Positive Experiences.
 

When considering moving to another continent, never mind a new country its always best to look at all sides of the argument.

Obviously I have my own reasons why I think I would like to immigrate to another country, and in doing my research I have also taken time to read some of the posts from those returning to the UK after years away. Within those posts, I see a lot of justifiable negativity, about why its better to come back to the UK. These people have not found the life they were looking for, for one reason or another, and decided the best thing to do is to come back. Thats fine, different strokes for different folks. Everyone is entitled to lead their life how they see fit, and I certainly am not critical of anybody who changes their mind.

However, I would like you guys to share some of your positive experiences with me, from those who have just recently moved and discovered they love even more than they thought they would to those that have been there for years and wouldn't even dream of coming back.

Thanks

.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

It just occurred to me from reading your post, that everybody seems to know what they 'don't' want, and are therefore sure that they 'haven't' found it! I wonder if some people chase an elusive happiness all their life, without ever realising that they may have already stumbled over it?

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

positive experiences, you say?

ok...beautiful dazzingly bright sunshine, even with 3ft of snow on the ground.
clean streets (in my neighbourhood anyway!)
no hassle from anybody
direct action from police if required; no pussy-footing around like the uk
no chavs or hoodies looking at you threateningly
hardly anybody using bad language as is de-rigeur in the uk now
beautifully hot weather in the summer
a feeling of being free..not being cooped up
relatively can-do attitude with most things

there u are!
im one of those you say who've been there, and come back!
why? thats a long story....but you just stick to the positive vibes above and youll be fine! :thumbsup:

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Positives from someone that has been and come back has even more value for me. Thanks Julius.

.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

We've had a very positive experience so far. What has been most telling is that everyone who has visited (my mum is with us this week) has said that our quality of life has greatly improved. Mind you, we came from a low base in London ... That's not to say that life is near perfect, but we're all a lot happier.

Just some brief positives on a general level: cleanliness, friendliness, more predictable seasonal weather, public schooling better at junior level (in my view), wide open spaces.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

As a been said before on here, it all depends on what you did in the UK, were you lived and what you do now in Canada.

No one on this forum or indeed, Canada can replicate the OP's circumstances exactly.

If you come from badger heights mansion, and a well paid job in the UK and end up in Makeedeez and a community housing apartment, in Canada you aint going to be overjoyed about it. Same as if you came from the center of London, and end up in the center of nowhere, you will most likely miss the company of humans, and eventually come on here saying how lonely you are and Canada is crap.

You must choose where you live in Canada with caution, do not just move for the sake of moving, (or even the children) think about why you want to live in Canada and not run away from stupid small things like hoodies on peoples jacket's, FFS, i'm 47 and i wear a hoodie, but im not likely to rob you am i.;)

For us we moved because i got offered a job with better pay and the chance that i could go home after work rather than spend my life in hotels around the UK. Is life better? YES, all turned out good for us.

We chose a busy area with lots to do, close to an international airport so nipping back to UK or flying to the Caribbean is no issue, and a short drive to the US border. We now own a detached house and i get paid lots of $$ for doing the job i love, who wouldn't be happy. :blink:

Would i leave a job and come over with no work, or home and try to find work doing any thing. NO. The uncertainty is not for us.

Remember, asking if every one else in Canada is happy, will not necessarily make you happy & visa versa.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

At no point would I ever make that assumption. I simply sought balance. A healthy dose of positive experiences to weigh against the negative experiences I had already read about.

For me a move to Canada is about wide open spaces, more wild life, less pollution, a bigger house (because the UK has the one of the smallest square footages per home in the civilized world.), better pay for a job where I deserve to be better paid, and a couple of other things that escape me at present.

Right now Im doing a degree in Mechatronic and Robotic engineering. Jobs in that sector in Leeds right now are currently paying around £25k - £35k per year. Thats a joke to me. Unless you live in the south of england, where the price of living is higher anyway, the wages of engineers over here in the UK is laughable. I havent lost the will to live, but I have lost the will to live in this country, and for me immigrating to somewhere that I feel can offer my family and me more is the way forward.

So bring on the positives people.......


p.s. Ajax looks nice.
.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Yeh i get ya, was just pointing out the obvious really, maybe you is looking at the wrong threads, try the Canniversary bit of the forum, here are some i noted.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=712805

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=714219

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=715000

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=713526

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

well, re salary expectations--£25k is the norm for the engineering sector in the uk these days.
i managed to eke that out to £28k a short while after we came back from canada and i landed a job here, but that was about the limit--aint no way i was going to get any more than that! if you reckon you can get £35k after qualifying, then you'll be onto a cracking number, i'd say, but it doesnt sound likely!
i dont know much about mechatronics or robotics, having graduated in electronics and then doing the 1st year of of an msc in VLSI (chip design), but with around 15 yrs experience in the sector, i can hazard a guess that what they'll be looking for in canada from you is experience (i found my degrees meant very little over there...).
so i would hunt around to gather at least some experience, even if only 6mths, before you try job hunting over there.
i was lucky--i landed a job within 8 weeks of getting there, and in the same field i was working in at the time (military/commercial avionics).
as to the poster here living in ajax saying that we "shouldnt be worried about small stupid things like hoodies..." well, to him i would say this, and before this turns into a slagging match that i'd rather not get involved with, thank you very much, it may be ok for you to say that, but if you'd been accosted by some of the illiterate so-called hoodies, spat upon by them, and all for no good reason, then you'd sing another tune, my friend, i can tell you that!
thats no small stupid thing in my mind!
anyway, getting back to the point in question--yes, on the whole, my our feelings were slightly negative then, but after having been back here, and having flown over again several times for holidays, we can safely say our attitude changed dramatically.

hope that helps anyone else on here who is tryinig to make that terribly huge decision to move! :eek:

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Point taken :o, im not one for slagging matches either, and maybe with your point i can see this could be a bigger problem in certain areas than others, for some but not all.

Again it is all down to your own personal circumstances, as i said, no one is the same, here (on this forum) or in Canada.

Would i move back to the UK, well......NO.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

I liked some of your previous posts Julius, so much that I looked you're other threads and checked out those too, and a lot of what you said strikes a chord with me, so I hope you understand that I have a certain amount of respect for you. however if you cant find an engineering job over £30k you're looking in the wrong places my friend.

Powertrain Engineer £40k - £45k
Mechanical Design Engineer circa £50k
Mechanical Design Engineer £30k - £40k + Benefits
Control Systems Engineer £30k - £40k
Mechatronics Engineer £27k - £39k

Obviously salaries vary depending on experience, but these few highlight my particular issue, and that is that unless I want to move 150 miles south, I can expect to be payed significantly less in the yorkshire region than further south in the country, and if Im going to move I might as well move somewhere I actually want to go. :thumbsup:

As far as experience goes, I already have around 6 years experience from my time in the Army and other jobs, but these days it seems everyone wants a degree hence my return to full time education, then after that I'll be looking to work for around 2 years before I even start the emigration process.

.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

If you want to live in Canada it'd be better to do your degree at a Canadian University.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

I think it's sensible of you to review the moving back forum in addition to the 'pleased to be here' side. I liken the experience to buying a car. Go into the car showroom wanting to be convinced that buying the car you dream of is right for you, hoping for impartiality, is going to be futile.

Even gaining a more balanced opinion as you're doing, you're unlikely to hear something that is going to stop you coming out. Moving out is a massive risk and so my advice would be to just do it, but don't burn your bridges. Few people can afford to emigrate twice.

I won't bore you with my own experiences, but I think moving out single vs. moving out with spouse and kids is a completely different story, and a major factor in settling. There is certainly a lack of many of the things we hate in Britain, in Canada. Like hoodies, and young teens congregating in public spaces wielding bottles of hard alcohol. Crime that people just shrug off as 'a sign of the times'. But Canada earns a reputation I don't think is 100% justified. There's few things more frustrating than finding this kind of thing out. In most cases it's really no better than Britain and in a few areas a good deal worse. Again, I'll avert discussing detail here, but check my previous posts for examples.

Canada has its own problems. Things that most from UK would rarely bear witness too, like poverty. Certainly the pace of life in the west of Canada is distinctly more relaxed. This sounds great at first and certainly makes life a little easier, until you find yourself out of work, and looking for a job and cannot get anybody to make a decision or even let you know if you've been rejected. That really sucks.

Your experience here is likely to be the only tell-tale indicator of whether you'll survive here or not, not opinions from this forum. I burned my bridges to move out here and when I really needed to move back I could not. I would urge against doing that if at all possible.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Except that I have a wife and 4 kids, and here I can get financial help to pay for it until Im qualified, whereas in Canada I would have to pay the full fees applicable to a foreign student. Aside from that, UK Masters degrees are fully recognized in Canada and require only a small of paperwork to convert to Canadian equivalents before gaining Canadian P.Eng certification. At least thats what it says here.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Funny

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

How so?

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Emigrating for a better standard of living, except when it comes to things like access to state funded education. I'm not criticizing you - it just struck me as a little ironic.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Its hardly state funded being that its a Student LOAN, meaning I have to pay it back once I have my degree. I wouldnt get a similar loan in Canada. Here Im entitled to it because I have never been in Higher Education, and being that for the last 9 years I have looked after my wife who is ill, I think its about time I started digging myself back out of the hole we've found ourselves in.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Fair point - state subsidized then.

As I said, I'm not judging your decision or motivation to emigrate. I wish you luck with your endeavors.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

I agree that £35k would probably be a bit unrealistic for a new graduate, but £35k isn't a particularly high wage for an engineer with a bit of experience. My husband (hardware engineer) was on that amount when we left the UK 6 years ago (11 years after graduation and in NW, not SE) and if I recall correctly, I was on somewhere in the region of £25k as a software engineer (temperature controllers) about 12 years ago (5 years' after graduating)...both of us with just BEng in Electronics - no Masters.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Whereabouts in Canada are you hoping to emigrate?

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

I agree with looking at the positives, to balance out the negatives.

However, generally before you emigrate and are living in the UK reading this forum, when people write negative stuff about their Canadian experiences, the tendency is to discount it, as you don't really want to hear it (guilty as charged).

However what you discover when you do live here is that most of what has been said by posters is bang on - this goes for both the positives and the negatives.

I don't want to rain on your parade, as there are so many wonderful things about living in Canada, and we have enjoyed a lot of aspects of life here, but ultimately not enough for us to stay long term.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Check out the overseas rates here - for many provinces they're lower than the rates you'll get charged domestic in the UK. I think Canada has one of the lowest overseas student rates in the western world.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

We just caught 7 raccoons in the ceiling of my office building so I would agree on the wildlife aspect. The rest is a pile of bollocks.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Sorry not all positive here, in fact I'll play devils advocate a bit....

So I agree with your point about the wide open space, and I'm not allowed to put my bin out too early just in case I end up with a bear on my doorstep...
but why do you think you deserve to be paid more anywhere, and why would you think you will here - bear in mind that (whatever people say about it) generally speaking the UK and Europe has a fairly advanced engineering sector with some really good people/companies, doing really good things, backed up by some really good Universities.
Okay for whatever reason you're not going to be earning the same as an investment banker, but take a good hard look at the chance of you finding an engineering job anywhere in the world in that sector with no post-grad experience, then bear in mind you are competing with India, China, a whole bunch of people in Silicon valley who are having hard times at the moment...
Having worked in the better paid end of the electronics industry (IC design) for quite a while, I'd say that really 25K to 30K starting is reasonably good, and Canada is not the place to come to get paid vastly more (salary wise at least, I do get paid more in Canada but only because of the current exchange rate). For that you want to go to the US but refer to the above point about your chances of getting a visa/job there.
As pointed out to me by the divisional director at my first graduate job, engineering is not something that will likely make you rich, but rather just comfortable; I've come close to the former, and often wondered about the latter, but generally I think that's true. Engineering is more a job that you do because that's the thing you want to do - fortunately mechatronics/robotics probably gives you the oppportunity to do something cool and interesting, which is why I guess you are doing it?

On the other hand it has given me the opportunity to work in other countries and with other cultures, and has given me the opportunity to move here; though to do so I had to give up what for me was almost my perfect engineering job in the UK at a very good British company (from which perhaps you could infer that I too saw some significant upsides to Canada to tip the balance)

Before making a giant continental step, have you looked closer to home, if not the UK, perhaps Germany?

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

It amazes me that even when a thread specifically asks for "positive experiences" people still come on and talk about the bad stuff. :huh:

He said he has read plenty of "moving back" stories and now wants positive things so why can't we just do that?


For me the weather has been great compared to UK (except last few weeks where they've had a bloody heatwave) I've learned to ski and go every week in winter, sometimes twice. I have made plenty of friends, have my own business, spend most weekends at the beach in summer which is a few minutes away and the views never cease to amaze me on my daily travels, lakes, mountains and roads that are busy at times but not congested in the same sense that the south of England suffers from.
I have never thought of going back to my previous life not even if Primark started selling bacon sarnies. :lol:

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Good point.
Okay. I too can go skiing every weekend if I want to and even after work - even 60cm of fresh one evening!
I live 10 to 15 mins drive from the ski-lifts, and a 15 minute walk from the beach with an absoultely breathtaking view, and also live up a mountain in a rainforest which is very pretty. My house whilst somewhat pricey (and probably even more eyewateringly so if you are from northern England) is very nice even if it is made out of wood, we have a great neighbourhood, and daycare costs half what it did in Britain

However since the OP made a big thing about the fact he wanted to leave the UK because he couldn't earn enough there in his newly chosen field, it may be a good idea to also consider the fact that in that respect at least the UK really isn't bad at all.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Because someone doesnt give up 5 years of their life and risk losing their family to return to education, especially at my age, just to earn the same wages they earnt before getting a degree,

A fair point, except for the fact I already have a reasonably amount of experience and qualifications in Electronic Engineering already, all I am doing by getting a degree is specialising and formalising that experience


Engineering is something I have come back to after a substantial break, and yes I've always enjoyed it. I chose Mechatronics because it is a very specialised field (the other choice was Nanotechnology, but Im not disposed to handling things that delicate... :p) and was also one of the degrees most likely to allow me to immigrate.



I dont speak German, and neither does my family and I have no wish to learn. Ive looked at all the big 4, US, Canada, NZ and Aus and Canada is where I feel ticks most of the boxes for me.

And to be fair, I didnt make a big deal. I quoted it as one of the several reasons I wanted to move, somebody else made it a big deal and turned my Positive Experiences thread into a Engineering wages thread.



.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Thanks Printer, nice to know that at least some people can read.

To all those that chose to ignore me and write something that had nothing to do with the thread title, I'll write slowly coz I know you dont read so good.

Im not some half witted kid fresh out of school, with his thumb up his ass. Im nearly 40 y/o with a wife who is ill and 4 kids in school. Because of this, I have done and am still doing my research. I've read the horror stories of the "Moving Back" forums, Ive looked at house prices and sizes, Ive looked at the cost of various important everyday essentials ie. groceries, gasoline, insurance, etc. I have done my research on the jobs market and I have seen advertised the jobs that pay substantially more than they do over here.

For you people with your doom and gloom stories, I feel sorry for you that you nothing positive to offer a thread entitled Positive Experiences, but I suspect you are the people that are never happy regardless of how things turn out. Me, well Im an optimist. Do I expect my immigration, regardless of country, to be all positive IF we decide to immigrate? No, but thats life. You take the rough with the smooth and hopefully get more out of the good than the bad takes from you. Far better to regret something you tried and didnt like than regretting never trying in the first place.

Now you people have a nice day/evening, Im goona go and do some more research. :thumbsup:

.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

You may not like the answers you were given, but this is a public forum and therefore 'thread drift' is to be expected, as are replies that may not be exactly what you want to hear. Anybody is free to write whatever they want, as long as it's in line with site rules.

I'd suggest you take the time to re-read the site rules, particularly rule no. 1 - treat others with respect, rather than an attitude like that pls.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

i agree, wholeheartedly.

being a public forum, you WILL get people from all walks of life, from, lets say, the great unwashed multitudes, to those living in surrey stockbroker belts (thats surrey, uk, not surrey, bc!!) ranting on and on.

the OP, being an educated guy, should have greater presence of mind to be able to sift through the riff-raff and pick out only the stuff he likes.
mind you, when i was in canada, i unfortunately began to rely on the comments made on this forum, which in some cases were downright negative, and that didnt help my situation at all--again, my fault entirely for going with them!

and ok, another poster on this thread was talking about earning £25k or 12 years ago...i dont know whether thats a dig at me or not (as i did say i was on £25k 3 or 4 yrs ago, and thats with a bsc in electronics and half an msc in vlsi design), but all i can say in my defence to that comment is maybe, my dear, you have a more beautiful or handsome face than mine--youve heard about the face fitting...!

try as i might, i couldnt get more than £30k, as my manager himself was on around £35k!!

and i agree with christmasoompa.....there's really no need for "political" language in your postings! ;)



to cap it off, when you post in forums like this, you need to have your discriminating hat , and by that i mean you need to be able to sort the chiff from the chaff, or whatever they say! dont rely on what is posted here, as if you do, it may affect you negatively, and you may end up making entirely the wrong decision as a consequence, so caveat emptor......:thumbup:

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

A fair point from both, so Im going to blame my outburst on Monday morning stress and apologize to anybody to whom I might have caused offence.

.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

cool, mate!

read the forum responses with a pinch of salt and youll be fine!

and, as youre no doubt doing right now anyway, make the decisions based on what YOU want, not what anybody else here wants or likes or doesnt like.

im sending you a PM today, and some karma too! hows that?

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

:D[QUOTE=julius smith;9352811]


to cap it off, when you post in forums like this, you need to have your discriminating hat , and by that i mean you need to be able to sort the chiff from the chaff, or whatever they say! QUOTE]

u veryy confusings fella as wii knows teh spession iz "u needin 2B a-bel 2 suss you chips from teh fishes"

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

I think you must have tried really hard to see a "dig" in my post :confused: Maybe you won't have to try so hard with this one...

I was simply responding to your opinion that the OP was expecting unrealistically high wages with a slightly different viewpoint. No need to get so personal. It's nothing to do with being more "beautiful" (don't think I'm allowed to call you a plonker, am I...? Shame! ;) )

Shock horror - I was employed in a company that paid its engineers more than your company does (all of them; male and female.) Ermm... so what?? Get over it or find another job.

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

For me:

• Chance for freedom to travel in North America. Once getting Canadian citizenship, I qualify for a TN1 visa, much easier to work in the US whenever I please
• Chance to get away from my parents
• Big spaces
• Relatively fair chance to climb the corporate ladder
• Always wanted to drive in a big car on a big road, get to do trips all summer here
• I can always go back whenever I want to so it's a win win
• Enjoy new places, people, travel, meet new people, business opportunities and a chance to give my kids 3 citizenship, giving them the freedom to live, work and flourish on any of the 3 continents they're citizens of when they get older

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

Who died and made you God ?

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

The biggest positive about my life in Canada is I'm away from all the crap and negativity of the people and media of shitey! That's got to be a better way to start the day in anyone's world!!:D

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

BBQ..........we love having BBQ's we BBQ almost every night from April to Oct, and from May to Sept we have the best juiciest sweetest sweetcorn ever!!

Re: Positive Experiences.
 

There speaks a moderator who can accept thread drift quite happily and then again edit or close a thread because of it. :unsure:

He asked for "positives" NOT "general experiences" so should have been simple enough for all those with good things to say to post and those without not to post. Nothing wrong of course with some light hearted banter along the way, that type of thread drift helps lighten the mood a bit.