# The big move to Canada!



## Ilz (Dec 2, 2011)

Hi there;

My partner and I have just sent off our Working Holiday Visa application' in hope to head over to Canada in April 2012. I am super excited! I am a social worker and he is a plumber. We are thinking of settling in Vancouver, possibly Downtown because we have heard good things about it. How easy/hard do you think it will be for a social worker and plumber to find work in Vancouver? Also is Downtown the way to go?

Love to get some advice!


----------



## Matt_thomas (Dec 1, 2011)

Hi,
Great to hear you're heading over to Canada.
I'm planning on heading over myself next year!
Although, I didn't think the visas for 2012 were on sale yet?
Would be great if they are!?


----------



## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Matt_thomas said:


> Hi,
> Great to hear you're heading over to Canada.
> I'm planning on heading over myself next year!
> Although, I didn't think the visas for 2012 were on sale yet?
> Would be great if they are!?


Australia and Canada have different reciprical agreements. The WHP is still open for Australians, not for Brits at the moment (quota met).


----------



## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Ilz said:


> Hi there;
> 
> My partner and I have just sent off our Working Holiday Visa application' in hope to head over to Canada in April 2012. I am super excited! I am a social worker and he is a plumber. We are thinking of settling in Vancouver, possibly Downtown because we have heard good things about it. How easy/hard do you think it will be for a social worker and plumber to find work in Vancouver? Also is Downtown the way to go?
> 
> Love to get some advice!


Here's the reality, it's very difficult for professionals or specialist trades to get work in their fields on a 2 year WHP. First, both of you would need to requalify and/or register in order to work in BC (see BCCSW, BCASW and Red Seal Exams). Without Canadian work experience in your field, you fall to the back of the pack when applying for positions and with only max 24 months most employers aren't interested in investing the time and effort in a guarenteed short term employee. Most people end up working in bars, restaurants or tourism (I know lots of them! Electricians, plumbers, firemen, lawyers, etc...).
As for Vancouver, it's back and forth with Toronto as the most expensive city in Canada. I'm pretty sure real estate (buy and rent) is still more expensive in Vancouver, downtown being the most expensive.


----------



## jeff66 (Aug 19, 2009)

The above post is spot on..... Prepare to work for min wage in a bar or similar. And you will be fine. As long as you have some saving to help you along the way!

Have a great trip. I was sure the Working visas were not available any more. I will look into that for my son.

Jeff


----------



## ClaireBolgil (Jul 3, 2011)

Ilz said:


> Hi there;
> 
> My partner and I have just sent off our Working Holiday Visa application' in hope to head over to Canada in April 2012. I am super excited! I am a social worker and he is a plumber. We are thinking of settling in Vancouver, possibly Downtown because we have heard good things about it. How easy/hard do you think it will be for a social worker and plumber to find work in Vancouver? Also is Downtown the way to go?
> 
> Love to get some advice!


Hi,
There's a list of the most in demand occupations in BC, though unfortunately I can't see either plumbers or social workers on there. Search 'most needed jobs in BC' on Google and you'll get the results.
In agreement with the other posts, Vancouver and Toronto seem to trade places as being the most expensive in Canada, and as G-Mo says, downtown Vancouver (with the exception of West Van I believe) is among the most expensive neighbourhoods to buy or rent, so this may not be the best place to aim for.
The bigger cities are great because there are so many more jobs available, and going back to that list of jobs... restaurant and accommodation managers are on there, as are hotel front desk clerks, and there will obviously be more of these jobs available in the big cities. The compromise is having to pay far more rent, so if you 'are' happy to work in a hotel or restaurant, at the end of the day maybe you should consider one of Canada's less expensive cities.
Hope this helps!


----------



## Ilz (Dec 2, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your posts. All have been useful.. Thankfully my partner and I just received the approval on our visa! Very excited! 

After doing some more research we are leaning more towards Calgary. The great thing about social work is that there are often related jobs that don't have a social worker title.. I have applied to have my uni degree recognized by the international credentials unit.. I am pretty confident our 4 year degree in australia is similar to the Canadian degree. But I am still happy to go back to retail or hospitality! We have a good amount of savings so were realistic about the possibility of being unempoyed for a period. My partner is a plumber and is doing an extra wellding course which might help.. 

So Calgary.. What's the best area? Something affordable and close to public transport.. We're not planning on driving- do enough of that in Aus! Anything else we should know before the big move? 
Any advice will be great!

Cheers
Ilz


----------



## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Calgary Transit sucks. Seriously... Google those words. The C-Train is limited and the bus system is a joke. In a recent survey, something like 90% of Calgarians agree their transit system is a mess. Drive! (everybody else does...)


----------



## Ilz (Dec 2, 2011)

Ah well.. Can't be any worse than melboune! We will drive if we have 2! Or bike..? What are the roads like? Bike friendly?


----------



## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

Ilz said:


> Ah well.. Can't be any worse than melboune! We will drive if we have 2! Or bike..? What are the roads like? Bike friendly?


Not so bike friendly at -30 with snow piled up everywhere. Doable, but sketchy.


----------



## ClaireBolgil (Jul 3, 2011)

Ilz said:


> Ah well.. Can't be any worse than melboune! We will drive if we have 2! Or bike..? What are the roads like? Bike friendly?


Hmmm.... maybe you should be considering a smaller city after all!!... cheaper rent, better transit, not so far to travel, easier to make friends etc etc


----------



## Ilz (Dec 2, 2011)

Yep! I think we have a winner! Haha thanks!


----------



## tdmce (Dec 21, 2011)

*Look up Airdrie*

Hi,

I'd recommend looking into Airdrie, it's a 15-20 minute drive north of Calgary. It's a nice small city and easy to get around.

We lived in Calgary and are happy we moved out to Airdrie, everything is so close and there is a ton of residential development going on here, so it shouldn't be hard for you fella to find plumbing work. 

And wouldn't recommend biking in the winter, foot paths become ice.


----------

