Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

Hi there, first off from the little bits of information I've read this site is gonna be useful for me!

In May this year I'm gonna be starting a 4 year apprenticeship in Electrical Engineering with EDF.

Now after spending some time out there last year I'm pretty keen on heading out to Ontario and making a living. Question is though is which is the best route for me to take? I can only assume the Skilled Worker Route but I'm not fully sure.

Is there a big demand for electricians/engineers out in that area? Paid well etc? What are the big electrical companies out in Canada? Or do EDF operate in Canada?

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

Without sounding like an arse my guess is you wont be qualified to work in canada,

If you say apprenticeship i assume you mean city and guilds/BTEC?

You either need a degree from a university or at least 10 years experience in almost all provinces. The engineering bodies are different in each province so if you are going to ontario i would seriously research for yourself. http://www.peo.on.ca/

Chances are if you did come over you would likely get a job in the same field and if you impress them you can get the same wage as an 'engineer'(without the title) but you will not have an easy ride (others disagree but it is about luck when you don't have the above).

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

I forgot to mention I do have a degree but it's not relevant to the job itself!

Ta.

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

Well yeah, it's C&G/NVQ related. I've also had 18 years in full time education and possess a two year BTEC diploma if that helps?

Is a TWP a viable option also then?

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

Well it's C&G/Btec based yes.

But I did go to secondary school until I was 16 and went to college after that for 2 years, getting BTEC diploma in the process.

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

Again if you don't have a university degree chances are you wont get a job right away as you cannot become a P ENG (professional Engineer).

My advice FWIW is go to university in england get your degree (get your company to pay for it). Then move over in the mean time i am not sure what the timelines are like but plan your move around those timelines + the uni.

Not too sure on visas as i was a spouse.

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

Going to university really isn't an option, I'm approaching 21 and your idea means waiting till I'm 27. Err, nah.

Guess I might just be able to do my 4 years work and then apply for TWP.

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

Hi and welcome to the forum.

One thing to be aware of, you mentioned going out on a TWP but in case you are not aware, to work as an electrician in Canada you'd need something called the 'Red Seal'. To obtain it, you'd have to prove you've worked more than 9000 hours and that cannot include any apprenticeships.

So you wouldn't be able to finish your course and head straight over as an electrician on a TWP as you'd need to get the requisite experience first. Just wanted to mention it in case that's what you decide to do.

Also, as a Skilled Worker you'd need at least one years full-time work experience before you could apply, so factor that in too. And that's even if Electrical Engineers are on the 'the list' of occupations in demand by then. As there's only 38 occupations on 'the list' currently and Electricial Engineers aren't on it, I wouldn't count on them making the list by then (although it's a possibility).

Also, in case you haven't already discovered it, Bunac (just Google it) do a one year working holiday visa for Canada, which you would be eligible for until you are 30. So that might be worth looking into as it's an easy way to get over there for a year and an open work permit.

Good luck with it all. :)

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

The red seal doesn't apply to Engineers only to electricians so it does depend on what type of engineering you are doing.

Again I can not warn you enough that if you have to be an engineer when you arrive in canada you will not be able to be registered, which ultimately will leave employment options very limited. read the link i gave you.

Also there is a website which i shouldn't refer you to but i will called not canada as there are some of the professionals around the world who thought that they would be able to find employment easily.

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

Cheers for the info, and the link.

The work isn't wouldn't really your normal 'electrician' of going into homes and fixing power supplies. The work I'm going to be involved with is working on the London Underground, and installing and maintaining of electrical power plant, cables, electric protection systems and remote control systems.

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

So you are a power engineer? More in the Installation and maintenence field rather than design/testing?

I believe there are a few power Engineers about this place. You certainly wouldn't be working in the same sort of discipline as the london underground is off 'the grid' and I don't think any of the canadian transit systems are (not sure though).

Also depending on where you are moving there are obviously different power methods here in manitoba it is mainly hydro.

If I were you I would start a threat entitled 'power engineers across canada'

that way you can find ouot what type of power systems people are dealing with in each province and you can find out how easy other people have in respects to getting a job in that field qualified or unqualified (again you have to be approved by the provincial body (in ontarios case PEO) to be able to practice engineering. In order to be approved by the province they typically require a university degree in that field.

You could also use the search function as some posters in your field may have left the BE site but left useful comments.

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

Will do that now, cheers.

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

One thing you have to know, you cannot be called an engineer over here unless you have a degree.

My background was an apprenticeship as an electrician for a major car manufacturer, from there I progressed through other companies becoming a technician and finally a manager at a major international food manufacturer.

I started my own company and worked as a contract engineer, designing industrial automation systems, mainly programming PLC's etc.

In the UK I'd look for work as an Electrical Controls Engineer.

Over here I cannot, as I cannot be an engineer without a recognised degree.

I also cannot be an electrician, as I don't have the red seal.

I work as a control designer and I have to have a professional engineer working above me.

In the UK I also designed the control panels, over here I could do the same, but I would need a professional engineer to stamp the drawings after checking them.

The professional engineers can be identified by their pinky rings :)

Best thing you can do is continue with your apprenticeship (your lucky to have one, my son would have killed for the opportunity I'm sure). Once completed that look for further study and try for the degree if possible, it would be worth its weight in gold if you got one.

If your 27, 28, 30 even, they hey, so what, whats the rush at 30 you'll still be young with experience.

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

Also further to this.

A drafter here in winnipeg has an average wage of $16/hour $33,000/year.

A Certified Electrical Technician (CET) has an average salary of $45,000/year.

The average Electrical Engineer earns $68,000/year.

As you can see if you do struggle once here there is a huge wage gap in between the 3 basic levels.

Re: Newbie here, advice please! (electrical engineers?)
 

I do realise that, but the OP asked earlier 'Is there a big demand for electricians/engineers out in that area?', hence why I thought it prudent to mention the Red Seal. :)