Hi all,

We are nearing the end of our PR process Phew!

My husband, myself and our 8-month old son are looking to take a trip over to Canada soon. Whilst this is to check out the area, we also want to explore areas with an IT business presence.

So, far, I have heard that Ottawa, Mississauga , and Waterloo are very good for IT jobs. My husband is, 28, a sr Software Engineer with a degree in Computer Science and 8 years international experience.

We will be looking at individual companies, of course.

If anyone can provide any info on areas, that would be great.

Cheers

Kelly

just check out the usual job sites and make some calls to HR before you come over to arrange interviews....

Ottawa jobs are likely to require security clearance, which can be problematic for non-citizens.

I got a programming job in Saskatoon in two weeks, but I don't know what the market is like here at the moment; it was pretty busy last summer.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

Its always handy to know of other peoples experiences.

Kind regards

Kelly

Hi,
Have you thought about Fredericton NB? I know there are quite a few IT companies here and a few are hiring at the min, CGI are one. I am a .Net developer working here and I love it, it's not a big city though (which I like) but I think its a great family orientated place A good place to look for jobs is career beacon - mainly concentrates on the maritimes.

Sinead

I don't know CGI in the maritimes but have contracts with them in Markham from time to time. They don't seem to me to be a kind and generous employer.

Who is these days?

They are worse than me.

Does that mean they require you to answer the phone even when on the john?

We do that. They give you a bucket at the desk.

Back with the earlier question, the ridiculously named "Bearing Point" seems an OK employer.

Even an unkind and ungenerous employer is better than none in these challenging times.

Yes, but I wouldn't leave a good job in the UK for a sweatshop in Canada.

If you are interested in Western Canada, surprisingly one of the biggest employment sectors here on Vancouver Island is tech. There are not heaps and heaps of jobs like you'd get in Waterloo, but there is very little competition for the jobs if you are reasonably qualified and experienced. It is also a nice 'tech community' to be part of, and the benefits (I easily negotiated 4 weeks hols) and working environment (no sweatshops lol) are pretty decent as they have to be competitive with the other employers here.

The lifestyle on the island is great if you like sports, the outdoors or have kids. I have never worked with such a fit, healthy bunch of geeks as this when I was in the UK You could earn more in Vancouver or Toronto, but the standard of daily life is just so nice here. I traded my 1.5-2 hr drive each way UK commute for a 40 minute walk/10 minute bio-diesel bus ride!

Look here for VI specific job postings and company listings (some companies just post the opportunities on their own sites not on the main job board so don't stop there if you're interested.
http://www.viatec.ca/Jobs.aspx

Hi Skibunny

Thank you very much for that fantastic post!

Of course, its me, that is probably worrying too much over my husband getting work. His specality is software development (telecoms) and has worked for international companies. So, here's hoping, once the PR arrives, that getting a job will not be too difficult.

I will certainly make a note of your recommendations - thanks!

Kelly

Sweatshop in New Brunswick, methinks you are smoking something....

I remember long hours, long commutes and macho work environments in UK, not so here in NB.