were having a problem finding a visa catogory that we fitted into, as i have worked as a health care assistant in hospitals for over 7 years and my hubby has had verious security jobs including working for the forign office in downing street but there is not catogory for us within the canadian skilled visa.
we to have money to invest and would like to start our own business once in canada, its just getting in thats proving the problem.
but thankfully last night i think i have found the answer...on checking the verious provences and there different requirements it looks like we have a chance with prince edward island,

all the best with your application,
Elaine x

Karib

There are quite a few low-skilled jobs available.. well in Toronto at least. Be prepared for a dip in the wage you are used to. Depending on your status when you arrive in Canada, there are a number of employment agencies in Toronto where you can general unskilled labouring work.

mickj

Just to follow up on the previous post, there are a lot of headhunters/ agencies out there, especially in To.

Div...you mentioned you are in IT in one of your posts, well i can tell you what i did as someone that is also in that line of business. When i first came over, i fell into that C.E trap as well, but the way out of it, was to do unpaid volunteer work.

I walked into the TO offices of the canadian heart and stroke foundation and the red cross, and volunteered to help out. I gave them a copy of my resume, sat down with the boss, and they told me to start next week.

I was updating databases, installing softwares and looking after the networks. The red cross even got me certified in standard first aid and CPR level C. It was whilst i was doing these two volunteer jobs, that one of the bosses who knew someone that worked in a multinational company, linked me up and got me an interview.

I got hired, even though the money was less than i earned in the UK, it was just what i needed, my field. Few years later, am now earning more than i did, going for an MBA, and still doing those volunteer jobs in the evening and weekend sometimes.

Just to let you know, 80% of jobs are hidden, not advertised at all. When you go to those new canadian program workshop, they tell you that there.

On a different note, i came across this article researching a coursework for my MBA program that starts in September. There isn't a Canadian city in the top 25 for cities and earning power level. It was conducted by firm UBS:

http://www.tunisiadaily.com/pdf/prices&earning.pdf

mickj

Been following some of the threads, and noticed that some folks have asked questions regarding getting a job in IT and how to go about it here in canada. Here is a list of some Canadian Recruiters, their addresses, location and websites, my company is on that list too. Although it says Calgary, note that these companies have offices all over the country, we have an office Calgary, but i work in Mississauga Ontario.

It was put together by a colleague of mine at the calgary office, just go to the career section of the websites, and see what is on offer.

It's in excel form, but the forum doesn't allow excel attachments, so i zipped it. To open it, just right click it and extract to your desktop.

lee2

Easy work to get if you have a clear voice, you're not shy and can take lots of rejection, is telemarketing.

Not all telemarketing is totally awful either. You can fundraise for charities, or arts groups like The Toronto Symphony or just do surveys or market research.

It's often evening work and many companies have flexible hours, which can leave you free during the day to pursue a more meaningful career.

Generally places give you minimum wage plus around 4 per cent commission on sales/funds raised. I did it for a few years in the early to mid 1990s. I averaged about 12-14 dollars an hour. It got me out of a jam while I changed careers.

Like anything, there are some really dreadful companies and some more decent ones.