paulburt

like everyone i spose, i set about this canadian job search thing really just hoping i got a response from someone out there that might be perpared to take me on, slowly but surely the replys have come and come and come!
we have a job offer in the pipeline from seafoodex, an invite from hoffmans to go over there and sort the job out, all the bumf from westcan, a positive response after sending application to bigfreight who are just awaiting police checks and interest from challenger who have followed up all the refs i gave them and phoned at least two companies that i know of here to check me out.
question is where do we go????? things have taken a slightly different slant now that our youngest has decided she'd like to go with us, meaning i'm not so bothered about leaving the wife while i'm down the road, she'll have some company and they're like peas in a pod!
point is we're not rolling in money and can only realistically afford one trip to have a look, so basically we need to all but decide before we get on the plane, at the mo the girls are set on pei and i've got to admit it does look a nice place, fits the bill house price wise, milder climate, job looks right enough although not the best money, it's on the coast (we both grew up on the seaside and always said, thats where we'd end up) and maybe fullfills another dream of owning a place with plenty of land (wife n daughter are big animal lovers, horses etc) but hoffmans pay far more money as do westcan, hoffmans home every night and a fair bit of time off to enjoy the surounding's but oh so expensive!
this is not a problem i envisaged at all, thing is, i'm packing up with the wagon at chrimbo so need to make some sort of decision
not really took any notice of the bad vibes coming from some as theres always gona be those that moan about everything and also those that just aren't suited to what they've took on for whatever reason, for every minus i've heard i've also heard a plus! so i think you've got to take it as it comes and find out for yourself.

jamesmc

mmmmm, you sound like i was before i scraped enough together to fly out with family we arrived at calgary went to bc went to sask , mb doing interviews and looking at housing shops etc.
best money ever spent .
personaly driving for same firm for 20yrs same rds ,hold ups ,hasle.
were all for going to mb.
the worst that can hapen is dont like, and move back to uk, if thats the worst thing that happens to us in life big deal.
james,shirley, caitlin.

Big Truck

Are you the same Paulb from "trucknetuk" who run's a flat as an O/D with the Merc Actros Megaspace?
With ref to your reccie trip,why not try a one way car rental and try to get to as many of those provinces/truck companies in a week as you can?
You might be able to pick the car up at Halifax NS as there are direct 5 hour flights from the UK to there and then check out PEI, drive like a madman to Manitoba and then unto Sask/Alberta flying home via Calgary.
You would have to keep the pedal to the floor but if you had interviews etc all arranged it might well be possible to do it all in 7 days maybe?

paulburt

i am the one and only
i can see your plan but it's not for me, the way i see it is, i have a week to go somewhere, sort job, bank accounts, housing etc etc etc so that come the newyear when hopefully the house and all it's contents have gone all i've got to do is climb on a plane.
in a bit of a tangle over the whole, if i was going on my own i'd be going to hoffmans without a doubt but i'm not and the girls are set on pei and i can't blame them at all, but can we live on the wages in those first few months? even with houses being half the price of alberta!
one way or another we're going last week of october to sort the job.

Big Truck

I thought things were on the "up and up" for you at the O/D lark,that old "is the grass greener" must be swaying you?!!!!
Still if your going to PEI for a week you should possibly be able to check out a few jobs/towns in Nova Scotia/New Brunswick too,just to allay any fears about looking at PEI only.

Gremmie

Excuse my bluntsness m8, just do it, plain and simple. You've got the job offers,you like PEI,wife and daughter are backing you ,,,so just do it

paulburt

in reply to BT
thats the trouble really, i've just about cracked it with the wagon and ended up in a bit of a rut, it's the same old, same old week in week out, sheffields not our home town we moved here for work the best part of twenty years ago and always said we'd move back to the coast at some point, only now it's to expensive.
the only problem i have with lloydminster is it's so expensive to buy a property,looked at one on the net yesterday 210,000ca for a mobile!!!!
yes in comparison the wages are good but a big chunk of that is going to go on a mortgage so are you actually gaining anything?

Gremmie

Not every thing is about profit,,,,quality of life,happiness,sercurity,and a sexy truck come into the equation sorry m8. I pressume you have some capitol that you can scrape together ???? Try Manitoba,there are some good company's there www.trucking.mb.ca

jamieok

Hi gremmie
U sound like a guy who knows his stuff,i,ve just emailed all my paperwork(police checks,medical etc.) off to siemens transport .but i,m getting mixed messages on this site.Some people say there great others say there a bad company. I,m hoping u or maybe someone can give some advice.
cheers.

Gremmie

Hi thnks for the compliment its just a fact of life,that on what ever subject we discuss there will be differant opinions and views. I drive for Westcan,in BC. think they are good,as do most of the drivers here,money's good,get treated with respect ect. long hard hours tho,but thats the job.Others will say they are crap and unfair ect..this appleis to every company UK and Canada..so its best i think to make your own choices and opinions. Find a place in Canada where you want to live then a job in that area,dont just go to where a job offer is....good luck

Twink001

Hi to all,

New to all of this
We have just begun the road to Canada!
Are all you drivers just sending emails,cv, making phone calls to these Canadian truck firms or are you using some law firm to help you out?????

Anyone help???

RodRos&Co.

Hi Sue

Have you any idea where you would like to live? or does it matter ie: you'll go where the work is?

Email a copy of your OHs CV/Resume to any trucking firms in that area, (some say Canadianise your CV, we just put all OHs trucking experience, if he's done any international work, crossing borders etc including what type of trailer he's pulled ie: tankers, flat beds).
We then followed the email with a phonecall approx a week later, try to find out who the Driver Recruiter for the company is and direct your email/phonecall to him/her.
Ideally have a list of questions you'd like to ask by your side, we found
we'd end up talking about the weather, kids food etc, which is great but frustrating when you put the phone down and realise you had'nt asked about holiday allowance or whatever.
You don't have to use an immigration company some people do and wouldn't have it any other way others think you must have more money than sense, again each to their own.

try and glean as much info from here as you can but remember we all have different expectations what works for one may not work for another.

Good luck

Rosie

ps. We use an Asda "callcard" have a look on their website, its approx 2.5p to phone Canada