Ayan123

Hi All,

I’m aiming to relocate from UK to Canada after recently receiving my PR but so far online job search @ monster has been very disappointing.
As seeing not many vacancies available in my relevant field of IT/Data Networking I’m re-considering my decision and thinking to better stay in UK.

Please advise if my impression is wrong and anyone knows about scope of Cisco Network Engineer jobs available in Canada?

Anyone in this forum worked in similar field in UK and now has been moved on to Canada? Can share their experiences?

Also please advise any good web sites to search for jobs in IT?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers.

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

Are you only applying online? If so, that may be where you are going wrong - have a read of the Job Hunting section of the Wiki to understand how vital it is to pick up the phone, or ideally get out there, to job hunt in person.

How long have you got until you have to move to Canada to keep your PR?

Good luck with it.

Ayan123

Many thanks for your reply.

Actually I received my PR ONLY couple of months ago and since than I have been looking jobs online. I'm still working in UK and happy with my current job so not sure if its worth leaving all behind and go to Canada (when I'm not seeing much vacancies advertised online in Canada.)

Calling employers in Canada is a good tip, I should probably do this as well.

Do you know any good Canadian job websites?

Do you have any idea about IT employment in Canada? is it better than UK?

Cheers

christmasoompa

I'm sorry, I have no idea about IT opportunities in Canada (although there are plenty of threads on the subject if you want to have a quick search), but I do know that very few people will ever get anything back from online applications only.

It really is all about 'personal contact' and who you know, so you need to forget the internet and use the phone or ideally, a trip over there to find something. The Job Hunting section of the Wiki has loads of useful info in though, including a step by step guide.

Good luck.

pdarwin

I work in IT as an infrastructure specialist. Here in Ottawa there's very little IT work to be had overall. Our town is a bit different as it's contaminated with government though. Many recent layoffs mean too many people competing for too few jobs.
Contracts are more likely than full-time positions and people who I've worked with before have been out of work since May last year. Others are getting 3-month or 6-month contracts then off work 6 months looking for something else. Not easy to live like that.
I was fortunate to get a full-time position recently, but they're very few and far between here. I hope the picture's rosier in other Canadian towns, but I'm guessing probably not.

Ayan123

Thanks Pdarwin.

Quality of life and expenses are far better in Canada than UK, but employment is one thing stopping me to relocate to Canada.
Life is very expensive in UK but people get jobs way easily either its contracting or permanent.

How do you approach jobs in Canada? how do you apply?

Anyone else in this forum from any other city who could share their experiences?

Cheers.

pdarwin

How do you approach jobs in Canada? how do you apply?

From my own past experience, unless you're a landed permanent resident or citizen they won't take your application seriously. I think there may be other programs added now to get you over here and maybe there are differences, I don't know.
For contract work, try agencies. Let them do the running around. Also Workopolis and Monster get results. A good resume / CV is important.
They also say it's who you know that helps land jobs, but I would say less so in IT. If you know your stuff well, can communicate well in English, you'll have the advantage.

Ayan123

I already received my PR cards,now its only a matter of packing up my stuff and take flight to Canada.

How are the salary packages in Canada e.g System Administrator, Network Engineer?

When you say "advantage due to better communication skills", but if there are generally poor market for IT jobs and hundreds of new/old immigrants fighting for few opportunities than I don't see even skillful people getting a job in a realistic time frame.

pdarwin

True - everyone fighting for a job, so you need every advantage you can get. I've seen some really clever IT people lose good jobs because their communication skills are poor.
Salaries vary really dramatically and there are IT tier 3 people getting anywhere between $45k and say $80 for non-managerial posts. Some of the offers I've seen for IT contracts are ludicrous. A friend of mine has years of Microsoft experience at Tier 2/3 and gets offers as low as $20 ph for contracts. Of course it also depends on your experiences, qualifications, etc.
Age is not such a great concern here in Canada as it is is the UK for IT workers, so a plus point there.

Ayan123

Thanks for the insight mate.

BTW do you know whereabouts in Canada there are more jobs for IT/Network Administrators? e.g Toronto Calgary etc?

Danny B

We need someone with your skills here in Kamloops right now, PM me if you are interested in living & working in Kamloops and I'll send you the details.

Dan

Geordie Lass

My husband works for an IT company in Calgary and they are desperate for people....

What he did was look for companies that matched what he did in the UK and sent them his resume. Then HR emailed him and then he had an interview on Skype. Then we came over on holiday and they met up and bingo 6 months later here we are on an TWP.

I get the impression from others that I know that work in IT that IT people are in demand here.

Do you know whereabouts in Canada you want to live? is that not your starting point?

Fitzer

Yep, to concur with the other replies you need to be here to make it happen. I recently joined an IT firm here in Montreal, and have since been told that without my physical presence and SIN (Social Insurance Number) readiness they simply would not have had the time to spend awaiting me to interview and start.

Incidentally once landed, you can get the SIN in minutes by turning up to the local employment offices. You will need an address for the plastic card to follow on to, but a mailbox might work.

I would suggest fattening up your linkedin resume - and making your address Canadian so you show up in searches. Then do a search for recruitment folks in the area you want to settle (you can grab a free premium linkedin account for a month, which allows you to pester them directly).

Good luck.

Ayan123

Thanks for all your replies.

Yes I got my SIN card sorted and have Linkedin profile ready too, however I didn’t see many employer/recruiters active there comparatively to in UK.

@Danny: please check your inbox
@Geordie: Can I ask what your husband specialisation is in IT?
@Fitzer: How you finding your experience? Are there many IT/Networking jobs out there?

jandro

I did IT support roles in the UK. When I returned to Canada (I'm Canadian) I was unable to find a similar role and took work doing call center technical support at low pay. At one company I got an internal reference and got a job as an Infrastructure Specialist. That was the only way I was able to get my foot in the door. Since the company did not see the IT Dept as a profit center it was under funded and under staffed making the work challenging, long hours etc.