GILDOC

Hi
Have just joined this website. We are in very early stages of thinking of emigrating, we are married, have a 2 year old daughter and trying for another baby. My husband used to work as an information analyst for IBM and the NHS but now works with his dad in the roofing, slating and plastering business. I have worked in admin in the NHS for most of my days. We have a pretty good life here in Scotland, make alright money and have enough to do stuff at the weekends and take 2 holidays a year, also live in an isolated part so there is a great community. Can any ex pats tell me what the cost of living is like in Canada compared to the UK and what the income is like compared to UK? Just wondering, though our main reason wanting to emigrate is the lifestyle as we dont like the way the UK is going.

dbd33

What is the difference between the lifestyle you have now and the one you hope to have in Canada?

I ask because you're not likely to be better off financially and you seem to already have what most people come for.

iaink

No, I doubt they can. Canada is absolutely huge, unimaginably so for a brit I suspect, with great diversity in housing types and costs, and the cost of living is as much or as little as you wish to make it.

You can compare average income statistics, but thats pointless as income in Toronto or Vancouver has to be double what it is in the boonies for the same living standard, just as it is in London, its what that income gets you that counts in the big picture.

Like dbd, Im not sure what you are looking for that you dont already have. If you think canada is immune from social problems or crime, then look closer, and if its immigrants you want to avoid then you should probably check out canadas place in the world, and the irony of emmigrating to avoid immigrants.

Judy in Calgary

If you come to Canada, it may be more difficult to take two holidays a year, or they would have to be two very short holidays.

At the risk of invoking the wrath of regular posters, because this horse has been flogged to death, annual leave entitlements in Canada typically are more meager than they are in the UK.

Two weeks' annual leave is a fairly typical starting point. People in somewhat more senior jobs usually start with three weeks.

There are some disadvantages to being an expat. A good chunk of what little leave you have is taken up in trips back home to visit the rellies. During the years in which you don't visit them, they visit you. Then you still use up your annual leave on them. You take them sight seeing around your part of the world. In fact you go back to the same popular tourist spots again and again and again and again and again. The rellies come in waves, and you have to take each new batch to the same attractions or scenic lookout points or whatever. You will miss out on many other trips you would have liked to have taken because you'll devote so many of your resources to the rellies.

Also, your kids will not have the contact with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins that they would have had if you'd stayed in the UK. No matter how much of your resources you devote to staying in touch, it's not the same.

I wouldn't try to deter the members of this forum who know deep in their guts that they want to come to Canada. To people in that frame of mind, I say, "Go for it."

But, to the people who are just starting to research the possibility, I say, "Think twice."

I come from Southern Africa, and there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever in my mind that I'm better off in Canada. But, if you live in a First World country to begin with, I think you have to do a lot more homework and a lot more weighing up of the pros and cons before you commit.

GILDOC

We want to move away from the ned culture in scotland and the way that the UK sees alcohol as a way of life. I also feel that people in the UK are very negative. We have visited Toronto twice (1st time for over a month and 2nd time for 2 weeks) and found the canadians to be very friendly. Also spoke to family members there who said teenagers are much better behaved in toronto than they are in scotland. I also would like to move somewhere where children are brought up with sport and an active lifestyle, therefore I am also looking into Australia and New Zealand which we have also spent some time visiting.

iaink

Substitute pot for alcohol and its much the same.


Outside of a major city public transport means that if you want you kids to do those great organised sports, then you have to commit to being there to take them, and they have to be commited to wanting to do it. And something like hockey they may never catch up with the local kids.

My eldest daughter is 4, shes been in organised skating since whe was three, and at age 5 the group is already split up into skating for hockey and figure skating. My little village has produced 3 current NHL players...they start them very young.

Canadians in general are very polite and superficially friendly, but Ive been here 10 years and although I have a great many friendly aquantainces, true friends you can rely on are much harder to come by.

Just think carefully and dont throw the baby out with the bathwater. Exposure to sports and a health lifestyle is at the control of the individual. Raise your kids to make smart choiuces and you dont need to worry about them becoming a ned, or abusing alcohol.


PS, Judys post above is absolutely spot on. I could have written that, except for the grammar and spelling.

GILDOC

Thanks for your replies, as I said we are early stages of thinking of emigrating so all your replies will help in the decision making process.
I do know we have a good life where we are and have grandparents on hand for babysitting, etc.

redrosed

Hi Gildoc,
have to reply here as feel some empathy with lifestyle issues. Which island you on? We have lived on top coast west of Thurso for last 8yrs and has been great at times, nice little village etc. but i dont like the general negative issues in the Uk and also the lack of opportunities where we are now for our kids (1 and 3yrs). Going back to England is non starter due to housing cost, and quite frankly, dont want to. We are hoping Canada (Saskatchewan) will offer more opportunities but with similar small town feel. Job wise, i think it depends on what level you go in at, my OH is getting v.slight increase in wage, same 36days hol but he is at senior level (agric).
Good luck with decisions,
Nicky..

jonfrank123

I know you have visited Toronto twice but I'd also visited Montreal many times but it took me about a year of living here to realise the social ills that Canada has, some of these problems are the same as the UK and some are different.

You also need to realise that good and bad areas are much further apart than in the UK so it's possible to live somewhere and not see problems. Canadians out in the suburbs at least tend to drive more than Brits so are also more insulated to any troubles. I know the good areas look cheap but they are not if you are on a Canadian wage, so you might end up in a not so great place.

I live in Montreal, one of the cheaper parts of Canada, and spend a similar amount to what I did in the UK for a similar lifestyle

If you really want to play sport then you can do it anywhere in the world, in fact football (soccer) in the UK is far more accesible and cheaper than sports in Canada. Wait until you need to fork out for hockey gear.

I'm not trying to say Canada is wrong for you or anyone else, but if it's well behaved teenagers, fear of crime and sports that are your only drivers then don't bother.

I am lucky enough to be working for my own British company, however the only person I know who has more than 2 weeks paid holiday per year, apart from me is my father in law and thats because he's been at the same company since 1988.When you start 2 weeks is it, so 2 holidays per year goes down the cr@pper.

In my opinion, and it's just an opinion!! come to Canada twice a year on holiday, enroll your kids in sports classes, stop reading the negative British newspapers and you will achieve the same results for a lot less money

Jonathan

GILDOC

Hi
I'm in a very very small island - Millport in north west scotland, 11 miles round! Though it is only 8 min ferry journey to the mainland - tho not a very nice mainland!!!
In a way Johnathan thanks for your advice cos it was actually my hubby that was wanting to go to Canada, whereas I prefer Australia or New Zealand so I am off to that forum to see what their thoughts are!

iaink

I expect they are much the same...only in a different, further away time zone, with more creepy crawlies. The grass is neither greener on the otherside, or as brown as you think it is on your side.

I suspect the best advice you've been given here is to stop bothering with the UK press, really what relevance does any of it have to your day to day life. Its depressing at best, and largley unrepresentative of the lives the majority of people live anyway.

Sometimes I suppose you have to look around a bit and play the field before you realise just what a good situation you have right now, and the few things that you might need to do to make it that little bit better if you want.

Dont get me wrong, i love my life in Canada, but I didnt have much to lose when I chose to come here, and no family for the decision to impact on. I believe that for immigration to be a long term successful prospect you have to be drawn towards something positive, rather than running from a negative.

samochod50

Oh man, I could not agree more!!!!!!!!!!

R I C H

I think Jonanthan's post just reinforces the fact that Canada's such a large and diverse country, one persons experience and opinions are likely to differ hugely from anothers.

I live in the interior of BC, the weather here makes enjoying outdoor recreation and sport far, far easier than in the UK. Kamloops City have invested huge sums of money to provide sports facilities that are, for a city of it's size, quite frankly incredible. If I had kids that were keen sports, I can't imagine a better environment for them to grow up in. Many of the facilities are very low cost to use - frequent camps, training academies and high quality of coaching ensure that kids have excellent access to sport.

Judy's summary regarding holidays is IME more accurate to - I run my own business, but also have a contract with a provincial sports organisation who offered me 20 days paid holiday each year, for a mid-level position.

Steve_P

Isn't interesting how things have changed over the years.

When I arrived here 44 years ago it was not expected that you would see much of your family that had been left behind.

Flights were fewer and much more expensive relative to salary.

So when the decision to emigrate was made to come to Canada it was a given that trips back to the UK would be few and far between and expecting rellies to come over here was almost unheard of.

I'm not sure if it was they couldn't afford it or if they felt you moved away you could come back to visit.

I suspect it more the latter, as anytime I went back it seems it was too difficult for relatives to get off their collective arses and come to see me wherever I was staying even if it was only thirty miles or so.

Sorry rant over.

Cheers
Steve

Climbs meekly out of pram to pick up toys and put them back.

R I C H

We've created itineraries for visitors - suggested places to visit and stay that we've experienced. The reality is we can't afford the $ or time to re-visit and sight-see everywhere several times over. It's their holiday, not ours so other than spare time in evenings and on occasional weekends, they have to be self-sufficient.

As for trips back to the UK, they're not on the agenda. Our life is here now, and we want to explore and see all that we can, not spend time and money flying back to somewhere we chose to leave. I guess it's all down to prioritising what you want out of life.