# U.K. Software developer / DBA propects in Canada?



## kevnewcastle (Aug 26, 2008)

Hi

My wife and I are thinking about a new life in Canada. We have 2 boys aged 13 and 8. We like the idea of warmer summers and cold snowy winters. We also like the idea of getting away from this crowded expensive miserable little island called the U.K. 

I'm 41 and have a 1st class honours degree in Computing with 15 years work experience. Over the past few years my main role has been as an Oracle DBA.

My wife also has a 1st class degree in Info and Library Mgmnt. 

Does anyone have any idea of the job prospects for someone like myself, and the standard of living we could expect with only myself earning? Any suggestions on a good place to live? We would probably have £140k to put into a house.

Thanks very much

Kev.


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## Deeana (Jul 13, 2008)

Hi Kev
As far as where to go to in Canada, have you any ideas which province or even which side of Canada you would choose? Do you have any friends or relatives over there to make the choice easier? Every province has its own personality and economy and so in a way you don't really emigrate to Canada but to a Province. I know that Alberta has a very highly organised Immigration department dealing with promoting the province to immigrants because they are in general looking for workers as their economy is still growing quite fast.

In your situation I would opt for Calgary, Alberta, as my destination of choice.

Regarding standard of living, this is tricky. Most Canadians have a better standard of living than we do in England, but that is because they have usually been there all their lives and have obviously been able to take advantage of all the benefits available to them. New immigrants have a bit more of a struggle, initially, as it is so costly to move everything to Canada, and because you are unlikely to start with a well-paid job, unless you are very lucky.

But once you are established you can expect better health and educational services, better roads, cleaner cities, in general most things are better, although there is a bit more crime and attitude around now than previously. 

However, you will find yourself paying between 30-40% of your income in taxes, and our experience was that we couldn't manage on my husband's income with two children in school. I think the majority of mums probably work, but maybe part-time.

Things like having to have two cars and needing to pay for hockey equipment for the kids all add up. A snowblower as well as a lawnmower! Airconditioning as well as central heating.... obviously options, but often taken for granted by the natives!!!


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## kevnewcastle (Aug 26, 2008)

Hi Deeana

Thanks very much for your reply. I have visited a friend of mine in Vancouver during winter and I was not terribly impressed although I've been told it's better in Summer. To be honest, we were thinking of the East, as we'd like to be reasonably close to the lakes as well as New York and the rest of the Easy Coast. I really like the idea of cold snowy winters and hot summers (like I remember as a kid in the UK). I definitely need to get away from the all-year-round 'dirgey' weather - I need seasons!

I do need to be near a fairly healthy IT job market so I can have more opportunities. I also need to be able to keep the commuting to a minimum - maybe 30 mins each way - is that unfeasible?.

Any comments greatly appreciated. Also, any comments on the best - and possibly cheapest - route to take for immigration approval.

Thanks very much

Kev Simpson


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## kevnewcastle (Aug 26, 2008)

Hi Deeana + other readers.

I meant to ask - how long is the cold part of the year in the East? My wife likes snowy winters - but I think the summer would have to be sufficiently warm and long for her to be able to cope with the extremely cold winters. I personally would love having to wrap up in twenty layers of clothing and plug my car into a heater at the supermarket.

thanks

Kev.


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## Deeana (Jul 13, 2008)

kevnewcastle said:


> Hi Deeana + other readers.
> 
> I meant to ask - how long is the cold part of the year in the East? My wife likes snowy winters - but I think the summer would have to be sufficiently warm and long for her to be able to cope with the extremely cold winters. I personally would love having to wrap up in twenty layers of clothing and plug my car into a heater at the supermarket.
> 
> ...


Hi Kev,
I was just about to write to you about the weather so I'm glad you're asking. Unfortunately Canada is placed too far north. A mistake in the planning! Winter starts early (end September, beg. October) and goes on until April -May. Spring and Autumn are short. 
Here is the reality of a Canadian winter, starting with the fun stuff. Your shopping freezes in your boot on the way home from the store. You can use your deck as a deep-freeze to hold the xmas turkey. Blizzards are frequent - this makes driving very dangerous. Ice storms happen - these are when parked cars get covered in four inches of solid ice. Not exaggerating. Snow dumps happen. This is 8-16 feet - FEET - of snow on the ground. (Not often in Toronto admittedly, but definitely on the east coast.) Your nose hairs freeze when you step outside the door, your feet freeze to the ground if you don't keep moving, some days the temperature with wind-chill will be MINUS 70 deg or less. On the tv and radio they will announce in the mornings how long it takes for flesh to freeze in the open, and recommend whether your child should wear a hat and cover their face on the way to school. Don't go out with damp hair, it will freeze and snap off. If you commute, you face a very cold wait for buses and trains unless you drive. Parking in the city can be difficult/impossible/expensive. This is particularly true in Calgary as I know from experience. I remember sitting in my Jeep in the parking lot at the C-train station plucking up courage to get out and walk the 500 yards to the station, and actually shedding tears at the thought. At one time my husband had to use the bus to go to work, and we bought him the best insulated jacket and boots we could find - they call the boots Sorells. The jacket was down and had a hood like a tunnel, sticking out eight inches in front of his face, and surrounded with fur like an eskimo's parka. Despite that his glasses iced up and his nose would get covered with icicles. Have you seen Dr Zhivago - the bit where Yuri comes in from walking across Siberia and goes into Lara's house and looks in the mirror? That's what he used to look like when he got home at night after walking 1/2 mile from the bus-stop.

Now the summers. You can have nice weather in the summer, but it is short, as you can see from the length of the winter. We have been out on the lake and had wonderful holidays, visiting the Thousand Islands and just traveling around the part of Ontario between Toronto and Ottawa. However, it does get very humid. In Kingston, for example, the sweat will pour off you in the summer even when you aren't moving, just because with temperatures in the 80s and humidity at 70% there isn't any evaporation. Most uncomfortable, and hence the need for air-conditioning as well as heating, if you want to be really comfy. The other thing is mosquitos, which are everywhere in large numbers. All the houses in Canada have mosquito screens at the windows and for good reason. You cannot survive without them, and when you go out, it is essential to use an insect repellant. There are days and places which are impossible to be in because of the mozzies. I have friends who have a cottage (aka large house!) on the lakes in Ontario, where lots of people go for the summer hols, and they always complain about the mosquitos and the humidity there.

This is the way it is in much of Canada and the main reason I'm not there. My husband and I emigrated in 1990, and we are Canadian citizens so can go back any time. I would be there tomorrow if it weren't for the weather, which gave me asthma and so much stress I believe it caused a serious illness (now recovered from). I'm not trying to put you off, but there is little point in going out there unaware of the drawbacks. When we went there was nothing on the internet - the internet didn't exist in fact - and we were totally ignorant. I would still have gone, had anyone told me, because I wouldn't have believed it could be that bad, and in any case I'm glad I did, but it would have been a lot better if I had known - and we would then have moved heaven and earth to get to Metro Vancouver (for example Surrey) or at least the Okanagan, which are the only two areas I would consider going back to.

Despite all this, 30 million Canadians put up with it on a daily basis, most of them for the whole of their lives and many don't give a hoot about it. Many, many Canadians love their weather and wouldn't live anywhere else. Lots of Canadians love winter sports and laugh when I complain about the snow or the wind or the weather in general. Many immigrants don't care about the weather either, and just accept it. They spend a lot of time indoors, I guess. 

Speaking to your wife, this is the question she needs to ask herself. Could she be happy living in a country where for long parts of the year she has to wrap up to go out to post a letter. Literally. I never realised until I lived there how much difference it makes that in England you can go outside any time of the year without thinking about whether the weather is going to kill you. Children freeze to death if they escape from their houses in winter - I heard of one little child, about 2 years old I think who froze solid wandering from his house in his indoor clothes to go visit a neighbour. 

To end on a positive note: house are all well-insulated, well heated, well maintained. Most people have indoor garages, so you don't have to go outside. There are lots of indoor activities in winter, and things like libraries and so on are very good indeed, so there are things to do and places to go. Until recently energy was quite cheap so it wasn't a big problem that you used a lot of it to heat the house and to run air-con. This may be changing though. 

I'd suggest you look at the west coast if you are at all uncertain about the weather. There are lots of IT jobs in Vancouver - it's not far from Seattle and is very much in the West Coast of America mentality.

Phew! That'll do for now - I'm flying home tonight and need to go pack!
Deeana


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