That is what my OH did- made some enquiries by telephone, made two appointments with employers and then booked a flight and hoofed it round for the rest of the fortnight with his resume and a positive attitude.
Result - two interviews and a job offer with the company he liked best.

No kids and plenty of cash in the bank to see you through any lean times - what are you risking, really?

It's all about you for a change - after being parents for so long some people have forgotten how to put their needs and desires first but now is the time to take advantage of the empty nest and fly around a bit yourselves.:sunglasses:

My husband and I moved to Canada five years ago, when we were both 54. My husband is a Canadian, with joint British nationality, who had spent 30 years in the UK. He was made redundant and had little prospect of getting another job in the UK, so he applied for jobs in Canada and got one quite quickly.

I have very mixed feelings about our move. I don't like living in Alberta, but on the other hand, the move saved our bacon financially. My husband enjoys his work; he is the kind of person who would have been miserable retiring early, but he doesn't like living in Alberta much either.

I don't know about forties, but fifties is old to emigrate. I don't stop being homesick, and only find it tolerable by spending several months in the UK each year. I miss my friends, the countryside, da-da da-da, hate the Canadian climate, and when you've reached the age of fallen arches and arthritis, it is too late to take up winter sports.

On the positive side, the financial gain has been tremendous. My husband earns around 40% more than he did in the UK, despite being nominally in a less prestigious job. The pay rise more than compensates for the higher cost of living and higher taxes in Canada. We also benefit from having transferred most of our assets to Canada when the £ was strong. We are planning to return to the UK in 3 years time and now that the £ is weak against the C$ we will get more from transferring our assets back, and my husband's pension will be worth more in the UK.

What I'd suggest is that if you can get a job in Canada, you should go for it. But that doesn't mean you have to plan to move permanently.

What is it that you can't get in the UK that you think you'll get here? If you are after ...finger quotes... "adventure" or want to "experience another culture" then pick a country that actually provides those things.

Things to think about:

- Wages are generally lower here unless you work for government. Some people will earn more for doing the same thing, however that will usually mean they had a crap job in the UK and/or have a really good one here.

- The currency/housing market arbitrage that was possible a few years ago has disappeared - you won't be able to improve your lifestyle by taking advantage of that to compensate for a lower wage.

Basically, if you are in a reasonably stable job then it's probably not worth it. A financial shit storm is coming for which very few people are intellectually prepared for, and as a new starter here you'll have no protection whatsoever.

TL/DR: No you're not too old, but why bother?

By the looks of you profile you've been thinking about this for over ten years. Maybe time is your worst enemy.

Very true, Oink.

Adding to this;

“Procrastination is the thief of time.” - Edward Young (1683-1765)

Discussion
Procrastination is a complex psychological behavior that affects everyone to some degree or another. With some it can be a minor problem; with others it is a source of considerable stress and anxiety. Procrastination is only remotely related to time management, (procrastinators often know exactly what they should be doing, even if they cannot do it), which is why very detailed schedules usually are no help.

Characteristics
The procrastinator is often remarkably optimistic about his ability to complete a task on a tight deadline; this is usually accompanied by expressions of reassurance that everything is under control. (Therefore, there is no need to start.) For example, he may estimate that a paper will take only five days to write; he has fifteen days; there is plenty of time; no need to start. Lulled by a false sense of security, time passes. At some point, he crosses over an imaginary starting time and suddenly realizes, "Oh no! - I am not in control! There isn't enough time!”

At this point, considerable effort is directed towards completing the task, and work progresses. This sudden spurt of energy is the source of the erroneous feeling that “I only work well under pressure.” Actually, at this point you are making progress only because you haven't any choice. Your back is against the wall and there are no alternatives. Progress is being made, but you have lost your freedom.

Four Simple Reasons for Procrastination

Difficult - the task seems hard to do; we naturally tend to avoid difficult things in favor of those which seem easy to us.
Time-consuming - the task will take large blocks of time, and large blocks of time are unavailable until the weekend.
Lack of knowledge or skills - no one wants to make mistakes, so wait until you learn how before you start.
Fears - everyone will know how you screwed up.

From http://sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/procrastination.html

The process is difficult, time-consuming, scary and no-one is sure if they have the knowledge or skills to make it work and YES, everyone you know will know if you screw it up, but
SO WHAT????!

It's your life, your risk, your mistake or your success.
The choice is yours.

I do believe that will be snipped as another copyrighted passage/other person's material was previously. I suggest you remove it and leave the link a la http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=739087

I don't believe that this is a Copyrighted text but if it is, my apologies.
Maybe someone could confirm whether it should be removed or not.

It is part of the California Polytechnic State University Student Academic Services provision and is available to download as a PDF doc, so I think I am fine to post part of it but do correct me if I am wrong.

i voted forget it..i was in my late 30s when i left and mid 30s when i applied even then i think i was pushing it..lifes too short to allow Canada to mess with your head.

Your abusive response is completely uncalled for and you should apologise.

I was being absolutely genuine in my post - I just wanted to make sure it was necessary to remove it before I did so.

Keep your bad attitude and language to yourself from now on, please.

My OH and I came over to Manitoba last year for a recce. We brought a shedload of CVs and references. Had a few interviews and was offered a position. Interview was on my 45th birthday. We moved out here a couple of months ago, just had my 46th and we are both loving it.
I'm sure that there may be an age when looking to emigrate may not be the most sensible thing to do but being in your 40s is not it.
Good luck

I agree.

I thought the days when life was over at 40 career-wise was outdated during the last generation but it seems it still persists in some people's minds!!

Forties and Fifties is when lots of people become empty-nesters and have both the money built up to be able to take the risk of emigration with much greater security and the freedom from family obligations as their children are self-sufficient.
They also have lots of experience in work and life to bring to the Canadian workplace.

I think this age is actually one of the best ages to do it, if not THE best age.

It is all very well having the idea of emigrating when you are in your twenties but generally (in my case anyway!) you have little in the way of money if it all goes wrong and zip in the way of experience.
A working holiday might have been great fun and a free way to see the world then, but not full emigration.

I think we have done it at the best time for us, certainly and we have no regrets about having left thriving careers and taking our chances in Canada. We are older, wiser and more confident and flexible.

Just as some people like to lie on the beach for a holiday with a book and do nothing while others like to do active things, so the idea of what you should be doing at certain ages in life is a very personal thing.

The idea that in only a handful of years I ought to be looking at winding down with a Scotch and slippers is partly laughable but actually rather horrifying to me and if my husband decides that is for him, then I will be looking for a younger model!!
(Not that he will - he is of the same mind as me on this one, thank goodness.)

Only Julius can decide what is right for him but it does seem that this decision has been waiting for a long time in his case.

Why not? I emigrated 2x in my 20s.

On the flipside, you are way more adaptable in your 20's and you have waaaay less to lose, because, as you pointed out, you don't have any money anyway.

To the OP: I'm with Jings, I don't know. It depends, doesn't it?

I don't see it as such. I freely gave an opinion as is anyone's right, even with a precedent for censure, which you are free to ignore if you wish.

Using four letter abusive language is NOT expressing an opinion, it is offensive and unnecessary.

You deleted it fast enough, which is clearly an admission that you were wrong to post it in the first place.
If you thought it was OK to post, why didn't you leave it as it was?

Post in that way again and I will report you for abusive language and I am confident the moderators will see it that way as well.

You're as young as you feel - We also came here in our 40s (albeit early not late) and we did it with a young family - from what you say, you only have to think about moving yourselves.

Yes, its a long way from home, friends and family - if they are supportive then great, if not then only you can decide. Skype, emails and telephones are all great inventions for keeping in touch with friends and family from overseas. The climate is varied depending on where you want to live in Canada, yes (as far as I know) most parts of Canada have cold snowy winters but also have warm sunny summers.

Depending on your industry, work can be significantly higher paid than the UK and taxes are lower (well, in Alberta anyway). We have found people friendly and welcoming and love it here - perhaps its because we have travelled extensively in the past and also lived and worked overseas before but there are plenty of people in Canada who have made the move for the first time and adjusted successfully.

If you don't try you won't know but it is entirely dependent on you - if you are financially stable then why not give it a go - if you don't like it what's to stop you moving back again? As others said, why not get on a plane and come and have a look, make some contacts, see some companies and then make the decision.

Good luck