Pirros

Long time reader but few posts.
I was considering a career change (military backround) and a move abroad for many years and now the time has come for my dream to come true.
My idea is to get a Diploma in IT in London or Toronto and then settle there. As an EU national i dont have to worry about residence in UK. As for Canada i plan to attend courses for a 2 year Diploma in IT and then gain a PR through work permit and later on Canadian Experience Class or a PNP program. In London i found West London College for that matter. I am aware for the costs in Canada and UK respectivelly and for the visa and tuition costs in Canada. I have been to both countries as a tourist and both look fine to me. As i am 32 i would like to ask
a. where the job market is better, in the UK or Canada?
b. if you where in my shoes would you pay all the extra costs for tuition and visas just to be in Canada?I mean does it really worth it? and
c. based on your experience in the long run which country has a better future?
Thabk you for your time and your kind inputs in advance

MarylandNed

I've lived in the UK (Manchester, London) and Canada (Toronto). Either country is fine. The standard of living in both countries is comparable as is the standard of education. Obviously there are pros and cons to each country and so your choice really depends on your personal situation and preferences - which can change over time. However, even within the same country, there are pros and cons to living in particular areas.

Since you're a EU national, one of the things you need to consider is whether you would want to make frequent trips back to your home country (or to Europe in general) to visit family/friends - and whether it's important for family/friends to be able to visit you easily. Canada is further away obviously and it'll be more expensive to travel to and from there.

Although you'll be starting off as a student, it's important to realize that down the road vacation time in Canada (and in North America in general) can be pretty low when you first start a new job. So finding time to travel after starting a new job can be a challenge - although vacation time usually increases with length of service and can sometimes be negotiated up front.

If you end up obtaining Canadian PR and then citizenship, this helps open doors into the US. For example, Canadian citizens can work in the US as a TN non-immigrant under NAFTA.

Pirros

Thank you
I agree that every country has its advantages and disadvantages and i can fully accept that. To me both UK and Canada are nice places to be. My main concern is if career wise my prospects would be better in Canada than in the UK in the long run.Thats what im thinking, as i will have this chance just once in my lifetime.

Matematik

Canada is much better than the UK. Cheaper prices, higher wages, a growing economy and cheaper land and property prices.

There's a reason why so many Brits immigrate to Canada and not vice versa.

The UK is just as effected by the recession as most continental European nations. Don't be mislead by all the "safe haven" stuff, unemployment is a problem here too.

Sally Redux

What about the cops though?

el_richo

Do you believe property in downtown Vancouver is cheaper than rural Pickering?

Do you believe wages are higher on average in Cranbrook than in Central London in the UK?

Do you believe it's much better to live on a reservation in Fort St John than Fulford in the UK?

I'm genuinely interested

MarylandNed

Well, I started off in the UK working in IT. My skills were in demand enough to allow me to move to Canada, back to the UK and then to the US. The main thing is to acquire in-demand skills and then keep learning continuously. When you do that, you can move almost anywhere those skills are needed. Where you actually start off doesn't matter too much IMO. If you have the right IT skills, you'll have more than one opportunity to move to Canada or the UK.

If you're asking me for advice without really knowing you, I would say go for Canada. Get your PR and citizenship there. Perhaps even move to the US and do the same thing. As a EU citizen that door is always open anyway - so open the other doors while you're still young.

Realize though that this advice is probably worth what you paid for it.

Waggle

I also am from the UK, and now live in Canada. I also have an IT background (I am a software developer), although strangely my occupation has never been on the in-demand list - fortunately my wife's industrial pharmacy skills were (and after 6+ months here, ironically she is the one still without a job in her field).

To someone who has never lived in the UK or in Canada, I would not say one country is so much better than the other. They are very different.

I lived in the UK for almost 40 years so I fancied a real change. And Canada certainly provides that. The standard of living is pretty good in both countries. I'd say the UK economy is in worse shape than the Canadian economy.

A lot of things are swings and roundabouts to be honest. Like cars - in Canada second hand cars are more expensive than they are in the UK, and the insurance is astronomically expensive by comparison. However, you have to weigh that up against no MOT here, no road tax here and the petrol more or less half the price than it is in the UK. So although there are big differences, overall I'd say the cost of driving is similar.


Canada has a lot more space than the UK (half the population in 50 times the size), and generally the pace of life here is more relaxed and slower. People here in my view are generally friendlier than the UK.

But it if course has downsides. For example, there is no real maternity benefit in Canada, other than a small government issued benefit and that's if your employer covers for it. You can get the leave, of course, but you don't really get paid for it.

Anyway, feel free to throw me a PM if u have any questions about the differences between the two countries.

At the moment I am very happy with our decision to move here, but 40 years in the UK versus 6 months in Canada, it is bound to be new and shiny and sparkly to begin with!

Wayne.

Pirros

You are so lucky that you stayed out of the eurozone. It would have been
worst for the UK if you were in the eurozone now.

Tangram

Majority of that is pure Daily Mail drivel IMHO.

Please show your source of this generalisation.

cheeky_monkey

That's because Brits are more ambitious than Canadians and a lot more switched on to the possibilities the world has to offer..wherever you go you will find British expats trying to better themselves.

MarylandNed

Huh? Almost 3 million Canadians live abroad - a bit less than 10% of the population. Almost 6 million Brits live abroad - again a bit less than 10% of the population.

Tangram

So the original statement by the OP is wrong whether either one of you is right then.

MarylandNed

What statement?

Boy d

or escape the UK