purple80

All the best Mandi,
Like everyone else on here I had watched the lead up to your leaving

It's a bit of a reality check to see that you have lasted such a short time, but as everyone has pointed out 16 year olds are tricky, even at their best.

I hope all goes well for you and your family in the future...

Charlie

iaink

How long has that taken to arrange then? Im assuming that some sort of family sponsorship. We looked into it, but the time frame seemed impractical.

Howard1944

I think there expectations for bringing their Mother here are about one year.

The guy is in construction and I just noticed he has bought a lot and is building a House with a Granny Flat?

joelsa

My Hubby too! He's been given a 2nd year apprentice status for a job he did the UK for 19 years, so he's a bit p***ed off as well. He has to pass an exam and theres talk of him also having to take a Maths 30 exam , i mean wtf.
(those of you with teens will probably know what math 30 is, we don't we just have young'ns) but i understand it's quite hard.

Anyway when we came here we said we would give it at least a year as we felt that was a fair crack and should give us a true picture of Canadian life. We've had a few ups and downs and bouts of homesickness (It's hard to let go of familiarity) but we're generally happy here. We're coming up to the 1 year mark and i have felt very homesick the last few weeks. Having said that though, i'm not ready to go back to the UK now or anytime in the immediate future (to live i mean). I'd like a holiday over there but funds won't allow at the moment.

Mandi, i'm so sorry it didn't work out for your family and that you'll all be very happy back in the UK. Hopefully you'll look back on your Canadian adventure with fondness.

Jo xx

mandi moo

Im sure i will. If they hadnt made it so hard for OH to be here we,d have been fine.Hes been under soooo much pressure with this red seal exam and he says it makes him feel inadequate. With all the training hes done over the last 25 years he should have just walked in. There was a big meeting for him last week with the education board as so many of the lads are failing and having to go home when the visa expires,but they wont budge an inch.:curse:
To all the Plumbers out there....you need a few months to get up to speed with the canadian way of doing things and some tutoring is well advised BEFORE you get here. They have different ways of doing things and have different names for materials and tools etc.
Well im off to have a shower and do last minute checks for tomorrow.I will post next week and let you all know how we get on.
Thanks for all your support,it means alot
Mandi xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

jerry brewer

Hi
If it makes your other half feel better...
In the Uk I had qualifications for :-

City & Guilds electrician
B/TEC ONC in electronics
B/TEC HNC in electrical/electronics
City & Guids construction electrician
AM1 skills test
JIB registered electrician
ACOP registered for Gas
HVAC controls technician
**+ years trade experience

Failed my first attempt at IP/TQ electrician ..........
But passed second time.


But we are lucky as the whole family loves it here in canada and the older kids want to come as well out now.
Good Luck
Cheers
Jerry

newshoney

Dear Mandi,
I feel for you. So sorry it didn't work out this time but with both your OH and son unhappy the odds were stacked against you. It just goes to show how important it is to get the timing of the move right... if you'd been able to start your son in Senior High for the start of the academic year things might have been very different but the poor lad must have felt pretty isolated. And we can all empathise with your OH who must be feeling very undermined after his Red Seal experience.

I think there are many on this forum who'd have liked to have been able to give you enough support to ride it out a bit longer - say a whole year - before coming to your decision. But from what you say that ship has sailed. I just hope you all keep your options open - latest figures show nearly 200,000 Brits left for good last year and the numbers are growing because of the lack of good opportunities for our children along with spiralling crime, anti-social behaviour and general disorder. There again, 90,000 emigres returned last year so the grass isn't always greener, etc. Best of luck and keep us posted. x

Howard1944

My Dad was a licensed Electrician when he came to Canada in 1957, unable to get into the union, he started off sweeping Floors for a $1 an hour.

He eventually got other jobs, none as an Electrician.

2 out of 8 boys are now Electricians, with their own companies, 2 of us completed University, got high paying jobs, the rest went into other Trades.

Many years later, No Regrets, quite comfortable, thank you very much, but it started at a buck an hour.

iaink

That timescale strikes me as overly optimistic. We were led to believe 5+ years is more like it, but I have no real idea. Im told they are not even looking at applications to sponsor that were sent after the end of 2005 yet, and once approved they applicant then has to apply for sponsorship themselves.

Member123

Mandi moo...just saw your post this morning.

You will already be away so no point in saying hang on in there. So sorry it didnt work out this time.

You could always try agin in the future.

Good luck settling back in England.
Keep us posted. Big hug for you <<<<<>>>>>

ImLivingTheDream

You haven't given yourselves near enough time. Talk about throwing the towel in. Sounds like your husband and son need a kick up the arse, tell them to stop feeling sorry for themselves. Nobody said it was going to be easy, but some people have longer holidays than that
Good luck on your return though

jempee

Hi Mandi Moo. Sorry to hear that things have not worked out as expected.

I to had a teenager who has cried about going 'home' etc. We have told her this is home and she can either be unhappy for a few years (till she is 18) or she can make a go off it for the few years she is 'forced' to stay here.
We still, nearly a year later go through phases of her wanting to go home and her having the 'best weekend' of her life (after a 2 day festival!)

Husband is on a lot less money (@average hr pay) than UK, but he knew that before coming over. I had many years experience in a senior school and worked with the most troubled teens but i never once expected to walk back into that level over here. In fact i have gone in a completly different direction, less money but only working 3 days and NO STRESS.

Its a real shame that they have given up so easy after all the hassle it takes sometimes to get here but maybe in the future you may decide to come back.

Good luck in the UK.

gibbos1

H**Y S**TE MANDI, what the f*** is going on??????????
You have been such a big help and inspiration to me, I can't believe you are coming back. Surely your OH knew it was going to be hard for the first 12 months, bloody hell, your in a new strange country, new job, of course it's going to be different terminology and ways of doing things, that's why I have been asking all the employers I have been talking to for help and good training. They don't want to waste their time with a bloke, that gives up after 3 months, so surely they could help him, give him extra training, so that in 12 months he will be well on his way and would have picked a lot of it up.
I thought I read somewhere that you have three attemps at the red seal exam and if you fail all three, you take an entrance exam to see where you are in the Canadian plumbing and they put you into that year. So even if he got put onto say the second year, surely if you spoke to the company that he is working for, you could come to some sort of arrangement about keeping the same rate of pay, as long as they could see you were trying? I have been talking to some 2nd and 3rd plumbers, that are earning some bloody good money. Ok it might not be what he was earning over here in the UK, but surely you budgeted for the drop???

OHH really sorry for going on, just really shocked that you of all people, are giving up so early???????

I will send you an email/PM, please dont be offended by these words, just trying to understand.
As for your son, kick him up the ar** and tell him to get on with it. Explain to him, he will have a better way of life and future staying there in Canada.

Really sorry for you, will be intouch, good luck Mand,
kind regards,
Carl

The Smiths

Mandy You know your family and your situation.

You are obviously a caring mum and wife who is aware that her familiy's happiness is paramount.

I would not for a moment think that this decision has been an easy one for you all and that you haven't thought through all of your options.

The arrogance of some people on this forum is quite incredible sometimes.

Good luck Mandy home is where the people you love are.

Londonuck

Thats you that is.