Canada: Irish In Calgary

feve · 20-01-2011 7:54pm #1

Just wondering if there is Many Irish here in Calgary...Arrived in October 2010 and havent really met alot of Irish people yet..

red menace · 20-01-2011 8:04pm

feve wrote: »

Just wondering if there is Many Irish here in Calgary...Arrived in October 2010 and havent really met alot of Irish people yet..

I think there are one or two from boards in Calgary, they will probably be on shortly

I am a couple of hours up the road in Edmonton

feve · 20-01-2011 8:09pm

how are you finding it??? pretty cold.. we visited there maybe twice..

i_love_toast · 20-01-2011 9:37pm

will be arriving in calgary next week!in a weird way i hope its not packed with irish!

red menace · 20-01-2011 9:56pm

feve wrote: »

how are you finding it??? pretty cold.. we visited there maybe twice..

We like it a lot, friendly people.
Decent cost of living, not too big and lots to do
The cold is very cold if that makes sense. The -30 days are unpleasant but manageable with layers
It's not a good looking city very industrial and concrete jungle but it also has lots of parks.

feve · 20-01-2011 10:00pm

i_love_toast wrote: »

will be arriving in calgary next week!in a weird way i hope its not packed with irish!

It's definitely not..:) its a nice place though.. have you work etc. all sorted?

Former Great · 21-01-2011 3:54am

feve wrote: »

It's definitely not..:) its a nice place though.. have you work etc. all sorted?

Hi feve just wondering what the weather is like during the summer in calgary .. Is it in the minuses the whole time or just the winter month .. I hear theres loads of work there and the money is good.. Im a carpenter and thinkin of goin there myself..

TechnoPool · 21-01-2011 7:17am

im in calgary myself just over a week!!

Met a fair few irish lads through soccer over here already, staying in the nw

feve · 21-01-2011 7:40am

Oh right cool..was looking at the gaa site for Calgary..

MKcin · 21-01-2011 4:18pm

Hi there...Iv been in Calgary now since oct, my boyfriend was in the building back home and came here for work. There is so much work here in all types of construction. The winters are definetly long, so im looking forward to see what the summer will be like. Calgary is good for making money if thats what your looking for!! I still get home sick though!!

feve · 21-01-2011 7:29pm

Ya the home sickness can be tough alright...

TechnoPool · 21-01-2011 7:47pm

just remember lads, were here for a good time, probs not a long time

that dump will still be there when we go back, whats to miss ha

MKcin · 21-01-2011 7:59pm

hey TechnoPool...thing is if that was true and I knew I would be going home in a year then I would be grand, but there is no work to go back to (in construction) so we dont really have a choice and will have to stay here longer, prob for a few years anyway.

feve · 21-01-2011 8:08pm

I agree...not knowing when you will be home makes you look at it differently....

TechnoPool · 21-01-2011 8:14pm

ah your right doh, there is nada to be going home too

i understand what you saying

how all of ya finding it so far?

MKcin · 21-01-2011 9:08pm

Its a good place to be for work thats for sure. I hear the Calgarians say that its going through a bit of a lull period here at the moment, they try to call it a recession, but we Irish know better!! I think the place is booming. I think a lot of Irish construction workers would do well here, some of the houses/estates look like kips! Shopping is good though so that helps ;-)

TechnoPool · 22-01-2011 12:19am

haha wouldnt be too much up on the shopping myself now!! Only here a week yesterday but really enjoying it, luckily i have a few family members here and got to know a decent amount of people already!!

effort of looking for work

feve · 22-01-2011 1:25am

you will find work fairly quickly here..seems to be a lot of jobs around..

dub man · 28-01-2011 3:53am

hi guys and gals im here since aug ive only met 3 irish since i came the work is plentiful im with a roofing company there always looking for guys its flynn canada if your looking for work with them let me know ill tell ye the do,s and dont,s you dont have to be a roofer,any body in mckenzie with kids my wife is home with our 8 month old and is stuck indoors not meeting anyone bloody hard for her any info would be great

Former Great · 28-01-2011 5:09am

dub man wrote: »

hi guys and gals im here since aug ive only met 3 irish since i came the work is plentiful im with a roofing company there always looking for guys its flynn canada if your looking for work with them let me know ill tell ye the do,s and dont,s you dont have to be a roofer,any body in mckenzie with kids my wife is home with our 8 month old and is stuck indoors not meeting anyone bloody hard for her any info would be great

Whereabouts are u dub man? Im a roofer thinkin of heading out .Whats the money like and the weather??

dub man · 28-01-2011 6:25am

they money is the same as home with potential to get extra you dont get paid for rainey days or days you miss through the cold its all industrial roofing im in calgary if your coming make sure you come on your own visa and if you can change your driving licience to an english one for a straight swap you cant swap an irish one you must sit 2 test and on a provisional for 2 years with loads of restrictions hope this helps

ciaran67 · 30-01-2011 11:47am

I know homesick well and it will hit you from time to time. Just try and look at this as an adventure. Ireland isnt going anywhere and you'll be surprised just how much hasnt changed, even when you've been away for a few years. There's loads here that would love to be in your shoes right now. I cant tell you how glad i am that i got my Canada Citizenship back in 2001!

Good luck all.

Chet Zar · 30-01-2011 11:32pm

dub man wrote: »

hi guys and gals im here since aug ive only met 3 irish since i came the work is plentiful im with a roofing company there always looking for guys its flynn canada if your looking for work with them let me know ill tell ye the do,s and dont,s you dont have to be a roofer,any body in mckenzie with kids my wife is home with our 8 month old and is stuck indoors not meeting anyone bloody hard for her any info would be great

Hey bud, your wife could check out the Canada section of a site called britishexpats.com - there are people on there from all over Canada, mainly from the UK but other countries too including Ireland - I know they do meet-ups and there are dozens of people on there in the same boat as your wife.

dub man · 09-02-2011 2:46am

hi guys anybody know of any 5 or 7 aside football in the southeast or any football clubs cheers

TechnoPool · 09-02-2011 5:30am

dub man wrote: »

hi guys anybody know of any 5 or 7 aside football in the southeast or any football clubs cheers

i play for two teams at the moment, few irish lads on one we play in the north and south depending on who were playing. Not 100% sure if we need bodies though, i can ask if your interested?

any good? ha:D

mazi · 28-02-2011 9:54pm

Hey all,

Living in Vancouver the past month with little or no prospect of a job, sent approx 100 cv' to date and I'm starting to get really hacked off at this stage.Considering leaving and going to Calgary instead as it seems to be cheaper with same wage as Vancouver.Any advice re job scene there?

Would be looking for office work, admin etc.

Boopydoodle · 08-05-2011 1:01pm

dub man wrote: »

hi guys and gals im here since aug ive only met 3 irish since i came the work is plentiful im with a roofing company there always looking for guys its flynn canada if your looking for work with them let me know ill tell ye the do,s and dont,s you dont have to be a roofer,any body in mckenzie with kids my wife is home with our 8 month old and is stuck indoors not meeting anyone bloody hard for her any info would be great

Hi
My husband and I are coming over to Calgary to live within the next month. We have two boys 3 and 6. We would love to meet up with as many irish people as we can and will probably be living in Okotoks. Where are you based? Id say it tough for your wife........have you managed to find any more irish since your first post in jan?
Amanda

pkane · 29-01-2012 10:48pm

hi all
im an irish electrician heading to calgary in jul with my girlfriend who is a nurse. can anybody gives us advice on job prospects and what the money is like etc... appreciate any advice or updates from calgary..
cheers

Boopydoodle · 30-01-2012 2:46am

Hi
there are a few facebook pages that are great for finding people. https://www.facebook.com/groups/132443770140133/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/126631068121/

We have been in Calgary since last June. I did post on this thread but got no responses. The facebook pages are better. There are lots of irish in calgary but we are all spread accross the city. we are in the north west and really like it.

There are lots of job website. maybe start with kijiji. you can find anything there from jobs to cars to furniture and a house to rent!

Try and make lots of connections before you come out. facebook is great for that.

hope this help.
Amanda Quinn

TechnoPool · 30-01-2012 7:26pm

pkane wrote: »

hi all
im an irish electrician heading to calgary in jul with my girlfriend who is a nurse. can anybody gives us advice on job prospects and what the money is like etc... appreciate any advice or updates from calgary..
cheers

going to be very hard to find jobs in those fields.

Money can range greatly with every job.

Any specific questions just shoot me a PM.

Martyn1989 · 30-01-2012 10:06pm

Im in the process of getting my 1 year working visa (fingers crossed) and will be going over with my girlfriend.

Im graduating in may with a hospitality degree and my girlfriend with an engineering degree.

I have 4 years experience in the bar industry, Im sure I will pick up work easy enough. She will be looking for something in her field and we're well aware that it could be very difficult for her to find something. We're currently looking through all the options. Anyone have any advice on a graduate looking for work or even an internship with companies over there?

We've narrowed it down to Calgary and Vancouver and I think we're swinging towards Calgary. I know two guys in Calgary at the moment both working in bars and they say they got work easy enough. They'll both be home by the time we get there though.

ibh · 31-01-2012 3:36pm

Martyn1989 wrote: »

Im in the process of getting my 1 year working visa (fingers crossed) and will be going over with my girlfriend.

Im graduating in may with a hospitality degree and my girlfriend with an engineering degree.

I have 4 years experience in the bar industry, Im sure I will pick up work easy enough. She will be looking for something in her field and we're well aware that it could be very difficult for her to find something. We're currently looking through all the options. Anyone have any advice on a graduate looking for work or even an internship with companies over there?

We've narrowed it down to Calgary and Vancouver and I think we're swinging towards Calgary. I know two guys in Calgary at the moment both working in bars and they say they got work easy enough. They'll both be home by the time we get there though.

There is quite a bit of bar work here from what I hear and the tips can make it into a decent wage here.

Your GF will have next to no chance of getting a job as a fresh Grad in Vancouver so Calgary will be your best bet. Even here it will be difficult to get a start with no experience but it is just about the best place in North America for Engineering work so it would be worth a shot.

She should try and make it really clear on her Resume / Cover Letter that she has access to at least a 2 year visa and also make it clear that her job title is on the Canadian skills list. Employers here don't like the idea of training someone only to have them bail out a year later when visa expires.

What type of Engineering is she studying? I work in Eng here but my company doesn't hire regularly and is unlikely to hire a Graduate but I may know a few to try.

Martyn1989 · 31-01-2012 10:48pm

ibh wrote: »

There is quite a bit of bar work here from what I hear and the tips can make it into a decent wage here.

Your GF will have next to no chance of getting a job as a fresh Grad in Vancouver so Calgary will be your best bet. Even here it will be difficult to get a start with no experience but it is just about the best place in North America for Engineering work so it would be worth a shot.

She should try and make it really clear on her Resume / Cover Letter that she has access to at least a 2 year visa and also make it clear that her job title is on the Canadian skills list. Employers here don't like the idea of training someone only to have them bail out a year later when visa expires.

What type of Engineering is she studying? I work in Eng here but my company doesn't hire regularly and is unlikely to hire a Graduate but I may know a few to try.

Yeh we're fairly set on Calgary, thanks for the help, I think shes going to PM you to find those names
Thanks again
Martyn

memaul · 03-02-2012 8:23pm

ibh wrote: »

There is quite a bit of bar work here from what I hear and the tips can make it into a decent wage here.

Your GF will have next to no chance of getting a job as a fresh Grad in Vancouver so Calgary will be your best bet. Even here it will be difficult to get a start with no experience but it is just about the best place in North America for Engineering work so it would be worth a shot.

She should try and make it really clear on her Resume / Cover Letter that she has access to at least a 2 year visa and also make it clear that her job title is on the Canadian skills list. Employers here don't like the idea of training someone only to have them bail out a year later when visa expires.

What type of Engineering is she studying? I work in Eng here but my company doesn't hire regularly and is unlikely to hire a Graduate but I may know a few to try.

Hi ibh,

My girlfriend and I are thinking of heading over to calgary in June. I will be graduating in May with a Civil Engineering degree. I'll have about 6 months good work experience. Just wondering what you think my prospects are like for a job.

Any chance you could point me in the direction of some companys to approach.

Thanks very much

Tonto86 · 03-02-2012 8:30pm

me and the woman are headin on march 15, cant wait!

kiwijbob · 04-02-2012 7:13pm

memaul wrote: »

Hi ibh,

My girlfriend and I are thinking of heading over to calgary in June. I will be graduating in May with a Civil Engineering degree. I'll have about 6 months good work experience. Just wondering what you think my prospects are like for a job.

Any chance you could point me in the direction of some companys to approach.

Thanks very much

Hi,

I've just secured work after two interviews and two job offers !!!! :cool:
monster.com was the way I went, don't know how jobs are for you
(I'm an arch tech) eng guys but I'd be gob-smacked if you had any
trouble getting work anywhere in Alberta. Email the agencies with the CV
first. There is the potential for big $$$$ after a few years... good luck

kiwijbob · 04-02-2012 7:17pm

pkane wrote: »

hi all
im an irish electrician heading to calgary in jul with my girlfriend who is a nurse. can anybody gives us advice on job prospects and what the money is like etc... appreciate any advice or updates from calgary..
cheers

check how your qualifications transfer

kiwijbob · 04-02-2012 7:21pm

anyone in Red Deer?

greenteaicedtea · 19-02-2012 2:24am

dub man wrote: »

hi guys and gals im here since aug ive only met 3 irish since i came the work is plentiful im with a roofing company there always looking for guys its flynn canada if your looking for work with them let me know ill tell ye the do,s and dont,s you dont have to be a roofer,any body in mckenzie with kids my wife is home with our 8 month old and is stuck indoors not meeting anyone bloody hard for her any info would be great

Have a look at meetup.com, you can join a group with other people who have similar interests, eg. meet up to see movies, mommy get-togethers, go for hikes, etc.

Never a bad idea to mix with locals to make new friends, network etc.

damob9 · 16-04-2012 1:44pm

pkane wrote: »

hi all
im an irish electrician heading to calgary in jul with my girlfriend who is a nurse. can anybody gives us advice on job prospects and what the money is like etc... appreciate any advice or updates from calgary..
cheers

there's an electrical company from calgary interviewing in Dublin from May 11 to 14 you should have a look on the irish jobs sites it pops up on a good few of them. commercial construction electrician

nedser1 · 27-04-2012 1:00pm

Hi i have just started the process of trying to get a job in calgary . I am a tiler by trade with alot of experience .Can anyone point me in the right direction of getting a job offer for lmo .I would consider anything to get started out there .

nedser1 · 27-04-2012 1:08pm

hey dub man lookin to go to calgary im a tiler but im sure i can be of use is there any vacancies for labourers

ibh · 27-04-2012 3:33pm

If you are young enough (U-35) then you should get the IEC visa.

A company has to employ a minimum number of people before they are allowed to get LMO's so you need to find a large tiling contractor if you are doing the LMO route.
I don't think any General Contractors here would have direct hire tilers, so they probably have sub contractors doing the tiling. Try and search for the biggest tiling company and email them is the best bet.

Maybe try some of the housebuilding companies as well. Brookfield Homes is the only name i can think of.

nedser1 · 27-04-2012 3:38pm

thanks ibh
will check it out

mark anthony · 02-05-2012 6:21pm

Hi all, myself and my partner are looking into moving to calgary with our 16 month old son, im an electrician and have an interview coming up next week with a company called unitech electrical corp.(if anyone has any news on the company or if anybody works for them, any info would be much appreciated) anyways ive been looking online at some properties to rent and there is that many in so many areas im getting abit overwhelmed, does anybody have any suggestions on locations close enough to get to downtown via train etc.thanks. Mark

Tonto86 · 02-05-2012 8:49pm

mark anthony wrote: »

Hi all, myself and my partner are looking into moving to calgary with our 16 month old son, im an electrician and have an interview coming up next week with a company called unitech electrical corp.(if anyone has any news on the company or if anybody works for them, any info would be much appreciated) anyways ive been looking online at some properties to rent and there is that many in so many areas im getting abit overwhelmed, does anybody have any suggestions on locations close enough to get to downtown via train etc.thanks. Mark

Bankview is nice, not too dear and closish to downtown.

Try www.padmapper.com. it'll let you select a price range and number of bedrooms etc and then display all the listings from kijiji, craigslist nd others on a map. It's how I found my place

tony53 · 13-05-2012 11:44pm

hi
Im also an electrician and hoping to move to Calgary with my wife and kids this summer
Please let me know how you get on with work and accomadation
Thanks in advance
T

velnias2010 · 14-05-2012 1:48am

Hey,

I found finding work in Calgary pretty easy, and from speaking to others it's pretty much the same story. There is work here forsure, and the money is good.

I am a web developer got a job within 2 weeks. Mainly due to 3 interviews for the job. I put my Resume on Workopolis, and I got contacted from that. I still get emails every second day for interviews, I can't see to many other cities under the current climate having so much hiring demand.

The weather is finally getting better to, 25 degrees this weekend !

Ive been to Vancouver and Toronto aswell, worked for a while in Vancouver and getting a job there was 10 times harder for me. Both are nicer cities than Calgary, but Calgary beats it with the work demand.

velnias2010 · 14-05-2012 1:50am

Oh and for accommodation :

- http://calgary.kijiji.ca/
- http://www.rentfaster.ca/
- http://calgary.en.craigslist.ca/

sunnymilo · 18-06-2012 9:39am

mark anthony wrote: »

Hi all, myself and my partner are looking into moving to calgary with our 16 month old son, im an electrician and have an interview coming up next week with a company called unitech electrical corp.(if anyone has any news on the company or if anybody works for them, any info would be much appreciated) anyways ive been looking online at some properties to rent and there is that many in so many areas im getting abit overwhelmed, does anybody have any suggestions on locations close enough to get to downtown via train etc.thanks. Mark

Hi mark i also attended interview for unitech and unfortunately didnt get the job. how did you get on yourself?

BCONNA · 19-06-2012 1:04pm

Hello there,

Just got a job in Calgary with a crowd called Thermal systems, there to sort out visa bank account accommadation for a while etc. Has anybody heard of these guys in Calgary? Supposed to be a pretty big company?
Also, if anybody could give a figure regarding the cost of living for a family of 4 kids (eldest girl 13- 3 more under 5) per month, these guys want an answer now- want me out by July 9th!! Wife & me dont know which way to look, any help at all is very much appreciated,
thanks i n advance

Canada: Irish In Calgary

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