# IT Jobs and living in Canada



## nessietee (Apr 14, 2009)

Hi All, 

Hope everyone had a lovely Easter! 

I've been reading up on the threads here and have found them very useful. There are a few threads relevant to what I am seeking but not precisely. 

A bit of background about myself. I work in the IT industry as a BA with about 8 years of experience in large companies (mainly consultancies and banks). Originally from Australia, I've been contracting in London for around 4 years now. London has been an awesome place to party and travel conveniently to Europe however I think my time is done in London. I'm looking at Canada as my next destination because the landscape looks amazing and the people are friendly. I also heard Canda is 'similar' to Australia besides the 6 months of cold! 

However....with the current economical climate I have reservations. Also few of my friends have tried their luck with looking for IT BA jobs in Canada a couple years back but were not successful. I'm trying to be better prepared by doing my research before heading there. 

I am currently thinking of Toronto as the place to most likely have IT jobs(?) 

I have a couple questions...okay that's an understatement! A zillion questions about Canada. Hope you can help. 

JOBS
a) Is it difficult to find contracting jobs in Canada? Or is a place where I should look at more permanent roles?
b) Are the following job websites good enough to find jobs or should I be looking else where?
<bajob.ca>
<jobbank.gc.ca>
<jobserve.ca>
c) I don't have any Canadian work experience at all (however worked with ppl in the States via a global company) will this affect my job application? Do employers favour local candidates over expats?
d) Is there a particular format I should tailor my 'resume' to? It was mentioned in another thread you guys use resume as opposed to CV. 

LIVING
a) I've noticed many couples and families migrate over to Canada. I am currently single and know NO ONE there, is it an easy and safe place to make friends there? 
b) I'm used to travelling on public transport (and never owned a car), will it be difficult not having a car in Canada? 

VISAS
a) I am applying for a working holiday visa. How do IT employersview expats with WHVs? It's for two years. 
b) How easy is it to transition from WHV to PR?


Thanks!!!!
Ness


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

nessietee said:


> Hi All,
> 
> Hope everyone had a lovely Easter!
> 
> ...


I will try and answer as many of your questions/concerns as I can.

Jobs in IT industry:- 
From my reading on this and other such forums there are many people working in the industry and on a contract basis. If you are going to be on a WHV (Bunac I assume) then restricting your search to contract jobs would be reasonable. Yes, you can transition from WHV to PR subject to certain conditions being met. There have, of course, in this economic climate a trimming of employees by many employers and this has included IT. Toronto and environs is Canada's financial/insurance/light industrial centre, so has many people within the industry. You should know that Canadian employers, in general, prefer to interview face to face.

Living:-
Canada is regarded as a good deal safer than London/UK. Being single should not be a deterrent of any kind. In major cities public transit is available but nowhere as widely available as in the UK. If one lives in the cities proper then getting around should be easy. It's if one lives in suburbia that is when public transit is more difficult.

It is a very difficult time for people looking to emigrate anywhere. Canada's economy is regarded as doing better than many G20 countries but we are experiencing a downturn here.


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## SczzyBoy (Jan 1, 2008)

Auld Yin makes good points. Toronto is like the City of London, i.e. Square Mile, due to the financial centre. Generally a good place to pickup jobs. I moved here from London, UK about 15 months ago on a TWP as an IT Manager. I've had to hire people for positions and, I must say, that the quality of staff is much lower than London. So if you are good and can present yourself well then getting a job should be about the same as what it would be back in the UK.

Specifics: Jobs
a: I never hire contractors so can't comment.
b: never heard of the first two but jobserve has always been good to me in the UK. Monster is quite good over here as well as you can bypass agents.
c: Canadians are pretty broadminded so take in us waifs and strays without a problem.
d: Just make sure you drop age and addresses from your resume as they don't like them. Apart from that a CV is a resume is a CV.

Specifics : Living
Living here is super. I'm out West in Calgary so it's probably different to Toronto as it's a huge country with a small population. I don't drive and that's something I need to get sorted as the wide open spaces are VERY wide open! I'm also single and knew no-one here except work colleagues. I also started to go to bars and watch Hockey which is a great way to meet people. Just chat to the person next to you and you never know. Watch the reactions of the bar staff towards the patrons and you get an idea who to avoid.

Beer, food and wine are about the same. It's probably best if you like cheese! Eating out is reasonable as some of the chains can be quite good. Same as anywhere really.

No idea on the last bit about VISAs as I'm in a similar boat as yourself.

Hope this helps.

SB


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## unileen_samonte (Apr 30, 2009)

hello im looking a job in canada or japan ima graduate of BAchelor of science in business administration can work also in a blue collar job at the same time looking for an agency taht can sponsor or a person that can help me thanks


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## nessietee (Apr 14, 2009)

Thanks All!


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## nmreich (Feb 16, 2009)

Check out Waterloo, Ontario (and Kitchener, Ontario). 

I'm also in IT and will be relocating there. They call Waterloo the "high tech hub of Canada". Waterloo is about 1.5 hours drive west of Toronto.


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## coyne20 (Aug 3, 2010)

SczzyBoy said:


> Auld Yin makes good points. Toronto is like the City of London, i.e. Square Mile, due to the financial centre. Generally a good place to pickup jobs. I moved here from London, UK about 15 months ago on a TWP as an IT Manager. I've had to hire people for positions and, I must say, that the quality of staff is much lower than London. So if you are good and can present yourself well then getting a job should be about the same as what it would be back in the UK.
> 
> Specifics: Jobs
> a: I never hire contractors so can't comment.
> ...


Hi I couldnt help but read a comment that you responded to earlier. I have now received my PR visa and had its status activated when I landed in Vancouver. I am currently looking for work in IT before I arrive in Toronto (or Canada). How easy is it to land a job before you arrive? Will you be looking hire a few more british expats into Canada in the very near future?


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