immichaelcaine

so wrong dude

when i got me official job transfer offer from the canada/montreal branch office dey had 2 put on it "applicant must B bilingual english/french". this was legal bs coz of quebec language lawz. at the time i had a quebec employment law-yer explicate this 2 me before i took the job transfer. az U can see i am barely lingual wit teh english - let alone da frenchness. this was one of my conditions 2 take the liason job wit da uk/usa/canada post.

Partially discharged

Understatement of the year

Howick

Britsnake,

To suggest 'How difficult it is to find work in Montreal depends not on how good your French is, But how good your network is.

This is the same in any part of Canada'................pretty much sums up the attitude of the worst anglophones & inevitably, when it all goes tits up, wonder what the problem with the Quebecers, is. The rest of Canada does not have to deal with & live with, the language problem that Quebec has.

There has been a vast shift in attitudes towards bilingualism (IMO), since the last referendum. Prior to '95, anglophones has a 'take it or leave it' attitude. Now, anglophones- especially the younger generation, can see & have embraced the benefits & doors that open, with bilingualism. This point cannot be understated. The rest of Canada continue to see the French language as a politically correct nuisance- if I could be so frank, where as in Quebec....and especially in Montreal, French (and language diversity), is embraced.

I am anglophone. If it was as simple as having a network, then we would see a far greater anglophone community residing in Montreal. Even the French courses available to new immigrants cost next to nothing.

I would like to hear how this networking is supposed to all take place, when most of the posters that I see on this site are moving to Montreal- some with a job, most without & you can determine pretty easily from what their questions are, how little networking has taken place when their questions are primarily around 1: how will I do without a solid grasp of French? & 2: where should I live?
It's all very well stating that having a solid network is the best way to find a job, but ask yourself, if people had strong networks, do you really think they would be using this website to ask such rudimentary questions?

An_Idiot_Abroad

Whoa, I appear to have stirred a hornets nest

I am very much looking forward to becoming bilingual, but montreal is a difficult city to get your head around regarding where to live when you have only spent 3 days there

britsnake

Emmigrating to a new country is not an easy thing and it comes with many challenges. Blaiming it all on the french is a failure to recognise this.

Nothing is gained by trying to rob people of their dreams with negativity about the challenges unless you also state some of the benefits. As a city, Montreal has a lot to offer and if we blind ourself with Xenophobia we end up missing out on great experiences.

Networking is the best way to find a job in Canada.

Between 80% and 90% of jobs are not advertized so when looking for a job we should spend the majority of our time networking and contacting companies directly rather than looking at job adverts.

My daughter got her jobs through a friends who recommended her. My son got his job because one afternoon he walked from company to company with his CV until he found someone willing to hire him.

I am an Anglophone and proud of it.

The opportunities for networking are endless if you are willing to get out of your comfort zone. Volunteer, invite people round for dinner. Get to know the parents of your children's friends try using meetup.com. Join the professional organisation for your trade and go to the meetings and socials. Use Linkedin.com. Just use your immagination.

If you can't network, then learn. If you can't learn, then you may have problems whatever part of Canada you live in.

Manek

I found our apartment on papineau from this agency last year
www.ragq.com

they have wide range of apartment selection in downtown.

Howick

Xenophobia!?

That's a bit dramatic, Snakey.

I would suggest that what I'm trying to paint, is a realistic picture, sans the rose coloured glasses which appear to be permanently attaché à votre nez.

johnehsmith

I live in the East End. Its essentially the dodgy area where hardly anyone speaks English at least not as a first language.

Where you live is one thing, its where you work and play thats another, especially when you are in your 20s Id say it doesnt really matter where you live. How many of us get on with and like our neighbours anyway?

If I were you though I would go for the plateau area. That or Westmount or St Henri. There are plenty of good affordable
housing in this city.

Off topic of language bitching but Montreal is a really fine place to live, people know how to enjoy themselves here and especially in Summer and Fall the city just pulses with a vibe unlike any other city in Canada.

An_Idiot_Abroad

Isnt Westmount mega expensive though?

immichaelcaine

a-men t' dat brotha. im really re-grettin' me move from montreal culture n nightlivvin .

britsnake

When I first came to Montreal I booked myself into a youth hostel and started talking to people. I spoke to the taxi driver who drove me from the airport. I spoke to people on the Metro. I spoke with the people who ran the youth hostel and the other guests. I found the people welcoming and willing to help.

There are weekly english french meetups in Montreal. If you go to one of these you will find mainly young people who will also be able to advice you on the best places to live.

Many of the rentals are only advertized in the local papers or even just on the property itself so it is difficult to find a place until you get here. I contacted a realtor and he would send me details of properties for rent by email. I also found people who were living in the areas I wanted to go to and they would send me details of properites in the area and were even willing to look around and take pictures and email them to me. Talk about helpful.


Yes the majority of people speak french in Quebec...I think we all know that ...moving swiftwly on...

Montreal has a number of Universities both French and English so there are many young people who know how to have fun. In the summertime Montreal really comes alive and tourist come from all over North America to enjoy it.

There is a great metro system which allows yo to get around town quickly.

Yes there are challenges but in my opinion for most people, these are not insurmountable. Montreal is a great city which has a lot to offer. You can probably tell that I love it here as do all members of my family and my friends..

mb0077

even if you learn french here the french people still thumb their nose at your because your french is not perfect and will still resist to do business with you.

Howick

mb0077.

That has not been my experience- in fact, the more effort you make, the more a Quebecker will embrace the conversation & again, in my experience, the more likely that the Quebeker will then respond in English.

It's all about effort. Put yourself in their shoes. What would you do if someone rocked up to your city in the UK ( and we all know this is a very real situation in the UK, today) & made a genuine effort to speak in English- in my case, I would go help the person. Would you not?