# Electrician looking for work in Kelowna/ Okanagan



## guitsax (Oct 10, 2011)

Hi we are now ( eventually) in the final stage of PR visa application, ie, visas to to be stamped into passports, so we are nearly ready to move. In August we spent 2 weeks in Kelowna/ Okanagan and loved it -- confirming our initial choice of destination to be the right one. -- now the hard part, need to find work in Kelowna or surrounding area. 
I have 24 years experience as electrician in all aspects of the trade, 15years in South Africa as contractor working in - marine; commercial; light industrial; domestic etc.. The last 9 years I've been a maintenance industrial electrician at a power station in Oxfordshire England. I have a level 3 in first line management ( supervisor) currently working as chargehand. 
Realistically speaking I would be ready to move anytime in the new year.
Would appreciate any info or contacts.
Thanks
Andrew


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## inutley (Jun 9, 2009)

Hi Andrew,

I work for a large general contractor here so have reular conatct with most of the electrical contractors in the valley. I have listed below some of the larger ones who would be worth contacting, most contractors here undertake industrial, resdiential and commercial work, and generally Kelowna is one of the satellite offices within BC.

Houle Electric | Electrician Contractor Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Prince George, Kelowna Kamloops | Houle Electric
Electrical, Data, and Control Services in Kelowna and Penticton - Keldon Electric
Horizon Electric Inc
Westcana Electrical Inc.

One thing to be aware of when planning to come to kelowna is that although it is great, it is not a big city - pop approx 150,000 (and not a city at all by UK standards) and the construction market is largely commercial and residential, with some public work as well. In the UK the density of population means that you can cover a lot of towns and cities within a 2 hour drive - out here the nearest big city is Vancouver which is a good 4hrs away and there is very little in between. I would make some contact with some of the electrcials and see what skills they require before you make a decision on whcih way you want to go as it could mean you have to travel a lot. As a general contractor we cover work from throughout BC here, and a lot of it is in Vancouver because it is the biggest city in the province. If you've got any queries or need a few contcats, let me know.

Regards

Ian


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## guitsax (Oct 10, 2011)

Hi Ian,
thanks so much for the info - I have tried to contact Houle before with no response but I will certainly give them all a try. 
I ran a contracting firm in South Africa for 10years before coming to England and so have a lot of residential , commercial, marine experience -- I am willing to go either way. I have heard that with these companies it is a case of who you know and you have to be there to be taken seriously, but for us it is a case of having the security of work before we arrive. I have a wife and two boys (13 & 5) to consider and even thought if I go over first and get set-up with work and accomodation and then send for them -- but only as a last measure.

We travelled from Calgary to Okanagan and then to Vancouver and Vancouver Island so I get what you are saying about the vast distances ( a bit like South Africa -- just prettier). I quite like Vancouver Island but the wife is too scared of the earth-quake which threatens a large part of Vancouver etc......
Anyway we travelled around Kelowna and down to Osoyoos and I don't mind where I am in the Valley as long as I am close to the water. 
There were a few jobs in Kamloops -- did'nt get there , do you know much about Kamloops area? 

Thanks again for the info.
Andrew


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## inutley (Jun 9, 2009)

Hi Andrew,

I know a few of the Houle guys so I can give them a ring if you like - if you've got a cv I could send it to them and get you some feedback. I was in the same position as you before we came out - I have 2 young girls - so needed to secure some work before we moved. I managed to set up some interviews and came out on a 2 week trip to meet them, face to face - I found this best as they then knew that you were serious about coming, and I got to see what their set up was like. As for Kamloops, I've done some jobs up that way - it is about 2hrs from here, but its a smaller town and not as nice as Kelowna. The Okanagan is certainly a great choice for a place to live - its amazing how many expats live here form both the UK and South Africa! If you want to email my work address -l] I'll see if I can help out. Whats your timeline?

Regards

Ian


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## guitsax (Oct 10, 2011)

Hi Ian that would be fantastic -- really appreciate that. Timeline? we are at the point of sending our passports to immigration for visas to be stamped in -- I don't know how long that takes but surely it should'nt be more than 2/3months. Realistically I suppose it depends on work prospects, we are not selling our house here so it would be a case of getting it rented and tying up a few things. I might go over on my own and the wife wait with the kids until end of the school year July -- that all depends on the timing of finding a job. 
We really enjoyed our stay in Kelowna 
If you want to email me your work email address I will send my resume -- thanks again 
Andrew ( [email protected])


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## squirkey (Apr 29, 2012)

Hi Guitsax
Sorry to hijack your thread but I was wondering how you got along with your Kelowna move? My husband and I are in a similar position - he's a British spark with 20 years experience and we are really keen to get to Kelowna - however we've been delayed by the FSW pause and we're now feeling pretty dejected about whether we will ever get there. 

Is there any work for electricians in Kelowna or are we best focusing on Vancouver, in your opinion? We had originally planned on Vancouver but prefer Kelowna. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Many thanks


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## guitsax (Oct 10, 2011)

Hi Squikey, have'nt moved there yet - we decided it was too much of a rush (stress) to try and get everything in place to move before July '12 so we went over in June to activate the visas. We now have to move within 3 years but are planning to be there by next summer at the latest. I have applied for many jobs and one positive response from a Vancouver firm saying that if I were there already then I would have a better chance.
We too are really trying to focus on Kelowna so as to make one move and not several to finally land up in Kelowna. I spoke to a guy in Ontario who had a branch in Kelowna and he was saying that jobs in Kelowna are snapped up and that you have to be there and available to stand a chance. I keep applying though -- never know!!
The other thing is that they are quite heavily unionised and some companies will not hire unless you belong to a union ( IBEW is the one to look at) -- but of course you cannot join the union unless you have red seal. You can get approved to write the red seal exam but have to have Canadian or US identity to actually write the exam. ( PR card will do). 
Hope this helps -- anything else I can do to help or expand on just message me. 
Andrew


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## squirkey (Apr 29, 2012)

Hi Andrew 

I can't thank you enough, you've probably just saved us about a year of stress and doubt! We've been researching and weighing up our options for nearly a year now and waiting to apply for our FSW (we had to wait 'til our baby was born to put him on the paperwork) and we have contacted Red Seal and applied for loads of jobs over the past ten months, but you've been able to give us an invaluable inside track - thank you.

With that in mind, we will probably start to look at the Calgary route as a step into Canada, although we really, really didn't want to do that (as you say, uprooting the family twice is not ideal and also we love BC - and a Calgary winter? Brrr!) but waiting a few years for our FSW is a little too long for us (kids are currently 2 years old and 6 months old so we'd like to do it before they know any different). 

It's frustrating that Canada needs Electricians but it's so long winded to get out there, but who knows maybe the changes they are going to make to the process in January 2013 will help expedite the process.

Thanks again for your advice, and all the best with the move. In the meantime, if I find anything out that might be useful to you then I'll let you know.

Cheers

Sinead


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## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

squirkey said:


> (we had to wait 'til our baby was born to put him on the paperwork)


You did not need to wait for the baby to be born. You could have applied and then simply sent in an update when the baby was born...


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## guitsax (Oct 10, 2011)

Hi Sinead , yes as G-MO stated you did'nt have to wait for the birth -- anyway spilt milk hey!! You have a young family and I suppose if you uproot once or twice before they start school its not so bad. Is the idea to get a work permit and then start the PR process once you get there ? I think you would need an offer of employment to go down that route. ??
Anyway let me know how you get on. If I had an offer of employment I would go tomorrow. Have you been out to the Okanagan Valley yet? We have been twice and absolutely love it. -- chat soon
Andrew


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## squirkey (Apr 29, 2012)

Wow spilt milk indeed - g-mo, I should've sought advice on this forum sooner! Still, maybe it will work out for the best.

Andrew - we've not been to Okanagan yet, just the Vancouver area, but love BC in general and really like the look of the Okanagan. Is Kelowna as beautiful as it looks?

We have a contact in Calgary who thinks he might be able to hook us up with a job offer and go through the Alberta PNP. Apparently it's not as heavily Unionised in Alberta as BC although Red Seal is still a requirement. As Alberta has more of a labour shortage there might otherwise be work up at Fort Mac but we would need to give a lot of thought to taking that route (apparently they have 10 days on and 4 off ). 

The ultimate plan would be that once Steve (hubbie) gets the Red Seal certification it would cover him in BC if we can move across once we get our PR visas. So Alberta is really just a means to an end unless of course we love it there too!

At this stage we want to be gone already, I'm sure you know the feeling! Once you've made the decision to go the waiting is hard. But if we can't get a job offer then we can sit it out if we really have to and wait for FSW paperwork, I'm sure we can maintain the momentum of our Canadian dream!

Sinead x


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## guitsax (Oct 10, 2011)

squirkey said:


> Wow spilt milk indeed - g-mo, I should've sought advice on this forum sooner! Still, maybe it will work out for the best.
> 
> Andrew - we've not been to Okanagan yet, just the Vancouver area, but love BC in general and really like the look of the Okanagan. Is Kelowna as beautiful as it looks?
> 
> ...


If you have a contact in Calgary and if its going to be a means to get in then I would say go! however it gets pretty cold there -- and we did'nt like it ( flat and dry)but thats our personal view - we have friends he has been there for 16years from SA . 
But if it means a route in and having a job to go to ( security) then that is fantastic. 
Our thinking was that the move to another country is a huge upheavel ( and we've done it before!! -- from South Africa - 10years ago) for the kids in particular as they are 6&13 , they both love Kelowna and are excited to be going there , we cannot at this stage decide to go another route ( I don't think they could handle that on top of leaving friends and everything they know). Your kids are young so you could get away with that. 
Vancouver we found to be over crowded and not for us, Vancouver Island was our second choice -- it is beautiful!!, -- but the Okanagan Valley in general is beautiful. Kelowna is our first choice and has everything you need ( more than enough shops ) it's fantastic for sporting , kids activities, leisure , you name it... obviously there are bad sides -- that you will find anywhere you go > but the friendlyness and helpfulness of the people more than make up for it. I have read on forums about not been able to get certain goods in Canada -- we found that we could get anything we needed in Kelowna -- it is a case of adapting to Canadian Culture/ tastes and it may not have the pub on the corner or the fish & chip shop you love but there is so much variety that you will not miss those places/things. 
Sorry this is long winded but we are passinate about the place and I say go for it!!! -- you will not regret it!!. We can hook you up with our friends in Calgary -- I can give you their details if you email me your personal email address. 
Chat soon
Andrew


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