Why did you choose to move to Canada?
#91
Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
Quite. Besides which I think we've walked around as many forests, parks and beaches in the rain in Canada as we did in Scotland. If the weather stops you, then there must be better places to go than Canada. Plus it's decidedly uncomfortable to wear a waterproof when it's hot and raining!
#92
Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
No thunder and lightning here yet but it's on it's way, can feel it in the air. So hot and muggy. Cue the dog trying to hide underneath my feet all evening. *sigh*
#93
Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
Canada in general awards far less vacation time, 2-4 weeks, in line with American norms.
Work hours seem to vary, and I personally think a lot of that depends entirely on what the individual employee is prepared to put up with.
Employers here seem happy to let overtime exempt salaried workers work long hours, and if an employee doesn't have the sense or the guts to draw a line in the sand and say "No, actually I have a life outside of work, I'm off home now." then more fool them.
Work hours seem to vary, and I personally think a lot of that depends entirely on what the individual employee is prepared to put up with.
Employers here seem happy to let overtime exempt salaried workers work long hours, and if an employee doesn't have the sense or the guts to draw a line in the sand and say "No, actually I have a life outside of work, I'm off home now." then more fool them.
Very likely. I'm sure things are worse since I left. But I think there are minimum standards in the UK - enforceable ones - that many in Canada can't even dream of like minimum/maximum working temperatures, break entitlements (people here even object to the use of the word 'entitlement') Sick Pay, even SSP so your income's not interrupted while off sick, and all sorts of other stuff.
Oh well to answer the OPs question .....
Me? I didn't choose Canada, I was born here.
Before you come, you really need to make sure that you can survive 5-6 months of shitty, cold, and snowy weather as well as shovelling snow multiple times daily. And as outlined, when we're supposed to have summer it isn't even summer. It was 17 today. 7 years ago we would have had a proper 30+ degree day guaranteed every day through July and August. No more i'm afraid, due to global warming. It may sound trivial but weather is one of my driving forces to get out of here. If you prefer snowy to gloomy and rainy then by all means, come. Tbh I don't think either of them sound very good but i'd take the UK one over this. At least there isn't any shovelling to do there, or snow dealing in general.
The other thing - the work breaks. You won't get 6 weeks holiday here, you just won't. IMO the jobs here are a lot more fast paced, and they expect you to be fully dedicated to work, rather than your life outside work. The expression "We live to work, not work to live" comes to mind when looking at certain jobs and their absurd requirements.
There are positives to coming out here - and a lot of people really like it. There is lots of open spaces, things are cheaper, there is in general nice people, I could go on.
You just have to make sure you can handle the negatives - or maybe they aren't negatives for you...
#94
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Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
I didn't really choose Canada, it chose me by sending down someone whom I liked and didn't want to move to the US, so I moved here. Now that is long done and over, but I stayed for a variety of reasons, the big ones being:
1. Wages are higher then the US for those like me in the lower end of the wage spectrum.
2. Healthcare is significantly cheaper.
3. It rains which was not a common occurrence in San Diego.
If I could actually choose a country to live in, it would have been Australia.
1. Wages are higher then the US for those like me in the lower end of the wage spectrum.
2. Healthcare is significantly cheaper.
3. It rains which was not a common occurrence in San Diego.
If I could actually choose a country to live in, it would have been Australia.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat091; Jul 19th 2014 at 9:27 pm.
#95
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
But I didn't learn English well either, took me a good chunk of my childhood to grasp language. I think some people are just not able to learn and retain a 2nd language.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat091; Jul 19th 2014 at 9:26 pm.
#96
Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
Sure some things are more expensive but a lot, for us, is cheaper. In no particular order but what we benefit from being here
1. Big house
2. Cheaper car
3. Cheap gas
4. Shorter working hours
5. Calmer environment
6. More countryside
7. Less chavs
8. Traffic is non existent
9. Hockey at a reasonable hour
10. Spending more time outside
11. More sunshine
12. Air conditioning
13. Eating out more
14. Less crime
15. My wife's family are here
16. Cheaper fruit in summer
Life is 'nicer' here. It may sound boring but it works for us.
1. Big house
2. Cheaper car
3. Cheap gas
4. Shorter working hours
5. Calmer environment
6. More countryside
7. Less chavs
8. Traffic is non existent
9. Hockey at a reasonable hour
10. Spending more time outside
11. More sunshine
12. Air conditioning
13. Eating out more
14. Less crime
15. My wife's family are here
16. Cheaper fruit in summer
Life is 'nicer' here. It may sound boring but it works for us.
#97
Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
Hmmmmm - interesting choice of words.
It sounds to me like the OP is right at the start of this journey and will probably be able to direct their focus more on specific and "decent" questions soon and ensure that they do not subject their children to their "Ill thought out fantasies"
In the meantime I am sure that some support at the start of their life changing decisions wouldn't go amiss here.
It sounds to me like the OP is right at the start of this journey and will probably be able to direct their focus more on specific and "decent" questions soon and ensure that they do not subject their children to their "Ill thought out fantasies"
In the meantime I am sure that some support at the start of their life changing decisions wouldn't go amiss here.
As mentioned immigration is no stroll in the park and some realism needs to be applied rather than people fanning a dream.
The choice of words is direct because when people are discussing moving for their children's sake they need to get real.
#99
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#101
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Joined: Apr 2014
Location: Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 29
Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
We came for many reasons and despite only recently arriving I've not yet come up with a good answer for 'why Canada?' (many previous posters have outlined the biggest pros and cons) but it just feels like a good fit for who we are and what we want out of life - adventure, the outdoors, decent education and experiences for kids, opportunities to work, more space in every respect, not too far from UK family and friends. We felt an affinity with how things are in Canada when we holidayed here in AB and BC and that played into our decision a lot.
Having made the decision though I think the key for us was being certain that this is where we want to be and that has carried us through hours of paperwork, the massive upheaval and risks of leaving the UK and the ups and downs of settling into a new country where we didn't know a soul when we arrived. We're in it for the long haul and hope to become permanent and that is carrying us along the bumps in the road.
Sounds like the OP has read up on people's experiences and hopefully you'll have a chance to make a visit here as part of the decision-making process. In which case, given the fantastic diversity of the country it would be great to visit where you think you may look to move or do a roadtrip to cover a couple of options if that's feasible / more useful. Best of luck!
Having made the decision though I think the key for us was being certain that this is where we want to be and that has carried us through hours of paperwork, the massive upheaval and risks of leaving the UK and the ups and downs of settling into a new country where we didn't know a soul when we arrived. We're in it for the long haul and hope to become permanent and that is carrying us along the bumps in the road.
Sounds like the OP has read up on people's experiences and hopefully you'll have a chance to make a visit here as part of the decision-making process. In which case, given the fantastic diversity of the country it would be great to visit where you think you may look to move or do a roadtrip to cover a couple of options if that's feasible / more useful. Best of luck!
#102
Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
You can then get all the hay from the hay net stuck to you along with all the mud from the horse.
Personally I prefer cold and sunny to rain and overcast... diff strokes for diff folks. You don't have to be an indoors person to dislike rain.
I man up constantly in the minus 26 walking my dogs in the morning before work now.
#103
Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
Was thinking about that today actually. It was 30 degrees here and I was enjoying walking the dogs and was trying to remember how much I enjoyed or disliked walking them last winter! lol
#104
Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
Canada for me was a way of combining the two parts of my upbringing...or at least that's how I saw it initially.
I grew up in both the UK and France and so am a bit of a mix just like many Canadians!!
Obviously when I got here and realized that Acadian French is nothing like European French I had to have a bit of a rethink!
But I still feel it was a great choice for me. I had been wanting to make the move since the 80s when Quebec was advertising in France for people to move over... Ex hubby wouldn't consider it although he was French (still is actually) so I put it on the back burner...
It won't suit everybody for sure, some people won't like it and will either move to another country or maybe go back to the UK but right now for me I like it here, I forget I'm not Canadian and can't really see myself going anywhere else... although when it's - 24 out there I do dream of a relocation to the Bahamas!!!
I grew up in both the UK and France and so am a bit of a mix just like many Canadians!!
Obviously when I got here and realized that Acadian French is nothing like European French I had to have a bit of a rethink!
But I still feel it was a great choice for me. I had been wanting to make the move since the 80s when Quebec was advertising in France for people to move over... Ex hubby wouldn't consider it although he was French (still is actually) so I put it on the back burner...
It won't suit everybody for sure, some people won't like it and will either move to another country or maybe go back to the UK but right now for me I like it here, I forget I'm not Canadian and can't really see myself going anywhere else... although when it's - 24 out there I do dream of a relocation to the Bahamas!!!