derryck

Lol - and OK (oll korrect) -speling really was tongue-in-cheek - and I loathe spel-chekers(;-)). Still for blackberry users, we should ask the forum developers to add a spell_check feature. Blackberry keyboards are challenging enough - (I have big hands)

re: the career switch question, I think that it is easier to switch careers in canada iin the 2000's (at least compared to the uk in the 90's) - and in the field that I am in (IT).
Especially within large corporations, I have not seen educational background limiting or influencing roles or career direction or progression until a certain point (generally executive level).

dbd33

Ontario Hydro won't hire IT people who don't have degrees for any position.

derryck

Hi all - thinking about this a bit more - is it still something that parents still do? Move country to offer better opportunities to kids?

I can accept (I know) that parents in places like sub-saharan africa or parts of asia might do this (can we call it genetic migration?) - the idea is that prospects for the kids are so awful in country a that they'd have a better life chance in country b. (Access to health, education, etc).
I think though, that there has to be a sizeable difference between the countries to make this a plausible/ reasonable endeavour.
Is there the implicit suggestion that life prospects are so different between the uk and the canada as to make this a serious factor to consider?

Perhaps because my kids have mobility (dual citizenship) it has not seemed like a big issue. I have not seen the differences between uk and canada as being such a wide gulf as to factor into considerations when making a decision (having said that, we moved long before kids - and I doubt if we'd have moved post-kids). Perhaps if I lived in zimbabwe, yes!
Mostly it is about the here and now - they (kids) will take care of themselves.

perhaps I am just a bit more selfish than my genes ...

Howard1944

i posted nothing offensive, just my opinion , Moderator, you are warning the wrong person.

A Degree in Canada seems to be more important than in the U.K, as evidenced by the other poster noting Hydro will not hire anyone without a Degree, Nurses and Teachers now require 4 year Degrees, and the Police Force and Fire Department are shifting to hiring only those with degrees.

You might not like the facts, but don't shoot the messenger.

derryck

Wow - ontario hydro - that's surprising! I work for one of the 6 banks in canada - and I have several current friends who took the following path.
Roofing tiler, programming diploma (entered bank) and then progressed up through programming positions to IT manager (current)
Bank teller, operations support, business analyst, IT manager (but it took about 15 years)
This latter one is much more common.

But - your point is well taken. Even with today's graduates, I find that the level of "foundational" knowledge is a bit lacking - today's graduates appear to have a harder time than previous ones when it comes to things like solving problems from first principles.

daft batty

I'm glad to see that you have taken on board my comments that this is a forum for all opinions. Does this mean you wont be telling the "Canada bashers" to stay out anymore?

dbd33

Perhaps that just shows that a degree in Canada isn't a significant qualification, everyone has one.

Biiiiink

In lieu of an externally assessed standardised high school qualification?

manghams

Very unsettling

derryck

From that, I conclude "Catholic".

(Only kidding!! Honestly!!! - I was just stirring...) - very unsettling indeed.

I usually get my quota of news from the Today programme (over the net) in the morning, and CBC (sometimes over the net too). Today gives a bit more of a macroscopic view of things (including crime, etc) - and (even though I am not likely to consider moving back to London), I listen to LBC and BBC GLR too.

I have not seen much of a change in crime/youth culture in Toronto over the last few years (it has always been pretty bad, if you pick the "right" spots). I have noticed a sharp change in crime/youth culture in the UK (specifically London) in the last short while from being something insignificant, to something quite frightening. I am sure that it is also "in spots".

Key point is that in Toronto, things seem to be holding relatively stable (at the bad end), but in London things seem to be getting worse - quite fast (from what I saw as quite good before)...

manghams

No; but I have a 16 yr old at public high school, came from a large Grammar school in the UK - I am hoping for less yob culture; which we left behind in the UK; plus a big drug and alcohol problem in teens.

However, the the Primary school my younger son (5) would have started in the UK, last year permanently excluded four 11 yr old for taking knives into school, some used to threaten and intimidate younger kids and staff!

RedMonsk

A boy in my son's class went to his granny's for dinner and proceeded to pour a line of salt and pretend to sniff it! His mum was then accused by granny of taking drugs! It turns out another boy in the class had shown him how to do this! :curse: The boys are 7!!

manghams

neekie

Hi Pompeygirl,
I'm guessing you used to be over the water from me in Portsmouth. We are in Gosport and waiting to hear from CIC about our PR application. Can I ask what the reasons were for your move. Was it to get away from the sunny south? Was it a good move and were you glad you did it? My hubby is beginning to get cold feet now but I am still desperate to go and so are our kids. I'd love to hear your reasons.

Pompeygirl

Hey Neekie,
You guessed correctly! Well actually I used to be down the A32 from you in Fareham but was born in portsmouth and am an avid Pompey fan!
If you go to www.cochraneissues.com and look in the general discussion, you will see a post by me, and from there you can private msg me.
But yes it is THE best thing we ever did and would love to chat more, and be of help if we can!