Hi All

I was wondering whether anyone had any advice or contacts with regards counselling jobs. My hubby and I are trying to get to Canada, neither of our occupations are on the "list", my hubby's work is very specialised in the Nuclear Industry - so finding a job there is hard in itself. I'm a counsellor/therapist and have experience working with children, adults with a multitude of issues inc. drug and alcohol addictions, anxiety, relationship problems, etc.

I feel like my brain is overload at the moment trying to take everything in. The BE has been amazing and I'm finding out so much information about the country - good and bad - and it's helped me take off those rose-tinted glasses!

Thanks in advance
Maz

I might be able to help if you are in Alberta, I have been studying addictions myself, and began with Child and Youth Care, as I came in on the study permit route. After completing by diploma, I have decided to stick with tutoring at the local college and then working with a treatment centre during the summer. Addictions workers are poorly paid, but if you have Masters, you will earn good money. It's about $100 for private work here in southern Alberta.

In order to get involved with counselling here you need the minimum of a masters, BSW or Counselling/ Counselling with addictions.

If you look on the government Alberta website, there is like a run down of lots of different kinds of work, requirements and expected pay scales etc.

I would personally look at coming in with the LMO route, canvassing universities and colleges, who find it difficult to get lecturers who don't just have a doctorate, but have real life experience in the field......you may find a hope that way?????


Good luck, our communities need more people like yourself as addictions are huge here!
Mrs M x

Thanks Mrs M

I don't have a Masters, but I have the experience. That seems to be the general feeling I'm getting - I need more qualifications. We know there is the chance of us coming over with me as the student, which is fine, but hubby still needs to get a reasonably paid job for us to manage and we have a son to think about.

I will definitely look at the Alberta gov. website, only thing is, hubby's work would be located in Ontario, but hopefully the website will give me an idea of what to expect.

Seems to be the way of the world, the occupations that are vital to people's health, whether it be physical, mental or emotional don't get paid what they should! That's my opinion anyway

Maz

Supply and demand ... init, or at least it should be.

Don't see the doctors and dentists suffering too much here, as much as some might like us to think otherwise.

$8 an hour? That's shocking. I know teaching assistants who make over $20 an hour and the only qualification they need as far as I can tell, is that you're grumpy and over weight.

These young guys are flying pax, by the time they are done, they end up with $4 or so (their license cost them around $80,000 to get as well). Most live in a bunk house or with family though so few costs. What they are after is logged hours, the more the better. The goal being a job with the big guys, as a bus driver! It's not until you get there you find it ain't all its cracked up to be, hauling across one ocean or another.

Thanks for all your comments, it's sounding pretty hard to find a job in the counselling field, certainly one that will pay enough to live on. Frustrating, but not surprising I guess