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That's Me Done With NS!

That's Me Done With NS!

Old Sep 26th 2014, 11:26 pm
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Default That's Me Done With NS!

Yup - as much as I have grown to love Halifax, there just isn't the range of employment opportunities for the generalist, such as I. Two years of grunt work at close to minimum wage but opportunity finally came a-knocking.

I'm leaving in two weeks - very close to my second anniversary - to re-settle in a place with more economic action...Out West to prairie 'Alberda'.

Job offer accepted and signed (at three times the annual salary I was getting here). New truck ordered. Banana boxes being gathered for the move.

Fare thee well, Nova Scotia!
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Old Sep 27th 2014, 8:35 am
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

Blimey, not another one. Will there be any British expats left in NS at this rate?!

Best of luck with the move to AB, I hope it's all you're hoping for.

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Old Sep 27th 2014, 4:53 pm
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

Another one bites the dust lol, Have a safe move to the Province of Opportunity lol
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Old Sep 27th 2014, 5:53 pm
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

I might have left NS but I still love the place and miss it terribly

As far as work is concerned I am finding it harder to find a good job an hour from Toronto than I did in NS!!!

Good luck with the big move though Adrian, I wish you and yours well in your adventure
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Old Sep 27th 2014, 9:51 pm
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

Originally Posted by christmasoompa
Blimey, not another one. Will there be any British expats left in NS at this rate?!


Will there be any other nationalities either?

Good luck Adrian, from your other posts I don't think you'll need it, it sounds like success is on the way

Pretty sad for NS however. The East needs to be addressed, NOW, our economy, opportunities and future prospects for our youth.
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Old Sep 28th 2014, 11:40 am
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

Originally Posted by MillieF
Pretty sad for NS however. The East needs to be addressed, NOW, our economy, opportunities and future prospects for our youth.
Indeed - but there are some fundamental issues to be addressed.

1. Bluenosers and Newfies seem, to my cosmopolitan upbringing, to be cautiously conservative. This shows in their attitude to business where a 'better the devil you know' approach seems to be preferred. This comes across in many casual ways, such as describing an outsider as being 'from Away'.

Parallels are there with the Cornish/Devonians in the UK - the attitude seems to be "We're different and if you're not one of us then you'll never understand"

2. Credentialism - a massive (misplaced) trust and over-reliance on having the right piece of paper/diploma/certificate whatever. If you don't have it then the door remains firmly closed. I prefer judging future performance by past performance and dealing with knowledge gaps on the fly.

Sure I'll think of more once the caffeine has kicked in.
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Old Sep 28th 2014, 2:32 pm
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

Originally Posted by AdrianR
Indeed - but there are some fundamental issues to be addressed.

1. Bluenosers and Newfies seem, to my cosmopolitan upbringing, to be cautiously conservative. This shows in their attitude to business where a 'better the devil you know' approach seems to be preferred. This comes across in many casual ways, such as describing an outsider as being 'from Away'.

Parallels are there with the Cornish/Devonians in the UK - the attitude seems to be "We're different and if you're not one of us then you'll never understand"

2. Credentialism - a massive (misplaced) trust and over-reliance on having the right piece of paper/diploma/certificate whatever. If you don't have it then the door remains firmly closed. I prefer judging future performance by past performance and dealing with knowledge gaps on the fly.

Sure I'll think of more once the caffeine has kicked in.
Please do, but Points 1 and 2 are very valid and certainly true of NB too. It can be remarkably frustrating when one is told "that's how we do it in NB" when this is used as justification for something being done badly.

My point 3 would be cronyism, I have encountered quite a healthy number of people who are doing jobs at a high level that they have absolutely no aptitude for, you then find that they went to Uni with so and so, that their father was a senator etc, so they landed the job that way, and nobody ends up being accountable for anything here in any case! Being quite a small community I'm starting to get the dirt on lots more of this than when I first arrived, and it has explained a lot of political and economic puzzles.

Glad I didn't grow up here....one's lamentably bad behaviour in early years, is never forgotten

On a positive note, I genuinely believe that the spirit for change is here, let's hope that every thinking person who cares about the Maritimes hasn't jumped ship before it can be implemented.

Last edited by MillieF; Sep 28th 2014 at 2:41 pm. Reason: Typo
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Old Sep 28th 2014, 3:06 pm
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

Originally Posted by MillieF

On a positive note, I genuinely believe that the spirit for change is here, let's hope that every thinking person who cares about the Maritimes hasn't jumped ship before it can be implemented.
Is it really jumping ship? I feel that that implies leaving the sinking ship and not wanting to look back... We tried to stay in NS, we would have loved to stay there as it had become home but there comes a time when you have to deal with your own little sinking ship and look after number one sadly...
If there was suddenly a good opportunity that came up in NS I would certainly think long and hard about it but that might just be because I am feeling very unsettled here so far!!
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Old Sep 28th 2014, 6:13 pm
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

How much of this "not enough opportunity" is down to an expat thing? By that I mean that many of the folk on this forum are not your every-day folk.

I don't mean that Brits are something special, I mean that immigration conditions being what they are, many Brits are in Canada due to special skills/experience and, thus, are in demand.

Obviously there are exceptions - spouses of those in demand, those of us who married Canadians and the like.

One only has to see the threads about high quality clothing, a Dyson being "a must" for house cleaning () business class flights (often to exotic locations) same annual leave levels as the UK and how $60k incomes are just about do-able etc to see that these involve lifestyles that your average Canadian can't hope to achieve.

I'm aware of the reports of local folk also wanting to move out west but often it's just talk, they always seem to come back and there's usually shock that accommodation costs eat away at the gains.

Might a large part of this just be that as Brits have taken a big step in moving to Canada that they expect a much bigger gain and are less satisfied with "their lot" than your average Canadian who, perhaps, doesn't know how things could be if they questioned a bit more?
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Old Sep 28th 2014, 8:52 pm
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

Originally Posted by BristolUK
How much of this "not enough opportunity" is down to an expat thing? By that I mean that many of the folk on this forum are not your every-day folk.

I don't mean that Brits are something special, I mean that immigration conditions being what they are, many Brits are in Canada due to special skills/experience and, thus, are in demand.

Obviously there are exceptions - spouses of those in demand, those of us who married Canadians and the like.

One only has to see the threads about high quality clothing, a Dyson being "a must" for house cleaning () business class flights (often to exotic locations) same annual leave levels as the UK and how $60k incomes are just about do-able etc to see that these involve lifestyles that your average Canadian can't hope to achieve.

I'm aware of the reports of local folk also wanting to move out west but often it's just talk, they always seem to come back and there's usually shock that accommodation costs eat away at the gains.

Might a large part of this just be that as Brits have taken a big step in moving to Canada that they expect a much bigger gain and are less satisfied with "their lot" than your average Canadian who, perhaps, doesn't know how things could be if they questioned a bit more?
Hmm, I hear what you are saying Bristol but I/we live a very simple life. We look for bargains and rarely go out on the town...

My husband lost his job in December and from then until beg of June he was called for 2 interviews and was offered one job in NS, that's it. That job paid very well but would have had him sleeping in hotels 2 weeks out of every four...not a lifestyle we wanted to consider. During that 6 month period he applied for any job he thought he was capable of doing irrespective of salary...
We gave ourselves a deadline of beg of May. If by then he didn't have a job he would have to go to Toronto to try his luck there which is what he did. He spent a week in Toronto end of May and came back with a job offer. This is also when he was offered that job in NS.
We didn't want to move away from our friends and our oldest son. We didn't want the expense of moving either but we felt that we didn't have a choice but to do this...
I love NS but I think unless things change I would only consider ever going back to live there when we retire...if at all.
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Old Sep 28th 2014, 10:33 pm
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

Originally Posted by DandNHill
Hmm, I hear what you are saying Bristol but I/we live a very simple life...
There's another thread on the main section where this is touched on a bit more.

Pop over
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Old Sep 29th 2014, 1:32 am
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

No sense of entitlement from THIS British Expat

After 2 months here, with three solid interviews from around 60 applications, all had come to naught. I dumbed down my resume and took a job at $11/hr as a backshift cleaner. And even though I'm salaried and on the management team now with a national cleaning company, I'm still expected to hit the floor with mop and bucket as and when needed.

I can do more and I am worth more.
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Old Sep 29th 2014, 2:22 am
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

Originally Posted by AdrianR
No sense of entitlement from THIS British Expat

After 2 months here, with three solid interviews from around 60 applications, all had come to naught. I dumbed down my resume and took a job at $11/hr as a backshift cleaner. And even though I'm salaried and on the management team now with a national cleaning company, I'm still expected to hit the floor with mop and bucket as and when needed.

I can do more and I am worth more.
So, you'd say that all that struggle to get to Canada was worth it?
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Old Sep 29th 2014, 9:10 am
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

Originally Posted by Novocastrian
So, you'd say that all that struggle to get to Canada was worth it?
Compared to where we were and the situation we had in Mexico - absolutely yes!

Too bad it took so long but if I knew then what I know now I might not have bothered.
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Old Sep 29th 2014, 5:02 pm
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Default Re: That's Me Done With NS!

Originally Posted by christmasoompa
Blimey, not another one. Will there be any British expats left in NS at this rate?!


Hi, I am still here but so many that were here when we first arrived have left, gone west or back to the UK.
I think it depends on so many factors here but mainly that you can get a decent job. It took me 3 years to get what I call a "decent" job at a decent salary (we have been here 3.5 years) and hubby took 2 years to get his.
It can be soul destroying and exhausting to achieve it.
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