Nova Scotia - How is it?
Nov 29th 2010, 1:28 pm
#16
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2010
Location: From NS to ON to AB & back to ON. Currently in USA
Posts: 100
Re: Nova Scotia - How is it?
My husband and I moved to Windsor, NS in April 2008, so not been here quite 3 years yet but still.
Just a bit of background - So, we moved here under the nominee program based on a job offer that I had, to run an equestrian centre. We had already decided to move to Nova Scotia, then I started searching for jobs. The job came with accomodation and a vehicle so seemed like a fabulous starting point and once establised we intended to buy our own house/car etc. anyhow to cut a long story short we arrived, with luggage, two dogs etc to a falling down barn, a revolting apartment and a truck with two flat tires and a clutch on its last legs! And yes we had been over before, met the employer, looked around the barn (2 years prior) and the accomodation, and been told that over that 2 years various upgrades, renovations had taken place - the website was fabulous, only to find that it was not the case. We were lucky to have friends locally so got out of there within 2 days and our very kind friends put us up for 6 weeks, during which time we purchased a house. This has turned into a bit of a rant!!
Housing - So to get back on track, purchasing a house was relatively simple, we bought a house with a mortgage (had a 30% downpayment) and moved in within 3 weeks (it was vacant at time of sale). We very nearly bought a cottage in the woods, would have been a seriously bad idea, seemed great at the time (we were still dizzy with excitement) as it turned out part of the property didnt have planning so we backed out. However in hindsight it would have been a nightmare with the flies from the woods, difficulty getting ploughed out in the winter and total isolation! Everything happens for a reason!
Cars - With regards to a vehicle we purchased a truck from a small second hand dealer - very very bad idea!! Only buy form big renown dealers without exception!! We knew that the vehicle was rebuilt (it had been in an accident) it had a fresh MVI (like a MOT) and seemed good to go. Under a year later we decided to sell it for various reasons - not because we believed anything to be wrong with it, anyhow it turned out, the vehicle was not road worthy, the chassis was twisted, should never have had an MVI and we had basically been had over when we bought it! Great. We could repair it to the tune of $5,000 (which we didnt have) or sell it as it was declaring the damage, which we did, loosing all in all about $8,000. Since then we have bought two vehicles from large dealerships and got great deals!
Jobs - Windsor is halfway between the City and the Valley so is great to commute to either. To get anywhere with employment here (NS), the trick is perseverence and put yourself out there, do not expect to apply for a job and hear back, very often you hear nothing at all!! Its important to take your CV in personally, make follow up calls etc. I must have applied for about 40 jobs, no joke, over a a 2 month period, I was crazy, applying for everything and anything. Got 1 interview from all that but landed a well paid job in Wolfville (in the valley), however the issue was I was alone in the office 90% of the time, not a good position to be in when you move to a new country, so when job hunting it is advisable to get into a position where you will be meeting people!! So well paid or not, I was very sad, had been in NS for nearly a year and knew next to noone. Within 6 months of being in that job I was job hunting again, anything and everything! A job came up in the provincial government, so nearly didnt apply - anyhow Low and behold after many tens of applications completed, I got an interview for the government job and got it, I have been working for the province ever since. My work colleagues are great and I am out of the office at least 2 days a week.
When it comes to job hunting you have to be very aware of education requirements, they are very different here and more often than not there are no equivalents. I also found it interesting that degree classifications are different. I graduated from a very good university, with a very tough degree, with a 66% average 2:1 - awesome, I was in top 15 of my year group. Over here the top 15 of most degree courses would be getting grades of over 80% - so unbeknown to me, until discussing with a colleague, my degree grade was thought of as being below average! Any how, just an interesting point I thought!
Friends - for us making friends has been really hard. I am very much into horses and worked as an instructor/trainer/manager in the UK for the 5 years before we moved with intentions of remaining in the industry over here - not going to happen. In England just owning a horse and keeping it at livery is a means to meeting lots of people, but here the majority of people keep their horses at home and the few that do keep them at boarding barns more often than not do not ride so you never see them. I have officially accumulated 3 friends through horses! And although my work colleagues are great, they are not quite friends, but working on it. Other people that I know who have moved here from the UK with kids (which we dont have) seemed to have had an easier time and made friends with other parents and kids groups etc. Also the church groups provide a great network (we are not religious).
My husband has had a much tougher time than me and officially has 1 mate!! Bless him. Dont get me wrong we know quite a few good people but not 'friends'. My husband is really into outdoor sports, did alot of shooting, off road driving, worked in agriculture in the UK so we both thought that meeting people with similar interests would be easy! not so. Hunting over here is a bit of a joke, in general, it consists of guys going out with guns and drinking a great deal, if they shoot something on the way in or on the way back from the cabin it was successful!! Quite funny really but not what my husband was after! so that ruled that out.
Both my husband and I are ambitious, forward thinking people - I think most people are that emmigrate! Anyhow, the majority of people in our area have not been out of the Province, and are happy not to, the wives stay at home and breed, while the men work in blue collar jobs, come home and drink beer. And thats just great, most of them are super happy and content, but it makes it difficult to 'connect' and find like minded people. That may be different closer to the city, but we are not city people!
We are happy here and have had a very interesting couple of years, however I can see us moving maybe to Ontario in the next 5 years, for a bit more action, professionalism and motivation!! Laid back is good, but we want to keep moving forward!
Nova Scotia is beautiful and the people are friendly, and Canada no doubt is a fantastic country to live in. I believe that you should always have an open mind and be able to adjust - come what may, it will be an adventure!! I certainly wouldnt change anything about the last 2.5yrs!
Just a bit of background - So, we moved here under the nominee program based on a job offer that I had, to run an equestrian centre. We had already decided to move to Nova Scotia, then I started searching for jobs. The job came with accomodation and a vehicle so seemed like a fabulous starting point and once establised we intended to buy our own house/car etc. anyhow to cut a long story short we arrived, with luggage, two dogs etc to a falling down barn, a revolting apartment and a truck with two flat tires and a clutch on its last legs! And yes we had been over before, met the employer, looked around the barn (2 years prior) and the accomodation, and been told that over that 2 years various upgrades, renovations had taken place - the website was fabulous, only to find that it was not the case. We were lucky to have friends locally so got out of there within 2 days and our very kind friends put us up for 6 weeks, during which time we purchased a house. This has turned into a bit of a rant!!
Housing - So to get back on track, purchasing a house was relatively simple, we bought a house with a mortgage (had a 30% downpayment) and moved in within 3 weeks (it was vacant at time of sale). We very nearly bought a cottage in the woods, would have been a seriously bad idea, seemed great at the time (we were still dizzy with excitement) as it turned out part of the property didnt have planning so we backed out. However in hindsight it would have been a nightmare with the flies from the woods, difficulty getting ploughed out in the winter and total isolation! Everything happens for a reason!
Cars - With regards to a vehicle we purchased a truck from a small second hand dealer - very very bad idea!! Only buy form big renown dealers without exception!! We knew that the vehicle was rebuilt (it had been in an accident) it had a fresh MVI (like a MOT) and seemed good to go. Under a year later we decided to sell it for various reasons - not because we believed anything to be wrong with it, anyhow it turned out, the vehicle was not road worthy, the chassis was twisted, should never have had an MVI and we had basically been had over when we bought it! Great. We could repair it to the tune of $5,000 (which we didnt have) or sell it as it was declaring the damage, which we did, loosing all in all about $8,000. Since then we have bought two vehicles from large dealerships and got great deals!
Jobs - Windsor is halfway between the City and the Valley so is great to commute to either. To get anywhere with employment here (NS), the trick is perseverence and put yourself out there, do not expect to apply for a job and hear back, very often you hear nothing at all!! Its important to take your CV in personally, make follow up calls etc. I must have applied for about 40 jobs, no joke, over a a 2 month period, I was crazy, applying for everything and anything. Got 1 interview from all that but landed a well paid job in Wolfville (in the valley), however the issue was I was alone in the office 90% of the time, not a good position to be in when you move to a new country, so when job hunting it is advisable to get into a position where you will be meeting people!! So well paid or not, I was very sad, had been in NS for nearly a year and knew next to noone. Within 6 months of being in that job I was job hunting again, anything and everything! A job came up in the provincial government, so nearly didnt apply - anyhow Low and behold after many tens of applications completed, I got an interview for the government job and got it, I have been working for the province ever since. My work colleagues are great and I am out of the office at least 2 days a week.
When it comes to job hunting you have to be very aware of education requirements, they are very different here and more often than not there are no equivalents. I also found it interesting that degree classifications are different. I graduated from a very good university, with a very tough degree, with a 66% average 2:1 - awesome, I was in top 15 of my year group. Over here the top 15 of most degree courses would be getting grades of over 80% - so unbeknown to me, until discussing with a colleague, my degree grade was thought of as being below average! Any how, just an interesting point I thought!
Friends - for us making friends has been really hard. I am very much into horses and worked as an instructor/trainer/manager in the UK for the 5 years before we moved with intentions of remaining in the industry over here - not going to happen. In England just owning a horse and keeping it at livery is a means to meeting lots of people, but here the majority of people keep their horses at home and the few that do keep them at boarding barns more often than not do not ride so you never see them. I have officially accumulated 3 friends through horses! And although my work colleagues are great, they are not quite friends, but working on it. Other people that I know who have moved here from the UK with kids (which we dont have) seemed to have had an easier time and made friends with other parents and kids groups etc. Also the church groups provide a great network (we are not religious).
My husband has had a much tougher time than me and officially has 1 mate!! Bless him. Dont get me wrong we know quite a few good people but not 'friends'. My husband is really into outdoor sports, did alot of shooting, off road driving, worked in agriculture in the UK so we both thought that meeting people with similar interests would be easy! not so. Hunting over here is a bit of a joke, in general, it consists of guys going out with guns and drinking a great deal, if they shoot something on the way in or on the way back from the cabin it was successful!! Quite funny really but not what my husband was after! so that ruled that out.
Both my husband and I are ambitious, forward thinking people - I think most people are that emmigrate! Anyhow, the majority of people in our area have not been out of the Province, and are happy not to, the wives stay at home and breed, while the men work in blue collar jobs, come home and drink beer. And thats just great, most of them are super happy and content, but it makes it difficult to 'connect' and find like minded people. That may be different closer to the city, but we are not city people!
We are happy here and have had a very interesting couple of years, however I can see us moving maybe to Ontario in the next 5 years, for a bit more action, professionalism and motivation!! Laid back is good, but we want to keep moving forward!
Nova Scotia is beautiful and the people are friendly, and Canada no doubt is a fantastic country to live in. I believe that you should always have an open mind and be able to adjust - come what may, it will be an adventure!! I certainly wouldnt change anything about the last 2.5yrs!
Nov 29th 2010, 1:32 pm
#17
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2010
Location: From NS to ON to AB & back to ON. Currently in USA
Posts: 100
Re: Nova Scotia - How is it?
Holy cow, that was a serious essay! Long......
Nov 29th 2010, 4:44 pm
#19
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Formally Scotland. Now Bay of Quinte...Ontario
Posts: 2,466
Nov 29th 2010, 7:32 pm
#21
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2008
Location: NS
Posts: 1,111
Re: Nova Scotia - How is it?
Cars - With regards to a vehicle we purchased a truck from a small second hand dealer - very very bad idea!! Only buy form big renown dealers without exception!! We knew that the vehicle was rebuilt (it had been in an accident) it had a fresh MVI (like a MOT) and seemed good to go. Under a year later we decided to sell it for various reasons - not because we believed anything to be wrong with it, anyhow it turned out, the vehicle was not road worthy, the chassis was twisted, should never have had an MVI and we had basically been had over when we bought it! Great. We could repair it to the tune of $5,000 (which we didnt have) or sell it as it was declaring the damage, which we did, loosing all in all about $8,000. Since then we have bought two vehicles from large dealerships and got great deals!
When we arrived I bought an old school truck with a fresh MVI from a guy near Hubbards. I ran all summer in it no problem, then the brakes failed on the bridge....scary but s*** happens
Normally I would fix myself, but as I was downtown, I took it to a garage in Halifax to have the brake leak fixed so I could get home. They called me in and made many comments on it's condition and how the heck it could ever have had an MVI - no surprises there, it was old, the horn never worked and the lights pointed in every direction BUT forward
So, shortly after I sold the truck to a nice chap in Windsor (who collected these trucks and knew them inside out), listing all the problems. He carefully examined it an commented how good a shape it was in, and off he went very pleased indeed!
Seems people out of the city have a different perspective
Hopefully this will help the situation going forward
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia...car-lemon.html
Last edited by spaceace; Nov 29th 2010 at 7:35 pm.
Dec 2nd 2010, 10:57 pm
#22
Happy Helper
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 26
Re: Nova Scotia - How is it?
I came with my wife from London, UK, in 1975, and worked in Ontario until I retired in 2001 (age 53). We love to travel and, having seen all of Canada (except NL) we chose Nova Scotia as the best place to live. We bought a house in a tiny village near Liverpool, about 6km inland, and have lived here for the last nine years. I agree with all the comments made to date, in particular those of Edwinslad. This province is a wonderful place to live BUT, if you want action, even job action, it likely is not for you. The people here are wonderful. Provided you respect them, they would give you the shirt off their back. Many people here are very poor. They have developed the most amazing skills, economic and social, to cope in very difficult circumstances. I truly admire them for coping as well as they do in circumstances that would sink me.
Lives in rural areas, with exception, are very simple. Sammypeeps well describes how some carry on. Frankly, many of the local lifestyles are certainly not for me, but there are also many people around, like us, who have had professional lives and live in style. Needless to say it is with these that we have made close friends. Speaking of making friends, imagine being lifelong residents here and seeing people move in with far more money than they have. They will watch and judge you. If you are a genuine person who accepts them, they will respect and accept you. If you indicate in any way that you think you are better or know better than they do, they will turn away. It may sound a little harsh but I think that's very fair. We are very much outsiders and it's up to us in such small communities to earn acceptance. After nine years here we have long become part of the scenery. A new British family have just arrived from Britain in our village, so they are going through the early stages and we are trying to help them adjust.
Living in or near a city like Halifax is a bit different. There are far more amenities there. While I don't miss the city, my wife does so has to go to Halifax for a couple of days each month to shop and get her city fix. Sometimes we go together, sometimes not. If you are coming to Nova Scotia and don't want a remote, rural lifestyle, go to Halifax. It is a city but in no way compares to Toronto where you can spend hours in traffic every day, breath polluted air, and relate to people who are too busy to just chat like they do here.
So, make an informed choice of where to live, depending on what you are seeking. Canada? It's the most wonderful country there is. It is vast, challenging and welcoming. Health care? It has many issues, but is way, way better than the British National Health. My MIL recently joined us from Britain for her final years. She cannot believe how well she is looked after medically. I could go on.
Lives in rural areas, with exception, are very simple. Sammypeeps well describes how some carry on. Frankly, many of the local lifestyles are certainly not for me, but there are also many people around, like us, who have had professional lives and live in style. Needless to say it is with these that we have made close friends. Speaking of making friends, imagine being lifelong residents here and seeing people move in with far more money than they have. They will watch and judge you. If you are a genuine person who accepts them, they will respect and accept you. If you indicate in any way that you think you are better or know better than they do, they will turn away. It may sound a little harsh but I think that's very fair. We are very much outsiders and it's up to us in such small communities to earn acceptance. After nine years here we have long become part of the scenery. A new British family have just arrived from Britain in our village, so they are going through the early stages and we are trying to help them adjust.
Living in or near a city like Halifax is a bit different. There are far more amenities there. While I don't miss the city, my wife does so has to go to Halifax for a couple of days each month to shop and get her city fix. Sometimes we go together, sometimes not. If you are coming to Nova Scotia and don't want a remote, rural lifestyle, go to Halifax. It is a city but in no way compares to Toronto where you can spend hours in traffic every day, breath polluted air, and relate to people who are too busy to just chat like they do here.
So, make an informed choice of where to live, depending on what you are seeking. Canada? It's the most wonderful country there is. It is vast, challenging and welcoming. Health care? It has many issues, but is way, way better than the British National Health. My MIL recently joined us from Britain for her final years. She cannot believe how well she is looked after medically. I could go on.
Dec 2nd 2010, 11:31 pm
#23
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2008
Location: NS
Posts: 1,111
Re: Nova Scotia - How is it?
wow, cracking 2nd post there....well said 
Dec 3rd 2010, 7:59 am
#24
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Lunenburg, NS
Posts: 539
Re: Nova Scotia - How is it?
Hubby and I are dead set to settle in rural Nova Scotia, we already live in rural North Wales.
After reading everyones posts here we are more than happy with our decision to move there.
Thanks to all for your honest and frank replies
After reading everyones posts here we are more than happy with our decision to move there.
Thanks to all for your honest and frank replies
Dec 3rd 2010, 12:31 pm
#25
Happy Helper
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 26
Re: Nova Scotia - How is it?
As it happens, there was a piece in today's Halifax Chronicle Herald reporting that, among other things, Nova Scotia has more doctors per capita than any other Canadian province. See: http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1215182.html (The link may disappear after a period of time.)
Dec 3rd 2010, 12:33 pm
#26
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2008
Location: NS
Posts: 1,111
Re: Nova Scotia - How is it?
good luck with your move
Dec 3rd 2010, 11:58 pm
#27
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Location: Toronto
Posts: 161
Re: Nova Scotia - How is it?
My husband and I moved to Windsor, NS in April 2008, so not been here quite 3 years yet but still.
Just a bit of background - So, we moved here under the nominee program based on a job offer that I had, to run an equestrian centre. We had already decided to move to Nova Scotia, then I started searching for jobs. The job came with accomodation and a vehicle so seemed like a fabulous starting point and once establised we intended to buy our own house/car etc. anyhow to cut a long story short we arrived, with luggage, two dogs etc to a falling down barn, a revolting apartment and a truck with two flat tires and a clutch on its last legs! And yes we had been over before, met the employer, looked around the barn (2 years prior) and the accomodation, and been told that over that 2 years various upgrades, renovations had taken place - the website was fabulous, only to find that it was not the case. We were lucky to have friends locally so got out of there within 2 days and our very kind friends put us up for 6 weeks, during which time we purchased a house. This has turned into a bit of a rant!!
Housing - So to get back on track, purchasing a house was relatively simple, we bought a house with a mortgage (had a 30% downpayment) and moved in within 3 weeks (it was vacant at time of sale). We very nearly bought a cottage in the woods, would have been a seriously bad idea, seemed great at the time (we were still dizzy with excitement) as it turned out part of the property didnt have planning so we backed out. However in hindsight it would have been a nightmare with the flies from the woods, difficulty getting ploughed out in the winter and total isolation! Everything happens for a reason!
Cars - With regards to a vehicle we purchased a truck from a small second hand dealer - very very bad idea!! Only buy form big renown dealers without exception!! We knew that the vehicle was rebuilt (it had been in an accident) it had a fresh MVI (like a MOT) and seemed good to go. Under a year later we decided to sell it for various reasons - not because we believed anything to be wrong with it, anyhow it turned out, the vehicle was not road worthy, the chassis was twisted, should never have had an MVI and we had basically been had over when we bought it! Great. We could repair it to the tune of $5,000 (which we didnt have) or sell it as it was declaring the damage, which we did, loosing all in all about $8,000. Since then we have bought two vehicles from large dealerships and got great deals!
Jobs - Windsor is halfway between the City and the Valley so is great to commute to either. To get anywhere with employment here (NS), the trick is perseverence and put yourself out there, do not expect to apply for a job and hear back, very often you hear nothing at all!! Its important to take your CV in personally, make follow up calls etc. I must have applied for about 40 jobs, no joke, over a a 2 month period, I was crazy, applying for everything and anything. Got 1 interview from all that but landed a well paid job in Wolfville (in the valley), however the issue was I was alone in the office 90% of the time, not a good position to be in when you move to a new country, so when job hunting it is advisable to get into a position where you will be meeting people!! So well paid or not, I was very sad, had been in NS for nearly a year and knew next to noone. Within 6 months of being in that job I was job hunting again, anything and everything! A job came up in the provincial government, so nearly didnt apply - anyhow Low and behold after many tens of applications completed, I got an interview for the government job and got it, I have been working for the province ever since. My work colleagues are great and I am out of the office at least 2 days a week.
When it comes to job hunting you have to be very aware of education requirements, they are very different here and more often than not there are no equivalents. I also found it interesting that degree classifications are different. I graduated from a very good university, with a very tough degree, with a 66% average 2:1 - awesome, I was in top 15 of my year group. Over here the top 15 of most degree courses would be getting grades of over 80% - so unbeknown to me, until discussing with a colleague, my degree grade was thought of as being below average! Any how, just an interesting point I thought!
Friends - for us making friends has been really hard. I am very much into horses and worked as an instructor/trainer/manager in the UK for the 5 years before we moved with intentions of remaining in the industry over here - not going to happen. In England just owning a horse and keeping it at livery is a means to meeting lots of people, but here the majority of people keep their horses at home and the few that do keep them at boarding barns more often than not do not ride so you never see them. I have officially accumulated 3 friends through horses! And although my work colleagues are great, they are not quite friends, but working on it. Other people that I know who have moved here from the UK with kids (which we dont have) seemed to have had an easier time and made friends with other parents and kids groups etc. Also the church groups provide a great network (we are not religious).
My husband has had a much tougher time than me and officially has 1 mate!! Bless him. Dont get me wrong we know quite a few good people but not 'friends'. My husband is really into outdoor sports, did alot of shooting, off road driving, worked in agriculture in the UK so we both thought that meeting people with similar interests would be easy! not so. Hunting over here is a bit of a joke, in general, it consists of guys going out with guns and drinking a great deal, if they shoot something on the way in or on the way back from the cabin it was successful!! Quite funny really but not what my husband was after! so that ruled that out.
Both my husband and I are ambitious, forward thinking people - I think most people are that emmigrate! Anyhow, the majority of people in our area have not been out of the Province, and are happy not to, the wives stay at home and breed, while the men work in blue collar jobs, come home and drink beer. And thats just great, most of them are super happy and content, but it makes it difficult to 'connect' and find like minded people. That may be different closer to the city, but we are not city people!
We are happy here and have had a very interesting couple of years, however I can see us moving maybe to Ontario in the next 5 years, for a bit more action, professionalism and motivation!! Laid back is good, but we want to keep moving forward!
Nova Scotia is beautiful and the people are friendly, and Canada no doubt is a fantastic country to live in. I believe that you should always have an open mind and be able to adjust - come what may, it will be an adventure!! I certainly wouldnt change anything about the last 2.5yrs!
Just a bit of background - So, we moved here under the nominee program based on a job offer that I had, to run an equestrian centre. We had already decided to move to Nova Scotia, then I started searching for jobs. The job came with accomodation and a vehicle so seemed like a fabulous starting point and once establised we intended to buy our own house/car etc. anyhow to cut a long story short we arrived, with luggage, two dogs etc to a falling down barn, a revolting apartment and a truck with two flat tires and a clutch on its last legs! And yes we had been over before, met the employer, looked around the barn (2 years prior) and the accomodation, and been told that over that 2 years various upgrades, renovations had taken place - the website was fabulous, only to find that it was not the case. We were lucky to have friends locally so got out of there within 2 days and our very kind friends put us up for 6 weeks, during which time we purchased a house. This has turned into a bit of a rant!!
Housing - So to get back on track, purchasing a house was relatively simple, we bought a house with a mortgage (had a 30% downpayment) and moved in within 3 weeks (it was vacant at time of sale). We very nearly bought a cottage in the woods, would have been a seriously bad idea, seemed great at the time (we were still dizzy with excitement) as it turned out part of the property didnt have planning so we backed out. However in hindsight it would have been a nightmare with the flies from the woods, difficulty getting ploughed out in the winter and total isolation! Everything happens for a reason!
Cars - With regards to a vehicle we purchased a truck from a small second hand dealer - very very bad idea!! Only buy form big renown dealers without exception!! We knew that the vehicle was rebuilt (it had been in an accident) it had a fresh MVI (like a MOT) and seemed good to go. Under a year later we decided to sell it for various reasons - not because we believed anything to be wrong with it, anyhow it turned out, the vehicle was not road worthy, the chassis was twisted, should never have had an MVI and we had basically been had over when we bought it! Great. We could repair it to the tune of $5,000 (which we didnt have) or sell it as it was declaring the damage, which we did, loosing all in all about $8,000. Since then we have bought two vehicles from large dealerships and got great deals!
Jobs - Windsor is halfway between the City and the Valley so is great to commute to either. To get anywhere with employment here (NS), the trick is perseverence and put yourself out there, do not expect to apply for a job and hear back, very often you hear nothing at all!! Its important to take your CV in personally, make follow up calls etc. I must have applied for about 40 jobs, no joke, over a a 2 month period, I was crazy, applying for everything and anything. Got 1 interview from all that but landed a well paid job in Wolfville (in the valley), however the issue was I was alone in the office 90% of the time, not a good position to be in when you move to a new country, so when job hunting it is advisable to get into a position where you will be meeting people!! So well paid or not, I was very sad, had been in NS for nearly a year and knew next to noone. Within 6 months of being in that job I was job hunting again, anything and everything! A job came up in the provincial government, so nearly didnt apply - anyhow Low and behold after many tens of applications completed, I got an interview for the government job and got it, I have been working for the province ever since. My work colleagues are great and I am out of the office at least 2 days a week.
When it comes to job hunting you have to be very aware of education requirements, they are very different here and more often than not there are no equivalents. I also found it interesting that degree classifications are different. I graduated from a very good university, with a very tough degree, with a 66% average 2:1 - awesome, I was in top 15 of my year group. Over here the top 15 of most degree courses would be getting grades of over 80% - so unbeknown to me, until discussing with a colleague, my degree grade was thought of as being below average! Any how, just an interesting point I thought!
Friends - for us making friends has been really hard. I am very much into horses and worked as an instructor/trainer/manager in the UK for the 5 years before we moved with intentions of remaining in the industry over here - not going to happen. In England just owning a horse and keeping it at livery is a means to meeting lots of people, but here the majority of people keep their horses at home and the few that do keep them at boarding barns more often than not do not ride so you never see them. I have officially accumulated 3 friends through horses! And although my work colleagues are great, they are not quite friends, but working on it. Other people that I know who have moved here from the UK with kids (which we dont have) seemed to have had an easier time and made friends with other parents and kids groups etc. Also the church groups provide a great network (we are not religious).
My husband has had a much tougher time than me and officially has 1 mate!! Bless him. Dont get me wrong we know quite a few good people but not 'friends'. My husband is really into outdoor sports, did alot of shooting, off road driving, worked in agriculture in the UK so we both thought that meeting people with similar interests would be easy! not so. Hunting over here is a bit of a joke, in general, it consists of guys going out with guns and drinking a great deal, if they shoot something on the way in or on the way back from the cabin it was successful!! Quite funny really but not what my husband was after! so that ruled that out.
Both my husband and I are ambitious, forward thinking people - I think most people are that emmigrate! Anyhow, the majority of people in our area have not been out of the Province, and are happy not to, the wives stay at home and breed, while the men work in blue collar jobs, come home and drink beer. And thats just great, most of them are super happy and content, but it makes it difficult to 'connect' and find like minded people. That may be different closer to the city, but we are not city people!
We are happy here and have had a very interesting couple of years, however I can see us moving maybe to Ontario in the next 5 years, for a bit more action, professionalism and motivation!! Laid back is good, but we want to keep moving forward!
Nova Scotia is beautiful and the people are friendly, and Canada no doubt is a fantastic country to live in. I believe that you should always have an open mind and be able to adjust - come what may, it will be an adventure!! I certainly wouldnt change anything about the last 2.5yrs!
Dec 4th 2010, 12:34 am
#28
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Bridgetown,NS
Posts: 410
Re: Nova Scotia - How is it?
Sammypeeps - have you thought about getting involved in your local Exhibition? I run the Exhibition up here (Annapolis Valley) and we have a couple of hundred light horse people here, many volunteer on committees year round are they seem a pretty friendly group.
Perhaps hubby could look at the Federation of Agriculture, they are always looking for new volunteers and a fresh perpective could be a great asset
Good luck
Perhaps hubby could look at the Federation of Agriculture, they are always looking for new volunteers and a fresh perpective could be a great asset
Good luck
Jan 2nd 2011, 7:42 am
#29
Just Joined
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 20
Re: Nova Scotia - How is it?
My husband and I moved to Windsor, NS in April 2008, so not been here quite 3 years yet but still.
Just a bit of background - So, we moved here under the nominee program based on a job offer that I had, to run an equestrian centre. We had already decided to move to Nova Scotia, then I started searching for jobs. The job came with accomodation and a vehicle so seemed like a fabulous starting point and once establised we intended to buy our own house/car etc. anyhow to cut a long story short we arrived, with luggage, two dogs etc to a falling down barn, a revolting apartment and a truck with two flat tires and a clutch on its last legs! And yes we had been over before, met the employer, looked around the barn (2 years prior) and the accomodation, and been told that over that 2 years various upgrades, renovations had taken place - the website was fabulous, only to find that it was not the case. We were lucky to have friends locally so got out of there within 2 days and our very kind friends put us up for 6 weeks, during which time we purchased a house. This has turned into a bit of a rant!!
Housing - So to get back on track, purchasing a house was relatively simple, we bought a house with a mortgage (had a 30% downpayment) and moved in within 3 weeks (it was vacant at time of sale). We very nearly bought a cottage in the woods, would have been a seriously bad idea, seemed great at the time (we were still dizzy with excitement) as it turned out part of the property didnt have planning so we backed out. However in hindsight it would have been a nightmare with the flies from the woods, difficulty getting ploughed out in the winter and total isolation! Everything happens for a reason!
Cars - With regards to a vehicle we purchased a truck from a small second hand dealer - very very bad idea!! Only buy form big renown dealers without exception!! We knew that the vehicle was rebuilt (it had been in an accident) it had a fresh MVI (like a MOT) and seemed good to go. Under a year later we decided to sell it for various reasons - not because we believed anything to be wrong with it, anyhow it turned out, the vehicle was not road worthy, the chassis was twisted, should never have had an MVI and we had basically been had over when we bought it! Great. We could repair it to the tune of $5,000 (which we didnt have) or sell it as it was declaring the damage, which we did, loosing all in all about $8,000. Since then we have bought two vehicles from large dealerships and got great deals!
Jobs - Windsor is halfway between the City and the Valley so is great to commute to either. To get anywhere with employment here (NS), the trick is perseverence and put yourself out there, do not expect to apply for a job and hear back, very often you hear nothing at all!! Its important to take your CV in personally, make follow up calls etc. I must have applied for about 40 jobs, no joke, over a a 2 month period, I was crazy, applying for everything and anything. Got 1 interview from all that but landed a well paid job in Wolfville (in the valley), however the issue was I was alone in the office 90% of the time, not a good position to be in when you move to a new country, so when job hunting it is advisable to get into a position where you will be meeting people!! So well paid or not, I was very sad, had been in NS for nearly a year and knew next to noone. Within 6 months of being in that job I was job hunting again, anything and everything! A job came up in the provincial government, so nearly didnt apply - anyhow Low and behold after many tens of applications completed, I got an interview for the government job and got it, I have been working for the province ever since. My work colleagues are great and I am out of the office at least 2 days a week.
When it comes to job hunting you have to be very aware of education requirements, they are very different here and more often than not there are no equivalents. I also found it interesting that degree classifications are different. I graduated from a very good university, with a very tough degree, with a 66% average 2:1 - awesome, I was in top 15 of my year group. Over here the top 15 of most degree courses would be getting grades of over 80% - so unbeknown to me, until discussing with a colleague, my degree grade was thought of as being below average! Any how, just an interesting point I thought!
Friends - for us making friends has been really hard. I am very much into horses and worked as an instructor/trainer/manager in the UK for the 5 years before we moved with intentions of remaining in the industry over here - not going to happen. In England just owning a horse and keeping it at livery is a means to meeting lots of people, but here the majority of people keep their horses at home and the few that do keep them at boarding barns more often than not do not ride so you never see them. I have officially accumulated 3 friends through horses! And although my work colleagues are great, they are not quite friends, but working on it. Other people that I know who have moved here from the UK with kids (which we dont have) seemed to have had an easier time and made friends with other parents and kids groups etc. Also the church groups provide a great network (we are not religious).
My husband has had a much tougher time than me and officially has 1 mate!! Bless him. Dont get me wrong we know quite a few good people but not 'friends'. My husband is really into outdoor sports, did alot of shooting, off road driving, worked in agriculture in the UK so we both thought that meeting people with similar interests would be easy! not so. Hunting over here is a bit of a joke, in general, it consists of guys going out with guns and drinking a great deal, if they shoot something on the way in or on the way back from the cabin it was successful!! Quite funny really but not what my husband was after! so that ruled that out.
Both my husband and I are ambitious, forward thinking people - I think most people are that emmigrate! Anyhow, the majority of people in our area have not been out of the Province, and are happy not to, the wives stay at home and breed, while the men work in blue collar jobs, come home and drink beer. And thats just great, most of them are super happy and content, but it makes it difficult to 'connect' and find like minded people. That may be different closer to the city, but we are not city people!
We are happy here and have had a very interesting couple of years, however I can see us moving maybe to Ontario in the next 5 years, for a bit more action, professionalism and motivation!! Laid back is good, but we want to keep moving forward!
Nova Scotia is beautiful and the people are friendly, and Canada no doubt is a fantastic country to live in. I believe that you should always have an open mind and be able to adjust - come what may, it will be an adventure!! I certainly wouldnt change anything about the last 2.5yrs!
Just a bit of background - So, we moved here under the nominee program based on a job offer that I had, to run an equestrian centre. We had already decided to move to Nova Scotia, then I started searching for jobs. The job came with accomodation and a vehicle so seemed like a fabulous starting point and once establised we intended to buy our own house/car etc. anyhow to cut a long story short we arrived, with luggage, two dogs etc to a falling down barn, a revolting apartment and a truck with two flat tires and a clutch on its last legs! And yes we had been over before, met the employer, looked around the barn (2 years prior) and the accomodation, and been told that over that 2 years various upgrades, renovations had taken place - the website was fabulous, only to find that it was not the case. We were lucky to have friends locally so got out of there within 2 days and our very kind friends put us up for 6 weeks, during which time we purchased a house. This has turned into a bit of a rant!!
Housing - So to get back on track, purchasing a house was relatively simple, we bought a house with a mortgage (had a 30% downpayment) and moved in within 3 weeks (it was vacant at time of sale). We very nearly bought a cottage in the woods, would have been a seriously bad idea, seemed great at the time (we were still dizzy with excitement) as it turned out part of the property didnt have planning so we backed out. However in hindsight it would have been a nightmare with the flies from the woods, difficulty getting ploughed out in the winter and total isolation! Everything happens for a reason!
Cars - With regards to a vehicle we purchased a truck from a small second hand dealer - very very bad idea!! Only buy form big renown dealers without exception!! We knew that the vehicle was rebuilt (it had been in an accident) it had a fresh MVI (like a MOT) and seemed good to go. Under a year later we decided to sell it for various reasons - not because we believed anything to be wrong with it, anyhow it turned out, the vehicle was not road worthy, the chassis was twisted, should never have had an MVI and we had basically been had over when we bought it! Great. We could repair it to the tune of $5,000 (which we didnt have) or sell it as it was declaring the damage, which we did, loosing all in all about $8,000. Since then we have bought two vehicles from large dealerships and got great deals!
Jobs - Windsor is halfway between the City and the Valley so is great to commute to either. To get anywhere with employment here (NS), the trick is perseverence and put yourself out there, do not expect to apply for a job and hear back, very often you hear nothing at all!! Its important to take your CV in personally, make follow up calls etc. I must have applied for about 40 jobs, no joke, over a a 2 month period, I was crazy, applying for everything and anything. Got 1 interview from all that but landed a well paid job in Wolfville (in the valley), however the issue was I was alone in the office 90% of the time, not a good position to be in when you move to a new country, so when job hunting it is advisable to get into a position where you will be meeting people!! So well paid or not, I was very sad, had been in NS for nearly a year and knew next to noone. Within 6 months of being in that job I was job hunting again, anything and everything! A job came up in the provincial government, so nearly didnt apply - anyhow Low and behold after many tens of applications completed, I got an interview for the government job and got it, I have been working for the province ever since. My work colleagues are great and I am out of the office at least 2 days a week.
When it comes to job hunting you have to be very aware of education requirements, they are very different here and more often than not there are no equivalents. I also found it interesting that degree classifications are different. I graduated from a very good university, with a very tough degree, with a 66% average 2:1 - awesome, I was in top 15 of my year group. Over here the top 15 of most degree courses would be getting grades of over 80% - so unbeknown to me, until discussing with a colleague, my degree grade was thought of as being below average! Any how, just an interesting point I thought!
Friends - for us making friends has been really hard. I am very much into horses and worked as an instructor/trainer/manager in the UK for the 5 years before we moved with intentions of remaining in the industry over here - not going to happen. In England just owning a horse and keeping it at livery is a means to meeting lots of people, but here the majority of people keep their horses at home and the few that do keep them at boarding barns more often than not do not ride so you never see them. I have officially accumulated 3 friends through horses! And although my work colleagues are great, they are not quite friends, but working on it. Other people that I know who have moved here from the UK with kids (which we dont have) seemed to have had an easier time and made friends with other parents and kids groups etc. Also the church groups provide a great network (we are not religious).
My husband has had a much tougher time than me and officially has 1 mate!! Bless him. Dont get me wrong we know quite a few good people but not 'friends'. My husband is really into outdoor sports, did alot of shooting, off road driving, worked in agriculture in the UK so we both thought that meeting people with similar interests would be easy! not so. Hunting over here is a bit of a joke, in general, it consists of guys going out with guns and drinking a great deal, if they shoot something on the way in or on the way back from the cabin it was successful!! Quite funny really but not what my husband was after! so that ruled that out.
Both my husband and I are ambitious, forward thinking people - I think most people are that emmigrate! Anyhow, the majority of people in our area have not been out of the Province, and are happy not to, the wives stay at home and breed, while the men work in blue collar jobs, come home and drink beer. And thats just great, most of them are super happy and content, but it makes it difficult to 'connect' and find like minded people. That may be different closer to the city, but we are not city people!
We are happy here and have had a very interesting couple of years, however I can see us moving maybe to Ontario in the next 5 years, for a bit more action, professionalism and motivation!! Laid back is good, but we want to keep moving forward!
Nova Scotia is beautiful and the people are friendly, and Canada no doubt is a fantastic country to live in. I believe that you should always have an open mind and be able to adjust - come what may, it will be an adventure!! I certainly wouldnt change anything about the last 2.5yrs!
Jan 7th 2011, 2:47 pm
#30
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Fletchers Lake, Halifax, NS
Posts: 75
Re: Nova Scotia - How is it?
Hi everyone and thanks for your responses. I have left it a while before I post my thoughts because of Christmas/New Year and the associated craziness with all that.
Anyway, a bit of background. My wife and I and our 8 year old twins (now 13) moved here under the skilled worker program on December 7th 2005. I had no job to come to, thinking that I would hopefully get something fairly quickly, even if it was stacking shelves in Wal-Mart. It’s all about that Canadian Experience right? We kept sufficient funds to support us for 6 months just in case. We had been over on a fact-finding trip in June 2004, visiting Toronto and Vancouver/Victoria, neither of which ‘floated our boat’. We wouldn’t move to London, UK, so why the hell move to either of these cities. The reason we initially considered Toronto was that my background is Flight Simulation and they have a major training center in the airport in Toronto, so it was to increase my job prospects. However this would also be accompanied by a commute from hell, so we discounted it fairly quickly.
My wife was an Occupational Therapist, and she had to take the Canadian Qualification exam, so flew back to Canada in July to attend the OT conference in PEI, and take her exam in Halifax. She also managed a visit to New Brunswick and then stayed a week with friends on the South Shore, Nova Scotia. It was during this visit that she realised that Nova Scotia was the place for us. Decision made!
We got our med requests at the beginning of Aug 2005, and had our visas a couple of months later. We sold our house (on the internet!) and I flew back to Halifax in November to buy our home here. So here are some of our experiences and thoughts.
Banking(not NS specific but useful all the same!): When we were over on a visit to friends in Halifax at Easter 2005 discussed mortgages and accounts with a senior banking advisor at Scotiabank. Getting a mortgage would be no problem she said, so we opened an account, paid in some money so we had funds in Canada and thought we were all set. When I flew over in the November to buy the house, I found the house, made and had the offer accepted, then went into Scotiabank to finalise the mortgage. As I didn’t have a job in Canada they wouldn’t give me a mortgage. This was despite the fact we had 60% to put down. I was panicked and less than impressed. I then walked out of the bank, across the road to RBC, spoke to a mortgage advisor who said not a problem. As I still had my job in the UK, they would use that to simplify the application process. The mortgage process was then fairly similar to the UK and RBC were fantastic. So as far as banking goes, it really depends on the competence of your advisor! Interestingly, I got a call from Scotiabank while i was at the airport waiting to fly back to the UK saying they think they could do something for me. Too late!! Account closed.
Expect to pay bank charges. Yes there are free options (PC Financial) which my wife had an account with, but she had so many problems, she ditched them and came to RBC as well. We pay $30 a month which gives us 4 accounts, plus a US$ account, and it also gives us our Avion Platinum Visa for free (travel rewards card usually $170 a year for the two cards). I like the fact that I pay my $30 a month and have no further fees to contend with, plus RBC has the widest ATM network in Canada.
Having said all this, the Canadian banking System came out of the recent recession unscathed, so they must be doing something right!
Housing: Buying the house was straightforward. We had great realtors (Jerry & Annette Murphy). They had met with us on a previous visit, shown us a load of houses, they then knew exactly what we were looking for and tailored their mailings accordingly. Realtors here do charge a lot to the seller, but then they do a lot more than your typical UK Estate Agent. They tailored our offer, and got us the house at a great price. We then arranged a home inspection, this was conducted very soon after the offer was accepted and the buyer is usually present and accompanies the inspector. Being new to the country the inspector was very good explaining some of the items with which we had no experience. If you buy a house in Nova Scotia out of the city, the chances are you will either be on a well or septic or both. We were lucky to find a semi rural house with septic, but mains water (quite rare!). Septics are a bit of a nightmare to be honest. If it’s a new house then great, you know how the septic and it’s field has been treated, but an older house, it’s a bit of an unknown. They will need pumping every 2 – 5 years depending on state of the field, size of the family etc. Our septic tank is fine, but it looks like someone has driven over the field at some point, so the field is starting fail. To replace it is a big (and expensive) job – probably around $20k. You need to look after your septic!
Cars: In Nova Scotia you will need to take the driving test. I know some provinces will just exchange, but I personally don’t agree with that. Driving here is totally different – as well as the other side of the road, signs are different, priorities are different and so on. It’s important that you understand the rules and regulations and having to take a test is a way of ensuring you do. It's not that difficult and consists of a written and a practical part. It's only a quick 30 minute practical and the examiners are aware that you have previous driving experience - this is just a familiarization test. We bought one car (a minivan) when we arrived with the second one to be bought when I got a job. Public transport where we live is non-existent so a car is a necessity. Price of cars is less than the UK, price of petrol (gas) is cheaper than the UK, BUT, you drive more. Gas prices are regulated by the provincial government (changed every Friday) and NS gas price is usually around 10c more per liter than Ontario. Drivers in NS are not great. Polite to the point of frustration. They stop for no apparent reason other than to let someone cross the road. You might think that charming when you first get here, but once you get into a routine and you are rushing to or from an appointment – not so charming! The MVI (similar to MOT) is carried out every two years and is not really worth the paper it is written on. No emissions tests, so a blue smoke belching clunker that has good brakes and all the lights work will probably pass. Insurance costs are on a par with the UK.
Something else to bear in mind. If you buy a secondhand car privately, you will have to pay the sales tax (15%) when you register it with the province.
Jobs: Two months after arriving I was offered a job by IMP Aerospace. This was great to get a job so soon after arrival and at last I was able to get some ‘Canadian’ experience. However, it was a major culture shock. I worked for BAE Systems in the UK and to move to an Aerospace company which was micro-managed like IMP is was an experience. I could go on, but there is a lot on these forums about IMP, so no point repeating! Most expats who arrive and start working for IMP, leave as soon as possible. For me my opportunity came 11 months later. I moved over to L-3 Communications doing the same job. This was a great move for me and the experience I gained here was excellent. A major benefit of working is the health plan. It’s very important to get a good health plan. I had to pay for the one at IMP (about $75 a month for the family), but at L-3 it was 100% paid for by the company. The coverage was much better as well (it included dental while IMP didn’t at the time). I finally got the opportunity to move back into Flight Simulation last year and now work at a Canadian Forces base on the new Cyclone Flight Simulator. It took me 5 years, but I made it eventually!
I have found that networking and who you know is everything! If you can get someone to put in a good word, then this is almost as important as your past experience. Make contacts, join networking groups, join associations. Our friends at Relocation Nova Scotia are really good at putting you in touch with people that matter. I accept that I was very lucky in getting the original job I did, but realise that now the job situation is not quite as rosy anywhere, so the more contacts you make the better!
Healthcare: MSI is the Nova Scotia healthcare system. You apply and get a card as soon as you land. You cannot get to see a doctor for free unless you have this number. There are a lot of similarities between the Canadian and UK systems, but there are a lot of things NOT covered by MSI for which you will need a health plan. Drugs and ambulance rides are two of them. There is no dental coverage, a limited amount is covered by health plans. Company group plans are much better than any personal plan you can buy, particularly if you have any pre-existing conditions. These are usually covered under group plans, but not personal ones. We have the same issues here. Shortage of nurses (underpaid), shortage of doctors, long waits in emergency and so on. Don’t think you are moving to healthcare nirvana. The bottom line is that modern healthcare is expensive, people are living longer and things like cancer and diabetes are on an upward spiral. On the whole we have been pleased with the healthcare that we have received here. My son has some anxiety issues, and has been on a waiting list for about 9 months. We get him seen privately which is covered to a point by my health plan. (up to $500) Once that limit is reached we either pay up or hope he gets seen soon.
People: We moved here beginning of December which was a really good time to move. Plenty of parties to get invited to and so on. Our new next door neighbours invited our son to a birthday party the Saturday after we arrived (movies to see Harry Potter). The boys are still friends. A family from the next street knocked on our door the first weekend to say hi. They had a daughter who was going to be in their class and wanted to introduce them selves so they had at least one friendly face when they started their new school. It made us feel very welcome. So we made friends quickly and we are still friends with all these people we met on our arrival. We are not a huge fan of British Expat get togethers, and there are a lot of expats that live in NS. They have a tendency to turn into moaning sessions which we don’t think is healthy. Most of our friends are Canadians and we feel that if you move to another country, you accept the local ways and customs and don’t try to inflict yours on them. You really need to put yourself out there, meet lots of people. This is especially important if you decide to live in some of the semi-rural areas of NS. Join groups - I'm a member of a local Toastmasters Club, I'm involved in the local Scout Group, I look after our community website, my wife is a member of a local photographic club, a women's business networking group and she runs her own business.
Education: Touchy subject. Is it better than the UK? Well it’s different. This might be because we left a particularly good, forward thinking primary school in the UK. However, the elementary school they attended here in NS was good. However, there is no flexibility in the teaching methods. Boys learn differently from girls and this was recognised in the UK. It has still to make it here. They are very quick to label your child as ADHD rather than think the teaching method does not match the child. Our son had an issue with a teacher in Grade 4 – personality clash more than anything. This escalated quite quickly with school refusal and all sorts and in discussions with the school psychologist (yes there is one!) ADHD was mentioned. We quickly put paid to that saying it was a personality clash. Sure enough, no problems in Grade 5.
When we arrived we put the children in with their age group, rather than academic level, as we felt it was important for them to fit into the new system, learn the new teaching methods, make new friends without the added academic pressure. We have no regrets and they are now fully ensconced in the Canadian Education System. French Immersion is an option in NS, but only at certain schools, so research if you want your child in French Immersion.
Be prepared to supplement your child’s education, especially with British and World history as this is not covered particularly well (certainly not up to Grade 8).
There seems to be an active school infrastructure renewal program. The oldest school they are involved with is the Junior High where they are now. The elementary and the Senior High are both relatively new.
Dislikes: there are always going to be aspects of life in Nova Scotia that you don’t like or frustrate you. The cost of living is higher here than in some other provinces with taxation being particularly high. A colleague of mine moved here from Ottawa and cannot believe the taxes he has to pay. However his condo is a lot cheaper!
Alcohol is expensive. You can only buy it through the Government ran Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation. So because we have a monopoly here prices are high. Cheapest bottle of wine is going to run you $11 or thereabouts. There is a very active home brew market! Talking of monopolies, same applies to electric. NS Power are your suppliers of electricity and there is no other option.
There is apparently a lot of poverty with food banks being visited by close on 23,000 families in Nova Scotia. However, Nova Scotians are generous people with good responses to charity appeals.
Nova Scotians are also very set in their ways. They have a ‘we’ve always done it that way’ sort of mentality, and a reluctance to try anything new.
Likes: This is a beautiful province with friendly people. Halifax is an awesome city with some superb restaurants. Compared to some other Canadian Cities, Halifax is an affordable option. There are some great festivals in the summer, the annual Buskers festival and bi-annual Tall Ships are two of my favourite.
The climate is pretty good. Warm summers without the horrendous humidity of Ontario, or the high temperatures of Alberta or the prairies. Modest snowfall usually and rarely before December. Summer 2010 was awesome and we’ve had a mild winter so far this year with far less snow than the UK!!
I know on the whole this post appears to be more negative than positive, but on the whole are we happy here? Absolutely. People considering NS as a final destination want to know what it’s REALLY like living here so there is no point me sitting here writing a rose tinted spectacle version. I could go into a lot more detail but if you want to know any specifics, then let me know by dropping me a PM. We live in Fall River which is perfectly located for both Halifax, Dartmouth and the Airport. When we were moving here we had difficulty finding out information on the community, so we put together a community website for potential residents, residents and visitors alike. If you need to know anything about this community, then this website has it. It’s in my signature block as well, so take a look and let me know what you think!
Good luck to everyone considering NS as a destination, we hope your dream is realised. We got our Canadian Citizenship on Canada day last year and have no regrets so far!
I hope this post is useful to some people. Apologies for it’s length (and this isn’t half of it!)
Graeme
Anyway, a bit of background. My wife and I and our 8 year old twins (now 13) moved here under the skilled worker program on December 7th 2005. I had no job to come to, thinking that I would hopefully get something fairly quickly, even if it was stacking shelves in Wal-Mart. It’s all about that Canadian Experience right? We kept sufficient funds to support us for 6 months just in case. We had been over on a fact-finding trip in June 2004, visiting Toronto and Vancouver/Victoria, neither of which ‘floated our boat’. We wouldn’t move to London, UK, so why the hell move to either of these cities. The reason we initially considered Toronto was that my background is Flight Simulation and they have a major training center in the airport in Toronto, so it was to increase my job prospects. However this would also be accompanied by a commute from hell, so we discounted it fairly quickly.
My wife was an Occupational Therapist, and she had to take the Canadian Qualification exam, so flew back to Canada in July to attend the OT conference in PEI, and take her exam in Halifax. She also managed a visit to New Brunswick and then stayed a week with friends on the South Shore, Nova Scotia. It was during this visit that she realised that Nova Scotia was the place for us. Decision made!
We got our med requests at the beginning of Aug 2005, and had our visas a couple of months later. We sold our house (on the internet!) and I flew back to Halifax in November to buy our home here. So here are some of our experiences and thoughts.
Banking(not NS specific but useful all the same!): When we were over on a visit to friends in Halifax at Easter 2005 discussed mortgages and accounts with a senior banking advisor at Scotiabank. Getting a mortgage would be no problem she said, so we opened an account, paid in some money so we had funds in Canada and thought we were all set. When I flew over in the November to buy the house, I found the house, made and had the offer accepted, then went into Scotiabank to finalise the mortgage. As I didn’t have a job in Canada they wouldn’t give me a mortgage. This was despite the fact we had 60% to put down. I was panicked and less than impressed. I then walked out of the bank, across the road to RBC, spoke to a mortgage advisor who said not a problem. As I still had my job in the UK, they would use that to simplify the application process. The mortgage process was then fairly similar to the UK and RBC were fantastic. So as far as banking goes, it really depends on the competence of your advisor! Interestingly, I got a call from Scotiabank while i was at the airport waiting to fly back to the UK saying they think they could do something for me. Too late!! Account closed.
Expect to pay bank charges. Yes there are free options (PC Financial) which my wife had an account with, but she had so many problems, she ditched them and came to RBC as well. We pay $30 a month which gives us 4 accounts, plus a US$ account, and it also gives us our Avion Platinum Visa for free (travel rewards card usually $170 a year for the two cards). I like the fact that I pay my $30 a month and have no further fees to contend with, plus RBC has the widest ATM network in Canada.
Having said all this, the Canadian banking System came out of the recent recession unscathed, so they must be doing something right!
Housing: Buying the house was straightforward. We had great realtors (Jerry & Annette Murphy). They had met with us on a previous visit, shown us a load of houses, they then knew exactly what we were looking for and tailored their mailings accordingly. Realtors here do charge a lot to the seller, but then they do a lot more than your typical UK Estate Agent. They tailored our offer, and got us the house at a great price. We then arranged a home inspection, this was conducted very soon after the offer was accepted and the buyer is usually present and accompanies the inspector. Being new to the country the inspector was very good explaining some of the items with which we had no experience. If you buy a house in Nova Scotia out of the city, the chances are you will either be on a well or septic or both. We were lucky to find a semi rural house with septic, but mains water (quite rare!). Septics are a bit of a nightmare to be honest. If it’s a new house then great, you know how the septic and it’s field has been treated, but an older house, it’s a bit of an unknown. They will need pumping every 2 – 5 years depending on state of the field, size of the family etc. Our septic tank is fine, but it looks like someone has driven over the field at some point, so the field is starting fail. To replace it is a big (and expensive) job – probably around $20k. You need to look after your septic!
Cars: In Nova Scotia you will need to take the driving test. I know some provinces will just exchange, but I personally don’t agree with that. Driving here is totally different – as well as the other side of the road, signs are different, priorities are different and so on. It’s important that you understand the rules and regulations and having to take a test is a way of ensuring you do. It's not that difficult and consists of a written and a practical part. It's only a quick 30 minute practical and the examiners are aware that you have previous driving experience - this is just a familiarization test. We bought one car (a minivan) when we arrived with the second one to be bought when I got a job. Public transport where we live is non-existent so a car is a necessity. Price of cars is less than the UK, price of petrol (gas) is cheaper than the UK, BUT, you drive more. Gas prices are regulated by the provincial government (changed every Friday) and NS gas price is usually around 10c more per liter than Ontario. Drivers in NS are not great. Polite to the point of frustration. They stop for no apparent reason other than to let someone cross the road. You might think that charming when you first get here, but once you get into a routine and you are rushing to or from an appointment – not so charming! The MVI (similar to MOT) is carried out every two years and is not really worth the paper it is written on. No emissions tests, so a blue smoke belching clunker that has good brakes and all the lights work will probably pass. Insurance costs are on a par with the UK.
Something else to bear in mind. If you buy a secondhand car privately, you will have to pay the sales tax (15%) when you register it with the province.
Jobs: Two months after arriving I was offered a job by IMP Aerospace. This was great to get a job so soon after arrival and at last I was able to get some ‘Canadian’ experience. However, it was a major culture shock. I worked for BAE Systems in the UK and to move to an Aerospace company which was micro-managed like IMP is was an experience. I could go on, but there is a lot on these forums about IMP, so no point repeating! Most expats who arrive and start working for IMP, leave as soon as possible. For me my opportunity came 11 months later. I moved over to L-3 Communications doing the same job. This was a great move for me and the experience I gained here was excellent. A major benefit of working is the health plan. It’s very important to get a good health plan. I had to pay for the one at IMP (about $75 a month for the family), but at L-3 it was 100% paid for by the company. The coverage was much better as well (it included dental while IMP didn’t at the time). I finally got the opportunity to move back into Flight Simulation last year and now work at a Canadian Forces base on the new Cyclone Flight Simulator. It took me 5 years, but I made it eventually!
I have found that networking and who you know is everything! If you can get someone to put in a good word, then this is almost as important as your past experience. Make contacts, join networking groups, join associations. Our friends at Relocation Nova Scotia are really good at putting you in touch with people that matter. I accept that I was very lucky in getting the original job I did, but realise that now the job situation is not quite as rosy anywhere, so the more contacts you make the better!
Healthcare: MSI is the Nova Scotia healthcare system. You apply and get a card as soon as you land. You cannot get to see a doctor for free unless you have this number. There are a lot of similarities between the Canadian and UK systems, but there are a lot of things NOT covered by MSI for which you will need a health plan. Drugs and ambulance rides are two of them. There is no dental coverage, a limited amount is covered by health plans. Company group plans are much better than any personal plan you can buy, particularly if you have any pre-existing conditions. These are usually covered under group plans, but not personal ones. We have the same issues here. Shortage of nurses (underpaid), shortage of doctors, long waits in emergency and so on. Don’t think you are moving to healthcare nirvana. The bottom line is that modern healthcare is expensive, people are living longer and things like cancer and diabetes are on an upward spiral. On the whole we have been pleased with the healthcare that we have received here. My son has some anxiety issues, and has been on a waiting list for about 9 months. We get him seen privately which is covered to a point by my health plan. (up to $500) Once that limit is reached we either pay up or hope he gets seen soon.
People: We moved here beginning of December which was a really good time to move. Plenty of parties to get invited to and so on. Our new next door neighbours invited our son to a birthday party the Saturday after we arrived (movies to see Harry Potter). The boys are still friends. A family from the next street knocked on our door the first weekend to say hi. They had a daughter who was going to be in their class and wanted to introduce them selves so they had at least one friendly face when they started their new school. It made us feel very welcome. So we made friends quickly and we are still friends with all these people we met on our arrival. We are not a huge fan of British Expat get togethers, and there are a lot of expats that live in NS. They have a tendency to turn into moaning sessions which we don’t think is healthy. Most of our friends are Canadians and we feel that if you move to another country, you accept the local ways and customs and don’t try to inflict yours on them. You really need to put yourself out there, meet lots of people. This is especially important if you decide to live in some of the semi-rural areas of NS. Join groups - I'm a member of a local Toastmasters Club, I'm involved in the local Scout Group, I look after our community website, my wife is a member of a local photographic club, a women's business networking group and she runs her own business.
Education: Touchy subject. Is it better than the UK? Well it’s different. This might be because we left a particularly good, forward thinking primary school in the UK. However, the elementary school they attended here in NS was good. However, there is no flexibility in the teaching methods. Boys learn differently from girls and this was recognised in the UK. It has still to make it here. They are very quick to label your child as ADHD rather than think the teaching method does not match the child. Our son had an issue with a teacher in Grade 4 – personality clash more than anything. This escalated quite quickly with school refusal and all sorts and in discussions with the school psychologist (yes there is one!) ADHD was mentioned. We quickly put paid to that saying it was a personality clash. Sure enough, no problems in Grade 5.
When we arrived we put the children in with their age group, rather than academic level, as we felt it was important for them to fit into the new system, learn the new teaching methods, make new friends without the added academic pressure. We have no regrets and they are now fully ensconced in the Canadian Education System. French Immersion is an option in NS, but only at certain schools, so research if you want your child in French Immersion.
Be prepared to supplement your child’s education, especially with British and World history as this is not covered particularly well (certainly not up to Grade 8).
There seems to be an active school infrastructure renewal program. The oldest school they are involved with is the Junior High where they are now. The elementary and the Senior High are both relatively new.
Dislikes: there are always going to be aspects of life in Nova Scotia that you don’t like or frustrate you. The cost of living is higher here than in some other provinces with taxation being particularly high. A colleague of mine moved here from Ottawa and cannot believe the taxes he has to pay. However his condo is a lot cheaper!
Alcohol is expensive. You can only buy it through the Government ran Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation. So because we have a monopoly here prices are high. Cheapest bottle of wine is going to run you $11 or thereabouts. There is a very active home brew market! Talking of monopolies, same applies to electric. NS Power are your suppliers of electricity and there is no other option.
There is apparently a lot of poverty with food banks being visited by close on 23,000 families in Nova Scotia. However, Nova Scotians are generous people with good responses to charity appeals.
Nova Scotians are also very set in their ways. They have a ‘we’ve always done it that way’ sort of mentality, and a reluctance to try anything new.
Likes: This is a beautiful province with friendly people. Halifax is an awesome city with some superb restaurants. Compared to some other Canadian Cities, Halifax is an affordable option. There are some great festivals in the summer, the annual Buskers festival and bi-annual Tall Ships are two of my favourite.
The climate is pretty good. Warm summers without the horrendous humidity of Ontario, or the high temperatures of Alberta or the prairies. Modest snowfall usually and rarely before December. Summer 2010 was awesome and we’ve had a mild winter so far this year with far less snow than the UK!!
I know on the whole this post appears to be more negative than positive, but on the whole are we happy here? Absolutely. People considering NS as a final destination want to know what it’s REALLY like living here so there is no point me sitting here writing a rose tinted spectacle version. I could go into a lot more detail but if you want to know any specifics, then let me know by dropping me a PM. We live in Fall River which is perfectly located for both Halifax, Dartmouth and the Airport. When we were moving here we had difficulty finding out information on the community, so we put together a community website for potential residents, residents and visitors alike. If you need to know anything about this community, then this website has it. It’s in my signature block as well, so take a look and let me know what you think!
Good luck to everyone considering NS as a destination, we hope your dream is realised. We got our Canadian Citizenship on Canada day last year and have no regrets so far!
I hope this post is useful to some people. Apologies for it’s length (and this isn’t half of it!)
Graeme
