Newbie with some questions
 

Hi folks, I'm new here and have a few questions.

Myself and my partner are currently both in university in software development and we've been told that there's a real need for software developers in areas of Canada. It's somewhere we've always wanted to live due to the idyllic lifestyle painted but how realistic is this image? I know politically it's very stable, which puts in over and above the UK in my view, as it has more of a society mindset.

In terms of planning the move, where on earth do we start? Is it possible to get a job lined up from the UK without going over for interviews and such first? Where do we start looking? Is there anyone or any body we need to contact to start the ball rolling?

Any advice we could get is gratefully received, I know the scale of the move is large as moving frequently from Ireland to England was bad enough so I'm under no illusions that it will be tricky. Is it better to hire a company to move your things, how long does it take, etc.?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Newbie with some questions
 

May be, may be not....who told you that, hopefully not someone that is looking to take your money? The IT/Computer industry is flooded with workers

Like Drake, you start from the bottom



Read up on Canada, know the provinces and territories. You might know people that have moved here, speak to them and get the honest truth, not the rose-tinted views
Of course....it's the same way people from out of province go through interviews by applying online, doing a phone / skype interview

The Citizenship and Immigration Canada website. All the info and forms you will need are on there, and depending on how easy / complicated your case is, you might be able to go through the application process yourself vice using a lawyer

Re: Newbie with some questions
 

It's come from both of our lecturers in two separate universities. The difference is the software side of things I think, they've said that there's a need for software developers, not just computer techies. Maybe it varies from province to province?




Definitely will do some reading up on the different provinces. OH is thinking Vancouver or Montreal but I will read up on all of them, see the pros and cons of each. He has relatives there, he's in the process of talking to them to get their view on things but they may be a bit biased as they have been there for years and absolutely love it? Worth getting more info from them anyway!




Oh good! I know it seems like a daft question but when I was living in Ireland and had interviews in the UK, phone/Skype interviews weren't acceptable, I had to fly over for them. Obviously different paying £30 for a 50 minute flight and £1500 for a flight, but I just wanted to be sure.




I had a quick whizz through the site last night, didn't take much in though as it was late so I will take another look and make some notes/bookmarks. Is a lawyer often needed when applying?

Re: Newbie with some questions
 

Software developing / programming / administrator stuff is what brought me here in my previous life......my last gig as a civilian was with major international organization in Toronto

So I know what you speak of, and know what the market use to be, and what it is currently like.

You have to really do your research on this life changing move if you wish to pursue it. Don't just expect to be told what you want to hear....you are right that family might not paint the right picture, but do seek friends, acquaintances etc to give you a different perspective.

Montreal....it will help if you understand Au Francais', do you?

Re: Newbie with some questions
 

Depends on what kind of software. The usual thing to do nowadays is to hire someone in India to do straightforward stuff.

"the idyllic lifestyle", mmm, that's what everyone thinks driving down the 401 during rush hour I'm sure. I remember sitting on Hwy 1 in North Vancouver during rush hour once thinking wow, how idyllic is this. :frown:

Canada is a very varied country from coast to coast to coast. Depends on where you want to live really. But anywhere you pick is going to have shit weather during the winter. Calgary for example has on average 190 days with temperatures below freezing a year (albeit that includes overnight lows).

Re: Newbie with some questions
 

No need for lawyers in my opinion. The process is slow and long winded in my experience but not difficult. Good luck

Re: Newbie with some questions
 

Hi

Just wanted to offer some insight into the employment market based on my experience in Calgary.

I recently started two companies here in Calgary, one is in bookkeeping and the other is IT consultancy and software design.

When I advertised positions on Kijiji, I got at least 10 from people who had recently moved here (1 from Oz, 2 from Ireland and the rest from England). They were offering their services for free for a few months just to get some experience here in Canada. I've given 1 guy 2 days per week work, but it gives you an idea of the potential market here.

Also I got a total of 245 applicants for bookkeepers and 196 applicants for software developers within 5 days. About 1/3 of those were decent resumes and around half of the decent ones were currently not employed.

In saying that, as long as you're open to some variance from your 'ideal job' you should be ok. And also like someone else said, you will more than likely be starting on the first rung of the ladder.

Good luck

Re: Newbie with some questions
 

It really depends on what you specialise in, my other half is a Java Developer and there seems to be quite the demand in Vancouver however he says that the technology is quite behind the UK and a lot of companies work with some very old technology that is not fun. I wouldn't say that Canada is on the cutting edge tech wise so if you're looking for a job that would be challenging it might not be quite what you were looking for.

Re: Newbie with some questions
 

Thanks for all your replies.

It terms of what we're looking for, both of us are trained in Java and C++, and he is also trained in C#, so there's huge scope of job opportunities there (I hope!).

Weather-wise, we much prefer the cold to the sun, we live on the North-west coast of Ireland where it never rains, it pours!

By the sound of it, there are significantly more job applications than there are jobs, much the same as over here?

Re: Newbie with some questions
 

The recent immigrants I know who are in the software industry generally cling on to their contracts in the UK and work remotely. The pay is better and it's work they already have.

I recently followed a job search for a "junior developer" for a large company that needed someone for Java applications (it's not really development but customisation of an application package written in Java). The job was posted on the corporation's website for a week. There were hundreds of applications, many of them from people with multiple degrees who had been working in the software industry. Only a few, those with some particular edge, were interviewed. (Obviously the candidate who had been working on an application to print chocolate bars got a shot). Most resumes were binned because the applicants looked overqualified.

My advice to developers looking to move to Ontario would be to also bring a saleable skill.

Re: Newbie with some questions
 

Thanks for the advice, that's definitely something for us to keep in mind.

OH's uncle who currently lives in Vancouver sent him a link to jobs in the area open to international applicants and he said there were absolutely loads. I can imagine though that each job is looking for that person with a saleable skill? What sort of things would be classed as a saleable skill other than the obvious transferable skills? What would be classed as overqualified?