is Windsor/surrounding areas an option?? if your a CDN citizen (sorry if you have said in this thread, but i haven't had time to sit and read it thoroughly, just glanced over it) but if you are then u may easily find work in the US.....

You say your Hubby is a Mechanical Engineer, what kind of work experience does he have? We are based in the Okanagan and are quite often looking for Engineers.

Hi Jossie,

Thanks for your message.

Please could you kindly PM us... Hubby will respond with his work experience info.

Best,
Alex

I'm getting deja vu reading this.

I remember going through this exact set of emotions four times, once for each trip in the opposite direction across the pond.

Here's the problem: the things you hated about the UK when you were there will still be there when you get back so you might find yourself in the situation that you regret the move back.

So my advice to you if you haven't already done it is this: get your Citizenship before you go so if things go awry for you back home then you have the easy option of getting back without too many complications.

As much as I agree with your points of view about Calgary... Toronto is worse (lol) and there are plenty of things crappy about back home. The only good thing I can think of about back home is family. But family doesn't give you a decent income or pay the bills when you're struggling.

Just saying....

Anyways good luck with whatever decision you decide to make.

AllyS, I am sorry life isn't going great guns for you at the moment, however, thank you so much for posting your thread, this has been one of the most interesting and thought provoking for a long while. I have agreed with so many of the comments.

I do think any move is exciting and scary, but when 'one' of a couple is employed and having new experiences and meeting new people and the other partner is stuck at home it can ratchet up the tension no end, the person stuck at home looses their self confidence by the bucket load and feels mentally dead, and when you feel that way you give off horrible vibes and won't ever make friends or influence anyone - I have been that woman!

I've lived in a number of countries now and can honestly say I've passionately loved, and hated them horribly, both at the same time. I am fully expecting to do that in Canada, I'm just going to try my best to keep the bloody sunny side up, even if it kills me! There are aspects of life in Canada that have irritated me regularly when on vacation (but they have irritated my husband equally too) - I have to go to the UK next week and I know that will drive me bonkers, and I will be longing to come back home to France; which can be far from easy to live in, especially for my Canadian husband. I constantly search for Neverland, but fear I'll never find it. I'm not expecting to make friends, I'm too old and I have the couple of close friends I need however, I hope to make lots of like minded 'best' acquaintances.

I hope that having invested your money and emotions in getting to Canada, you and your husband get to stay there and maybe find enjoyment together, even if it's not permanent. A move away from Calgary to somewhere different would be a new start for both of you, and your husband wouldn't have the 'hangover' of his emotions and you could discover everything together.

Best of luck!

have you ever been to Nova Scotia??we moved here in 2006,i got a job straight away but really hated it,but hubby was at home not working for nearly a year so as i was the only one working i had to stick to it. hubby stillloved it here and kept very positive, he found that he was overqualified and ended up taking temp jobs with very low pay.But perserverence paid off and he has gone far up the ladder in a government job,i am so proud of him.
funnily enough i am still at the sameplace, just takes time adjusting.
we love Nova Scotia,people are so friendly,houses are cheap, but wages are lower. we pinch ourselves so often as we are so lucky to have all we have around us.No predators here i have to say and theres so much to do close by. living by the ocean is amazing i have to say.
i am so glad that you have decided to stay in canada,i hope you can find a place you feel as content as we do.

As usual your responses are much appreciated....

No we haven't visited NS, but we are seriously contemplating moving to Toronto next year. We plan to do a reccie trip, first for a weekend this summer, and then for a week to get a feel for the city.

Any advice, knowledge from fellow BritishExpats would be a huge help.

Just read the post and it must be difficult for your husband not being able to work. I'm wondering if he's got a job to go back to on your return to the UK as there are going to be massive job cuts over the next year or two. Might be going from the frying pan into the fire. Hope it works out for you.
It's good to hear some positive moves over there too, I for one can not wait to get over there and i won't be looking back.

We're no longer returning to the UK, but are going to give Toronto a shot. I think it offers a balance of what we're looking for in terms of culture and outdoor activities. Calgary is lacking the culture and the places to visit on weekend trips (except of course if you want to go skiiing every weekend throughout the winter - expensive, or hiking/camping every weekend in the summer).

We don't want to live in the 'Burbs'/'Wysteria Drive' with a white picket fence, but there are some things we really do want. Of course its also tough regards the lack of social life in a big city, but we do have friends in Ottawa and I know someone in Ohio. Its a start....

He will be able to work in April/May and has started looking at the jobs out there. He just needs to work out how to make the most of his skills and aim for the right kind of jobs.

Apologies for not reading all the posts, just don't get the time, lol.
Go positive and it will work out i'm sure. Good luck

Agree with everything. I live in Edmonton and if you think Calgary is bad, just try it here. Mountains (Jasper) are a 3 hours drive, and there is not much else to do unless you catch an expensive plane to B.C.
I was negatively impressed with the educational background of people in Edmonton. It is just not intellectually stimulating to work with people with very few qualifications and low ambition levels. Both my wife and I have jobs that pay OK, and from a money perspective we could have a good life in Canada. But coming from London, UK we want more than just money.
We will probably be going back to UK in 2012 when we will have completed the 3 years residency needed for citizenship. We value the fact that we can stay close to family there.

Windsor is great. Awesome castle and great pubs. Easy to get into central London too. I agree, I would move there if I could

Ontario!

Calgary maybe isn't the party capital of the world but most boring place on Earth? Not sure about that.
What it is is safe, clean, friendly, positive, optimistic.... A few things that many places in the world certainly aren't. If living in a place like that means leaving the pub with your Canadian friends at 11pm intead of staggering out at 3am then that seems a small sacrifice to me.
Calgary seems to have a reputation for been dull on this forum but nowhere is perfect and the good things here far outweigh the negatives.

Would you have any examples on Pros for Canada? Tx!