in the woods

well its what you know and who you know. Especially in the cape

DandNHill

In south west nova it's who you know... You don't need to know anything as long as you have the contacts!

Howefamily

thats indeed frightening.... so if you want to be a nurse, or an airport manager you just have to KNOW the right people and the job is yours?? Frig whether or not you have any knowledge at all to do the job??

I believe that contacts get you a foot in the door at times, but you have to have some idea to have a shot at the job surely, unless we are talking about a role that requires no knowledge at all..

Arty

Interesting reading

Arty & Family

izzi81

We're moving out to NS in a few months. We don't have a terribly big financial cushion. We also don't have a family, there are just the two of us. We aren't moving out there expecting it all to go swimmingly at the start. I expect it will be challenging, there will be things to overcome, but I also hope it will be more invigorating than our lives here currently are.

Everyone likes to have a safety net, but not everyone can have one. Some people won't do anything without one, and some people will risk it. It's always been that way. And the people who don't like risk will struggle to understand the people who are prepared to take a chance.
It could be said my situation is very 'safe' here (my mum keeps telling me..). I have a 'good' job, as safe as they can be these days. We rent a flat, have a car, can afford to go on holidays. But I hate it here. I feel trapped, I want an adventure not boredom!

I hope our move works out - I've no idea how it will go but I do know both my partner and I are in it for the long haul and prepared to make it work! We've visited NS 3 times already and love it there (we've also been to Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton (briefly). So hopefully we've done our research OK...

In conclusion... each to their own

jimmydean

+1

Silverdragon102

+2


We came out here no kids, 3 dogs and knew no-one out here. We love it here in NS for us it works. We are both in good jobs. I work as a RN and hubby works from home. Many during the summer months grow their own veggies and fruit and then bottle/pickle etc them for the rest of the year. I find some things are more expensive than the UK and others cheaper than the UK. Poverty is certainly something I see. But I also see people determined to make do with what they can

Hope the move goes well for you izzi81

The4BellsLondon

Indeed Izzi and Dragon - you take your chances - but both of you did it or will do it with no kids in tow .. That's the bit that concerns me .. Not the no kids !


With kids is tow it's a different set up and that's where you need to be able to survive at a level your family find acceptable til jobs are found or have enough finance /credit for flights home .

Lorna999

I was an emergency Nurse practitioner in the uk. I thought with that qualification it would be easy enough to get a job as an RN here in NS. I applied for vacancies in Halifax Infirmary Emergency over and over and heard nothing. The same jobs were advertised unfilled month after month. After 6 months, I eventually got a job in Dartmouth General as I met someone who knew the manager and put in a 'word' for me! I later met the manager from Emergency in Halifax and she asked why I was working at Dartmouth when with my experience I could be working in the trauma unit in Halifax. I said I had applied many times and heard nothing. She looked sheepish, and admitted to me that HR at Halifax Infirmary were' instructed' to 'THROW OUT APPLICATIONS FROM IMMIGRANTS AT SOURCE AS THEY COULDN'T BE BOTHERED DEALING WITH THEM'! Turns out my applications had never even been submitted! This apparently has been normal practice for some time! Every time I rang HR they would assure me that I would hear something soon...Hmmm..what a big fob off! So in my case lucky I met someone, and my experience counted for nothing!
My hubby on the other hand got a job as an architect by cold calling businesses and got 5 interviews on one week. none of those jobs had been advertised! It is a strange place!!

DandNHill

Yes you need some knowledge for sure. But it's about who you know... Everybody is related down here, or they went to school together so as outsiders it's very difficult to get in.
Once you worked at your first job, you build a reputation and then people contact you out of the blue to ask if you want to work for them. Happened twice to me last year! My contract comes to an end in June and I wouldn't be surprised if I get offered something although I want the summer off first! Lol

Lorna999

I echo what that Nicky....Once I had got my foot through the door and proved myself, my experience then became relevant. Once I was trusted, I got a job offer as a Nursing Teacher out of the blue as apparently I had been 'recommended' for it! (I had not applied!) Everyone in the teaching faculty knows each other and has been brought in 'by friends.' Of course you have to have the relevant experience to be recommended, but certainly no 'outsiders' would get the job even though they are advertised nationally. It is just a formality.
In my experience if you do your time and get on well with people things just start to snowball!

Howefamily

I agree. But you have to be able to do the job too, to be a nurse you have to be a nurse etc etc. For many jobs it cant be just pure nepotism although that does exist.
This is where the networking tool comes into play. It felt strange to me at first, I guess I must have gotten used to it by now.

Lorna999

Ach, I think the whole thing is just contrary! Our department recently turned down an experienced and qualified Medical secretary and gave the job to our porter. He had been in the union longer! It cost them thousands to put him through training. Bonkers!


__________________

Anyway, I forgot the point of this thread. Was it to say why we chose NS but not mention the scenery or something?? (which is quite important I feel when it is often the first and only impression you have to go by) Well we just wanted a bit of peace and quiet with a quieter lifestyle. We were open to many places but this is where OH in the first instance secured a job. We liked it when we visited because of the coastal scenery, the lakes and the lack of people and have now made a very pleasant life here. It is a lovely place to enjoy if you have the money. Pretty bloody awful if you are skint though when everything is so expensive.
Describing why you like NS without being allowed to say the beaches etc, is like trying to ask someone why they moved to the great lakes or Rockies without using the word lakes or mountains!

Howefamily

I think the point of this thread was to get an idea of the cost of living. Then some out West wanted to know why we came and what we think now.

The4BellsLondon

I didn't want to know