Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

Hello 👋

im nearly 39 and worked in care (no qualifications just a lot of experience) since I was 21.

due to have my 3rd child anyday. My eldest is nearly 18, soon to be middle child nearly 11. Eldest 2 are home educated, baby I'd like to attend school in Canada because their school system comes across as soooo much better than the English one.

im used to long hours. Kids are used to being set work assignments and getting on with them 😊
im not looking to move to improve my quality of life, I'm looking for when my kids are adults. ATM England holds nothing but no jobs, crime and missery for many. I want more for my kids as adults.
im looking to move with the intention of working 2 jobs (full time and part time).

​​​​​​Id be looking at a more rural location as my Nealy 11 year old son has a pony (who would be coming with us).

im due to get a £20,000 approx inheritance at some point next year. It seems perfect time to make the move.
I already have the money to move my son's pony so it would be 20k to give us a start.
im very early days looking at this (on maternity leave so I have the time lol). Am I being insane thinking this could be possible.

I get leaving friends and family behind is hard. I've lived abroad before (my eldest 2 kids were born in france). I saw family twice a year. That works of reduce to once a year.

Tell me I'm being crazy or could this work?

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

Hi, welcome to BE.

You're not being crazy at all, although one fairly vital thing you've not mentioned is visas! Are you eligible for one? That's the first thing to check. It will depend on things like your skills, education level and age so unfortunately at your age and without at least a degree it will be an uphill struggle, but do check out visa options in the Wiki or on the CIC website. What exactly do you do in care?

A lot of people on the forum (myself included) would dispute that Canada will give your kids a better life or that the school system is better there, you may find a move within the UK to a different area would achieve the same thing and be a heck of a lot easier and cheaper. Have you visited Canada before?

£20k won't be enough to move a family of 4 and get set up out there, so not sure what else you've got when you say you've already got money to move a pony, but you'll need a good chunk on top of that. This thread has some useful figures in it - https://britishexpats.com/forum/cana...canada-735341/. It's quite an old thread now, so add a chunk on for cost of living increases, but it will give you an idea at least.

And lastly, don't forget that you'll need permission from your two youngest children's father to remove them from UK jurisdiction, or a court order to that effect. If you can't get his written permission, a court order can take a while, so if you're looking to move next year then you may want to get that underway asap.

HTH, best of luck.

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

I will have about £35,000 to move us all and set up.
visa is a huge issue I know. Especially as my eldest will be 18 when I will have the money to move.
​​​​​​i get this isnt going to be an easy option. I know England won't offer my children a decent future. That's my sole goal to give them a future that i can't provide them here.

I don't need permission from my younger 2s father as I used a sperm donor with them. I wanted 4 kids. But will stick at 3 I think. Doing it alone at my age it's enough

I'm going to have a Google on cost of living without altering our standard of living etc next.

My kids are fully onboard with moving which I thought would be my biggest obstacle

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

That would be enough then, your eldests age isn't an issue as he could go on your visa application up until the age of 22 so don't worry about that. But qualifying for a visa in the first place could be a problem, and if you need a job offer from a sponsoring employer to get a visa then it will mean you can only work for that employer, so will need to make sure you can be financially secure if you can't work the two jobs you have planned to.

Cost of living in Canada is about the same as in the UK, some things are more and some are cheaper so generally it evens out. The rough guide on the forum is to earn 1.8-2 times your UK earnings for a similar standard of living, so if for example you earned £30k a year in the UK, you'd need approx $54-60,000 in Canada for a similar lifestyle.

And I would look in to what you think Canada will offer your kids that the UK can't. I disagree that the UK can't offer them a decent future, I have two teenagers and personally think the UK is better for them - but there are tons of thread you can have a search for and a read of to give you people's opinions on life in Canada for teens and young adults. Remember that if your kids want to move abroad when older then there will be nothing stopping them so you don't need to move them now if you don't want to move yourself, my daughter is planning on going to university abroad and I'm sure will end up living abroad at some point as she's got my itchy feet and loves to travel!

Best of luck to you, do start with the visa side of things and then you can see if a move is feasible or not. Our Wiki has lots of info, as does the CIC website, you can start with their eligibility test - https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...nada-tool.html

HTH, best of luck.

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

The OP wrote - "im nearly 39 and worked in care (no qualifications just a lot of experience) since I was 21"
Another point to consider is that Canada is all about qualifications and certification - if you don't have qualifications / certification to work in care homes you may not be able to work until you do.

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

With no qualifications, it seems unlikely that the OP will be admitted to Canada as an immigrant. Sorry to be so blunt.

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

Take a look at this very recent thread that starts out talking about the cost of moving to Canada and quickly digresses into a discussion cost of cost of food/ groceries in Canada, which seems to settle on about C$300 (£175) /person/month as a good budget figure, which in your case would be C$1,200 (£700). Obviously you would need to add rent to that, plus utilities, clothing, running expenses of a vehicle, and facilities for the pony, etc.

All things considered, and though I confess I don't live in Canada, I am sceptical that even working two jobs in your line of work would give you the income you'd need to support those expenses. :unsure:

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

Working 2 jobs in care could be problematic, if by that you mean working in care homes.

Covid showed everyone that there were/are major problems in many care homes, not least of which is the problem of care aides/nurses etc working in more than one home.

BC is only one province that is determined to stop this practice, and has already legislated against it ...... the problem of course being the time needed to train sufficient care aides in order to make it possible.. "Training" means obtaining sufficient people who have the necessary diplomas or degrees, whether that be by allowing more immigrants who are already trained or providing enough spaces in local colleges to turn out students with diplomas.

Many of the care aides currently working in BC are in fact immigrants from Indonesia, the Philippines etc who have nursing degrees from their home countries but are not qualified to nurse here.

I understand that most other provinces are looking at similar legislation.

Home care by carers visiting people in their own homes came to a screeching halt with covid, as many of the cares were visiting several people every day. That left the people needing care helpless, but self-isolation made it necessary.

We can all hope that things will improve if we get an effective vaccination, but I truly believe that there will still remain restrictions on staff working in more than one care home.

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

Hi,

I'm a mixed Brit/Canadian. My sister just made the move in June and has 3 kids and her British husband. As the replies suggested.. the visa issue is your biggest hurdle. Short of marrying a Canadian of either sex, you'll be needing qualifications though some provinces might be lenient depending on what jobs they have.

For the next year, many Canadians who've lost jobs or income and those waiting on the various visas lists- will come first. There are thousands in the queue. Far from trying to put you off, I'm trying to offer realism. Check your work area on the Gov jobs lists for provinces, some are more in need than others but most require qualifications.
As a Brit educated Canadian I've had to check out what my qualifications are worth but I did a degree and am taking a masters. They still want me to ensure I register that info in Alberta in order to offer psychotherapy to people.

Getting a home can be expensive if you've no job offer. My sister was lucky to have proof being a citizen but with no secured job, she stayed in Air bnbs until she found a home that would take her but she had a wedge of cash and a passport to pay in advance.

Look first at routes in to different provinces, visas, points and requirements. Without that, you'll be on a no go unless you marry a Canuck or get required education to allow you a chance at a visa. For my sister, the amount of American type conservativism and 'I'm alright jack' attitude in some areas has been far from what she's used to in the UK where we're becoming more supportive at least in word.. of those that struggle. Alberta is like a 1980s UK or the Texas of Canada as we call it but beautiful and spacious and more to do than the average UK town, certainly in Calgary and Edmonton.
If you're able to qualify for a visa, you'll then need to look at areas, amenities and costs.. Some areas are hugely expensive though they have opportunities, a care job wouldn't cover the mortgage or rent.

Some things are cheaper in Canada, some not but certainly you need a car unlike the UK as there's very little access in comparison. My sister holds a BA and Masters but works as a realtor and is flat out busy. She found gaining a job very hard as does her Dad who is Canadian too- until you're actually IN the country. Her Dad has worked in Canada for years on and off but they still find job access much easier once in the country.

Good luck
​​​​
Here's a link to info.
You'll first need to check the provinces who req care workers, then the needed qualification for that area. This is just a general link and it's net is cast widely. The more experience,, qualifications and first aid coverage you have the better but each province will require their own rules be matched.

Apologies if this is not the job area you're looking at, this is the Canadian equiv for care workers. Bare in mind the highest pay appears to be 45k though I'm not thoroughly researched but this isn't enough to run a family. My sisters earns around 57/60k with 3kids, insurances, a car and bills etc, she still has her husbands savings for food until his PR is sorted.

If you do secure a job and can rent a basement to begin with, you'd maybe save enough towards a deposit for a home after 2 yrs work. Some basements are huge and 2/3 beds but twice size of UK apartments. Generally cost 1200-1700$inc of bills. Then there's a car and insurance.

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Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

35k won't go far in Canada, especially with a newborn...but good luck

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

Exactly what I was thinking. Plus childcare is extremely expensive.

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

That will be a major issue for OP, childcare on Home Support Worker income.

She will certainly need a working partner or a better paid job to have that paid too.

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

Care home support worker is usually a different job to home based / personal support worker - Home / Personal Support workers go to the 'clients' house, often employed by agencies or directly by the client or their family. Care home workers (Resident Support Aid or Personal Support Worker - depending on level) are based at Long Term Care or Nursing / Retirement or Community Homes and employed by them/the City. Both will usually require some form of training / certification. https://www.ontariocolleges.ca/en/programs/health-food-and-medical/personal-support-worker-psw 'Entry Level' are usually paid at minimum wage for the most part. http://www.personalsupportworker.com/info/
http://www.personalsupportworker.com...ed/psw-salary/ I know several people who work in care homes, long hours, rubbish pay and conditions.

Home based personal support workers can get a higher rate of pay, but often they are live in or long hours.. https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketrepo...ation/20667/ca
Neither is that conducive to child rearing with no help.. I doubt if it would bring in sufficient income to raise 3 children alone, particularly with child care costs being so high here, with only 10 days a year vacation, the OP may find it hard to afford childcare for 3 children during the school holidays on one salary, although she may be able to get some financial help towards that cost.. https://findingqualitychildcare.ca/ontario

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

Quite, I think both would be job options but Canada isn't as fruitful as the UK offerings of local community help with childcare. In England you can rely on school mums who live very close by or help financially with care, far more grants, trusts and community help or employers support than Canada. For now, Canada does remain behind the UK for single mums. Definitely not a wage for childcare but she could possibly meet a Canadian partner if she visits and things might change.. Trying to find a silver lining for her here.

Re: Single mum looking to move with 3 children
 

Have you visited Canada.

Which places are you looking to move to.