Sound Engineer Student thinking about moving to Canada.
 

Hi, I'm currently a sound engineer student from Scotland, UK and have seriously been thinking about moving to Canada within the next 3-4 years. I hope to either find my way into the film production side of things (On-set work or Video/Sound Editor) or work in the music industry (Sound recording etc.) I know this is a wide area but anything in that field I would be interested in. My question to you is to ask how I should go about finding work in Canada. What is the industry sector like at the moment in the country? I have been researching through various sites but I can't really find much as it's mainly a 'networking' industry to find a job in this area.

Thanks,

Scott

Re: Sound Engineer Student thinking about moving to Canada.
 

Hi, I know someone in the film industry here in Canada, if you want to do 2 more posts I can send you a PM with his details if you like. I will of course have to check with him first but I am sure he will chat with you

Re: Sound Engineer Student thinking about moving to Canada.
 

Hey that sounds great, thanks for that. You could always email them via my personal email - <snip> if that's not too much trouble!

Thanks again,

Scott

Re: Sound Engineer Student thinking about moving to Canada.
 

The majority of movie and TV production in Canada is centered in Toronto, and to a lesser extent Vancouver. The industry overall has been doing quite well in the last four years.

Toronto is in the province of Ontario. Within Ontario there are 23 colleges offering degrees or diplomas in the production space. Point being that there are a large number of graduates coming into the work force every year that compete for the jobs that are available.

Most graduates will intern or start on contract work. It is difficult to find a full-time position right after graduation. Some of that may be the economy, but it is also the type of industry you are looking at. Working on a movie or a tv series is typically a contract for the project at hand. If you're good and connected, you'll then move onto the next project.

You can find media jobs and internships at this site:

http://www.mediajobsearchcanada.com/job_browse.asp

You may qualify for the working holiday visa. More info here:

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca...ex.aspx?view=d

Re: Sound Engineer Student thinking about moving to Canada.
 

I sent you a pm, hope you received it

Re: Sound Engineer Student thinking about moving to Canada.
 

Hey Secam, thanks for the info! I was always interested in moving to Vancouver more than Toronto. What I wasn't too sure about was the best way to find work over there from Scotland. Do you think it's better to either keep looking online for job offers or take a risk and fly over and try find a job in person? I realise that the music/film industry heavily relies on networking and connections, this is something I'm working on daily to try get my foot in the door. I'll have a look at the holiday visa's though.

Thanks again!

Scott


I have 3 posts now so I should be able to view it haha. Thanks again for the email!

-Scott

Re: Sound Engineer Student thinking about moving to Canada.
 

you're welcome

Re: Sound Engineer Student thinking about moving to Canada.
 

Scott,

Getting a job is only half your problem. First you need to get the right to work in Canada.

Here's what I think you should do. Get your holiday visa and fly to Vancouver. Try your luck at landing an intern position or better yet, a real paying job in the business. If after three months you are still struggling with getting work in Vancouver, head to Toronto where the industry is much larger. See if you can find something there.

The goal is to find an employer who will sponsor you to come back when your visa expires to work full-time. This may be a challenge for them, but at least it is one way that this could work out for you.

If you do make it to Toronto, you can use the Toronto Film Board website to see what's shooting at the time. Perhaps it will be helpful in knowing what doors to knock on.

http://www.toronto.ca/tfto/about.htm

Send me a pm if you find yourself in Toronto and I'll see what I can do to help you find a sound gig. No guarantees though as it's a tough business to crack.

Look at your trip as an adventure. Canada is a vast and beautiful country. You could do worse than to explore it on a working holiday.

Re: Sound Engineer Student thinking about moving to Canada.
 

Thanks for your feedback Secam. I had a look at the holiday visa and think that it would be a great way to discover the country and attempt to find a job. I guess it's time to start saving up haha. Okay I'll be sure to bookmark this page for future reference.

Cheers,

Scott

Re: Sound Engineer Student thinking about moving to Canada.
 

What part of sound engineering are you looking to specialise in?

Re: Sound Engineer Student thinking about moving to Canada.
 

I too have a friend who does sound engineering in Toronto. I worked with him on a few gigs before I went overseas.

One place to find gigs for TV/Film is Mandy. I am not sure if I am allowed to leave url's in my post, so just add a .com to that name, and you will get there. People post all sorts of things there, in addition to gigs.

Hope that helps. :)

Re: Sound Engineer Student thinking about moving to Canada.
 

Yeah I actually go on that site daily it's really good! Even got myself listed on it for work :) Thanks!


Well I kind of want to record live on set maybe or even a video/sound editor in post production would be great. I've had experience with recording bands and artists too however so I'd be able to do that.