Edinburgh86

Hi folks,

I've been avidly reading this forum for a while now and thought I'd take the plunge and ask a question myself.

In the early planning stages before applying for PR in the new year but I was wondering for the people who ended up moving to Canada without a job how did you decide where to go?

My partner and I don't work in IT or finance so it doesn't feel that there is an obvious place we would initially go to in search of a job. There are of course places we'd like to go however we need to weigh that up against the potential for getting jobs.

Our current thinking has revolved around Toronto however I'm a bit concerned that if we make the move and don't manage to get jobs within the first 6 to 9 months or so we'll be seriously struggling financially due to the cost of living there. I've looked at other cities with lower living costs but the worry is there are potentially less job opportunities.

So basically my question is how did people make that initial decision on where to move to without having a job already lined up? And how did it work out for them?

Thanks

bairn7

What is your line of work? Is it something widely available throughout the country?

I'm in finance but I didn't look to Toronto, even though that is were a lot of finance jobs are. I chose Calgary as that is the City/Province that attracted me most. If you are moving to a city then there will be jobs (provided, of course, your line of work is not region-specific). As it happens I have been offered a job in Edmonton so, whilst I won't be moving to Calgary, I'll be staying in Alberta.

At the end of the day, you are potentially going to be staying in your destination for many years. I would want to be moving to a particular region just because there is a perceived or actual better chance of landing a job. On both ends of the spectrum (on a worst-case scenario) you are looking at either getting a good job in a region that you don't like living in, or getting a job that's far from ideal in your city of choice.

Edinburgh86

Thanks for the reply.

I'm perhaps overthinking this a bit...

I work in the public sector as a government regulator so wouldn't be expecting to secure a similar job to be honest and my partner is a chemist. A lot more research into jobs still needed I think.

It no doubt makes sense to focus on the places I'd like to go first and then narrow that down based on job searches, local economy etc.

cheers

BristolUK

As someone who lives in a smaller city - but lucky enough not to need to work - whenever fewer job opportunities come up on BE, I usually respond about there also being fewer (qualified) candidates/job seekers so that, perhaps, it evens out.

Danny B

Go where the job is. No point in moving to a random town/city if there is a chance that you will be kicked out one year later when your rent money runs out.

theotherlebowski

What Danny B says. No point going half way round the world for the view to find there's not enough work to keep you in bread crusts and hope!

christmasoompa

Another vote for just going where the work is. You can always move on once you've got some of that essential Canadian experience on your resume, but it would be a terrible start to your life in a new country if you couldn't find work and used up all your savings.

Siouxie

Chemists are regulated, so the first step would be to find out how to become registered.

Is your partner a pharmaceutical chemist or an industrial chemist?



For example: http://www.pharmacistsgatewaycanada....ario-map.shtml
https://www.cicic.ca/938/occupationa....canada?&id=18

Edinburgh86

Thanks for all the replies. Seems a bit obvious looking back now, job first. More research into the job market needed first but hopefully that will bring desired location and job together but I understand that might not happen initially.

Partner is a clinical chemist. From what we've researched her accreditation in the UK would be recognised by the Canadian equivalent, although an exam or two might be needed.

I wasn't quite sure from the links you provided but if you are accredited by the professional body do you also need to be registered at a province (Ontario for example) level?

thanks

dbd33

If that's a chemist as in behind the counter at a pharmacy, then it's a difficult exam that most people fail and that can only be taken three times.

magnumpi

bairn7

I guess I'm the exception then in that I prioritise where I want to live. It's not like you will never have a job. It may not initially be in your desired field but you WILL find a job to pay the bills until you get your desired job. Until I was offered a job in my profession, I was expecting to take any job going on my arrival (retail, uber, etc) whilst job hunting, which I was happy to do because I was going to the province where I plan to spend the rest of my life (assuming I can in fact put up with the winters!)

Siouxie

Having qualifications recognised is not the same as obtaining a License to practice - and YES you need to be registered at Provincial level. There is lots of info available from the Pharmacist's Gateway to Canada - just for info though, so you will need to check each Province you are interested in moving to for their licensing criteria and decide which one you will do.. it has links to each one and the process you will need to go through plus costs involved (there is no need to sign up with Pharmacist's Gateway).

Costs and Time to Licensure

Pharmacist's Gateway CanadaYou might find this of use too: https://www.pharmacists.ca/pharmacy-...ist-in-canada/
and https://napra.ca/practice-and-regulatory-standards


There are a lot of pharmacists in Canada (you can see on this link: https://napra.ca/national-statistics ) and the jobs available; https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/jobsearch/....submit=Search

Phaedru5

THIS! Contrary to what others are saying, if you're changing your life sufficiently to move halfway around the world, there must be a reason behind it? What is that reason? better quality of life? more access to something you cant get in the UK? I chose my town that i wanted to live in above all other places in the world and then found a job to suit that location. As it happens i have two office locations, one a 90min drive away and the other 5hrs, but i work from home sometimes and am out visiting clients at others, but i live where i want to live and i have access to everything i want in life, making me very happy. If you're just moving from one job to another, from one city to another, then what do you think is going to change that it makes the upheaval and distance from family and friends worthwhile?

dbd33

Horses for courses, I suppose, but I find it hard to imagine picking a small town in Canada, FadedGoldRushVille or LeftOverHippyTown, as a dream place to live and wanting to move specifically there. If there's well paid work in FadedGoldRushVille then why not go there rather than drive a cab in LeftOverHippyTown? It's not like Paris or Malibu is on the menu; if you want the sea then it's as wet in Nanaimo as it is in Halifax, if you want hilly scenery there are any number of places.