Steve_P

Am I the only looking at the title of this thread and thinking Russian aeroplane.

Sorry carry on without me.

Getting There

Flossie and Jim

I must admit my thoughts had turned to....oooo MIG.....Top Gun.....Tom Cruise.....mmmmmm.....etc

Butch Cassidy

Let me ask you something, if you had to go into battle, would you want him on your side?

JoolsGod

I am sooooooo lost! LOL

JoolsGod

Ok, i have looked at all the sites that you kind people have sent me and i have a list of jobs, companies and agencies. I am thinking what to do next?

Obviously i need to put together a canada friendly resume as described in the wiki for my husband. As the jobs seem to be in provinces Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan or Ontario, how do i decide which province to concentrate on?

Do you all think this is a good plan or can you suggest a better one:

1) Complete resume and email to all contacts
2) Follow up emails with a cold call
3) Determine from response which province we should visit to check out and hopefully secure a job offer.

I know the provinces are over a wide area but can anyone from these respective provences suggest a good time for a visit?

Also, and finally as my husbands occupation is not on the "Occupations under pressure" list for Ontario (as far as i can see) would it be pointless looking into this for a TWP and should we rule that province out?

We still have no preference as we know little about all the provinces.

Many, many thanks and appreciation for advice anyone can offer us.

JoolsGod

OOps! There was something else!!!!!

Which province are you able to get more house for your money? As house sales over here are falling and prices going down we may not have as much as we originally thought to bring over, and there's the moving costs. We estimate we may make approx £80,000 on the sale of our house.

There is so much to think about, my head is spinning!

Butch Cassidy

OK quoted the wrong way round but never mind
Sask still (generally) gets you more house for your buck (there will be some places in BC\AB\ON with cheaper housing than Saskatoon and Regina but then you aint comparing apples with apples ie city to city)

Check out the Wiki
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Quick_...uctions-Canada

BUT do not I repeat DO NOT expect much (if any) sucess from emailing


As far best times to visit? Do bugs or the cold\snow worry you more? If its bugs come in the summer, otherwise come in the winter. Personally the f**king rains bothers me more than anything so I wish I'd come this time of year (we're in Calgary)

Getting There

Hi,

Butch's reference to the WIKI article on Job Hunting is a good one. One of the points made there is re posting (more than emailing) the companies you have targetted. I certainly get the sense that many organisations here are not that hot on email so this seems reasonable advice. Then following up with phone calls as you said. Potential employer interest will drive the next steps.

As for when to visit, don't be put off by any time of year...you'll have to live here through all sorts, weather or bug wise. Also, when you get responses from potential employers might lead you towards a particular timeline for a visit. Maybe avoid key holiday or event times, eg: not too close to Christmas, or in Calgary, not in Stampede season (early July), as not a whole bunch of business gets done at those times.

Don't rule Ontario out but with your husband's role not being on the OUP list, there will be a much lengthier process for an employer to go through before they could get approval to offer a job to a foreigner...maybe this will reduce the pool of willing employers.

Nothing to add to Butch's comments re property value for money in the different provinces. You can begin to develop a sense of what can be got for your money by touring around http://www.realtor.ca/

Head spinning?...that's positive...it means it still hasn't exploded yet!

Eamonn

JoolsGod

Sensible advice as always, thank you.

Yes i am not expecting much from emails due to what i have read on here, my thinking was that if we follow up with a call then they will already have the details with them as reference (providing they don't just delete!)

I really don't know how this will all turn out in the end but i have to try, i can't spend the rest of my life thinking "What if..." Problem is i am impatient by nature so it's doing my head in and i've only been looking into it for the last week!!

Asking about house prices is premature i know and Eamonn is right as to the interest from companies will help to determine where we try to go. Just thought it would be awful to get a job in an area we couldn't affored to live in. I also agree that it doesn't really matter when the best time to visit is as we will have to adapt to whatever.

Thanks again to you both.

Getting There

Maybe it is a bit old fashioned to post rather than email but we and many others have posted on Expats to say that it can, in some respects, feel like stepping back 20 years coming here. On the whole that, to us at least, feels a positive thing. So, even it feels a bit archaic (and especially for smaller organisations perhaps), maybe try the posting option and see how you get on (or do a sample of each and see if email or post gets a better response). As for following up on the posted resume, the advice is to give it time (eg: a week) to arrive before calling...turns that cold call into a lukewarm one.

Can totally relate to the impatience to get on. Comfort yourself that you are tackling this from a Temporary Work Permit perspective. Many of us (Jan and I included) got here after a long, long wait in the Skilled Worker queue. That can really do your head in at times!

Looking at property costs is an entirely sensible train of thought...one of a myriad of things to learn about to make a success of the move here. But hey, I would say that given my career choice out here!

Eamonn

JoolsGod

Thanks Eamonn, does that mean you work in property???

Do you know what, in this age of email it hadn't even occurred to me to post!!!

Relatives of ours have emigrated to australia (a year ago) and they say the same about it feeling like you are going back in time, not necessarily a bad thing i don't think.

If we get the job thing sorted we then have to think about schools and it will all start over again! Still i have to say it is exciting just thinking about it and if it doesn't happen at least we know we have tried.

I have just printed off a load from the wiki as i keep reading stuff and forgetting where i read it.

Thanks again for your kind advice

Getting There

Re working in property, yes, will be soon.

Yes, it's exciting and scary all at once I think. And as you suggest, regardless of the outcome, doing what you're doing certainly helps address the fear of nagging "if only's" later in life.

Keep us all in touch with your progress and you can always Private Messge us if you want.

Kind regards,

Eamonn

Butch Cassidy

LOL,

We both do (as in Eamonn and I). Actually cancel that, Eamonns other half is also "in the business" so to speak

Getting There

Ooh errr Mrs!