irishsamx

It was'nt meant as a generalization, opportunities in Uk for going back to College are excellent, compared to any other country and cheaper student fees with no Interest.
I think the key is getting it right, where you move to, that's all. Theres allot of advantages to living here, just money is not one of them for us at the moment.

Almost Canadian

So what was it that attracted you to NS, surely it wasn`t purely the opportunity to own a large house?

Have you researched the availability of all you seek in the areas to which you are looking to relocate?

irishsamx

No, it was'nt just buying a big house

I already said there allot of advantages to living here, that's the reason I don't want to leave Canada.
We will be researching and visiting different provinces for at least a year, before we make up our minds.
Now we are here and PR s , we can do this at our leisure, something that of course could'nt be done from Uk.

Simon Legree

Maybe you should consider changing your avatar location. Doesn't sound like you are loving it here.

irishsamx

No thanks, the only problem I have is financial

Almost Canadian

Apologies if you took my post to sound critical, that wasn`t my intention.

I always assumed that those that move to the Maritime Provinces knew that work opportunities/ability to earn high salaries were more limited than in other areas, hence properties being cheaper.

Best of luck with your plans.

ExKiwilass

I agree..but...it's one thing to read/hear that and another thing to experience it, no? And there's always the hope it will be different for you.

However, there's a reason why cradles aren't going to the Maritimes in droves. It mainly seems to pull in British Expats.

Lorry1

It's true there is not as much work here as say Toronto or Vancouver, but keep trying and you will find something. It's definately 'who you know' not 'what you know' here in the Maritimes.
Before we moved here to NS, we knew we would be earning less and we knew there was not as much job availability, but we moved here anyway because we wanted something 'different' from England.
When we first moved 3 years ago, OH got offered a job in IT within the first week. It was not a great company and the pay was totally shite compared to what he earnt in the UK. He took it though as we needed to buy a house and get the kids settled in an area before school started again.
We got in a ton of debt and nearly sold up and moved back last year. OH went into a great depression and our marriage nearly fell apart.
Well, we stayed, we kept our house and OH found a new job in IT working for an excellent company with better salary.
We started climbing out of debt and enjoying life again.
He has been headhunted by a larger company for the past year and they finally made an offer he couldn't refuse. So he now earns comparable to what he did in England.
It's taken 3 years of hard work, dedication and alot of networking.

You can make it work here but it does take more time than it would've elsewhere in Canada, I'm sure.

Good luck

Rubie

Hi Irishsamx

I was very sad to read your post . You were going through your application as I embarked on my journey and so was pleased for you when you got your PR.

I hope you and your OH manage to work something out and settle somewhere you both want to be. Are you going to be able to look elsewhere in Canada? I thought if you were sponsored by a province that you had to stay there??

Anyway good luck with everything.

Rubie

x

Atlantic Xpat

Well, St. John's is a bit bigger than Truro but it's certainly no big city. One can see the attractions of a larger urban centre for a visit at least. Not sure that I want to live in one myself but each to their own.

vaughant

Hi to the op.this was my fear of ns,I'm an industrial spark and where there were good opportunities,they seemed to be in some pretty remote locations!!the property prices were awesome though,we could be mortgage free and be living on a ranch for what our uk house is worth but apart from Halifax it all looked a bit too rural for us.

After reading a few threads on here I think we'll have to really make sure financially it's right for us as I'm shocked to hear people on this forum struggling to survive on can$ 60000,I always thought Canada was a reasonably cheap place to live(compared to salary of course)?

Is it just certain areas then or is there really that much variation across the country?my employees uncle lives in chilliwack and claims it's very cheapto live,yet I believe it's not far from Calgary which i've heard is very expensive?

el_richo

Pretty close. Different Province and about 1000km's close, however

You need to treat yourself to a map

izzi81

Hey Sam, sorry to hear things are not working out as you'd planned... it was really nice to meet you and see your lovely house last year, it's a shame to hear you're struggling a bit

Money is the thing I worry about most.. emigrating without a job is such a step into the unknown that it's scary, and I do worry what we do if we can't earn enough money. I have found it a concern the types of income that have been suggested in posts on the forum recently to live on... makes me get cold feet! But then again you never know till you try so I'm not changing my mind.

At least it is easier to move now you're there... I really would have thought a wee cafe would have worked well in NS though.. but then again I don't know about rental costs etc!

ExKiwilass

heh. Yeah, Chilliwhack is much closer to Vancouver than Calgary

R I C H

If you search various posts, you'll find the consensus overall is that the cost of living here is generally comparable to the UK - some things cheaper, others dearer, overall a wash. Taking that into account, you need a salary that's comparable to the UK in order to have a similar lifestyle.

Here are my regular basic monthly bills:

Hydro (electricity) $225
Auto insurance (2 cars) $190
Bell (TV) $120
Xplornet (internet) $60
Property tax $225
Telus (phone) $50
Gas (petrol - just one vehicle commuting) $250
Groceries $650
Home insurance $150

Total = $1,920

I've no kids, mortgage, car payments or other debt, so you may need to factor in those costs too. Once you add in some entertainment, $ for property maintenance and the inevitable unexpected expenditures that crop up, you can figure what sort of net take-home pay you need to survive on.

My net income is a fraction under $50k, gross is $70k. Bi-weekly I take home $1,800 - the tax man, pension scheme, extended health provider etc etc takes the difference.