Re: Glad to be back
 

Thanks val50 - I agree - Halifax is the pits. Just watch the Atlantic TV News everyday!

You are very brave shelly1 to declare your mis-adventure.

I would suggest to all that are considering Canada -

Budget your finances so that you will have no, or a tiny mortgage only.

If you have children, remember to live somewhere, where they do not need loads of mileage put on your car and driving time.

Yes it is like going back to the 1960`s outside of the mega major cities.

It is an employers market - but - as long as one is not from a UK Industry that has enjoyed cloud cuckoo land salaries, ie - I.T. or Estate Agent or High Finance etc. one can actually use this to one`s advantage.

For as long as you are not committed to much personal debt, it is the norm` to move around from one employer to the next, until YOU are content with your "lot"!

FINALLY - TO GUARANTEE - THAT ONE WILL NOT BE TEMPTED TO RETURN TO THE UK - PLACE YOURSELF IN THIS MIND SET - HATE WHAT THE EU HAS MADE THE UK - AND YOU WILL NOT GO WRONG - COMING TO CANADA.

For here in NB, they are more British, then the British !!!!!!!!!!!!

MOTHER - I`M HOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Re: Glad to be back
 

As per usual with this kind of thread it brings out the fairly typical responses depending on where we happen to be sitting. Those in the UK planning their move and not wanting to read such negative things. (I used to do that!) Those here and who are having a wonderful time and have no need to look back. Lastly people like me who's experience so far hasn't been great and therefore can relate to what the OP is talking about.

As is said so many times we'll never know until we try something and in our circumstance that is absolutely true. But no one should move here simply because of their dislike for the UK because there's certainly plenty of stuff wrong here in Canada. That doesn't make it bad it's just not especially any better than anywhere else. It is of course perfect for those where things have worked out exactly as planned but for the rest of us perhaps not.

Re: Glad to be back
 

I have however seen that some people who used to upset us budding emigrants by saying don't bother, Canada sucks, change their tune somewhat. Like Glaswegian who seemed to have nothing good to say about the place, and was constantly miserable and depressed (depressing!!) .... until he got the job that he wanted then everything was rosy..... Hi Glas, if you're still lurking out there!!. And like some of the current leavers who now instead of saying that everything is bad here, admit that for them it didn't work out.

That is important to know, that the dream does not always match reality. It's OK to say that Canada isn't for everyone, or that some people miss something too bad or find it difficult to make friends, and some people end up going home because the prospects there, despite everything they thought or hoped, are actually better FOR THEM back in the UK.

It IS up to the individual to try and prepare themselves (as much as ever they can) for the experience. But saying "don't bother coming", unless someone is somehow in the exact same situation (and character?) as oneself, is simply unhelpful and likely to upset people. All you can do, if you wish to "warn" people, is explain your own problems ....and maybe even it will help somebody, being forewarned, to be prepared for such stuff.

Re: Glad to be back
 

Sorry things didnt work out for you all, at least you tried it and wont forever be wondering.
What If.........................

Re: Glad to be back
 

I think you summarize well stepnek. Let's just all remember that we all only get one crack at life and it is full of learning experiences - each one enriching our life in sometimes unforeseen ways. Some responses in this thread demonstrate a degree of bias in their thinking - from both sides of the Atlantic. Also, I'm surprised that some people see someone going from the UK to Canada or Canada to UK as better then the other... get real. There are no absolutes. Everybody will have their unique experiences, both good and bad and both in the UK and Canada. Moving to Canada or moving back to the UK isn't neither right or wrong, positive or negative... it's just different!

My experience of moving from the UK (London where I was happy) to San Francisco 5 years ago has taught me so much about myself and what I want from life. I have grown as a person. I appreciate that one usually has a "way of living" that is similar wherever they live... attraction a similar type of friend, enjoy a similar type of food and spend free time doing similar activities.

My next move is to either Toronto or Montreal with my wonderful Canadian husband. While I'm looking forward to leaving the US, I have no illusions that there will be challenges and unforeseen events but I know that it will be another life experience. Lastly (before I get too mushy) let's not forget that we all have choices and as long as we are healthy and have family/friends for support, whether we live in country X or country Y, we are ultimately responsible for our own happiness and should not expect a change of country to change our relative happiness. That's my two penneth!

Re: Glad to be back
 

[QUOTE=shelly1]HI guys sorry to burst the bubble but!!!!!!
"I've never been so glad to see the UK ground beneath my feet than i have the last two months,
At the beginning of last year my husband was offered a trucking job in canada, "

Enjoy all of that feeling! I am sure it will last. Mine has since Mar2004 when we came back from our Canadian emigration. Oh, I do not regret it axcept for the 100k in u.k. house value we lost by selling up. The experience was altogether great. Enjoyed evry bit of it, seriously. And reminiscing on "the exceptions" is always good for a laugh.

Re: Glad to be back
 

Hiysa, I'm new on this site... I used to order Pizza for delivery (lived in Montreal, Quebec) and an all dressed extra large (which by the way is FAR bigger then the biggest you can get from Pizza shops in the UK... thinks its 18 inches) cost me $20 + maybe $2-3 tip. Where you were ordering your Pizza's from Shelley1 I don't know, but you should have asked if there was gold dust sprinkled in with the mozzerella.

I honestly think you just missed home, there's no guilt in that, but from what I am reading from your posts it sounds to me there was a fair bit of homesickness going on which is why you are elated to return to your familiar surroundings.

No one should emmigrate to another country (wherever it is, Canada or even just another European country) without first thinking about how you will cope with the change in culture, enviroment, the lack of the familiar and having to come to grips with learning the most basic things over again (like how to catch a bus!).

Sorry if I sound a bit patronising, it's not intended that way... but I am trying to bring some perspective to your comments. I am a Canadian who emmigrated to the UK to be with the man I love & have lived here for coming on 3 years now... I'm on this site as one day, we are hoping to save up enough ££ (which converts well to CDN$$) to have him emmigrate with me to Canada.

Many times I have missed home, been annoyed with being condescended towards as a "stupid american" by ignorant people here, have even been taken advantage of by employers in the UK who figured they could get one up on me because I didn't know the employment laws. And through all the Sh*t thats been tossed my way, I still have to say the majority of my experience here is positive... why? BECAUSE I CHOOSE TO MAKE IT SO!

Everyone has a choice in perspective, you can either take the bad and dwell on it and how horrible it all is and why you why you... or you can say, yeah, bad stuff happens but hey, look at the good stuff I've got out of this.

In my case: WOW I love the British sense of humour and I love the dry wit here... I love the fact that family life takes precedence over work life in this culture. I love the fact that History is everywhere you look and right under your feet everywhere you go here. I love the fact that in THIS country (England) my birthday is always going to fall on a bank holiday. I love the fact that I don't slip and fall on my butt everytime the winter temperatures can't decide whether its Autumn or Winter. I love the fact that the people I have met here don't take themselves too seriously and can have a laugh at themselves as much as others for the most part. I love the fact that prices on the store shelf are EXACTLY what you will have to dish out at the cash register. I love the fact that here, the employers (for the most part) deal with all their employees tax issues and we don't have to while away 6 hours of our weekend filling out our yearly income tax (provincial and federal) return forms or pay someone $80 (for a single/unmarried person!) to do it for us!

The reason why I want to eventually go back to Canada with my boyfriend? Because our savings will more then double with the exchange rate (it's around £1 to $2.45 CDN right now I believe) and the crime in the suburbs is far lower then here in the UK. The cost of buying a house is far more reasonable then having to get a 50 year mortgage for £200,000 to get a decent family friendly sized house with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and the fact that you can drive for hours in countryside without encountering another person or building if you so choose... talk about wide open spaces! My boyfriend is clautorphobic so yeah, open spaces = good thing! I love the fact that rain is rain, you get a day or two of rainy weather then hey look... its SUNSHINE again, not 2 weeks straight every month or two of grey dark gloomy/rainy days. And most of all... I love the fact that people in Canada can be friendly without backbiting or suspecting that there is some kind of hidden agenda, people can actually be just friendly people and not be trying to "steal your OH/job/position/friends etc" like they seem to do here. And I LOVE the fact that women in Canada ACTUALLY stick together and stick up for one another instead of being jealous & insecure and always suspecting their female friends of some sort of treachoury (spelling!). :D

PHEW... rant over :)

Re: Glad to be back
 

Ooops just realised the OP was from waaaay back in January.. nvmnd!! ;)

Re: Glad to be back
 

Great post Daedra :)

im from London England and i moved to Alberta to be with the man i love
theres good and bad in every place, and i think you hit the nail on the head with those :) there are things i like better in the UK than here, and same vice versa, for instance the shops in my opinion are better with more choice etc in the UK then i agree buying a house here is much more affordable than in the UK and the rain i can live without all that rain for sure! :)

good luck with the saving just love that exchange rate!

Re: Glad to be back
 

Sorry things didnt work out for you. :( We have been 'thinking' about emigrating to Canada for about 5 years now. Quite a few of father in laws friends emigrated there and been there over 10 years now and love it. I am also firends with a woman who lived there for 17 years but came back to England after her husband died. We have had holidays there. So tried to research it all as much as is possible from here in the UK. But living there will be a totally different ball game!

We decided this year to do something about our 'Canada dream', were about to send off our PR skilled worked application and then Husband got offered a Job in Alberta, he is a Carpenter. So the company are applying for a work permit and we are going over sooner rather than later. The company say if he is happy with them and we are happy in Canada they will apply for PNP when we are over there. A few of the girls in the office there are going to help us find a rental there for when we arrive and have also shared their experiences & advice (some of them are immigrants also).

We have a 3 year old daughter and from people living there/have lived there, they say it is the best country to bring your kids up in and it is very family oriented... which is also the experience we got when on hols there.

Money wise we are just saying to ourselves cost of living is either going to be the same price or dearer than here in the UK... if anything is less then thats a bonus isnt it!! Think you need to look at it in this way as if you go over thinking 'oh everything will be cheaper and life will be great' you will have a shock when things are not like that when you get there. I work part time here in the UK and we are going to try and manage over there without me working for a few years so I can spend some time with my daughter before she starts school, but if I have to get a job over there to make it work it is not the end of the world!

Hopefully we are going in to it all with our eyes wide open and can make it work for us as a family.

You have obviously done the best thing for you and your family in coming home to the UK. We are not all the same and we all have different expectations and different things that we want from life. Goodluck with your new future. ;)

Re: Glad to be back
 

Same here mate. Almost fell over when they said the average time off was two weeks. Some people were proud of the fact in my office, the mugs. They couldnt believe I used to get 6 weeks!

Re: Glad to be back
 

Where are you changing your money???????? Current rate with HIFX is $2.08. Yes, the XC rate was 2.45 about 3 years ago, it's gone waaaaaay down since then! Beware!!

Re: Glad to be back
 

Cripes, is it the Canadian dollar thats gone down or the British pound? :scared:

Last time I got my money changed was when I visited my family 2 years ago, mum never mentioned the lower exchange rate when she came by to visit at x-mas either. :rolleyes:

Poo... hope it gets better by October, travelling to Canada for my brothers wedding :(

Re: Glad to be back
 

Exchange rates (when you change at the bank) change daily.

Re: Glad to be back
 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!!