Hi there, I was browsing through the forum but couldnt find much information about Montreal but maybe I just didnt see it...? So I thought I`d start a nee thread on Montreal.
We are a couple and child and will be moving from Ireland to Montreal in Spring 2010 and have a few questions.
Our son will be nearly 5 yr when we arrive- from what I gather on the internet, he would be eligible to go to Kindergarten in Montreal? Any recommendations for a good Kindergarten? Are they all french speaking??

Are there any waiting lists on childcare, schools etc?
We will be staying until summer 2012 so he would probably also go to Elementary school for 1 year.

I have no French and would like to take up some part time work while my son is in school/kindergarten. I also run an online business but for social interaction and sanity I would like to also work outside the home.
Is this possible with only English? (Well, and German)
I hear the Canadians are family friendly and it is easy enough to pick up part time work?

Our son is suffering from Asthma and the cold weather can get to him. Now I do realize that Canadian Winters are extremely cold and it is a worry we have that his Asthma would get worse over there.

I suppose I would like to hear from anyone who made the move, is living in Montreal and raising a family there...looking forward to getting some answers and input on this great adventure!!
Tx

Will you be permanent residents or temporary?

I don't live in Québec but I know plenty of natives that do, and well most people there speak French asides from a few small neighborhoods in Montreal's west side. They're not that much but overall, why do you want to move to Québec if you can't speak French? The Québec government will not let you live in Québec unless you demonstrate French ability. The Canadian federal government has given Québec special powers in regards to deciding which immigrants to let in their province and one requirement the province has is French fluency. I've looked into it before It's like you moving to Paris and not knowing a word of French. Kinda hard wouldn't it be?

The Québec government will not let you live in Québec unless you demonstrate French ability.

Absolutely NOT TRUE. Get your facts right before making such ridiculous statements.

Integration in French

To integrate into their new environment, immigrants who do not know French must make an effort to learn it. To assist them, the Québec government offers French courses.

In Québec, most educational institutions give instruction in French. The children of immigrants must attend a francophone school. English public schooling is also available under certain conditions, as well as schooling in private institutions.

http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.q...age/index.html

Ok maybe they will let you come here without knowing French, but like Spain, good luck finding a job without knowing the local language unless you plan to set up your own business, or work for an English multinational

Hey there I moved to Montreal in August and although I can't answer in depth on the child care/schooling side of things, I can help with general stuff...

Finding a good part time job without a decent command of French is extremely difficult (unless you have lots of experience in IT or Business at a high level it seems... even then you're kinda out on a limb still). Part time work though in general is available. The main jobs website is located here http://www.emsb.qc.ca/en/index_en.asp

Day to day living without french isn't too bad as the majority of people speak English in shops etc however people do seem to appreciate it if you try a few basics Also, all signage is written in French and only afterwards in English some of the time, in smaller writing, so it's handy in that sense to try and learn a little.

Another thing to note is that Quebecois French is different in some ways to "normal" French... I have friends who have learnt French and have a good command of the language generally and on visiting Quebec they have to really listen and concentrate to understand what is being said as the differences in pronounciation etc are significant. I was told to wait until I got here to learn because of this. Immersion courses are plentiful if you wish to learn quick. Some people I know who did part time courses and practised having some conversations/writing letters reported that they were pretty functional in about 9 months or so.

I noticed that you are only going to be in Canada for two years... I know that generally schools/kindergarten are pretty much all French speaking which may not be of use really if you are not staying here long term however there is English schooling available should you prefer... Not sure of the requirements for enrolment so check out this website for more details http://www.emsb.qc.ca/en/index_en.asp

As for your son's asthma, I would ensure that you take a good supply of meds when leaving, get private medical cover straight away, find a good family doctor and see how he does. That's all you can do really. Although the cold affects him, the air quality will not be the same and that may have a positive of negative effect on him and his condition.

Hope some of that is useful!

Now you're qualifying your statement considerably. People often depend on this forum for accuracy. Your statement was inaccurate.

Most daycare is French based, but the "educatrices" often speak enough English to communicate with you. It's of course good for your child to learn a second language at this age. Daycare will set you back around $30-$40 a day, although Revenu Québec will give you a tax credit which it will pay upfront four times a year. Expect the overall cost, with the credit to be in the region of $15 to $20 a day.

School starts at the age of five. The cut-off date is the first of October, so five before then, you start in September 2010 otherwise September 2011.

School will be in French as you are an immigrant of sorts, unless you can prove that you are here temporarily, then you can ask for access to the English language school system. Check out the Montreal English School board and the Montreal school board. Think carefully about this, as there are advantages to your children learning a second language at an early age. You'll have to research the pros and cons. Private schooling is generally affordable and often is bilingual.

Medical care sucks. You'd be extremely lucky to find a family doctor - most people just use drop in clinics. Waits at ER can be long. You'll also need private cover for your first three months in Québec (check out the RAMQ website).

As for work, there is loads of near minimum wage service work of which a lot may be part time. Of course, not speaking a lot of French will be difficult for many of these jobs. I would say, identify what your skills are and in which sectors and contact them. You never know. Where I work, it's rare to hear French. There are so many foreigners - I hear more Spanish.

Québec cannot stop you from living in the province if you don't speak French. However, to be preselected by Québec for permanent residence, they request a minimum number of hours of French study. I don't know what this is, but it's not huge. You should, if you have the time, take French courses before you come. Yes, Québécois is different in both accent and vocabulary than French French. It's similar to the difference between Scouse and BBC English.

A great source of information is: http://www.movetomontreal.ca

Thanks for all the helpful replies so far.

My partner will be moved to Montreal by his company so they are sorting visas for himself as well as for me. He is working for a Multi National Company so therefore he doesnt need French for his work. But I am concerned about the kind of life I will have over there:-) I take it I really need to learn french and at the same time, learning french would help me in meeting people:-)

We are contemplating whether or not to take up the job offer and that is why I came onto this board. It is a big move, even if only for 2 years.

Our son has started Irish Pre-school in Ireland and he also speaks German. I am not sure whether it is a good idea to give him another langugage as well. On the other hand of course, it would be great for him as I take it within 2 yrs he would be fluent in the language...

So lots of thinking and debatting going on.
Thanks again for the replies, I will check out some of the links now.
Any more helpful hints about life in Montreal - keep sending them on:-)

Tx

If you are on temporary work permits your son can go to schools in the English School Board. If you are permanent residents he would have to go to french school.
My daughter has asthma and we found she did better here than in the UK as it is a 'dry' cold in the winter rather than damp.

Do it! Move now! If you don't, you'll regret the loss of the experience for the rest of your life.

I'm approaching my 1 year anniversary in Montreal (unfortunately I'm split-living between Montreal and Eastern US 30/70 now ). I love Montreal like no other place - as of 2010 I wil have little choice but to move down with the Yanks (Aw, shoot!) . . .

I didn't know ten words in French when I moved here . . . I'm pretty fluent in "basic" Quebecois French now (tabernac d'hostie câlice) - but I'm still taking lessons here and there. French is not a government requirement for immigrants (a big myth) - except in the civil service workers (I'm considered a "US" consultant for a MNC now ). Finding a job that doesn't require any French at all is not easy - practically impossible in the crummy services sector. You could easily work in the smaller English-only work sector though (media, marketing, publishing, education, etc.)? Honestly - the need for French in Montreal is completely overrated, further exaggerated by non-Quebecers and the Asper-family-dominated Canadian print media (many English papers demonstrate a little bias regarding Quebec ). If you are a people person (US a swell person) - willing to make new friends and accept others for their small differences, you'll have no problems at all.

I think that if your partner is on a contract/TWP, your kids may be able to attend any school you want. I think that there are a few bilingual English-German private schools in Montreal too http://www.avh.montreal.qc.ca/eng/ . The majority of the English schools are in the "West Island" of Montreal, a region that is 60% English spaeking http://www.lbpsb.qc.ca/eng/main.asp . . . sorry - no kids except those of my French-Canadian pals.

Best of luck!

Thanks again for the replies. Good to har asthma can improve in cold, dry air.
Thanks @immichaelcaine - what a wonderufl, inspiring post! Yes, I am very much a peoples person and I think we will grab the opportunity and take up this adventure of Life in Montreal!

Thanks for all the useful links- especially about schools.

Cx

Hi, galwaygal!

You are going to love it in Montreal! I've been here for over 6 years now and I have never had a problem with the language! Don't believe it when people tell you that it is IMPOSSIBLE to have a good life in Montreal if you don't know French - pfft. Obviously they're the one's who don't know the true facts or have never lived here before! I could not speak any French when I got here but I did slowly pick it up. Most people speak English here (in my experience) although you will come across some Quebecers who won't speak English to you...hehe But don't worry!!

I think immichaelcaine gave you great advice! You can always find part-time work on craigslist, which seems to be mainly English...or Kijiji - more french!

I don't have any children myself but from gathering information from friends - there are waiting lists for daycares etc...I'm not 100% about schools.

Also, the West Island is definitely the place to be if you want to be in a majority "English Speaking" environment although you will be fine in most places - the East End of Montreal seems to bemore French though! I live on the South Shore of Montreal and I was worried it would be more French here but surprising it's not!

So, don't worry you'll love it here! It's very European and the people are pretty friendly!

Good luck!