BexB

I've registered mainly to say "thank you".

Until I found this site, "I didn't know what I didn't know". Now, while I'm sure there will be teething issues, I know car insurance is very expensive but can be reduced if I bring the right information with me. That's just one of many useful pieces of advice I've found on this site.

Anyhow, a bit about me/my family:
* there's the 4 of us - me, my wife, son (aged 16) and daughter (aged 10).
* I initiated a move with my employer last summer and expect to start in our Vancouver office in August on a temporary work permit.
* we expect to live in Maple Ridge (houses a bit more affordable, commuting via West Coast Express).
* we have relatives in Coquitlam who'll put us up to begin with and I know will be a great support (how do we do this, where do we go for that?)
* we've been over to Vancouver a couple of times (but only in the summer!).

So there's a lot of things in our favour, but I'm still alternating between excitement and terror. Although this is being taken over by the number of things to do (we've just put our house up for sale - we can now actually see the floors of our kids bedrooms!).

We have a pretty good life in England, so why are we relocating? Well I know it's a cliche, but we just think that long-term there are better prospects in Canada for our kids. Naive? Maybe. Personally, I've loved the time we've spent in places like the Rockies and while I'm 10-15 years off retirement I'd love to spend it exploring Canada.

Also, this summer is likely to be the only window we'll have. My son's education (A levels starting in September 2013) means we couldn't/wouldn't move for another two years, while I'm unlikely to have the job offer you really seem to need to get in.

Will it work out? Who knows, but I don't want to be looking back in the future and wondering "what if?". It's definitely a risk, but then staying in the UK is arguably a risk too.

I'm sure I'll have some questions for everyone before we move, but I'll definitely post afterwards to share how we're getting on.

Thanks again.

Lorna at Vicenza

We love getting thanks, so thank you and best of luck.

Stick around and we hope you get more good info and one day give it back..... and a few laughs along the way.

BEVS

What a lovely post to wake up to down here in New Zealand

Thanks for the thanks. Helping and sharing is mainly what BE is all about to me.

As this is your first actual post I w ill say "Welcome to BE" . Happy posting . Hope you have fun.

bakedbean

Hi BexB and welcome to the forum

I presume that you have found the Canada section of the forum on here already? If you have not, do please check it out and join in with some of the existing threads, and maybe post some topics of your own. Don't be shy

All the best with your plans.

BexB

Thanks for the welcomes. As part of my relocation "package", my employer has arranged for an hour or so's call with a tax adviser from PWC (Toronto), which is scheduled for early May. I'll share the results on the Canadian forum, probably in Q&A style.

victorian67

Your post has definitely brought a smile on my face for what it involves of courage, determination and overall positive feeling

I used to live in Canada, in Montréal and I believe that in today's troubled times, Canada is a place that still offers a quality of life, with a cost of living slightly less expensive than in Europe and with opportunities for your family.

I wish you the very best for your move and a quick and satisfactory house sale

Karim