Des and Chris

We are getting really excited, nervous, scared, worried, whole host of emotions! Moving to Calgary in three weeks. No where to live yet. Job prospects not the best.... Des is a primary school headteacher and Chris is a non degree nurse (therefore lots of hoops to jump through) but we are determined and optimistic that we will find good things and good people in Calgary! Anyone recently arrived in Calgary or about to arrive there want to share experiences?

TheThornes

I remember all too well all those feelings you mention and more! LOL All very natural to feel like that! At least you're coming with a positive attitude. I hope it all works out well for you; mostly a friendly bunch in Calgary too (we live just outside) so you should be good!

Good luck with the move!

pacepeter

Was the same for us wife in non degree nurse took her 18 months to get back into nursing and settle into Canada

OPPOP

Welcome and congrats. I have been living in Calgary for the last 12 years. Calgary is beautiful with nice people, but a little boring IMO. As for finding a place to live, make sure you rent / buy only in NW or SW (and some nice parts of SE, not NE for sure)
Lots of jobs here, so you should be able to find one easily. Let me know if I can help you guys with anything.

Mad Jockette

Des and Chris good luck on your move to Calgary. Hope all goes well for you.

Chris once you get through the CARNA experience, getting a job should be relatively easy, even if you have to go casual just to get your 'foot in the door' so to speak

Best of wishes to you both

Des and Chris

Thank you for the positive message. We are initially staying with a friend on the gleneagles estate just outside Cochrane so fairly close to you I guess! Hoping to be out of her hair and in our own pad by mid August at the latest though!

Des and Chris

Chris has got his sec assessment in January so we have to wait til then until he can apply to sit the national exam! It seems a lot of red tape for his 20 odd years experience... But used to hoops I guess!

Des and Chris

Any advice on job seeking sites / offices in Calgary would be helpful. Also no idea whether we are nailing our cv / resume - a uk cv seems a completely different beast to the Canadian resume


Many thanks for the advice re housing - we are looking at apartments downtown - Connaught, mission, eau Clair, belt line, mount royd... Furnished and two bedrooms are about 2500 per month. Is this about right and what are these areas like?

Thank you for the response!

Des and Chris

Aww... Thank you! It's just keeping a roof over our heads and being able to have a social life until we find jobs that's worrying us! But, we are very determined to make every chance of this opportunity!

OPPOP

As for websites for finding jobs, check out www.indeed.com
For Resume, I really dont know, I have been living in Calgary since highschool, so I haven't seen any other kinds of resumes.

As for rental locations, not so many Calgarians live in downtown, most ppl live in SW or NW. After you come here, I would take few days to look around and find a condo / apartment to rent. Plus 2500 is a lot of money to pay for a place for only 2 ppl.

I would suggest :

1) Reserve a hotel for few days you are here to find a place to rent , take a look at www.hotwire.ca
2) Rent a car for few days so you can quickly visit the apartments you might be interested. Check out www.enterpriserentacar.ca
3) Start looking for renting an apartment from now. Take a look at www.rentfaster.ca


Let me know if you have any other questions.

UKCamaroSS

Best of luck with your move.
My wife and I are moving to Calgary in late September, so not too long to go for us now. We're looking for 2 bed unfurnished apartments in the SW (Haysboro) and there seems to be lots available for under the 2500 mark.

jerseytocanada

Same position here.

Looking at moving to Calgary myself late August with my wife following on in October.

I have a friend who lives in NW Calgary who has offered me a room for a few weeks while i find my feet and look for an apartment.

It looks like there is a good few flats available but i'd like to see them with my own eyes first as i wouldn't like to sign a lease and then be stuck next to some students.

Were just looking for something as cheap as possible for a 6 months as only when were living there will we find an area we would like to move to eventually.

Good luck to everyone and might see you along the way in Calgary!

Tony_Tiger

Congrats and best of luck with your move.

Check out Kijji or Craigslist for renting too. I when I was living there on a work permit a few years back the first six months were fun and scary. But enjoy the experience.

You don't need to live so close to down down. Rents are going to be very high there.
If you don't know, Calgary is a car based city. You can pick up a runaround for $1.5-3k to get you around till you figure out what to do. Or as others have posted rent a car.

Start networking and chatting to people. I found that finding a job was who you know not what you know.
I joined a Brits in Calgary meetup group when it first started, it has 367 members now. Its free, meeting and chatting to others who have made the jump really helps.
http://www.meetup.com/brit-307/

Im looking to move around September too if my COPR arrives..

Good luck and let us on the forum know how you get on

Almost Canadian

One would think that, if you have been living here for as long as you have, you would be much better informed.

Have you any evidence to support the crap you have stated that "most people live in the SW and NW? Are you talking about 50.00000001
% or 80%? Are you seriously suggesting that 2 quadrants of the city have a minimal population? Can you not think of one community in the NE that is liveable?

cheeky_monkey

i would agree with this...i choose the SE over the SW/NW...and i could have lived anywhere i liked in Calgary.