RN1

Thank you so much, this is one of the nicest posts I've seen. I'm determined to make the very best of this move, for myself, my kids & my husband!

London can take a running jump as far as I'm concerned

Silverkat

The wide range of opinions here is very helpful.
For my part I know that we will move as soon as we can - I have already done some job prospecting to test the water, and got some very positive feedback.
Now that we have fixed our objective of where to settle, when the time comes I will contact the possible employers in the region with more precision as to when we plan to land which is something I can't do yet.
To reply RN1, I have 2 kids in high school so I can't afford to be out of work for too long but I know that I will find a job at some point.
We have been preparing for this for years and have put money behind us to cover ourselves.

RN1

Good luck - I'm sure you're moving for some of the same reasons that we are!

pammiej

this has been one of the most informative threads i have read for while. we have just relocated to vancouver and rent in surrey. I am a qualified lawyer with seven years experience and gave that up to move here - my husband had secured a job in a new industry for him but i am at home with my 20 month old daughter. Like GoToronto, the thought of having to requalify all over again just fills me with dread particularly as it will take so long and be so costly to get to the point where i was back in England...so my question is, to any solicitor out there, have you requalified and was it worth it or should I, at the point i can start going out to work having secured child care for my daughter, just look for something else completely? Sorry if this question goes off the beaten track a little, but I think for me, i need to know whether in the long term this move is going to better off or not particularly if i can't make enough for the second income to be worthwhile...sorry the question became so longwinded!

cov-canuck

I think it all boils down to what you "want" to do. If you want to be a practising lawyer, then you have to jump through hoops. If you want to continue to use your legal background in a different field, that's possible too.

For example - I work for a software company. The software is electronic medical record software. About half of our technical support people have a background in medicine - we have some people who started medical school and then dropped out (for various reasons), we have people who have worked in doctor's offices or hospital records departments, etc. Our last 2 co-op students are people who were highly skilled in their country of origin and decided NOT to jump through the hoops to continue doing that work, so they are taking a degree course in health informatics to get a different skill set still related to medicine (we had an anaesthetist from China and a pharmacist from Romania).

You may just need to think outside the box a little bit, but it would be a shame for you to lose the skills you worked so hard for. My brother just completed his law degree in the UK and has lined up a contract for the end of 2009, so I know what a slog it is!

Davey Dan Oli

We were in the same position as you. We came with 6 bags and a baby, and some savings but no equity from a house.

gotoronto

Did you really enjoy the law? I met a woman here on line who loved her job in the UK as a barrister. She has been trying to requalify for years, but has been struggling to do so. She is still trying, though, because it is what she really wants.

There are areas you can probably use your skills in that don't involve requalifying, but the salary won't be that grand. To be honest, I am not that creative at thinking of alternative routes - here in Toronto the agencies keep throwing secretarial legal work at me or low level law clerking!

A lot will depend on which area you are an expert in as well - that might help you identify some alternatives.

I don't know anyone who has qualified yet over here that was a qualfied lawyer in the UK. Only 2 people who have articles lined up and one person who is now articling.

One thing I recommend is getting your credentials assessed by the NCA. There is info on this in Judy's useful WIKI. If you only have to do 2 exams or so, then it may well be worth your time to give it a try. Especially if you were passionate about the law. If they throw 8 or more exams at you, then I'd probably advise against the stress (unless you are REALLY passionate about the law).

chits

Well,we indians know good English,since we were ruled by the British.It is more of a drawback for Chinese nationals from China I guess.

Mikey B

Good for you, although if you read the original post that referred to Indian and Chinese immigrants having problems I guess its more down to level of education (this is what I assumed being as Im not a tree hugging leftie who cries race, age, sex and fat discrimination at every half opportunity), because from what I have read in my time Indian and Chinese quals arent as well respected as from some other countries but Im sure not being able to speak the language of your chosen home pays its part, after all I wouldnt try and move to Iran and live there without learning Farsic - it would just be retardedly (ok that may not be a real word) stupid, amazingly though its surprising how many none English and French speaking nationals try that here and then wander why they have to drive a taxi for a living! Gee maaa I wander why!