Hi there,

Newbie to forum, and as the title suggests myself and partner are relocating to Montreal in 7 short, stress filled weeks!

The reason for the move is my partner's new job. He is in the computer games industry. I am a UK qualified Paediatric nurse and have experience in social care with addictions. Currently I have no job to go to and will be job hunting on my arrival.

I have heard so many different things with regards to life in Montreal (living and working) that I feel my head is in a spin right now!

Issues causing confusion so far are....

French - We know a little French and considered advancing our knowledge before leaving however many people have told us not to bother learning until we get there. This makes me anxious from the job hunting perspective. What are other people's experiences?

My employment - At this rate I will be searching for employment with very little French and therefore will be limited to what I am eligible to apply for. What sort of things can I expect to be available to me?

Nursing/Social care - I have a degree in paediatric nursing and a HNC in social care. I have been able to find out very little information as to how these qualifications have relevance in Canada if at all! I have considered looking into lower level positions in a hospital, such as working as a nursing assistant. Would I need separate qualifications and/or training?

Other job options - I have also considered child minding. Is there a demand for English speaking child minders? Am I best going through an agency or looking into self employment?

I think that's all for now... Thank God our accommodation/visas were all sorted for us! I think i'd have lost it by now if it wasn't for a huge amount being arranged for us!!

Hi there, sorry I dont know much about montreal - I'm a canadian citizen and have been most places around canada and love it all. I just wanted to wish you good luck really. Just remember that it will take time to settle and just embrace it all and see it as a wonderful adventure. It will only be stressful if you think it will be stressful.

I'm in the process of moving from Ireland to New Zealand and I'm so excited about it all - There are lots of positive threads on this site and I'm sure someone in the "know" will guide you - Have a look around the site its really helpfull! Best of luck!:fingerscross ed:

Hello:
Firstly - good luck with your move – I hope it is quick and stress-free. Secondly, having lived in QC but six months, I profess little expertise in the detailed knowledge of Quebec labour laws. Yet, I am quite sure one must possess complete fluency in verbal and written French in order to work in the provincial civil service, any municipal jobs, public healthcare, state education, etc. I have heard that one must pass a written and verbal French proficiency test for all public sector work if your primary language is not French.

Basically, any job requiring any interaction with the public obliges you speak and write fluent French. I believe these rules do not apply to the private sector (?). Perhaps you can approach this as an opportunity to integrate into a new and exciting culture? I have been taking French courses at UQAM and they are fantastic. Bonne chance madame!

Hi,
First of all, don't panic! When you arrive and settle in, i think it'd be worth you going to the Jewish General and/or Royal Victoria hospital with your qualifications and asking them if they're transferable or what work you could do with them. These two hospitals have a large number of anglos working in them and with basic French you'll have no problem.

It's also worth googling 'garderie anglophone' to see what come up. I know there's one in Lasalle, some in Westmount, Montreal West, NDG, and then further into the west island in DDO, Kirkland, Pierrefond and Beaconsfield and even one 40 mins north on highway 15 in Saint Jerome.

Like the previous poster wrote, UQAM do a French course, as do McGill and Concordia but i wouldn't worry about the French too much. You'll pick up what you need easier than you think. Good luck!

Hi,
I am moving to Toronto in a few months my wife is Canadian (who has been living with me in Liverpool) but before that was living and working in Montreal.

First of all Montreal is a great city and think you will love it. Most people there speak fluent English so knowing French for daily life isn't such a big deal. However there are lots of french language classes throughout the city and you often learn the language really quickly because you are surrounded by french speakers. My wife comes from Newfoundland and didn't speak fluent french before living there but says it is easier to learn once your there!

as for employment look on the west island (it is still the island of Montreal but the suburbs-about 30 mins by train from the city). The west island is full of little towns that run into one another and is made up of mainly English speakers. You will often need less french to get by and you will have a better chance of finding work there without speaking fluent French. My wife is a teacher and worked for the English Montreal School Board..there is prob. English equivalent for health care. The south shore is another good place to look which is not on the island itself but not far.

Best of luck!

I think if you going to live in Quebec you will need french. It will be very hard to find employment with out it IMO. Your need some french being a nurse. How are you going to talk to people? Also you may have to retake your exams. Canada won't reconsigned your qualifications. Quebec is the only province that speaks french. It has IMO Euro/NA Feel. Montreal is an incredible city. You only an hour from the border of Ontario. So if french is an issue. You could live 30 minutes from the border and work in Ontario Anyways so both of U's could visibly only have 1/2 commute. just idea and this only matter if u going to stay forever.

http://montreal.kijiji.ca/ <--great for finding cheap stuff and apartments.

Here is the link to the College of registered nurses in Quebec. Nurse training generally has to be general covering hours both clinical and theory in paeds, mental health, adult and midwifery. You will if eligible have to sit their exam and I believe pass a French exam within 3 years of working. There are a couple of posts in the International forum and Canadian forum on allnurses.com on requirements and working in Quebec

http://www.oiiq.org/

I work in the games industry and got job offers from games companies in Montreal. I can tell you that they speak French Quebecois most of the time.
It's actually their language of preference. I am very fluent in French and even then, it can be hard understanding what they say lol

I don't know how it is in your field but I have ex-pat friends (who are former co-workers) in Montreal who don't speak French and they and their spouses managed to get jobs.

Most of the people in Montreal speak English. If you were to go to remote parts of Quebec, then not speaking French would be an issue.

I don't agree with this. It depends on the company, their origins, and the team you are placed in. Some companies are primarily French speaking with French speaking management and other are primarily English speaking with English speaking management, such as US and UK publishers who have set up shop there. Within a French speaking company you may find yourself in a majority English speaking team, or a strongly bilingual one, or you may not.

We're new in Quebec too! We've been here a few months, so I an give you a fresh newcomers perspective.

We're in a heavy French speaking city, Montreal is significantly more bilingual so I very much doubt you'll need French on a day to day basis, but you will be exposed to it often. I only took classes when I got here and it's certainly easier to learn when immersed in the language. The Quebec French accent is quite different from the European French accent, and it took me about a month to start picking out verbs from spoken phrases outside of my classes.
It can be very daunting not to understand, frustrating not to be able to phrase your thoughts into French, but then very rewarding when it does fit together.

I think you will need to investigate your nursing qualifications and opportunities when you arrive. Your husband's company's HR department might be able to point you in the right direction.
I've observed that many public facing public entities require bilingual staff, but I've also encountered staff that only speak French, so it's always best to get the information you need first hand.

I could tell you a little about the local labour market, but as it doesn't relate to Montreal, I'm not sure how useful that would be to you.

It'll turn out just fine. If you have any questions on living, shopping, or moving, fire away and we might be able to answer them.

[We might be mosying down to Montreal in the future. Also, I'm interested to know what company your husband is at , we might work for the same employer].

Erm...New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province, and they definitely speak French there. Quebecois French is not the same as Euro French, which I can speak. I have a really hard time catching the language nuances in Montreal. Further out into the rural countryside, it might as well be Klingon.

Thank you everyone for your responses. Sorry about my delay in reply - I thought I had email notifications set up but it didn't come through for some reason

I am going to try and stop worrying right now and try and enjoying the experience I think, if at all possible Think my other half believes everything will magically pack itself!!

I am very keen to learn French Quebec style Hopefully I can get into a bog standard job and get a little money coming in to fund my roller derby habit in the meantime, then I shall seriously look at the nursing side of things

PykreteSkidoo - I shall PM you as it's probably not best to openly discuss where my partner is going to be working

Thank you again all! I shall try and particpiate some more now lol