Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Hi, we are a family of 4 (parents, baby & toddler) and we are seriously considering a move to Canada. We want to move for the outdoors lifestyle and because we are a bit sick of the cramped living conditions here in the uk (our garden is the size of a postage stamp!)

I have no delusions that a move will be easy and understand that we will have to take a cut in pay. My question is, that we are both reasonably successful in what we do (university administration manager and internal auditor) but this is based more on experience than qualifications. Did anyone else manage a move with young children and with more experience than qualifications? As I say, we are more interested in the lifestyle than money so starting from a step down wouldn't bother either of us.

Second questions, did you use one if these companies that charge you to help find a job and somewhere to live? Just had a quote for £2400 with the promise that they should be able to find us jobs relatively easy (yes I know, they would say that wouldn't they!).

Any advice on making the move would be really appreciated.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Hi, and welcome to BE.

Would a move within the UK change things? Somewhere more rural where you can afford a bigger garden would certainly be an easier and cheaper option than moving to Canada! If you love Canada and want to move there, then fair enough, but just thought I'd play devil's advocate. :D

I shouldn't think anybody on the forum has used a company like that, mainly because it's illegal in Canada for anybody to charge you anything to find a job, so I'd steer well clear if I were you! The best person to find yourself a job is you, have a good read of the Job Hunting section of the Wiki to understand how to go about it.

Best of luck.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Don't pay anyone anything for any part of the process- all the advise you need is here. Welcome!

First thing you have to do is try and establish what category or option of immigration you can persue.

Then you need to start learning about Canada because it is a huge place.

As alluded too already a lot of your current situation problems are more easily addressed by simply moving somewhere else in the UK.

Your situation sounds familiar. Please also review this link:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=830546

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

"cramped living conditions here in the uk (our garden is the size of a postage stamp!)"

Interesting comment. When we first started looking at houses in/around Calgary we thought all the gardens would be massive because the country is so big. In practice, most of the houses in the Calgary area seem to have very small gardens (smaller than ours in the UK), and are built very close together. You may be lucky and find one that isn't, but they tend to be very expensive, and out of town.

Not sure where in Canada you're looking at, and I only know about Calgary, but I'd do some research as you may get an unpleasant surprise otherwise.

Good luck.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

whatever you do, DO NOT pay anyone for any sort of service or promise to find you jobs etc! there was a guy on here recently who paid £2500 up front and has heard next to nothing in return, he is now in the process of trying to find someone to help retrieve his money!
My husband and i, and our two children are in the process of moving to canada at the moment and OH has just signed a 3yr contract with an employer.
He sent his c.v away to several companies over there and it went from there really.
Good luck and wish you all the best

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

hiya. I have lived in Toronto Ontario and the UK. If you have the dream when you are young, go for it!! Canada is a big place but heck my parents did it when they were young with me and they made IT work! I myself love both places and decided to move my family back to the UK and good point was made about trying maybe another area of UK. We are down in Devon and absolutely love it here!!! Lots of green space and have a nice size garden for our children. anyway I won't go on about UK, cause this site is about Canada.
there are Jobs are out there, but, it won't be easy. Can you find work before you go? What part of Canada to you intend to reside as research your chosen field and see what pay is like etc and rent or cost of houses.
Good luck not sure if im much help but if you want to talk Canada I'd be happy to help if I can. lived there for 30+yrs.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

I also expected to find houses with big properties, nice gardens etc. but nope! They like to squeeze as many properties onto a plot of land as they can, and then allow all of your neighbours watch you try to enjoy the 4sq ft of sun that your back garden offers haha It seems the more they build, the smaller the gardens are getting.

That's my view of what's happening anyways, and I am only speaking for the Lower Mainland of BC. It may be different elsewhere.. but I doubt it.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

It's quite simple really. Developers (of the big chunk of property) want to maximize the yield (number of lots) so they make more money. In North American cities, they are trying to densify, taking a couple of single family lots and developing them into townhouses or condos.

Usually, if you want a plot of "land" you have to go rural then you have to deal with the drive to work in the City.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Yup.. It is strange to drive through a neighbourhood of single family houses and then come across a small development of 'townhouses'. They look so out of place.. As does the random single family home nestled amongst newer developments/apartment buildings as they didn't sell to the developers.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

They are planning rules too, to prevent urban sprawl.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

It does depend where you live in Canada, and you don't have to be right out in the sticks to have an affordable house with a nice chunk of property.

Peterborough, Ontario for example...perfect location to enjoy all the outdoors has to offer....and its a big enough city (well I call it a town) for all your needs, and just a 10-15minute drive out of town will get you a nice sized house and very sizeable plot of land....for the price of an averaged 3 bedroomed semi in the UK.

Added to that its only an hour and half drive to Toronto if you want or need the big city for anything.

The drawback is if you can find work in or nearby Peterborough, but then I suppose the same goes if you relocated to a rural part of the UK, also its not the best place to live for a single person, as I have found, but as your a family and looking to enjoy the outdoors Peterborough would be perfect for you...all depends on employment opportunities and how far you want to commute.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Me and my wife are in the process of moving to canada and went to expo overseas fair in London it had a lot of use full information for us there it is defiantly worth a trip. We got talking to someone who works for the federal skilled workers in bc and he took my cv handed it out and found me an offer off employment, I now have the contracts all signed and just waiting to get the visa then were off as people have said you better of with someone like him as they don't want any money off you the companies in canada bc pay them to find people for them if you want any one more info send me a pm and I would be more than happy to help.

Good luck

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

I can give a bit of insight on houses in Oakville, Ontario. Oakville has a mix of good-sized houses on large-ish lots (50x120 or so) in the "older" areas - pretty well anything south of Upper Middle, as well as River Oaks, Wedgewood Creek, and parts of Joshua Creek. The newer the house, the smaller the lot size, generally speaking. If you go to the newer areas - Westoak Trails, Glenorchy, the north part of Joshua Creek, etc, then the houses are about the same size but on much smaller lots, more like 40x90.

Lots of the areas do have rows of townhouses that look like less of an eyesore than others, and there are some condo buildings dotted around, but Oakville is predominantly detached homes.

An average 4-bedroom well-maintained but not renovated house in Glen Abbey in Oakville will sell for maybe $850,000 or so (more if it has lots of renovations and/or a bigger-than-average lot), and Oakville is a 30 minute drive to Toronto in no traffic, and on the Lakeshore West line which actually means regular trains in and out - 25 minutes on the express, or 45 minutes on the stopper.

(Friends of mine bought a terraced house in Zone 4 in London, 4 bedrooms, renovated kitchen but lots of work elsewhere, pretty good lot, 10 minute walk to the train station that's then 15-25 minutes into London, and they paid £575,000.)

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

This looks tricky to me. University administration is a dead-man's shoes line of work, you need to be a graduate of the university where you're applying and, even with that connection, it's very hard to find a post. I suspect internal audit is the more dynamic environment, maybe pursue that?

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Ambit Recruitment in Toronto specializes in Audit recruitment.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

I'm interested to know why you think the outdoor lifestyle is better in Canada than the UK as we had the same perceptions that just haven't rung true.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Yeah I would agree.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Doesn't that depend on location, both where you are coming from and going to?

I am surrounded by mountains which offer dozens and dozens of hiking/biking trails, there are a few lakes which offer beaches, water sports and swimming, a couple of rivers that are full of salmon for fishing and have well maintained trails along their embankment, and there is numerous campgrounds all within 20-25 minutes. Then there are several city owned parks which have well maintained sports fields and running tracks for your morning/evening run and recreational sports.

Back home my outdoor lifestyle involved walking to the pub and then walking home from said pub. Don't get me wrong.. I miss that pub, but doesn't really qualify as an outdoor lifestyle.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

:goodpost:

It absolutely depends on where you're moving from and where you're moving to.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

I don't see that at all. Surely it's about whether you want to go outside or not. If you do then central London offers all manner of parks and recreational opportunities. If you don't then you can sit by the fire in your igloo in the Yukon. I don't think location is a major consideration except in the case that being outside is dangerous due to warring tribesman or similar.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

But the question was why they think Canada offers a better outside lifestyle.

Yes London offers parks.. and yes a lot of them are very nice and well maintained. But walking through a park in the middle of the city isn't the same for me as hiking up a mountain in the forest. We can hike for hours and maybe see 3 people in that time.

It is different, but for me the outdoor lifestyle that is available to me where I am right now is a lot better than where I was.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

I agree with your point if we're speaking about simply being outside. I'm thinking more specifically about particular activities, as that's where geography will play a larger role, especially in Canada where distances are vast, where it can take hours or days of driving before geography changes, where it's not cheap or necessarily easy to venture around or abroad. Downhill skiing, ocean kayaking, and year round golf won't be happening after work in Toronto or London. Dog sledding and ice fishing won't be happening in Vancouver. Depending on what outdoor recreation you're pursuing, geography will play a role in where you should move to.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

I agree. I think both offer opportunities to do different outdoor activities, and it just depends where you are and what you're looking for.

My husband and I were given snowshoes for Christmas, so we did a few snowshoeing trips over the winter months and enjoyed that a lot. In the UK we went to France to go skiing - haven't been out west, but when I was younger we often went to Quebec, and my husband went skiing in Vermont a number of years ago with his family. My husband's parents often go on holiday to places in the UK with walking trails and paths; we just got memberships for the Bruce Trail, and they have all kinds of organised walks and hikes. As a teenager I played softball; when I moved to London I joined a team there. At some point I may sign up for sailing lessons - Oakville is right on the water and has a marina. My husband knows how to sail already, so doing some sailing day trips could be a lot of fun.

Lots of opportunities in both places, if you are willing to go out and look for it.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Yeah I agree ... you just don't find many of those lovely english country pub gardens here do you :lol: ... Nothing beats walking a foot path and calling into the pub for a pint on the way home.

Oh wait ... one exception, The Crow and Gate that we literally stumbled across last summer on Vancouver Island...

But in all seriousness I must admit we really miss the ability to walk the public footpath system that exists just about everywhere in the UK. There nothing I've found like it here... :(

But of course it really depends on your location as to whats available.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

This trail should keep you busy for a weekend or two :p

http://tctrail.ca/explore-the-trail/

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

hahahaha ... :rofl:

Thank you ... I actually meant those lovely gentle walks across 'cow pat caked' meadows in the driving rain ... but you knew that didn't you.. :p

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

If you're in Ontario, check out these sites:

http://brucetrail.org/

http://www.ontariotrailsmap.com/onta...l?town=toronto

http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/trail...iking-walking/

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

So now you're saying I'm not outdoorsy???? I even did it in 3 or 4 inches of snow at points this winter.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Maybe :)

Unless your pub happens to be Lake Agnes Tea House.. https://goo.gl/maps/Mb25e

I'll give you an A for effort though!

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Ok, so we've come to live in recreational country, and we came from a super wet place in Wales, but there are so many activities to do both summer and winter here compared to back home. We've spent this winter snowmobiling, ice skating, skiing, tobogganing, cook outs on the lake and we haven't tried ice fishing, dog sledding or snow shoeing (save those for next year). I'm already looking forward to getting my ice skates back out! It's been fabulous. But now summers coming and there seems equally a lot to do. We're already looking forward to going out on the lakes- tubing, boating, bike riding, camping, sea doo's etc etc.

The only caveat I would add is that a lot of these things are expensive. Our first expense was ice skates, no rentals since everyone owns their own. We haven't bought ski stuff yet, but that will be expensive. Owning a boat around here is very common, but still not cheap, not to mention skidoos etc. You still have to pay for snowshoes, plus all the snow stuff the kids grow out of every year. If you can't afford to do these extra things, then it does limit you to the sort of outdoorsy stuff you can do in the uk, albeit in better weather. Well for us anyway!! It should be part of your consideration.

Edited to add.... In case you think we're loaded. We lucked out with our rental, and our landlords as well as being our friends are really into their outdoors toys and have been very generous in letting us all have a go. The same applies for summer apparently. They've promised to teach my son to waterski in the bay:)

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

I think this is generally fair. I have been outside in Canada and have found that the activities open to us have differed from those in the UK only due to funding; sailing and horse keeping have featured heavily and neither would have been feasibly affordable in the UK. Skiing and diving are about equally available here as in London but are cheaper there due to the lower cost of flights. Hiking has the same cost here as there but the UK has a fabulous network of footpaths and bridleways which are not matched here (Bruce Trail notwithstanding).

I question the idea that the weather is better suited to outdoor activities here. Even walking the dogs is a challenge in a couple of feet of wet snow.

I don't think people should move just for the outdoors, the cost of moving would keep you in cheap flights to mountains and oceans for decades.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Mmmm skiing in Europe is still expensive, especially with the whole let's fine you if you take your child on holiday outside of half term. Plus it's just a week. We live 40mins away from a few average hills- fine for us newbies, and the plan next year is snow school for the kids every weekend during the season.

On a different note, the amount of people who ask us oh did you boat, waterski etc back in the uk? Err no, it was super exepnsive:confused:

I liked the snow, and we had a fraction of the rain that we would have got had we stayed. Plus the kids will happen ski and tobaggan while it's throwing down snow.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Of course this may be the case in ON but not elsewhere. Here one has access to many km's (or miles for the imperially minded) of trails & logging roads for hiking plus motorised recreation.

As an example, one can, in the summer hike to the spot in the picture. It takes a couple of days & is not, I imagine, for the faint of heart or unfit. In the winter you can get there by snowmobile. Which is a lot easier.

I'm rather different - I had a boat in the UK and have no possible way of affording one here. However that's primarily because I now have two kids rather than where I live.;)

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

I take it that's a picture taken in August.

The problem, as discussed often, is that where the jobs are is where the wilderness aint. Etobicoke, for example, is as convenient for the outdoors as Harringey.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

If I moved back to the UK I'd have a much nicer boat as I wouldn't be paying $600 CND for moorage a month. :frown:

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

We couldn't have afforded it- not completely sure we will here either. Probably. You can live on waterfront here, although some areas of water are more expensive than others, or use a marina, or lots of public boat launch around...

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

We have a dock but no substantial boat. We had a bowrider but it was mostly boring going up and down the same bit of water. When it wasn't boring that was because it was dangerous, a busy lake with plenty of citiots who cause huge wakes. Husband now has a row boat and a little motor so he can potter around fishing.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

Snowmobiling = expensive, $3-400 to rent, plus the 2-4 hour road trip to get to rental place, anywhere local you need to own your own and you get to drive up and down the ditches. ATVing is the same.

Skiing, slightly cheaper than snowmobiling.

Kayaking, closest kessons I could find were 2 hours away, they also rent boats, we can rent boats locally too but we need to have a vehicle to transport them.

Hiking, loads of trails around the city or a few hours away.

What I was trying to get the OP to think about was why they think the outdoor lifestyle is more attainable, aside from snowsports the outdoor lifestyle is just as attainable in the UK as in Canada and in some cases it's easier to try new things in the UK imo.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

It's very much dependent on where you live, surely?

I'm located at a ski resort, so snow/ice based activities, hiking, ATVing, dirt/mountain biking etc are all on the doorstep. There's 1000kms+ of lakeshore within a 40 minute drive, where I moor a boat. I couldn't possibly have had all that anywhere in the UK.

Re: Thinking of Canada - advice please!
 

I found it that using a public launch wasn't cost effective compared to keeping a boat at a club. This was based on living in Toronto, it might be different in the country. The public launch entails having a truck and a trailer and somewhere to store all of them. At the club you use a cradle made of old packing crates to support the craft through the winter, it gets stored either by marine railway or crane, the cost of either being shared with many other people. You can go to the marina on the bus.