windward

Just hoping to get some info from you guys to help me make some life choices.. Basically, I see a lot of posts in here inferring great jobs with spiffy benefits - world travel, governmental work, pretty high wages it seems, easy transfer to Canada with teleworking or whathaveyou (you know who you are )... just the kind of career I'd love to have.

For the recordnot bothered about the secondary schools you attended, your personal profile or your DOB though if you care to share...

So... I was looking to maybe find out what those of you who seem to have it (relatively!) easy over in Canada have done/are doing. Though ofc everyone's circumstances are different, it's always easier to find the right path to tread if you're following the footsteps of someone who's alredy got to where you want to go.

ATM I work for Unipart - repairing mobile phones - I was promoted after 4 weeks and they make encouraging noises when I talk about working my way up, but I'm pretty certain that this job doesn't fit into the category above. I recently turned down a job that pays twice as much working for AT+T (starting to regret it) and am thinking about putting in my UCAS form for admission to a decent university with any luck, next September.

The reality I keep tripping over is this: when I worked in Manchester literally every single one of my colleagues had a degree. There were marine biologists, psychology, history, english and marketing undergrads, an oceanographer... yet all of us were in the same pay bracket and were stuck really doing sales or helpline work or simply getting experience to move on somewhere else. The difference between them and me being only the fact they had a better education and therefore approx £15k + of student debt in various forms to service. One of my friends from back home on the other hand, completed a computer science degree (2:1) at Warwick and is now being offered graduate schemes with BAE Systems, Shell, major financial houses etc. all of which do seem to fit my target category.

There are other issues like the age I'd be when I'd finish and whether I'd be better off with four years work experience and the earnings that come with it than a piece of paper that proves I'm clever but that's the crux of it.

Anyway... If anyone fancies sharing the wheres hows and whyfors they're comfortable, life-satisfied, and having an easy employment time of it in Canada (or thinks they will when they eventually get there!) or even any advice (shut yer whinging I was down the mines at 14 aside :P) I would truly appreciate it.

TrishP

Don't know if my tuppence will be of any use as I work for a regulated profession as an Occupational Therapist. The job is regulated both sides of the pond. Was offered a job by e-mail ( I hadn't even applied for it! Everything here is done by networking!) and came over a year ago. I'm working single-handedly in a rural community of population 5000, 24 hours north of Toronto. I've moved from being a specialist to being a generalist, covering every imaginable scope of practice that an OT could ever come in contact with. Salary is more or less what I was earning in the UK (with exchange rate factored in) when on a permanent contract (my locum contract wages in the UK were almost double regular salary rates). I also get a 'Northern Incentive Grant' of $5K a year for 3 years.

So, on the whole, not a huge change. As long as I can pay the bills I'm happy! When I get around to buying a house here and paying off the car loan (which I will hopefully do in a couple of weeks once the sale of my house in Scotland goes through) I'll have more loose change to play about with!!

TrishP

Forgot to mention that working as an OT in Canada is much less stressful than the UK! People more laid back here, here in the North people are also more adaptable and self-reliant and less dependent on medical and health services in general.

Atlantic Xpat

If you are thinking of going to Uni and doing a degree, then howabout doing one in Canada? Come over on a study permit, get your degree whilst having PR application in progress and bingo newly minted Canadian grad at the end of the process?

Funding would be the issue I guess. Cost of a degree for non-resident can be expensive but different Uni's charge different fees. Memorial here in NL f'rinstance is supposed to be one of the lowest cost in the country. Plus of course the cost of living etc. Worth thinking about though?

windward

What a fine idea... The cost is the thing though as you say. Will do some research

Trish - Do you have to deal with seeing other people's blood?

TrishP

Not now - I did work in the A&E dept at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for a year before coming to Canada, mostly in the non-trauma admissions but blood was there.
OT and physio are usually involved with patients/clients after they've stopped bleeding!

At the moment I work with hosptial in-patients, assessing their functional fitness and readiness for discharge home and sorting out any equipment/adaptations they may need, out-patient hand splinting, pre-school kids with disabilities at home, school-age kids with difficulties in school, adults in the community (home safety assessments for seniors, wheelchair and seating assessments) and older people in the long-term care home. A real mixed bag and I love it!

Tiffin Tease

I'm may well be pretty much up sh*t creek without a paddle I reckon in terms of my job

I am in events/marketing and design (posters/brochures/info booklets and the type).....luckily for me mostly design at present because that is way more fun...

However, although I have and HND which is equivalent to two years of a three year bachelor I have worked my way up to my position with no formal training.

I am going to get some design training when I get out there but can't afford a full qualification (e.g. to finish my degree) so I have to go with what I got but it seems to me you need a degree to do most 'professional' jobs out there... I do hope i'm wrong because I really love doing what I do and would hate to give it up - i'd even work as a trainee if necessary as long as it was in design or possibly media as I used to write for a living too

I really don't want to go back to admin if I can help it but I am a worker and can't bear resting on my laurels so I will have to see

Here's hoping they'll see that I am just wonderful and my designs are fab!!

Ki

Tuppence

Hi Windward,

I would say in my experience here, a lot of companies will not even contemplate you without a degree. It is so bad, that in some places you have to have a masters degree to stand a chance at all. I think a huge majority of working Canadians (in Nova Scotia anyway) have a degree. I know 5 administrators / secretaries. Every single one of them has a degree.

So all in all, I don't think a degree is the key to getting far ahead here, but you may struggle without one

Sorry if I'm putting a downer on this, but this is the reality as I see it here. I think the best advice was given by Atlantic Xpat - if you can afford it, get over here on a study permit.

Best of luck

Steve_P

This is very true unfortunately.

My son graduated in 2001 with a degree in business, his major was in marketing and found very shortly thereafter that it was virtually useless.

He sent out over 250 applications and got two replies.

Over qualified for entry level positions? Masters required for almost anything else.

He is now a Rail Traffic Controller with CP Rail, which of course has nothing to do with marketing.

hot wasabi peas

Difficult questions windward!

I'm in two minds.

I really like AX's advice for a lot of reasons.

On the otherhand, I know a lot of Canadians who have chosen not to enter university because of the amount of debt it generates. My nephew.... he's 28 and a high school dropout. He left school when he was in grade 10 cos he was offered a good job in a trade (welding). He now has no debt, has his own landscaping business which he loves, has a house, toys, etc and spends his winters travelling South American summers (not much landscaping to do in the snow, eh?). But then he's not trying to migrate to a different country... but I think it highlights the value of tradework in Canada. If I were a young Brit dude wanting to move to Canada, I'd look at that as an option.

... what am I saying??!! Work?!

Actually.... I'd take full advantage of that accent and drop myself at the knees of marriageable Canuck chicks and woo my way in. Probably cheaper and a lot more fun...

iaink

The reality of skilled worker is you need either the education (which is expensive) or the documented apprenticeship (which takes a long time) in order to meet the points requirement.

Most of the more wealthy people I know here dont have lots of education, but unless you are related to a canadian or are already independently wealthy and can go the business route to canada thats largely irrelevent anyway, you are pretty much stuck with skilled worker and the options above. Marriage would work, but as the sign said...Love is grand, Divorce is 100 Grand!

I like the idea of studying here, but it would be more expensive.

Without my education and background, I would almost certainly still be back in the UK, and emigrating would probably have never crossed my mind, as it was i was in the right place at the right time to get headhunted to come here, and havent looked back (much) since then. I have a bachelors degree, did a few years post graduate research, but never had the motivation to write it up for a PhD.

Atlantic Xpat

Erm, thats exactly what I did!

EDIT: Unfair to say that it was cheaper. If I hadn't met Mrs AX I wouldn't have moved to Canada. Which would have saved me a pile of money! But the upside is that I'm married to Mrs AX. And living in Canada!

iaink

Unfortunately it never occurred to me to do that until after I got here. A day late and a dollar short as ever!

IceMaiden

Actually.... I'd take full advantage of that accent and drop myself at the knees of marriageable Canuck chicks and woo my way in. Probably cheaper and a lot more fun...

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Was that Koog's footsteps I heard running?

Atlantic Xpat

Damn I'm good..........

Windward, Dunno about your circs but could you fund three years out doing a degree. Sell the house? Borrow/Beg/Steal? It certainly seems for any business/professional type of job here a degree is required. I have an admin assistant who is better qualified than myself!

If you wanted to go for the skilled trades approach there are many private schools and colleges that will give you pipefitter/carpenter/welder/heavy equipment operator etc etc etc training. Again the benefit of doing this in Canada is that you get that Canadian qualification right away. Whether you can get a study permit to do this sort of training would need investigating.