Off the top of my head, these are the ones that stick out. I would have:

Spent more time looking for jobs in the UK and Germany (where my wife is from).

Saved up more before moving anywhere.

Negotiated a relocation benefit with my employer (and not just taken "no we don't have one, but we'll pay your airfare")

Well some of the jobs in my sector are offering relocation packages.
I could in the next few months end up with a pretty good job in manchester. however canada just looks amazing but after getting some good feedback I'm going to give it some more thought as its not really a car ride away!

Phil

Don't get me wrong, I'd really miss the summers (and maybe a little bit of the winter) if I moved back to the UK. Really looking forward to our new house too. And - I love my job out here, got tons of responsibility and I advanced my career by about 5 years by moving.

That doesn't stop me checking UK job sites specific to my field every other day though.

Fair play to you mate glad all worked out for you!
I think its something I really want to do just going to give it some more thought
Though!

Phil

If one has a well paid job, spare money and a lovely 4 bed semi then of course it can be nice to live anywhere. If one lives in a terraced on a low paid job worrying they might lose the job any day, no pay rises for the past god knows how many years then it is hard to entertain the kids in a city that has 350 days of rain!!! I am from around Munic and moved to North Manchester. To be honest I loved Manchester apart from the rain. It has culture, character, I love the accent, the humour, people being friendly and funny, pubs, fab cafe and great take aways. And if we would have been able to live in Didsbury or Sale or Urmston, Altrincham or even Simister or countryside Yorkshire en route to Huddersfield in a 3 bed semi/detached, sending the kids to private ballet and skiing at the Chill Factor then maybe we would have never moved. But we didn't and yes we can offer the kids a lot more over here than in Blackley. Regarding Calgary though I have a friend with 3 kids that lives in Calgary and she says there is nothing there for kids and many people (working on the oil sands) have money to burn and don't care if they have to pay a lot for activities. (that is just hear say though).
I think North Manchester - countryside Ottawa = it couldn't be more different, but I miss the family and sometimes even the chavs at ASDA Harpurhey

gymnastics is impossible to get into in Vancouver too (well oversubscribed). Just sayin'. This is not just a UK thing.

Haha well said nina! It is hard around these parts and I work long hours here on a good wage but by the time I get in I never have much time to do stuff with the kids like drive to 15 mile when I get in as I'm shattered!
Don't know how you miss harpurhey chavs though ha

Haha aren't they just lovely in their pj's in front of the Bingo place

Haha they are! So are you glad you made the move though?

Is that for municipal classes, or competitive clubs?

So so. I have good days and bad days. I am a family person and I miss being able to visit Matt's family or go round for a Sunday roast. I miss friends and Ottawa is extremely cliquey. I miss being able to walk everywhere and me being able to use sarcasm and being understood I miss the closeness of everything. My brother lives in Munic but his wife is from Florence and they adore our 3 girls, not sure why but I leave them to it . My aunt lives near Frankfurt and Matt's family is in and around Manchester and it was always easy to see everyone at least a couple of times a year. Now we have to decide whether to go to England or Germany or Italy. I miss culture and history.

I love the weather here and that I can make plans for camping in the summer when we still have snow on the ground as Ottawa will defo have + 35 in July. It is a great city for kids, a bit dull and boring for adults though. I love that we have a recreation guide with hundreds of affordable classes for kids and adults. I love the location, near to Toronto, Montreal and the New England States in the US. Near State New York which is cheap for shopping. I love the skating and next year snow shoeing and maybe skiing. And in summer the beaches and lakes.

I do not miss the M'cr weather, the insecurity of the jobs, the weak economy, the scum and their offspring thinking they deserve more of my hard earned money (at least around where we lived), the need to drive the kids to Didsbury park to avoid the needles and syringes and free running pit bulls without an owner anywhere near in the Clough.

England is great when one has the right job and money and time to enjoy life, live in a nice area and house and finance all the activities that kids need or want. (Skiing, skating, swimming, gym, ballet, etc. and the first 3 are free of charge ). Same for Germany btw.

People that haven't lived in North M'cr with Harpurhey and their reputation of having the highest teenage preg rate in western Europe and Moston with new flowers put down for another stabbing victim on Moston Lane don't understand why someone might think there must be a nicer place for kids.

Am I glad I moved away from Blackley: Definitely yes, but for me it could have been rural Yorkshire or Cornwall, too.
And as nice Ottawa is and as much as I look forward to the new house and the acre of land and the pool and the 5 months summer, I still miss family and friends. But as we didn't find any better jobs or better affordable places for us to live abroad, Ottawa it is.

I totally agree with you! I have to drive to lyme park stockport to avoid the parents who let their kids run free and wild like some at heaton park!
And as for schooling its terrible the kids practically run the schools the teachers don't do anything its a joke!
I actually do love manchester and england from the bottom of me heart but its just no the same the whole place is on a downward spiral and I for 1 don't want to be part of it!

Britain's broken mate, its shameless. And when they're not sh**ing in teachers' desks they're wasting their lives playing video games or getting girls up the duff. You're best off out of it.

I know oink! Ave u moved to canada then?

Got out Britain when I could, its wasn't anytime too soon by the sounds of it. The police aren't allowed to do nothing about it neither. In my day, they'd just give them a clip round ear and it'd be sorted.