moving to Toronto/Vancouver

leeds17

Hi all,
Ive recently been let go from an insurance company and will be finished my law degree this may (thank christ) , for these reasons i decided to take the plunge and have booked a one year visa to Canada. I dont have to pick my flights until monday 13th of april I havnt made up my mind on where to go Toronto or Vancouver and am taking every ones advice on board, leaning towards Toronto at moment.
Im 22 years of age, and only have 1 years experience in claims dept whats the best type of job i could get in either of these cities?
Whereabouts in toronto would you reckon to be ideal rental area bearing in mind I am single, going out there on my own , and will be looking to socialise+party at weekends etc- I have a mate who is saying he can sort me out in frat style house is this ideal if i will be working 9-5?
anything other advice you guys have greatly appreciated
Thanks in advance + hope to see some paddies out there
I hope to fly out early june
Cheers lads

Colmfatcamp

Hey Man,

I'm here in Toronto right now, arrived here just before New Year's so you're lucky you're missing the harshest weather! In saying that, snow is a million times better than rain, so at least it's something different.

Toronto is a nice city for sure, but nice only goes so far I guess. It's extremely spread out, and although the downtown area looks all high-rise and expansive, when you get into the heart of it, it's not really THAT busy. There's a college area with a good few decent pubs, an entertainment with a lot of clubs where people get arrested for taking guns into, and some very artsy neighbourhoods. If you're looking to do a bit of partying, the downtown area is the ONLY place you can stay as far as I know. It's not cheap, but you can pick up a room for $500 a month easily enough. Craigslist.com is the place to check for that, it's what everyone uses and it's free. Anywhere on the likes of King Street, Queen Street, College Street, Bloor street area (no further west than Ossington, and no further east than Yonge) would be my recommendation for what you're looking for. The craic isnt that great amongst the Canadians in general, they're not big partiers but they are nice and it is definetly a nice city to live in. Jobs are kind of tough to come by though, it took the three of us about 2 months to actually find something consistent. Just the way it is these days though, you'll get it anywhere, so I'd recommend having a bit of cash together to get on your feet. Summer time things tend to pick up so you may find it easier, a lot of resteraunts and bars hire more seasonal staff, but they tend only to recruit women servers (for obvious reasons) so it's harder for a guy to find such a thing. If you're looking more 9-5 then get in with an agency (Ajilon, Staffworks, Altis are the one's we've successfully used) and they'll hook you up with temping work. It doesnt pay great but sadly that's the way it is around here at the moment!

So that's everything I wish people told me before I got out here in a nutshell. You will enjoy it, we've kind of had a slightly depressing few months but that was mainly due to our money running out trying to get going, but now that things are happening and the sun is beginning to shine, it's beginning to come out of its shell. They really do hate winter here so maybe we didnt see its best side, but there's a bit more of a buzz around now that Summer is approaching, so it's looking good. We're probably going to head west to the Rockies in the Summer just because we feel there'll be a bit more to see out there having done the downtown thing, but it's a good spot here, you'll enjoy it should you decide.

Good luck,

CC

Cliona99

Hey ya, can't give you nearly as much info as the above poster, but I wanted to get a vote in for Vancouver. My sister just got back from a year over there and absolutely loved it. Very outdoorsy, (everybody kayaking, hiking, skiing), friendly, and laid-back. She worked for a temp agency, in the University of British Columbia mostly, steady work, and well paid. Plus, rents were pretty low compared to here. Close to Seattle too for holidays, although she made like a Canadian and went to Cuba. I'm sure you'll have fun wherever you decide on, the friendliness of Canadians seems to be a nationwide thing. Good luck!

Colmfatcamp

Yeah, I'd also have to back up what Cliona is saying too, I've heard great things about Vancouver from people who've been there on holidays. Just to throw the cat amongst the pidgeons, Montreal is meant to be a great party city as well, so all in all it just seems like Canada is great. My advice: See as much of it as you can and dont get tied down for too long anywhere if you can avoid it. I hear Vancouver weather isnt too unlike Ireland's though, whereas sun is shining here in Toronto, so maybe that will influence you...