Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

It certainly pays to do your research and, if you can, it is way better (especially as you have children) to secure yourself a job before you make the move. From my time on this forum by far the greatest number of those who things did not work out for did not have jobs before they came.

I know there have been successes too where people on here have taken the chance & it's paid off but that was in a climate way better than the economy is right now.

Personally we do love it here & feel our move has been particulary good for our kids. We have a decent house in a decent neighbourhood & I earn a decent wage - almost double what I got in the UK for the same job.

However, we did have things well prepared before we left & we had a real desire to get out of the UK - which we are still gald we did. I never had much love for our lifestyle in the UK & don't miss London one little bit!

However, I still cheer for England in the World Cup - even though they've been rubbish! :-D

Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

Agree on the first bit. If the second bit is your motivation to immigrate, you may be disappointed. Canada has its problems too and they are not too wildly different to the UK.

This is enough to give you an idea, but without a couple of trips out here you are not going to get a feel of the country.


There are negative people everywhere, you may even consider yourself negative on the UK. Maybe you'll come to Canada and realise the UK was not as bad as you thought.

We did not immigrate because we particularly wanted to leave the UK, we wanted to live in Canada. We are fortunate to have achieved what we set out to do, maybe a bit more. Our lifestyle is comfortable and we are satisfied with our lot. Would we do it any differently? Probably not.

Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

I find these kind of posts strange. Why do you actually want to leave the UK and move to Canada? Isn't that the most fundamental bit? What are you hoping to gain?

Why didn't your sister like Vancouver - Isn't there any advice there?

Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

^^^^^^
I repeat the above.

Travelling and visiting areas in another country such as Canada is great to see a part of what you're getting into. However, equally as important are points 2, 3, 5, and 6.

I would assume many people are blinkered by the excitement and adventure and the fact that they're moving/running away from what they see as a dilapidated country (UK). While doing this they could easily fail to see the impact of such a large change in their lives.

Finally, i believe parents should move for themselves, NOT the children. Children will do just as well in either the UK or Canada as long as the parents allow it.



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Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

I agree, but with slight modification.

Children will do just as well in either the UK or Canada as long as the parents CAN AFFORD to live in an area with a decent school and stuff to occupy kids. Canada may have a slight advantage in that respect, but the UK has other advantages in terms of access to green space in many respects, better (less extreme) climate, etc etc.

Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

Yep you may be correct. I have no kids so times may have changed since i were a young lad. I guess i'm basing it on my upbringing where we lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six in the morning, clean the paper bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down t' mill, fourteen hours a day, week-in week-out, for sixpence a week, and when we got home our Dad would thrash us to sleep wi' his belt. And i turned out okay ;)


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Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

Aye, tell that to kids today and they wont believe you:p

Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

Isn't this almost what it's like in Canada today? I can't believe people are only given 2 weeks annual leave! After 10 years of employment you have earned the right to 4 weeks...
Must be thanks to historic social democratic governments in Europe that most countries there have 4-5 weeks of holidays from the outset.

Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

Err, no it isn`t. I don`t know anyone in Calgary that only receives 2 weeks of vacation a year. In addition, all the jobs I have had here have expected me to produce approx 1/3 of the output expected of me in England resulting in my not needing the 5 weeks vacation I required in England.

In addition, if you don`t like the vacation offered, work for yourself, then you dictate the vacation.

Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

I am 'part time casual' which means that I get a % on my wage which is the equivalent to 2 weeks vacation per year. MOH has had two jobs since he has been here and has only had 2 weeks vacation allowance. One place would not allow him to take the 2 weeks consecutively.

It's pretty common.

Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

Why?

Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

I found that once I was a parent my values and aspirations turned on their head. Every logic that I lived by before then ceased to have any meaning. Things that I though were important and rational before this time ceased to be relevant. A new set of values became important. Values that I would probably have sneered at in my childless days.

I think that most parents will whatever they think they can to give their children the best prospect in life.

I can perfectly understand why someone who lives in a rough and run down part of the UK with failing local schools would see an opportunity to give their children something better by emigrating. Yes, there are places in the UK that might offer a similar material standard of living, fear of crime free living, and good local schools that are available in many parts of Canada. But they ain't cheap. Not everyone can rustle up the few extra £100,000s needed to buy the new home, or the few extra £10,000s a year in income to pay the mortgage.

With the greatest of respect, I think it is very unfair of the simian one, who has told us that he earns an extremely good wedge, lives in a very pleasant part of SW London, and has no children, to constantly deride parents who are trying to do their best for their family as hypocrites.

Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

This entire issue of holiday entitlement from work ought not be dismissed too readily.

Immigrants especially, will probably want a generous amount of time off from work, if they hope to visit their homeland for any decent period of time on a regular / annual basis.

My wife has a job and had interviewed for several others; all offered only 10 days leave per annum, some refusing any leave at all for the first 12 months of employment!:eek:

Myself has had 2 jobs and myriad job interviews. not one had any annual leave beyond 10 days. a few did offer a bit more on the completion of 3 years employment.

I working in the construction / mining industry, where the weeks are a minimum of 45 hours, always with a 7am start and with a slave boat mentality towards productivity.

But it pays better than in the UK which is good, because the cost of living in most respects is virtually identical to London living.

But with all of this said and done, as much as i might miss the opportunity to visit europe to see friends and family or the chance to go to the tropics for a late summer.... the weekends and evenings spent in Lower British Columbia more than make up for it.

At the end of the day, I (and everybody else in the world) tolerate only what i am HAPPY to tolerate. if you see a chance in your job hunting endeavours to negotiate something more than the pay or holiday entitlement being offered, then of course go for it! but employer's will recognise the likelihood that they are holding all the cards, when they are looking at a newbie to their country.

Fortune however, favours the brave!:fingerscrossed:

Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

Why thank you. :D

I very much doubt (although could be wrong) that a family who can only afford to live in a rough and run down part of the UK can afford to move to Canada and live in the complete opposite.

That said, i lived in a rough and run down part of the UK for most of my childhood and young adult life so i guess my comments are based upon my own experiences. Myself and my parents allowed me to be who i am today, not the location.

When reading posts from people on this site, many folk appear to live outside of these rough and run down areas where opportunities may or may not be limited. In fact, many of the posts i read appear to be from parents who are comfortable in the UK and may or may not be blinded by the media. I'm confident that parents living comfortably in the UK can offer their children just as much as they could in Canada.

I do understand what you say about my lack of parental experience, however.

A quick question for you. Is it conducive for unhappy parents remain in Canada because they're confident letting their children play outdoors, and appear to be enjoying themselves?



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Re: We are thinking about Canada any advice please?
 

But do you think you parents would have taken the opportunity to move if they could, and if they thought it would have benefited you?

I don't really agree with the "if it was good enough for me it should be good enough for you" argument. I am sure there were some children that survived the Victorian workhouses and made something of their lives. It is not a reason to bring back the workhouses. The world is more mobile now and people have more opportunity to try and find the best for their families. Why shouldn't they?

If letting their children play outside was the only reason for emigrating then maybe not. But it isn't. That said, I think many parents will put up with many things that make them unhappy if they think it is for their child's benefit.