Hi
I have just come back from a very successful trip to calgary. My prospective employers interviewed me over 2 days and also arranged for me t see a realtor and (it was wonderful) a treip to Banff

I am delighted that have come back to me and asked me what salary range I am looking for - this on throws me however. They did ask me about salary while I was in any face to face meetings. I did not bring the matter up in any discussion preferring to let them open this discussion. They have now asked me in a telephone message.

Please could you help me with some advice

1. I have a law degree and I am a insurance broker - I work in a very 'legal' type of insurance, corporate liability
2. I have 22 years experience
3. Workopolis says I should be looking in the region of $85k - does this sound right? ( Just to get a feel I typed in lawyer/calgary/Alberta)
4. This is a lot less than I earn in the UK. my mortgage costs in the UK are v. manageable - in Calgary where house prices are leaping I am not sure $85k or thereabouts will be that good. I know gas/food/utilities etc are chaper and I have taken that into account, but like in London (UK) the main consideration seems to be mortages and $85k works out to about GBP42500. As you know to buy a halfway decent house in calgary you are looking at approx $450k.
5. Will they laugh me out of the house if I ask for $95k? I don't want to be too clever for my own good and lose out on an opportunity because I perceived as being unrealistic
6. Please let me have the benefit of your experience

Thanks

I was a solicitor in the UK. I interviewed for a position with an insurance company here when I first came over (I had a defendant insurance litigation background in UK). They offered me $50,000.

I took a position earning $55,000 with a law firm as a paralegal. I now work for a downtown law firm just about to begin Articles (if I pass the exams I have just taken). I am earning significantly more than I was but not quite the figure you have quoted.

I know of other ex UK solicitors that didn't earn more than $60,000 for the first 2 years they were here. Requalification process had something to do with that but it wasn't wholly the issue. I would be very careful about comparing your salary expectations to those of lawyers in Calgary - I don't mean to be rude but you are not a lawyer in your home jurisdiction, you will not be considered anything like a lawyer over here with just a law degree.

Gas is cheaper, food is about the same, provided you don't eat copious amounts of chicken and cheeze, utilities are way more expensive.

I think your expectations are very high and I would be amazed if you were given that "straight off the boat" so to speak. $95,000 is a very good wage even for Calgary.

Go for it - you may get lucky

Hi Hazel
Have had trouble sending you a PM for some reason- it keeps timing out for me.
Anyway, when I was over in Calgary the other week, I mentioned $70k to one company, and they said they didnt think it was unreasonable.
I mentioned $80k to another, and he said he thought that was about right.
Unless they were blowing smoke up my backside, they gave the impression I was on the right lines.

We're keen to come to Canada, but realistically, I dont think $55k is going to be enough to live on unless you dont need to worry about a mortgage.

If memory serves, anything over $56k puts you in the top 20% of earners in Canada.

For what type of position was that ?

As I said in my original post, go for it, but I will be amazed if she gets it but who knows

http://www.erieri.com/index.cfm?Fuse...n&TrkID=684-26

Hi
Check this out - quite good software for comparing UK Pounds and Can $ - can be downloaded and a trial version used

best regards

Ome was insurance underwriting, the other an insurance brokers.