Gerbera

Hi i have found some threads realting to this issue but would welcome some feed back on how long this would take.

We are still in the early stages of our application for PR. My husband would be the principle applicant. I am a qualified solicitor and would not be able to practice in Canada.

To start i would be focusing on getting our 3 year old daughter settled and the family home sorted. I am under no illusion that i'd have to get a little part time job to start which i am more than happy to do. I have however been thinking about the long term.

I have seriously considered re-training here in the UK as an early years teacher, although we can not really take the big drop in wage at the moment. I am therefore going to look at what is available to me in Canada (Calgary). Whether this be teacher, teaching assistant or working in a nursery.

Has anyone had any similar experiences starting from scratch on these types of careers?

Many thanks

Deeny

Hi,
I gave up my career as a nurse to raise my children. I retrained as an Early Years Educator and worked in a Pre-School for seven years.
The job was ideal when my children were young-school hours, holidays off, flexible with sickness etc. However, the pay is poor, minimum wage for nursery workers, and the paperwork is excessive, often taking up most of my half term holidays.
I don't know about the Early Years Curriculum in Canada regarding the amount of paperwork involved but I do recall the wages being similarly low.
I enjoyed many aspects of the work; you get to build good relationships with the children and their families and it is a joy to watch the childrens' faces as they explore new experiences and discover the world around them. I always had a lump in my throat saying the last goodbye before the children left for "big school".
Personally, I found that as my children grew I also outgrew the job. Seven years of nursery rhymes, tantrums and snotty noses wiped on my arm was enough for me. I yearned for adult conversation and needed a new challenge so I returned to nursing. This move was also prompted by the changes to THE LIST, but as it happens I am really enjoying being back and do not miss the nursery work at all.
If you are able, I would advise you to volunteer as a parent helper at a school or nursery. This will give you a feel for the job and you can talk to the staff and find out the best fit for you. As a graduate, there are many routes into teaching open to you, although it may be best to wait until in Canada to start post grad studies. I have read various threads on here suggesting Teachers have not found it easy to obtain employment.
I wish you all the best in Calgary.
Regards
Deeny

jenny28

HI
My family and I have been in Canada since March. My husband is an electrician, however he is going to college in September to do an ECE course Early Childhood Education course. He is looking forward to it.
Best of luck.

Almost Canadian

Why would you not be able to work as a solicitor in Canada? I appreciate that you would have to retrain but that is not an impossible task.

I also appreciate that you may not wish to work as a lawyer anymore and are looking to other occupations.

Siouxie

If you did want to transfer your qualifications to Alberta, here is the link that explains how to do it.

http://www.directionsforimmigrants.c...noc_lawyer.htm

NAC: http://www.flsc.ca/en/foreignLawyers/foreignLawyers.asp

Alternatively, what about practicing as a Paralegal? http://www.directionsforimmigrants.c..._paralegal.htm there is a shortage of them in Alberta! http://alis.alberta.ca/wageinfo/Cont...ID=20&NOC=4211

Teachers Aids earn very little in comparisom: http://alis.alberta.ca/wageinfo/Cont...ID=20&NOC=6472