Hi,
I am not new to Canada, as I use to live in TO for many years. Have been back in the UK for a few years now, but thinking of returning back to Canada again. Missing the country rather too much, and finding the cost of living in the UK almost unbearable.

I visited N.S. with my daughter in October 2008 and liked it very much. My concern is finding employment for myself in administration. I currently work in the NHS, but with no medical training. I would imagine the demands on the health service in NS are not the same as in the UK. I have to add I have worked in many different areas in a secretarial/adminstration position not just the NHS. I am a little concerned as to what employment opportunities there might be.

I hate the thought of NS not being a possibility because of employment, I do think it is a lovely province.

Could I ask if anyone does believe that employment could be a big issue, where then would you look to find employment and to live. Preferably not TO. Thanks for any advice.

Sals

Hi Sally - just to check, but are you a Canadian citizen?

Yes I am a Canadian Citizen. Hold dual citizenship.

As a Canadian citizen I do not believe it would be that difficult to find employment in ns. There are plenty of jobs in administration but they are not the best paid.securing one from the UK might be a challenge though.much easier to get one face to face. Good luck

Excellent, was just checking that you didn't need a visa.

There have been a few threads recently on employment in NS, so have a hunt and see what you can find.

It may also be worth looking in to the cost of living in Canada if that is important to you, as the general consensus is that it's about the same as in the UK at the mo. Looking at your past thread it seems you left in the early 1990's, so inevitably you will find things a lot more expensive.

Good luck.

Just out of interest does this just apply to NS or other provinces as well (and just admin??)? As a dual national (I have spent the whole of my adult life in the UK though) I am looking at trying to pick up a traffic engineering job (and I intend to recce in April). From taking a look at the Hays Canada and Local State Government websites I fancy my chances at picking something up, but I am just a little bit nervous at trying to figure out where to start (e.g. if I could narrow it down to a province it would be a start ).

I like NS, but I am able to explore other Provinces as well, which is quite good. I have had secretarial training, but would be happy to walk away from that and try something completely different, it just depends what it is. I would like to have my own business if I could, but may be that is just dreaming!

I am not sure what traffic engineering is exactly but from my experience it is very difficult to get a job in ns and some of the OTher provinces from a distance. If you are in country it is much easier.wages in ns are lower than UK but if you consider a dollar to be a pound and forget the exchange rate the cost of living is similar, perhaps a bit cheaper here in ns. A wage of $40k in ns is equivelent to earning £40k in UK.

Absolutely positively disagree with this.... try $60-70,000 and you might be right.

Can't see it. Fuel cheaper houses cheaper food similar beer out similar. Wine and beer at shop dearer admit car tax/registration cheaper cars cheaper. House tax similar. Might conseed $50k equal to £40k UK but no more

+1 The $=GBP salary comparison is a myth. Living on GBP 40k in England is going to be way better than living on $40k in Canada.

For the OP. I have a relative who has recently entered the healthcare administration field in Nfld. After doing a business admin course orientated towards healthcare she now is a casual worker with the health board. She has had a long run of continuous employment from Sept til Christmas but is now laid off. Healthcare administration - at least the public part of it - is a unionised profession in Nfld so seniority is all. Others have more time served so they get the jobs first. She makes around $17.50 an hour I believe. (Approx $37k p.a.)

This is Nfld. I would expect that NS would be broadly the same. This is well paid admin work. Temps in industry make $12-13 an hour. Moving from UK for this with all the associated risks and trauma needs to be a carefully thought out decision.

From personal experience and that's all I have, no stats no links, I was pulling in £40k plus bonuses in the UK with the wife pulling in £12k. Here I am pulling in low $70k's and the wife about $10k and we are marginally better off. There is no way on God's green earth that if I was pulling in $40-$50k alone that we would be better off over here than the UK.

Must be what you spend it on then that counts. Earned 40k in UK wife earned about the same. Earn 45k in NS wife earns about the same. Have larger house nicer cars smaller mortgage and no debts. Must be what we eat!

Just shows....it's not only stats that are useless, personal experience seems similarly useless.

I love and am a booster for Nova Scotia. However, finding a job here can be tough, very tough. Do lots of research and recces.