Hi All,

First post, but have really enjoyed lurking on this site over the past few months

So here's my situation, I'm a 30 yr old single male working as an accountant in London. Seeking adventure, having come out of a loooooooooong relationship, combined with the fact that due to my age the next BUNAC non-student program will be the last I would be eligible for, I'm thinking this Work Canada thing could be a once in a life time opportunity that should not be missed (is there no emoticon for rose-tinted glasses??)

I would want to find work within my profession as opposed to more general or casual labour, so I'm thinking Toronto (which thanks to this site I now know to be the centre of the uni/multi-verse) would be the best place to land. Ideally I would like to contract for 4-5 months in Toronto then 4-5 months in one other place (Calgary?) to get some variation during the 12 months.

- Is this plan feasible?
- Are short-term employment contracts common/abundant and typically available to BUNAC'ers?
- Should I start my job search before arriving in Canada?
- At what rate should I sell GBP and buy CAD (yes, I've seen the other thread on this )
- Anyone wanna come along?
- How long is a piece of string?
- Am I mad?

Thanks in advance guys/gals,

TheGreenManalishi

Hi!

Your post really made me chuckle!

No I wouldnt say your mad. If you are then so am I and my partner!
Were heading to Canada early next year (2011) with Bunac non-student visa's.
My partner is in sales, im a multi-tasker (ie. ive worked every job under the sun!) but were hoping we can get some long term work whilst were there.

Just sent off our forms so should get our workers permits in 4-6 weeks (so long as nothing goes wrong in the mean time!)

But we cant wait- house is rented out- in with the laws and saves our backsides off!

Dont really have any answers to any of your questions but I thought id say hi and let you know that were doing the same thing!!!

Dannii

Cheers DanniiM, so we're all mad then!

I plan to apply in December when (if?) the BUNAC non-student program opens for 2011 entry, presumably you did this last December??

Best of luck with it all (especially living with the in-laws!) and have a great year!

TheGreenManalishi

Hi,

I've never posted before either, but you're post compelled me to do so as it struck a cord to my own situation

I'm 25 and I moved to Toronto as part of the BUNAC non-student programme 5 weeks ago now.

Its a fantastic place and I'm so glad I went through with the move as I did have some reservations before I came, however I worked in banking / finance back in the UK and I have found it very difficult to find a job.

There's about 45 banks here and I have applied to every single one and not one has offered me an interview - even though I have a lot of experience in all different areas of UK banking etc they want people with Canadian qualifications and experience. I've also found that most jobs, not just in finance are loathe to make you a permanent employee if you only have a 1 year visa.

My plan before I came was to spend 6 months in Toronto and then the remaining 6 months in Vancouver - however I don't think I will be able to do this as I have had to take an apartment with a 12 month lease because 6 month leases are hard to come by here and therefore very expensive. Also with the work situation, its took me 5 weeks to find a job - incidentally not in banking but in sales - and I don't start for another month so I would only really have 4 months there.

I defiantly think that if you come here you should apply to as many companies / agencies as you can before you get here so you can hit the ground running and be prepared to look outside your field if you can't find what you want as recruitment seems to be a slow laborious process here.

I hope my rambling has been helpful and if you have more questions about BUNAC / the experience let me know and I'll do my best to help!

Helen

What's your profession? IT looks great in Toronto. Which is my field.

I'm looking to meet people for my first year In CN then head out to nova scotia.

I don't think you can apply until December though and earliest you can get there is Feb. Boo.

Thanks Helen! That's really useful info, and congratulations on finding a job!

To be honest, my plan to split Toronto/Calgary 50/50 was always optimistic, the more likely situation being that I too may spend the whole time in Toronto.

When looking for work were you specifically targeting perm roles? Are contract roles just as hard to come across? My thinking is to initially go for a 3-6 month contract role (probabably junior to my current level) in order to crack the Canadian experience issue, whilst potentially allowing some free time to explore Canada between roles. Regardless, I will now definitely kick off the search process well in advance

The 12 month lease issue is interesting, I wonder if that applies to house shares as well as to whole apartment rentals?

Based on your experience to date, could you recommend a suitable amount of support funds to have upon arrival, BUNAC states a minimum of 1,000 CAD but this seems really low

Also, do you know if once you return to the UK you can reclaim the Canadian income tax that you paid whilst working. A weak pound and potentially tax free Canadian earnings makes it an interesting prospect

Thanks again for your advice, It's highly probable I will be pestering you again in the future!!

TheGreenManalishi

I was in a similar boat to Helen having come from a solid banking and finance background but to arrive and be discounted on roles because of that "lack of Canadian experience".

However in saying that, I was in Calgary and recently moved to Vancouver where realistically I had no issues getting a job, just not necessarily what I liked.

Long story short, I now work in recruitment for a multinational specialising in placing accounting and finance professionals like yourself. I'm on the temporary side of the business and I see a number of solid, quality candidates from the UK and Ireland whom come here in hopes for a temp role and the reality is they can't get a job.

Issues I'm seeing:
- The big one is literally your inability to stay past twelve months. I am seeing plenty of employers looking to increase staff but are temping for up to 90 days to "try before they buy" so they can test people out. So what may appear to be a temp job, is in fact an opportunity for permanent work and therefore you'll be immediately taken out of the running.
- Folks with UK accounting designations that people in Canada simply do not understand and therefore immediately discount you
- If you come from a public practice background and want to crack into industry - forget it! you're considered a reviewer not a do'er and you will find it near on impossible to land a job
- People can see straight through you if you say you want a junior role when you come from a more senior background, they're not stupid and they know as soon as the job market opens up you'll be out the door for more money and better opportunity
- It is truely an employers market (I'm talking Vancouver here) - I'm placing pace level CGA candidates with up to five years full cycle experience in jobs for $17/hour. Senior accountants with CMA/CGA designation up to $25/hour and Payroll people for up to $20/hour. On the permanent side of the business, the salaries are also very low (comparatively)

I would suggest unless you have very specific skill set or experience in North American company's you will find it difficult albeit not impossible. I'm not sure of your background in accounting but have you ever had any experience in software implementation (PeopleSoft conversion into SAP or something similar) or any kind of project work for that matter?

One area that was very big for UK accountants was IFRS consulting but alas the company's whom this affected are now ready to go on this.

Hi zRichi,

I am a qualified management accountant, so would be looking to work within an organisation doing business/financial analysis and/or management reporting. These roles are fairly common as they are needed by almost all businesses. The question is how much will I need to compromise initially on role and/or salary in order to get that all important Canadian experience

Yes, will be dropping my application in asap December 2010 but probably not head out until July/Aug 2011. Will definitely feel more real when I get the application in though!

TheGreenManalishi

Thanks for the comments Dave, very useful to know, if not slightly sobering

With regards to finding employment, and as a recruiter yourself, how much progress can I make from this side of the pond and what would this entail?

Thanks!

TheGreenManalishi

Just to add that phat-dave's post accurately reflects the situation in Vancouver as I see it.

The real question, and one that has been bothering me as I read this thread is do you have a two pronged crown. And, if not, why not?

Do it- or you'll regret it.

As for FOREX you don't really have that much choice and what you buy and sell it at- it's up to you.

Bring enough savings for 3 months and an open mind if you don't get an accounting job. I think accounting was on the skills shortage list and when I came out on BUNAC five years ago to Toronto the Accountant in my group landed a well paying job in the first month.

Good luck.

Peter Green all the way!! Danny Kirwan's pretty awesome too!

Cheers James! I agree, feels like a now or never moment!

FX is a double edged sword, weak pound means I bring more back to the UK (provided I have net CAD earnings ) but also means it will cost me more if I'm not earning and spending my days drinking Bud Light or some equivalent

I just re-read what I posted and I certainly do not want to appear negative because the move for me has been the best personal experience - you truly learn a lot about yourself and what is important to you when you're so far from your family and friends. Also, I am an Australian and our BUNAC equivalent entitles us to two years and is renewable until we're 30 - so I'm in a much different situation to many.

I'm in recruitment because it's a job that pays relatively well for the effort I put in, I'm not doing it because I love the work or industry - I'm a glorified used car salesman to a certain extent. Where I am going with this is well, while I want to help people find work I'm not going to spend too much of my time on someone whom is 8000km away dreaming rather than over here where I can meet with them, eye ball them and determine whether I want to work with them. (Harsh reality and I've been on your side of the fence too-applying from abroad)

As much as I hate to admit it, if I see apps from overseas (I see plenty from Philippines, China, UK etc) I typically have a quick read then just delete them. It's "too hard" for me to place them without experience, difficult to check their references and I certainly wouldn't present someone for a job I hadn't met and likewise I wouldn't place a candidate into a workplace that I hadn't physically seen myself.

Keep in mind recruitment is a sales game - for the recruiter, the more you place the more you make.... this is one of the reasons I hate what I do but it pays for a lifestyle and that Canadian lifestyle makes it all worthwhile.....

If I were you, I'd ensure you have plenty of cash and a fall back if it doesn't quite go to plan, organise your BUNAC and get over here ASAP. It is definitely a sensational country.

Cheers Dave, really appreciate all your comments.

My motivations for the move would be the personal experience and sense of adventure. Targeting accountancy is natural as it's what I know, but what I have taken from the previous posts is to flexible and consider roles outside of this (not doing accountancy may even improve the experience )

Anyway, in an ideal world I would be an Ice Road Trucker