Hi
Can anyone tell me if what i have heard is correct......that when we apply for a work permit we will also have to apply for 'Study permits' for our 2 children (14 & 9).
Also we are looking to settle in a small town/city and away from the BIG cities, as we have had enough of them, and want our children to have a better quality of life... we are looking for mountains , friendly welcoming neighbours , who won't be living just 5-6ft away from us , good schools , fair amount of general shops , good job prospects (husband is an electrician) and finally, more house/land for our money .

any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

We spoke to the principle of a school in Squamish, and he did say that you have to apply for study permits for the children if you go down the work permit route.

Thanks ... another headache for us to think about ....my god the canadian government do not like to make things easy for people concidering that there suppose to be a major labour shortage on at the moment....LOL

They surely offer ESL too.

Rich.

Hi
I am starting to think some of the skill shortage is self inflicted.
I know a few foreign electricians who haven't been allowed to challenge the exam and would have to enter an apprentice scheme.
cheers
Jerry

Here is some advice: keep your home in the UK, even if it is 5ft away from your neighbours. The labour shortage is not that bad, judging by the amount of foreign unemployed sparks/teachers/nurses I know.

Common mistake: small town BC = better quality of life for kids. Not in my kids experience and many others informed experience of BC it isn't. Your 14 year old will die of boredom inside a month.

Small towns in BC = often no local work even if you can challenge the exams to get the journeyman ticket.

Shops? LMAO. You'll need to find the semi big towns to get any useful stuff if you have kids.

There are mountains.
There are schools. Forget any semblance of a good education however. As my eldest has discovered, an A honours BC Grade 12 graduate does not cut it for any educational application purposes in the UK. Students graduating here have to go back to school to get AS & A2 levels in the UK to get into any European University.

Hi
Thanks it has given us alot to think about, since writing the last post, my husband has had an i'm interested email from a company in New Brunswick, who is interested in sponsering a foriegn worker.
Can anyone tell me what New Brunswick is like, as it was not a place that we had originally thought of.

thanks

Hi
It is starting to look like BC is not a place to move to as a family. So you would not recommend concidering BC as a place to move to.....?? As we are all determined to move across the pond.

The problems hilighted in the replies you have recieved so far will apply across Canada to a greater or lesser degree.

Decide on the Kind of area\microclimate you want to live in THEN consider which Province or (god forbid) Territory you'd like to consider. As far as employment prospects are concerned I'd be looking at BC, AB and Ont. If you want to get away from it all, the Maritimes. If you want you're kids to grow up hating you (and to be able to watch the dog run away for days) Sask. (ONLY JOKING..........Well about the kids hating you). Black Flies? try Manitoba.



P.S. before anybody jumps on my back I know the above is a sweeping generalisation!!!!

Ah, so your dreams and ambitions are all washed up on the rocks already ?

Too bad...... you took to listening to the whines and whimpers of this miserablist website, a forming ground for the vile negativity and whining Brits are so famous for. They snivel and gaggle and creep around and try to attract others into their miserable but strangely comfortable nest of despair.

So, what of the many families who choose to come to BC and settle happily, well I can tell you now, they're off living their shiny happy new lives and haven't the time for this gaggle of losers and self pitying snideballs.

You failed the first test......objectivity and a sustained approach to your research.

Rich.

Don't despair. Risperidone can be quite effective you know.

[ignores]

Rich.

Ah...but you didn't. Have a good night Rich.

Did so.... ya boo.....sucks ass.

Rich.

Settle down you two!
We are new in BC and our town has 30,000, double that in summer. As with anything it depends what you are looking for. I have 3 kids 13, 11 and 5 and since arriving they are all involved in local groups and all have started skating lessons at our local rink, something they would have loved to do in UK but lack of sports facilities made it a 50 mile trip to an ice rink. Education, well so far mixed feelings but I had those in the Uk too. I may look into baccalaureate (sp?) international exams later if my children show signs of wanting to study in Europe buit they may not. They may not want to go to uni at all! Friends of mine in UK with an older daughter of 16 are currently on dental visits as she broke her front teeth falling down while binge drinking, not sorry to see the back of that!