TheStennings

Hi

First time post for me here, thought I'd take the plunge and register si that my wife and I can ask questions and who knows meet up with others here or there if we eventually get there.

Like the title says we're half way (I believe) through our approx 3 years until our forms are processed - maybe others will let us know if its longer!

There are 4 of us, two children(one of each) and live in Hampshire - used to come from down on the coast in Brighton. We visited Vancouver in BC and a place called London in Ontario early in 2005 to see how bad the winters get Believe me in Ontario it was -24 degrees with a wind chill of -35. Having said that though it was a completely different kind of cold to over here and the fear of scrapping the hire car was unfounded as a brush took all the snow off...now over here that would be a joke! Wasn't a total fan of the shopping side in Vancouver but it was a pretty nice looking place - very clean at least from what we saw and in both places extremely friendly.

I haven't visited Calgary as yet but things I have heard and read makes me think that might be for us. So with that in mind We'd like to meet or chat (please feel free top drop me an email) especially to families who have taken the plunge and got out there and those who are going through the mill as it were like us. My wife has worries about taking the plunge as is not totally for it but we both decided to apply and see what happens. I hear that the schools are better and more supportive which would be useful as my son has slight autism (learning difficulties) , the crime is supposed to be a lot lower than here and the people a lot friendlier. Well that one i have noticed.

My big issues for wanting to leave is the the yob culture and taxes. Okay the taxes side would depend where you end up and i'm sure some things are more expensive then over here to make up for what you may or may not save but the yob culture really grates on me especially when trying to bring up your children.

Anyway enough ranting we wold love to hear from anyone who can give us opinions from a family perspective especially on school side - i dont want to think about how to get a job ! *gulp*

ann m

Hello Stennings family and welcome to the madhouse.

If you are already some way past your initial application, then I suspect you have already picked up lots of information along the way. This site is a great way of gathering more info - although some of it will be whether you want it or not !! The spectrum of topics on here never fails to make me smile.

As everyone will say, look to the blue bar above here at the "wiki" pages - there will be tons of useful info on there to answer many of your questions, then you can get more specific later.

We moved out here at the end of May with two children, 9 and 7, just outside Calgary. So far so good. Quite happy. The kids are already very settled and are enjoying life - lots of new friends, lovely places to go - and mum and dad are quite often in the same place at the same time, which makes a difference from our shift-based lives in the UK !

Someone will pick you up on your 'taxes' comments - in all honesty, I don't think things are that different in Canada - some things are higher, some are lower - swings and roundabouts - it works out much the same (I think).

Likewise, crime levels. Canada does have crime ! And as has been discussed many times here before (and I'll bow to dbd's thoughts on this one) - it is perhaps the case that the 'average' UK immigrant can 'buy' themselves into a better area than they left - thereby it appears as if the neighbourhood is better and the crime is lower (?). Sounds more than feasible to me. Drugs, murder and mayhem are around, but perhaps more concentrated into specific areas, rather than in every average high street in the country.

The school aspect so far has been fine - the girls have settled well - albeit that I think the levels they had reached in the curriculum in the UK was about one year ahead. So one dilemma for UK parents might be whether to try and move them up a grade - but that brings about the issue of being with older kids. The class sizes in Alberta are generally pretty good - 17-23 pupils seems about average from what I have read and heard. Teaching staff have so far all been very friendly and very approachable. I cannot tell you how much assistance is on offer through additional members of staff, classroom assistants or though other means if your child were to need extra help. This might be easier to determine at a later stage once you narrow down your province, area or town.

So - happy investigating - enjoy BE - and best wishes to you all

Rob4BC

Wot she said.

Welcome to the BE mad house where you can while away the time waiting with those that understand.
Best of luck.

Rob.

Calgal

.....or those that did it so long ago they've forgotten all about it

Steve_P

Or even those who "waited" about three months from start to arrival in Canada.

Calgal

Seems unreal now, doesn't it? Nine months in my case.

printer

This comment in your post would in my opinion be the one thing that needs to be seriously considered. You have to be commited as a family and not go into it half heartedley. If one of you isn't totally sure you need to assess the whole immigration thing particularly when kids are involved too.
It's very stressful and very expensive and can certainly test your relationship if you are not both of the same mindset.
Luckily for us so far everything is going great, my OH is loving it and feels guilty that she hasn't felt homesick, the kids are in work and school and it's going to be 27 degrees again tomorrow so off to the beach i think as school is closed for a Pro Day.

TheStennings

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement.

Sounds good for kids and I'll bet they have great clubs and school visits out there - let me know! My children are 12 (almost 13 in a couple of weeks) for my daughter and my son is 10 so one is in high school now - not sure if its 12 out there they start in high school as well or not. Interesting about the one year ahead so that may cause issues for them to pick it up especially my son but again depends largely on the support side. My wife will be looking into that side and dropping off the odd email to find that out.

With the crime side you will get it in all areas i guess my beef is the yob culture and what kids get away with let alone our dumb laws which let criminals out to re-offend so fast or give out silly fines and jail terms. I noticed though in Vancouver particularly the lack of graffiti and litter on the streets. Even the sky train station was so clean and you felt ‘safe’ compared to our underground system with the dirt and grime! We did have an issue on the train station where a friend we met out there advised us to get on a train that had just come in then she changed her mind and said it was the wrong one…unfortunately my daughter didn’t get off fast enough and the doors closed and the train went. A person working there on the platform informed the next stop via very quickly via some sort of walkie talkie and when we got there apart from a few tears the staff were amazing. Over here half probably wouldn’t talk English or would ignore you / look blankly at you. We just felt so safe in that regards.

We also found the people just so friendly and happy to talk to you even in shops where over here its all money money…but it just felt different but that could be just they handle tourists better?! I keep hearing that Canada is like the UK was only 50 years or so ago as far as the people go with the more approachable side and the fact that you could have your kids play outside or leave the car door unlocked etc.. that kind of thing. I still wouldn’t it’s just how you are brought up and the way of the world but the general consensus seems to be safer then here.

Great to here peoples experiences and as I said I am new so it will take me a while but I will go though a number of posts to see if I can find the useful information from others and who knows maybe I can get to meet someone who has been to Calgary or visited schools on a fact finding mission for Calgary that would please my Wife to speak to someone on the phone and get that kind of experience and allay any fears etc..

Job wise my wife works in a local supermarket shop and has for some time (prior to that it was another shop) in the evenings due to me working in the day and no one around to help with the kids. So her getting a job I don’t think will be too much of a problem just mine would be more awkward with IT programming/web support side but we’ll see. The hope is that we could sell the house, move and get a few months in a rental place whilst looking for the area we want to live in. Naturally a fact finding mission will help on that as when we can afford to go out there again. Be interesting to know how others did it and what the general cost for actually moving i.e how much it costs for hiring the lorry/container and getting it I’m guessing a few months later on the other side at which time I’d hope we’d have a place depending on how quick things move as / when you find you new home.

Anyway thanks for the chat so far.