What to expect?

I read a bit about in the wiki and I still find myself worrying and wondering

I am wondering if it is not better to plan to move where it will be easier to settle rapidly: i.e. find good but reasonably cheap accommodation and jobs to survive for 6 months to 1 year, so that we can accommodate on all various levels. (maybe Moncton would be better).
Then when ready to find more adequate work, move again, more in the area where we would rather be (Fredericton it seems).

Also is it really necessary to be bilingual for jobs in Fredericton? My Husband works in engineering, and although I am really trying to get him to speak french... we are not there just yet.

This would make us reconsider totally our route, and we might as well head for Quebec so that for 6 months/1 year we learn French. And then come back to NB possibly, who knows of course!

I also tried to read about the schooling system, but there is so much I didn't find what I wanted to know: AT WHAT AGE DOES SCHOOL REALLY START?
My eldest daughter is going to be 4 this august, and over here she would start in September, although as we plan to move probably this autumn now, I am going to deffer/cancel her entry.

Altogether I'd rather not move around too much, because I don't want to unsettle the children (and us) too much unecessarily...

Basically what has been your experiences so far? Did you have/find yourselves to move a lot?



Aline

Hi Aline,
My advice to you would be to start applying for jobs in and around NB now and go where there is work. I was lucky enough to get a job offer while still in the UK but it is a lot about who you know over here and making contacts is key. It is NOT necessary to be bilingual for jobs in Fredericton - neither me or my husband are bilingual and plenty of people I work with don't speak a word of French.

My son is also turning 4 in Sept this year. From what i have read and found out from other people he starts school next year, if they are 5 before Sept of the school year they start kindergarten, if they turn 5 between Sept and Dec I think they can start or choose to wait until the following year. This is a link to the school board in Fredericton, district 18.

We have been lucky and have settled really well here, both have jobs and our son is really settled, we aren't planning on moving. Really I think the key thing is finding which area has the jobs, try career beacon and jobbank.
Hope this helps.

Good luck,
Sinead

Hi Aline

We moved to Douglas, which is a few km's outside of Fredericton.

Being bilingual will help for some jobs, but it certainly isn't necessary to work here. Both my wife and I found work very quickly (IT and Finance) and we don't speak any French. Most people we know only speak English, so it shouldn't be a problem. I don't know what type/ how much work is available in engineering.

School starts at 5, which is when they go into Kindergarten, then Grade 1 starts at 6. Our kids are loving school here and are lucky to be in a school where 20 pupils is considered a large class! My son's class only has 13. There are differences between schooling here and in England (with the obvious lagging a bit behind due to starting age), but overall we're happy so far.

We managed to get a mortgage here and buy a house before we moved, so we've only lived in the one house. Prior to that we flew out for a week and looked at as many houses as possible, in many different areas. We feel that this was important as we managed to find a great area to live, and we still think we chose the best possible area for us, having now lived here for 20 months.

We both like Fredericton, it's pretty. I think it has a nice downtown, with more unusual independant shops, as well as the larger malls on the outside of town. If you're into walking and/or cycling then there are so many trails which are well kept. There are also plenty of activities to keep the kids busy. All of my kids go to Cubs / Guides / Sparks, and I'm also a volunteer Cub leader. All three will soon be starting in the Douglas Soccer program. I could go on ......

We've found most people to be friendly and very kind. My wife recently had surgery, and our friends and neighbours inundated us with food and emails asking how they could help. Work was also very supporting and accommodating. We've always felt very welcome since we arrived here.

One thing that's taken some getting used to is the fact that you're in and around Fredericton, and that's about it. The next major city is Saint John, about an hours drive and Moncton which I think is about 1.5 - 2 hours. I know a lot of people who think nothing of driving to Moncton for an afternoon's shopping, but I still can't get used to that!

Winter has been great! You just have to embrace it and make the most of it. There's some great sledging hills at Mactaquac (local provincial park, which is also a great place for camping in the summer) and also Crabbe Mountain for skiing (ok, it's not like out west, best then I'm a novice ). I'm still using a shovel to clear the snow, which has been fine for the most part. One storm that dropped over 50cm last year took me 6 hours to clear though! A snow blower is probably a good investment - or hire someone to clear your drive for you.

Anyway, I'd better so some work!

Good luck.
Colin

Worth pointing out that the shovels here are designed for pushing snow and for most snowfalls it's not difficult.
A snowblower or paying someone is probably essential if you need to get your car out for work early or you're physically unable. Fortunately I don't have any deadlines - I don't even drive.

We've had four winters here now. I've paid to have the drive cleared by tractor/snowblower twice for a total of $80. Otherwise it's just me, helped by the two kids (sometimes that help has seemed a hindrance, but they're better now) and occasionally we've taken a couple of half-hour shifts.

This has worked out far cheaper than buying a snowblower for a grand or more or having a regular contract to clear that can cost a few hundred $$ a season.

Paying as and when means you might have to wait until later that day or the next day, whereas the contract will get you priority.

But if you don't need to get the car out for a certain time, DIY with good snowshovels and "pay as you go" might be acceptable.