belljohn

Hi everyone, I am currently looking in to emigrating to Canada and my wife and I are thinking NS would be a place we would like.

I'm currently completing my training for a pharmacy technician course in the UK, what are the salaries like for this job in NS? i've had a look online but none seem to include salary, is this a feasible job to emigrate with?

Appreciate any information, thank you.

DandNHill

Hi welcome!

I've no idea about your line of work. Why NS particularly?

geoff52

Each province has its own rules for registration of pharmacy technicians. I have provided links to Ontario and Nova Scotia.

International Pharmacy Technician Applicant

Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists

To see if your occupation is on the skills list to get a visa for Canada use the link below.


http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/noc.asp





HTH

belljohn

We're thinking of Nova Scotia as currently we stay in Girvan, South Ayrshire which is a small coastal town, neither of us are "big city types" i've stayed in Glasgow and Edinburgh and prefer the smaller town feel to that of a big city. The Climate also seems much more similar to what we're used to in that it doesn't seem to get the extreme colds of other provinces.

Thanks for the information, i'll need to contact them directly and see what i would need to do to have my qualification be valid in Nova Scotia.

Currently my wage is 17k in the uk before any tax is taken and we are managing somewhat comfortable and within our means, but i dont know if this would be viable in Nova Scotia either as there would be a lot of initial outlays.

mikelincs

I suspect 17k would be a lot too low for NS, and remember that it will cost almost that much to get your visa and move over.

belljohn

We would have money as my wifes father has recently passed away and it would be his inheritance we would be using alongside the sale of our house here to fund the move.

Its all still very early stages of just looking into things, ideally i would like to be in a small town of around a similar size to where we are just now approx. 7000.

I don't know what wages would be like for a pharmacy tech in NS, if i convert my salary it looks to be around 28k CAD but i dont know if the salary is comparable in that way or not.

geoff52

Having moved from UK to Canada, geographically there are a lot of differences between UK and Canada.
You should visit the areas you want to live in Canada.

belljohn

Yeah we are planning to visit and try and get an idea of where we would like, currently as i said just in the very early stages, sounding out cost etc and trying to find information on jobs and salaries in relation to UK.

In doing some research i quite like the look of Wolfville and the property prices there seem reasonable too

geoff52

In Canada as in many other countries house prices are tightly linked to economics/job prospects

I Live in Toronto (which is equivalent to London UK) Ontario so I know very little about the eastern provinces such as NS.

nikki dreaming

This website may help
https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/explorecareers.do?selectExploreCareerBy=ec-wages

Reeders

Well don't put the cart before the horse.

First, you have to determine if you are likely to get a visa. You can do that on the Canadian Immigration website. If you can't get a visa, any other questions you have aren't really relevant.

Second, you have to determine what it will take to become qualified in the Province you will live in. In doing that, you have to consider what you will do for an income while you are in the process of becoming qualified.

Take it one step at a time. Don't spend time and effort looking at Wolfville etc. until you have the important questions answered.

Howefamily

We came on the NS provincial nominee scheme but I know that has changed alot, perhaps Christmasoompa will be along soon to give some advice from that point of view.
No idea on pharmacy careers here but good luck. Its a great place to live.

belljohn

Thanks everyone for your replies, as i say it is all early stages, i've looked into visa and qualifications and i should be able to get the visa and work as a pharmacy advisor whilst completing the technician training.

@howefamily how long have you stayed in NS? I have a 2 year old son what are the schools like and are there any costs involved in schooling for primary or secondary(high school)

christmasoompa

Just be aware that under the NOC, a pharmacy advisor isn't a skilled job, so you wouldn't usually qualify for a visa unless you'd be using your wife's job to do so or unless you can find a sponsoring employer.

Reeders

Regarding schools. In Canada, we do not have the kind of system you are used to in the UK. Generally speaking, no one worries about what school their children go to until they get to University age. Strictly speaking, not all schools are equal but the variance is not significant. In other words, there are no bad schools and the only schools that some parents consider outside of the one nearest to their home, is a private school. The percentage of Canadian children who attend private schools is negligible and only available to parents with deep pockets in any case.