If people working for us consistently took ten days a year off we'd find someone else; that's not showing commitment to the firm. I take more vacation than anyone I know and it's nowhere near as much as that.

Brits have a bit of a poor reputation around here for commitment. We nearly lost a sale because one year a client decided on December 23rd that he'd like an onsite presentation the next day and our British associate didn't want to do it as it meant not being home for Christmas. I had to bully him into it and, of course, was thought a slacker by ethnic association. Most embarassing.

I have got used to the holiday thing, but then I enjoy my job, and my life here is not so stressful. Easy commute through nice countryside, no crime, generally happy with life, so I see no reason to need 6 weeks off to be happy. My quality of life here is much better than it was in the UK, where I could not afford to get on the housing ladder, and worried if my car would still be where I parked it when I got back. I am more than happy to trust my (young) childrens education to the canadian system.

If you really dislike the cold, Toronto would be no fun. There is generally a month or more of frigid temps, and another couple of months of winter weather either side of that. I didnt know what to expect, and I really quite enjoy the sunshine and snow. The inconvenience for me is negligible. YMMV.

Education is a thorny issue. Personally I think the UK system is way too wrapped up in school targets and getting kids to pass exams, rather than producing well grounded, well rounded helpful members of society, which seems to be more the Canadian goal. FWIW in any international measure of literacy / numeracy, Canada usually fares at least as well as the UK. They may start Uni a bit behind academically/ technically, but they catch up at some point. I guess it depends on what you think your kids need, a chance to express themselves, or a rigid academic treadmill.

Career is the biggy. If you arent happy at work, then chances are that will spill over into the rest of your life. For IT and Finance, Toronto would be the obvious canadian destination, just as london would be in the UK. Some people find getting a job here easy, others struggle for months, years even, to get a foot in the door. The downside to Toronto is its a bit of a sprawling mass, a large city by any standards. There is lots to do though, and for a major city it has a good reputation. If you have the money to live in nice area with a shortish commute then quality of life will probably be fine. But thats probably all true of London too. The main difference in Canadas favour is property is cheaper, and the petty crime that seems to blight much of the UK is much less prevalent. From you kids point of view they will probably be less stressed here, and more involved in community activities. But it will still be cold in the winter.

With an eye on the future and a global work market, British kids with canadian citizenship through residency would be able to freely move and work in both the UK and EU, and North America too...

what discreetly get rid of them? set them up?


Nice place you work.

Fair point of view - we'll let the potential immigrants decide on whether it's a factor in their decision to come to Canada.

Ultimately it's a work-to-live versus live-to-work argument. Personal, relevant and pointless all at the same time.

No, no, nothing malicious. It's just that this is a very competitive market and there are loads of people who don't have a philosophy of taking vacations.

I don't know that it's pointless. In Europe there's a concept of work-life balance that I don't think applies here. If you're the sort of person who doesn't see work as the point of living then maybe it would make more sense to be in Europe.

Thats a very European outlook though. I dont hear the born and bred canadians I work with complaining about work / life balance, after all this is all they have known, so why would they. They just make the most of the weekends and go to the cottage or camp or whatever. Maybe thats why brits complain about the dire TV content...we are the only ones watching it?

Vacation is just a state of mind I think.

Agree on the state of mind thing but the Canadians I work with here don't think much of camping; internet access from a tent or cabin tends to be very slow.

In the sense that it's pointless to argue about it as everyone differs in their own expectations of the work/holiday balance.

I personally know Canadians, Yanks et al who hate the limited holiday benefits and the pressure to be at the company beck and call 24/7. Should they move to Europe also? I know others who love their work and take very little of their allocated time off.

Each to their own. Company ethos differ. Yours appreciates (and I hope rewards) hard workers who live for their work. Other Canadian organisations appreciate those who take their holidays and feel they benefit from that way of working.

Just don't convince the OP that every North American firm expects a 24/7 die-for-the-company committment please.

I was thinking more hunting camp than tent camp. But the people you work with are so far from normal its not really worth explaining

I recently met someone from Frankfurt living here in London with her family. They seem to like it here although the fact that they are able to send thie children to a posh private school probably helps. It is expensive to live here.

I think, it would really depend on what you mean by "better life" . In Germany you probably have a "not so bad" life, (that is 2 good salaries, 6 weeks vacation per year and a "not so bad school system" (please give us an idea, what exactly in the educational system should be better in your new location) and a "not so cold climate" as for example, Toronto.

Now to be better than that, you would want to have
a) more money (both of you) or , let's maybe say, more influential jobs (?)
b) at least the same length of vacation, (otherwise it would be a compromise)
c) a "better" educational system
d) warmer weather (?) .. otherwise its a compromise, if you don't like cold climate

Now check both countries for these points..
a) more money than in Germany> probably UK rather than Canada
b) vacation time... UK better than Canada
c) education.. I leave this to the other people on the board to decide, I think the Canadian school system is very good, I know people from Germany who moved here for that reason..
d)climate> UK is warmer than Canada
e) better life? Check out why the British expats leave for Canada..

I used to live in Frankfurt until 1999 and I have now lived in Canada for a while.. both countries have their pros and cons... I wouldn't be able to tell you which one is "better"..

Good Luck with your decision process.