seacreature

I'm lucky in that I have a Canadian partner who works and can support me, however I was wondering....
What do other immigrants do when they can't even land a survival job (as in my position?)
Is this the reason so many people return to the UK?

dingbat

I went through the (relatively large amount of) money I had brought with me as a safety net - and then ended up using a UK credit card to pay the rent after 10 months of unemployment with kids to clothe and feed. It might be why people return, because the dream and the reality are so far apart for many - but not all. I do know of some successes...it would be grossly unfair of me to say that everyone fails. Most of the successes are the highly qualified, highly skilled internationally transferable candidates however. Those who held senior/middle management type positions in the UK attained through a mixture of their experience and reward based on merit...they are the ones who struggle here. My only question would be if you own your home in the UK, you have a good job and you have kids....why would you risk it?

seacreature

Well I wouldn't advise it.
In hindsight, we would've stayed in the UK if we'd known how hard it would be for me to find a job and I didn't even own my own house!
It must be truly appalling for people who sell their homes in the UK and move over here. For many it must be a case of move back or literally starve.

kleinluka

I don't know about you guys,... but moving to a different country, let alone a WHOLE DIFFERENT CONTINENT without having the security of a job is kind of asking for trouble to begin with. I can't believe the amount of people I'm seeing here who moved to Canada in hopes of finding a job there and ending up failing and moving back or strongly considering moving back. I've been wondering..What exactly made you make the decision to move here then? Because I sure as hell know that I wouldn't just pack all my stuff in a few suitcases and leave everything behind me if there wasn't a solid reason and I'd be 100% sure that I'd be able to care for myself at the place I'm headed to, with a secure job lined up etc...

Glaswegian

Most insane thing I ever did ... moved myself and my familty to Canada ... no job to go to ... but it did eventually work out.

seacreature

I didn't move here just for the sake of it, I'm married to a Canadian. I wanted to remain in the UK.
I knew the work situation was going to be tough here but nothing prepared me for this.

_Dave_

The way UK people talk, they make it sound like getting a job in Canada is impossible.

Obviously someone in Canada has a job, because there is only a 7% unemployment rate at the moment.

http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjec...LFS/lfs-en.htm

Airseir

Guess I am just palin daft - but yes I am selling my house, quiting my job etc and moving lock stock and Barrel over there. 100% reason? no. If I only went for known outcomes in my job we would never have moved forward so I am used to taking educated and calculated risks. This is going to be the biggest one I have taken in my personal life and I accept that it may be tough. I hope the safty net of over $200,000 should help me long enough to get some burger flipping job although I now favour the table waiting. Some of us sad risk takers hope that we have what it takes, prepared and flexible in our appraoch and full of the attitude that if some make a success of it we probably can. the final part is that I would rather fail trying than sit here in my later years wondering what it would have been like.

I once quit my full time permanent job that was happily paying the mortguage and left me a little for leisure to change trades, less money and struggling to pay the mortguage, after 6 months the job was advertised nationally as a permanent position and I faced unemployment, but I stuck it out got the job and was a lot better off in the long run. - yes perhaps I used up my luck card - perhaps I may get lucky again. The scariest thing is that if I fail there is no comming back because I couldnt afford to buy my house now at its market value so wont be able to come back to what I leave.

"Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth."

"The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live."

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."

I may be completly barking but I am acting for myself and may eat humble pie later on - but I will have lived and experienced a little more. so far I have been a tyre and exhaust fitter, warehouse bod, painter and decorator, science technician, graphic artist, Semi-professional photographer, I.T. technician, IT and Computing Lecturer, college Manager, Programmer, and now a systems Development Manager. My spare sallary never increased I just eat better food, drink better beers and wines, have a more expensive car and a bigger house.

Gaz_F

I am in a very lucky position when we get around to emigrating with my service pension.
At current rates, we will have the equivalent of just over CDN$100000 with CDN$22000 per annum pension (Approx CDN$1800 per month) which is UK index linked.

Personally, I believe this is a massive safety net. Although 22K isn't a massive amount, it will mean we don't starve. And if I get promoted before my time is up, I'm looking at a 30% increase on both figures.

Our main reasons for wishing to emigrate to Canada are the open spaces and slower way of life. Not to get the big house, big car etc.

And, after doing what I've been doing for the past 18 years or so, I think stacking shelves in a supermarket may suit me fine. (I did it at College anyway.)

Glaswegian

Don't take one voice as the voice of all of us ... jobs are far from impossible to get.

The worst thing about generalisations is that they're way too generalised ...

fairystar

we must be crazy too then
we have 3 kids a nice home both have well paid jobs and we are giving it all up to come to canada..
we pray we will get jobs and are prepared to retrain and start from the bottom the company my hubby works for now is also based worldwide so he will try for them when and if we land.
we are after a better life i feel no ties to england i dislike the country and dont wish my kids to grow up here, we want a bigger country more opportunities for them ,we will be able to own a much bigger home than we have now with no mortgage and land which will help us achieve a less stressful life, my husband has always wanted to move to canada it has been his dream but we are no way deluded to think it wont be hard and we will have to take any jobs which come our way,he is even thinking of trying to get an eprentiship (can t spell this) and change his carreer.
we should have $220000 cnaadian dollars to come with so hopefully that will also give us a year to find something.
my dads cousin lives in ontario so hopefully we will meet up with her .
i would just hate to be still in the uk 10 yrs from now dreaming about what could of been in our monotinous dreary life we have now.

Glaswegian

Wow ... sounds like you're planning to have a fun year

fairystar

lol
that also includes the payment to buy our home and live off we plan with the remains we d have maybe a year to get a job within as we are looking at houses for about $150000-170000
:-)

Steve&Tanya

Well said Airseir, we are in the same boat, yes grass is not always greener, but why have we all decided to move lock stock and barrel to another continent? For us it is because we are fed up with this bloody country!

If it all goes wrong for us in Canada then we will just have to get on with it and get on with life. We are both prepared to take up the challenge and start a new life in over there.

I am one of the most placid guys you could ever meet, I dont have a problem with anyone as long as they pay their way, but it gets my back up when people come on this forum and seem to try and discourage others to start a new life in Canada, which I know has its own problems.

We just want the opportunity to become part of the continious building of a country that welcomes immigrants with open arms, so be it if I am flipping burgers or working in a store when we first land but at least we would have arrived and started gaining the Canadian work experience that is required by some employers.

Steve

Glaswegian

Take a tip ... don't rush into buying a house until you're sure you know where you want live ... by that I don't mean you'll be planning to head back the UK with your tail between your legs ... Canada is a big place and you may have to move around to find the right opportunities and living environment