Blakesters

Hi All

Can anyone who has moved to Vancouver please tell me their story? we are moving very shortly and it would be nice to see what anyone's experience has been like. Thank you

el_richo

I'll bump this to the top for you


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Aviator

It would be a very long story. I came 15+ years ago and a lot has changed in that time.

• Year one was a whirlwind of learning how things were done and where everything was.

• Settling in and feeling like it was home - 3 years

• Feeling like a fixture and this was it - 10 years

• Now - Have no desire to move anywhere else.

jerry brewer

Hi
We moved here almost four years ago, we arrived with two kids & a dog, no job, no house, within two weeks had a rental house, job within a month, bought a house within six months, here to stay now.

First year we all felt a bit insecure, but this was felt less after buying the house, and setttling in.

May be a bit longer finding work now, as there is to me, still a bit of a slow down, but there is still some recuitment, What is your line of work ? maybe someone on the board may have some leads.

Good luck with your landing, hopefully the weather will pick up by then, it is a bit yuckie presently.
cheers
Jerry

Ikatita

moved here three months ago, with one kid, no dog, and one job

rented an apartment right away, will continue to do so, as I don't have the savings to buy a house (or an apartment)

networking like crazy, in order to be able to find another job when needed (thinking of two years down the road at the latest). Belonging to some international associations certainly helps.

school is great! (francophone state school) -- but working moms are an exceptions, so feel quite odd

or to make it short: am in the middle of culture shock, where I find lots of things odd. Canada is quite different from France, where 99% of the moms work (now I understand why North American expat wives feel so lost over there, with none of the volunteering options available).

will do my best to volunteer, even though as a full time working single mom, that is not an easy task

Oh, more to the story: decided I wanted to move to Vancouver five years ago, several vacations here, Federal Skilled Worker PR application, job hunting over the distance (did not work for me, even though I got quite close a couple of times), and in the end got a transfer from my job in Paris after I had made up my mind to go without a job.

CanadaJimmy

Moved a year ago, been a very enjoyable experience. You're coming to one of the nicest parts of the world, the people are friendly, there's plenty of things to do, it's really quite wonderful. I don't miss anything, really.

It does take quite a long time to really adjust though I will say that. My "UK self" was quite a lot different to my "Canada self", talking to people and thinking really is quite a different approach. It's more self-expressive and less judgemental I suppose. Sorry if this all sounds a bit too abstract.

But yes be sure to make the most of the long summer days if you can. Very easy to fill up a day with downtown exploring!

Hope you enjoy your new life as much as I have if you have any questions feel free to PM.

paolosmythe

we finallised our 5 year application process by activating our residency in March 2009. bounced back to britain to suss the recession and sell everything we could, before quitting jobs to come over to couver in october 2009.

found a place to live with bills and furniture included. worked hard to find work. enjoyed lie ins and midday hockey before a job arrived. had a job for 10 weeks and then got fired (coz the guy was a prick).

reverted back to lots of sleep and hockey before another job turned up. working downtown and loving it. waiting for summer to be over before more snowboarding. did 10 days up in whistler this year. felt great to be a 'local'.

work long and hard; 45 hour weeks monday to friday. head to the beach for the sun and the ice for the hockey on the weekends. seeing bears, watching eagles and chasing racoons.

life is for the living. dont move soon, move NOW

brizzle

Don't know what field you're in, but make sure you have work sorted out if it all possible. Lots of McJobs here but decent, interesting, well-paid jobs are like hen's teeth. Don't discount the cost of living either - Can you afford to live centrally or will you be stuck out in the 'burbs?

ExKiwilass

This!

anewPR

Been in Vancouver now for 2 1/2 years. I came here on a work visa with my 15 year old son. Best move I ever made.

The education system here is far superior to the UK. My son struggled at first but recently graduated with a scholarship.

Not only has he made a new life here but the opportunities for his continued life are huge compared to the UK. He has lost weight, got fit because of the access to so many outdoor and indoor sports programmes and now considers himself probably more Canadian than British.

Myself, I entered into a completely different field, I am now a Manager at one of the largest Canadian retailers here and I love it.

Go back to England???....not blXXXdy likely....I now have my PR status and waiting for the 2 years when I can become a citizen of Canada.

Vancouver, BC.....best place on Earth.

lindaANDneil

Hi there

Been here 3 months now in Vancouver and love it! Never go back. We are only just starting to embrace the lifestyle, getting into walking, cycling, rafting. Lost weight and feel fitter. The summer has been brilliant, every day now for weeks it has been sunny and warm.

Husband got a job within 5 weeks in insurance downtown and loves it. I've got a good job now too at a university and start next week. I found that including excerpts of my references in my covering emails got me interviews.

When we compare all this to the last UK photo we took of ourselves at Heathrow airport we feel very lucky. We were two bloated, stressed out, pale and tired looking people. Not any more.

Linda

jandro

Been here a few years. I didn't like it when I first arrived - thought it was backwards in many ways and the job prospects were terrible. It took me a long time to find a job similar to what I did in the UK. I'm more used to living here now and appreciate the unique things the area has to offer although I still miss certain things about the UK. As a previous poster mentioned it can be difficult to find work in your field and you have to work at it.