Aviator

Does not really speak volumes, depends on ones motivation to live somewhere else. I found the UK not really any different in terms of opportunity or politics and bureaucracy to Canada. We stayed her because we are settled, like the scenery and the lifestyle. Politics, work practices economy, not a lot different.

As for working hard and opportunity, unfortunately you may have an unpleasant surprise initially. Unless you have a lot of experience and unique skill set, finding work may not be as easy as you expect. Here it is very much who you know and networking is a big part of getting work. You may find you are not as 'appreciated' here as employees as you feel you deserve. This is a throw away employment society, from an employee and employer perspective, something many expats have a tough time adjusting to.

I had several job offers before moving here, the work was no different to what I did in the UK, the office was identical on the inside, the only difference was the pay cheque in CDN$ and the outside of the office was painted a different colour.

christmasoompa

Didn't realise renewable energy engineers could earn so much in Canada! So £100-120k or so? That's great (well, depending on the area of course).

It's wind energy my husband mainly works in too, but wind power in Canada isn't anywhere near as popular as here. His company have now shut down all but one office in Canada because of lack of opportunities in the sector, they're focusing on other countries.

That's one thing that could be changed by a move within the UK. I'm often amazed at the weather differences between the south and north of the UK! My children are outside the majority of the time, although they're not bothered by the weather and will go outside in the garden even if it's pouring down (nutters). They're just very outdoorsy kids.

One thing that you might want to look at is job opportunities for your husband in Canada and the weather - Vancouver seems to be where most of the renewable energy companies are based, but obviously that won't help if you want drier weather!

Good luck with it.

oopsbuddy

Stick around Elaine and my advice to you is to read lots and lots and lots of posts,...and don't always take everything you read literally. Sometimes "tongue in cheek" posts don't come across that way in a blog post.

Also, have a good read of the wiki if you haven't already done so, particularly the "Moving back to the UK" section. Read as many posts as you can from people who can't stick Canada, and their reasons why. Therein lie many of the very good reasons why it isn't necessarily a move for everyone, and many people simply want to try and warn potential new immigrants that not everything may be as you expect.

Best of luck though! I'm always happy to tell people to give it a go,...you only live once,...life's an adventure,...you'll be dead long enough,...only regret the things you didn't do and not the things you did,...yada yada.

Research til you can research no more....then go for it!

Elaine77

If you think I would uproot my whole family and change my whole life because of the media then you are sorely mistaken. The media are actually saying how GREAT the UK is going to be ESPECIALLY for people who "want to get on and work" and the lot of it is a whole load of propaganda bullsh*t.

They've lost their credit rating; nobody wants to start new businesses and companies here so therefore no jobs are being created; everything is being privatised which is just driving wages and company benefits/insurances through the ground; income is going down, unemployment is going up and the cost of living is rocketing. The poorest of people are being subjected to 'benefit bashing' propaganda by the government who are only doing it to justify them cutting the income tax for the 1% richest minority. Since the UK joined the EU constitution it has went from bad to worse and the NHS? I can't get an appointment for love nor money and so unless its an emergency I just don't bother trying anymore and even if I did the postcode lottery would dictate whether I would get a remotely decent level of care or not.

The scenery sucks as its all soaking wet and grey and the councils have long given up on maintaining the spaces THEY actually own due to the governments sorry state of finances and so maybe Canada is no better than this but it certainly can't be any worse because at the VERY least it has seasons and even ONE better thing is an improvement on nothing.

Keelif

I've been enthralled with the idea of moving to Canada for a few years now, but we are still in the UK.

Unfortunately due to my husbands career change, and him needing to build up relevant experience in his new field I'm not sure when, or if indeed we'll ever get over to Canada. Although, it is still an adventure I'd love to have!

When I first looked into moving to Canada I was a bit like you in that all I saw were the negative aspects to life in the UK. I think sometimes we do this to try and justify wanting to move.

Yet, the UK isn't all bad, and whoever said about avoiding the daily rags is right. I rarely read them now as they are just too depressing always pointing out the bad and never the good.

The NHS may not be brilliant, but I think that sometimes people don't realise how truly lucky they are to have access to free healthcare.

Anyway what I'm trying to say is if you want to go to Canada then give it a shot, but don't rubbish everything about the UK otherwise when you get to Canada the life you want may not live up to the high expectation thats been created.

All the best with the future.

stuabroad

I usually only read and don’t comment on these UK vs. Canada debates. However I was back in the UK in April for 2 weeks on business+pleasure, so here’s my 2 pence. I traveled extensively from Scotland down to London. When i left the UK in 2008 it was already in the grips of depression as the financial collapse was just taking hold. Fast forward to 2013 and I sensed a real increased tension everywhere. Of course that's emphasized due to me not living in the country, but everyone i spoke to said that things were tough. Everyone’s rushing around at 2000 mph but feeling like they’re going backwards. And yet...i've never seen so many BMWs/Audis everywhere...so life is clearly still pretty good for alot of people back home.

Someone made a point about UK media - I agree that turning the TV and radio off is a positive step. I used to tune in every morning to Radio 4 (sometimes still do) and i did this when i was back last month. After about 3 days i turned it off - because there was no point to the babble. I realized how negative the commentary was. On the flipside the lack of cultural input from the media here is astonishing, it's all big hair and makeup. If you grew up with only CNN and FOX new and your local newspaper – need I say more.

As for the seasons...if you want rain and a climate similar to the UK then head for Vancouver. Being near the water comes with a premium though, noone can afford to live there

If you want 5 months of -30c and some snow... but followed by 5 months of beautiful summer...then head for Alberta. Economy is pretty good due to oil and gas, even though there’s a deficit of a few billion this year lol

But the feeling of impending doom isn't here. People shrug it off and get on with their lives.
There’s more space and nothing’s really in your face. From this perspective, life is what you make it. After a couple of years you start to think and act less like you’re under siege and start to realize your life is in a new place. It takes years to adjust so reading posts on this forum can only give you some insight. It’s really down to whether or not you’re up for the adventure.

Would i want to bring up my kids in the UK? Nope. I don’t worry about it here.

Is life perfect here in Canada? Nope. There are humans everywhere you go unfortunately.

Get your research done and find out if you can get a job. It may be a long process - usually is for most of us. But it's worth it in the end: if it's crap you can always go back. You're a long time dead.

Good luck with your research.

christmasoompa

Yeah, you're right. The Lake District/Cotswolds/coastal villages in Cornwall really are an eyesore aren't they?

stuabroad

We had our first rain of the year last week. I didn't know it was possible to miss it

Elaine77

Sorry I must have forgotten to mention I am not a rich retiree and so therefore can't afford to live in the Lake District or the Cotswolds, not to mention the lack of jobs in those areas and their majority-pensioner population!

I could cope with living anywhere if I was a millionaire due to the fact I could jet away at any time I wanted but, alas, I am merely a soon to be graduate looking for a good career in a nice country to raise my children in....

Thank you Stu, you should comment more often as you have given a very balanced opinion which I will take on board. It all comes down to my children and, given the choice, I'm sure most people would not say "the UK" if asked where they would most like to raise their children out of everywhere in the world. Unless they are endeared to the "most depressed youths in Europe" or the "highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe" statistics of course....

Oh wait! Let me guess! Those statistics come about because our NHS is just so darn good they all get reported and treated more - hence the higher numbers! Silly me! [Skeptical face]

Tangram

I lived in the Cotswolds before coming here and am far from being well off. I worked in I.T. about an hour drive from the village. It was not by any means an elephants' graveyard or god's waiting room, far from it.

Piff Poff

Go for it, you only live once. We went for it, probably not the best move we could have made in our lives but for now we are where we are, Red Deer won't be our forever home, even though we love Red Deer.

Talk to the nurses that frequent this forum to talk about healthcare. Look at dental costs, prescription costs etc, you'll be surprised to realise how good the NHS really is.

You talk about missing seasons - we miss seasons here. We go from bloody hot to bloody cold in a blink of an eye with no real season in between, bloody cold lasts for a lot longer than bloody hot, believe me it's not much fun spending time outside when it's 21 below.

You also mention opportunity for work, that imo is hit and miss, yes you may get a job in your field and you may make more money, you'll also be spending more on houses and utilities so it evens out. Canadians are also reluctant to give a job to someone they don't already know.

It really is 6 of one and half a dozen of another, have a few trips out to really see if it's what you want and start applying for jobs, you never know you might get lucky.

christmasoompa

Your husband can earn £80k a year, and you can't afford to live in a nice area?

Clearly you are determined that your children will have an awful existence in the UK and a wonderful drug, crime and pregnancy free one in Canada, and nothing will dissuade you otherwise. Which is fine, but please be gracious enough to thank everybody that has taken the time to give you their advice rather than being so aggressive and only thanking the one person that has vaguely agreed with you.

Tangram

Isn't that what people want, and want to hear ?

Elaine77

Should I thank the person who decided to take the p*ss out of me too should I? With their 'sarcasm i wouldn't understand'. I never said I wanted people to agree i just wanted a balanced view and information rather than the usual negative comments and Stu was the only one who gave a balanced opinion giving pros and cons to both sides and being honest enough to admit he wouldn't want to raise children in the Uk.

And £80k a year? Maybe in 30years time with 30 years experience yeah when our children are too old to benefit from it? The qualified people who are training him are working as trainers and lecturers for £30k a year because they say the job opportunities are just not there at the moment in the Uk..... Not sure why they would do that if they could all be earning £80k?

christmasoompa

You don't have to, but plenty of other people have commented too and you've just argued with them without a word of thanks.

I'm sure that there is a salary difference between London and Newcastle, but certainly in London a renewable energy engineer could earn something like that. And no, not after 30 years.

So if you really want to live in the Cotswolds or similar, your husband could earn enough to do that in the UK, just perhaps not in the area you currently live in.