I've been looking everywhere for information on IT work in Canada but the only info I can find is related to the software side. My husband is an IT Field Engineer (hardware, specialising in small- to medium-sized businesses). We did our recce to Winnipeg back in June but neither of us can remember if the guy at the agency said contract work would be $10 an hour or £10 an hour! Obviously there's quite a difference!

I'm currently trying to work out our possible outgoings vs what kind of salary Sean would be on, but there are hardly any jobs in Winnipeg on the internet (tried Workopolis - none, Monster - one, and a few others - none) and they never state the salary.

So if anyone knows (1) how easy / hard it will be for a new immigrant (highly qualified with lots of experience) to find IT work in Winnipeg, and (2) what kind of wage he might be on, I'd be really grateful as we want to go with our eyes open, knowing how likely it is that we'll be struggling for the first year or so.

By the way, he's currently on £25k but we're expecting him to have to take a bit of a wage cut...? And we know there's a recession in Canada too, but we're confident that IT work will always be around as people will always need computers (and they always need repairing / upgrading!).

Oh, I've just taken a quick peek at his CV and these are his skills:-

• Windows Server 2008,2003,2000
• Small Business Server 2003,
• Network security,
• VMware ESX, VDI, Server, Workstation
• Active directory, IIS, SBS SharePoint, DHCP, DNS
• Vista, XP Pro, Win 2000,
• Exchange, Outlook
• Mobile devices (WM6,Nokia,Blackberry)
• Networking (Switches, Firewalls, Routers, Wireless)

...and his qualifications:-

MCITP – “MICROSOFT CERTIFIED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL ADMINISTRATOR ON WINDOWS SERVER 2008”

SY0-101 “SECURITY+ CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL”

70-282 “DESIGNING, DEPLOYING, & MANAGING A NETWORK SOLUTION FOR A SMALL- AND MEDIUM- SIZED BUSINESS”

MCSA – “MICROSOFT CERTIFIED SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR ON SERVER 2003”

N10-002 “NETWORK+ CERTIFIED NETWORK TECHNICIAN”

220-301 and 220-302 “A+ CERTIFIED COMPUTER TECHNICIAN”

Cheers, Anita

IMO, you're looking for the wrong job title - he's not a hardware engineer, he's a systems engineer / administrator - yes he may do a bit of a hardware maintenance from time to time, but with those skills, he's 95% systems administrator / engineer, there's a big difference in terms of role (and salary).

This http://www.itworldcanada.com/salaryc...alculator.aspx says you should be expecting about $60k. Of course finding a job available paying that is a different matter...

Hi there,

G77 is spot on - that's the CV of a sysadmin.

When are you planning on getting to Canada? The company I'm working for is looking for Windows sysadmins (based in Victoria and Vancouver, BC). BTW, the VMWare and networking bits are a real bonus.

Cheers - Steve

Hi Steve,
Sorry can't send you a message the system has stopped me.
I have a question regarding the I.T industry on Vancouver Island.

I am living in the UK, looking at relocating to Canada. I visited Vancouver islands, and have a friend in Chemainus. I really like the island, so this is why Im looking there.

What is the job market like on the island, Victoria?

Do you know many, english sysadmins who have moved out?
Did they get jobs first? or go out there and then get work?

Thanks,
Steve.

After Three Posts you will have access to the PM system..

And welcome to the forum.....

Hi Steve,

At the moment we're looking for Windows sysadmins - don't really know about otehr companies.

I managed to get an interview (Unix sysadmin) lined up before I moved as a PR and was lucky enough to get the job. As for how other people get their first jobs - I don't really know. I suspect that it varies - if you have contacts then use them, if you have in demand skills you'll probably get an interview.

What's your skill set?

Cheers - Steve

Hi there,

We often get asked for Field Technicians - PM me and let me know where you would consider relocating to.

Allie