Working in Canada?

CaptainSkidmark

Anyone know anyone that fecked off to canada?
Im thinking of going, im an electrician but i have no idea where to start looking about going bout it?

Cheers

mac123

CaptainSkidmark wrote: »

Anyone know anyone that fecked off to canada?
Im thinking of going, im an electrician but i have no idea where to start looking about going bout it?

Cheers

usit do a 1year whv but i think its finished for 09. there is a skilled migrant visa too that you can get from the embassy, probably takes a while to get though, as in years.
im heading over myself at the end of may, doubt il be back here again.

greenteaicedtea

how about visiting Canada for a month, on a visitor's visa, meet some people and see if you can make any work contacts, then return home and apply for a work visa from outside Canada?

maggz

all the 1 year visas are gone for 2009, and the waiting list has shut down. i would advise saving some money and applying for a 2010 visa - this year they opened in december, so snap one up quickly.

defo recommend canada - saying that things have slowed down work wise, so have some savings, as you might be waiting a month or 2 to find something

lilirish

Can I jump on this band wagon aswell??

I'm considering thinking about Canada aswell for about 6 months...I had a look at the usit website as you mentioned there's no visas for this year left.

Anyone know of any good links to have a look at?

Anyone know how any other method of gettin a working visa?

Thinking about going for 6 months

kcb

As far as I know USIT have it sewn up. There is probably only a limited amount of 1 year visas given out for Irish people each year, and according to USIT they are gone now.

You could try going direct to the Canadian Embassy.

lilirish

USIT are re-opening the 18 - 35 working holiday visas programme on tuesday at 10am.

Its on first come first serve basis so get in there quick!

FANTASTIC

Ye so post it on boards so more people can find out and reduce your chances getting one!:rolleyes: :mad: :rolleyes:

dceire

kcb wrote: »

You could try going direct to the Canadian Embassy.

Has anyone tried the non USIT route? USIT seems to offer incredibly bad value for money with their visa thing.

Thinking of going on the student 1 year visa USIT are offering in December but considering going to the embassy instead. I have no idea where to start though

soccermad1

just to let all the irish know im over in toronto with my girlfriend for the last month ,there is very little work over here so dont get your hopes up,there was 12 of us out last sat and 5 had jobs ,on average after 6 weeks out here.we still are not working and believe me we are not being fussy we have tried everywhere.like everywhere else work is drying up .i saw all the jobs listed on craigslist etc before i left and thought great,but we have applied for about 200 jobs between us and got 3 phone calls back,which didnt work out.im not saying dont come ,im just saying dont expect to start work straight away,as another month of this and ill be back on the plane to ireland,which sickens me.

poppet84

soccermad1 wrote: »

just to let all the irish know im over in toronto with my girlfriend for the last month ,there is very little work over here so dont get your hopes up,there was 12 of us out last sat and 5 had jobs ,on average after 6 weeks out here.we still are not working and believe me we are not being fussy we have tried everywhere.like everywhere else work is drying up .i saw all the jobs listed on craigslist etc before i left and thought great,but we have applied for about 200 jobs between us and got 3 phone calls back,which didnt work out.im not saying dont come ,im just saying dont expect to start work straight away,as another month of this and ill be back on the plane to ireland,which sickens me.

Awh no! Sorry to hear that!

Anyone know how it is in Vancouver.....is it the same?

Lobelia Overhill

AFAIK you have to apply for and be offered a job before you enter Canada, and you can only be offered a job that no Canadian has taken. As in it's been advertised for months and never been filled. Once you have the job offer on the table you can apply for a visa/work permit.

It's a long arduous task from what I hear. Google British Expats and look at the Canada section of their Wiki and the message board for more up to date information.

Apparently it helps if you have an immigration lawyer working for you ...

poppet84

Lobelia Overhill wrote: »

AFAIK you have to apply for and be offered a job before you enter Canada, and you can only be offered a job that no Canadian has taken. As in it's been advertised for months and never been filled. Once you have the job offer on the table you can apply for a visa/work permit.

It's a long arduous task from what I hear. Google British Expats and look at the Canada section of their Wiki and the message board for more up to date information.

Apparently it helps if you have an immigration lawyer working for you ...

No,when going through USIT...it's actually recommended you DON'T have a job! Once you have your visa you're good to go!

Lobelia Overhill

oh okay so, ignore me!!

I was going by what I was told last year when I was in Vancouver on holiday

poppet84

Lobelia Overhill wrote: »

oh okay so, ignore me!!

I was going by what I was told last year when I was in Vancouver on holiday

Haha no you're right when it comes to dealing with the embassy but with usit, you don't need a job till you get there !;)

Suzywuzy

Myself and my boyfriend are going to Canada in early September for a year. We're thinking Edmonton as I've aunts there, if not there, then Toronto or Vancouver. He's all excited and confident about it. I'm more wary about how much savings we'll have and how quick we'll get any sort of a job and somewhere to live.

Finkel 27

Work in Toronto

Me and a friend are heading to Toronto next week and we are concerned on the jobs situation in Toronto, from what I have heard the economy in Canada is starting to slow down there, im a quantity surveyor so i am wondering what the construction market is like, even labouring on a building site as that will do fine, im not picky with what kind of work i get just as long as i get something, i know i wont walk straight into a job im hoping to get something within 6 wks when i land,

any advice you could offer could be really appreciate

Thanks
Fin

dianababyddori

poppet84 wrote: »

Awh no! Sorry to hear that!

Anyone know how it is in Vancouver.....is it the same?

My cousin just went over to vancouver with her boyfriend.
She said that the construction area has dried up totally but that theres loads of shop jobs. she just got a job in america eagle but her boyfriend whos an electrician hasnt got anything...

She was saying that every single little job have proper interviews and that took up alot of her time when she went over.

Happyduck02

Same as that. My boyfriend and I have been in Vancouver for almost 4 weeks now and still no luck with jobs despite applying almost everywhere and being stuck on Craigslist for half the day. The only thing lifting my spirits is the glorious weather! Isn't it horrible how you think you're leaving Ireland to get away from the recession only to find that things aren't as good here as everyone was making them out to be? As you say, the last thing we want to do is get on a plane back to Ireland sooner than we thought, but try not to give up hope! We're refusing to give in, even if we have to wait until the well runs dry and we go back to Ireland with not a cent in our pockets! Either that, or I'll be grabbing a trolley and joining the homeless - they seem to do ok!!! lol

GrahamThomas

dianababyddori wrote: »

My cousin just went over to vancouver with her boyfriend.
She said that the construction area has dried up totally but that theres loads of shop jobs. she just got a job in america eagle but her boyfriend whos an electrician hasnt got anything...

She was saying that every single little job have proper interviews and that took up alot of her time when she went over.

I'm going to Vancouver in Sept, did your cousin work in retail previously?

I've been working in a shop for the past year, and am planning to look for a similar job when I go over, but I'm a bit worried that employers won't think i have enough experience.

CocoPops25

Hi,

I have been applying for jobs non stop in Ireland and in UK over the last 8 months or so and no luck but a few of my friends have been talking about going to Canada to work but are there any jobs?

Just following the thread and is it hard to get a visa to Canada?

GrahamThomas

CocoPops25 wrote: »

Hi,

I have been applying for jobs non stop in Ireland and in UK over the last 8 months or so and no luck but a few of my friends have been talking about going to Canada to work but are there any jobs?

Just following the thread and is it hard to get a visa to Canada?

The Under-35 Visa Programme seems to be filled up, but you can add yourself to the waitlist here: http://canada.usit.ie/

Maybe check out the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website as well (http://www.cic.gc.ca) to see if you are eligible to apply for the Skilled Worker visa or something similar.

CocoPops25

Thanks Graham for the reply, it is really helpful. Would you say or would anyone else know is the waiting for the working visa's in Canada really long?

I'll give USIT a buzz on Monday and see sure too. Pretty sick of the endless job reject letters at this stage

GrahamThomas

CocoPops25 wrote: »

Thanks Graham for the reply, it is really helpful. Would you say or would anyone else know is the waiting for the working visa's in Canada really long?

I'll give USIT a buzz on Monday and see sure too. Pretty sick of the endless job reject letters at this stage

I'm not sure how long the wait would be.
I'd say your best bet would be registering for the waiting list, you'll be given a number in the queue, and that should give you a fairly good idea of what you're chances are!

Mst

A good website for job hunting ishttp://www.jobbank.gc.ca/Intro_eng.aspx
they always seem to have a good selection.

Suzywuzy

Happyduck02 wrote: »

Same as that. My boyfriend and I have been in Vancouver for almost 4 weeks now and still no luck with jobs despite applying almost everywhere and being stuck on Craigslist for half the day. The only thing lifting my spirits is the glorious weather! Isn't it horrible how you think you're leaving Ireland to get away from the recession only to find that things aren't as good here as everyone was making them out to be? As you say, the last thing we want to do is get on a plane back to Ireland sooner than we thought, but try not to give up hope! We're refusing to give in, even if we have to wait until the well runs dry and we go back to Ireland with not a cent in our pockets! Either that, or I'll be grabbing a trolley and joining the homeless - they seem to do ok!!! lol

What did ye do for accomodation when ye got there, despite not having jobs yet ?

mac123

Finkel 27 wrote: »

Work in Toronto

Me and a friend are heading to Toronto next week and we are concerned on the jobs situation in Toronto, from what I have heard the economy in Canada is starting to slow down there, im a quantity surveyor so i am wondering what the construction market is like, even labouring on a building site as that will do fine, im not picky with what kind of work i get just as long as i get something, i know i wont walk straight into a job im hoping to get something within 6 wks when i land,

any advice you could offer could be really appreciate

Thanks
Fin

theres plenty of construction going on in toronto at the moment and i met a few ppl in the hostel that were labouring! id imagine it would be easy to get construction work as long as you arent too picky. theres also plenty of signs up outside restaurants/shops/bars etc looking for staff. that being said i have talked to plenty of ppl who were struggling to find work!

therandomgirlie

Can i join in here aswel pleaaase.? twenty year old wee girlie non student and the plan is to head off out of ireland, canada seems close nuf, im a qualified beauty therapist but not too bothered in getting work in that area, would love a change. So am i right in thinking the best ting to do is just go on the waiting list with usit.? no look for a job before i go or wat.? when do they start givin out visas again.? also any help with regard to the same subject on movin to america would help too.?;)

soccermad1

got to agree with the girl in vancouver ,im in toronto came all the way from ireland with my girlfriend ,and after 2 months she just got a part time job and i still have nothing despite applying for anything that is going ,and i mean anything ,i spend hours everyday on job bank and craigslist but people just are not hiring,labour construction electrical none of these are hiring,cant even get a job for 10 dollers an hour.BE CAREFUL BEFORE YOU LEAVE IRELAND AND HAVE A GOOD BIT OF SAVINGS

Táck

uh-oh!

kcb

soccermad1 wrote: »

got to agree with the girl in vancouver ,im in toronto came all the way from ireland with my girlfriend ,and after 2 months she just got a part time job and i still have nothing despite applying for anything that is going ,and i mean anything ,i spend hours everyday on job bank and craigslist but people just are not hiring,labour construction electrical none of these are hiring,cant even get a job for 10 dollers an hour.BE CAREFUL BEFORE YOU LEAVE IRELAND AND HAVE A GOOD BIT OF SAVINGS

Nothing in supermarkets or bars or general office work temping?

North_West_Art

I feel as if I should add my few words of advice here... I know Canada well, I have lived there and my in-laws are from there.

When you are applying for work, make sure that your CV fits on 1 page, and 1 page only. The cover letter of course, is seperate. I have friends in recruitment over there and I have heard numerous complaints about how 2-3 page cv's appear on their desk from UK and Ireland.

Make sure your CV is as good as it possibly can be... no typo's.

Make sure you have all your relevant documents and paperwork, references, medical clearance cert (if you need one).

Go out of your way to be at your very best on the day of the interview, theres alot of competition in Toronto for employment.

I know this may sound unfair, but a heavy accent sometimes is a big disadvantage in Toronto. I have friends who could get no work in sales as a result of this (they were from Dublin).

Last but not least, Halifax is worth checking out for work, theres a mini boom going on there at the moment, but research it first before you arrive. Its a university town with a large military base, and they are expanding the docks there, its the deepest sea port in the North Atlantic.

bonkers

any other reccomendations for job websites...

Support the Canada Sub-Forum

mac123

kcb wrote: »

Nothing in supermarkets or bars or general office work temping?

as i mentioned above there is low wage casual work available. just take a walk downtown and you will see work advertised on the doors of shops/bars/restaurants. i dont think craigslist is the way to go for jobs tbh.

soccermad1

just a reply to NORTH WEST ART are you living here at the moment?my cv is up to date and was carefully done canadian style with help from my swap adviser ,1 page long with a cover letter,all my documents are in order,and i would be on my best for the day of the interview if i actually got an interview.cant really move to halifax as have apartment in toronto and have paid 1st and last rent already.there just isnt any jobs and the ones that there are has way much competition for them as there are irish english german scottish hundreds coming in by the week.even swap admitted there was a job shortage.

Cazlou

Hey Guys!

I just wanted to drop a quick line as there seems to be a lot of bitterness/shock or something about the job-situation here in Canada.

Yes, it is taking most people a while to find jobs. But they ARE finding them.

Of course I can only speak regarding Vancouver, as that's where I am, but when I arrived in April, it had taken most people about 1 month to find work. For me, I have been here for 2 months but only started looking about 6/7 weeks ago. It was very frustrating but I now have 2 part-time jobs, with space for a 3rd, which I'm hoping I will know about in the next few weeks.

Over the last couple of weeks a LOT more people are arriving, so the competition for jobs is going to get worse - so be prepared!!!

But I think the one thing that anyone coming over - and those of you that are already here and frustrated - has to remember, is that it is a Working HOLIDAY Visa. If you are coming with the intention of making your fortune, you will be disappointed!

If you come with the intention of experiencing a new country, meeting new people, travelling, and having an amazing time, while making a few quid along the way to keep the moths out of your purse, then that is exactly what you'll do!:D

Best of luck all, if you're in, or coming to, Van drop me a line if you've any q's

Caroline

GrahamThomas

Thanks Cazlou, your post has helped to clear up some of the concerns I have about the work situation. I'm heading to Vancouver in September and I've been stressing more about getting a job than anything else.

Happyduck02

Suzywuzy wrote: »

What did ye do for accomodation when ye got there, despite not having jobs yet ?

Hey Suzywuzy, sorry for late reply! We had a hostel booked for a week, but only stayed one night cos it was quite old and uncomfortable. Thankfully we found accommodation in downtown straight away, its expensive, but we had a bit saved up before we came over here. My boyfriend got a job 2 weeks ago, but unfortunately I still haven't found anything even though I've been looking really really hard. Its actually a lot harder than I thought it would be, even though I have good qualifications and a polite and friendly manner. I'm starting to get a bit down about it all! But all I can do is keep trying!!

Happyduck02

Cazlou wrote: »

Hey Guys!

I just wanted to drop a quick line as there seems to be a lot of bitterness/shock or something about the job-situation here in Canada.

Yes, it is taking most people a while to find jobs. But they ARE finding them.

Of course I can only speak regarding Vancouver, as that's where I am, but when I arrived in April, it had taken most people about 1 month to find work. For me, I have been here for 2 months but only started looking about 6/7 weeks ago. It was very frustrating but I now have 2 part-time jobs, with space for a 3rd, which I'm hoping I will know about in the next few weeks.

Over the last couple of weeks a LOT more people are arriving, so the competition for jobs is going to get worse - so be prepared!!!

But I think the one thing that anyone coming over - and those of you that are already here and frustrated - has to remember, is that it is a Working HOLIDAY Visa. If you are coming with the intention of making your fortune, you will be disappointed!

If you come with the intention of experiencing a new country, meeting new people, travelling, and having an amazing time, while making a few quid along the way to keep the moths out of your purse, then that is exactly what you'll do!:D

Best of luck all, if you're in, or coming to, Van drop me a line if you've any q's

Caroline

Hi Caroline,

My boyfriend and I have been here in Vancouver for over 5 weeks. We're here for a year to begin with, and we'll see how it goes after that. We're living downtown, whereabouts are you? He has found work, I haven't yet, but I'm trying not to lose hope. You're right - work is quite hard to find over here. I didn't come over with the intention of making a fortune either, but the cost of living is higher than I expected and the savings won't last forever!!! I've applied to up on 200 places, have had about 7 interviews, and thats it! Pretty disheartening eh?! Well done you on your 2 part time jobs with room for a 3rd - you're a busy lady!

Happyduck02

poppet84 wrote: »

Awh no! Sorry to hear that!

Anyone know how it is in Vancouver.....is it the same?

Yes, my boyfriend and I have been here for over 5 weeks. He landed a job after 3 weeks, not great pay, but at least its something. I still cannot find a single thing. Have had about 7 interviews out of over 200 applications and heard nothing back from any of them yet. I'm stuck on the job sites all day, every day. When I'm not doing that I'm walking around downtown handing in carefully adjusted resumes to fit in with the Canadian standard of resume, and nothing is working for me at all. We have enough to survive on for about another 1-2 months maximum and then its game over. The two of us need to be working, what hes earning wouldn't cover rent/bills/food etc when our money runs out. I'm starting to regret leaving Ireland.

Happyduck02

soccermad1 wrote: »

just a reply to NORTH WEST ART are you living here at the moment?my cv is up to date and was carefully done canadian style with help from my swap adviser ,1 page long with a cover letter,all my documents are in order,and i would be on my best for the day of the interview if i actually got an interview.cant really move to halifax as have apartment in toronto and have paid 1st and last rent already.there just isnt any jobs and the ones that there are has way much competition for them as there are irish english german scottish hundreds coming in by the week.even swap admitted there was a job shortage.

Hi again soccermad1,

It really sucks doesn't it. Feck all interviews out of all the applications we're sending out, and even then, nothings happening. I also have my resume vamped up to Canadian style and still its getting me nowhere. My boyfriend found a job 2 weeks ago, but the pay isn't great at all. But at least its something. I'm not panicking just yet, but another 1-2 months of this, and it'll be homeward bound. When the savings are gone, theres no way we could survive on his wage alone, rent and the cost of living here is too high. Kinda starting to regret leaving Ireland, but at the same time you can't predict whats gonna happen, so if we'd stayed at home we'd never have known what the outcome would be, so chin up! It really is a sickener though. Damn the bloody recession in Ireland - thats what brought us over here, probably like most of the others that are here. Maybe our luck will change soon though, who knows!!

kcb

What type of work are you looking for HD?

Happyduck02

kcb wrote: »

What type of work are you looking for HD?

I have lots of experience on Reception Desks and Customer Service but I'd kind of had enough if that, so I thought I might just do something like hostessing/serving in a restaurant or pub. I even got a Serving It Right Certificate straight away cos you can't do that kind of work over here without one. Applied almost everywhere in downtown, and nowhere wanted to know cos I had no previous experience. So I said "ok, reception or customer service work it is then!" and again, started applying to lots of places - had a few interviews and never heard anything back. Thats plan A and B gone - have to start thinking of a plan C!!!!!!

Happyduck02

mac123 wrote: »

as i mentioned above there is low wage casual work available. just take a walk downtown and you will see work advertised on the doors of shops/bars/restaurants. i dont think craigslist is the way to go for jobs tbh.

I'm starting to think that about Craigslist too, although there is so many people walking in off the streets to apply for the jobs in shop/bar windows that you wouldn't really stand a chance. All they do is ask if you have a resume and say that they'll get back to you when they have a look at it, which they rarely do. I've tried recruitement agencies too, as a last resort. They've been promising me the world and getting me nowhere. It's just so frustrating at this stage.

Happyduck02

soccermad1 wrote: »

just a reply to NORTH WEST ART are you living here at the moment?my cv is up to date and was carefully done canadian style with help from my swap adviser ,1 page long with a cover letter,all my documents are in order,and i would be on my best for the day of the interview if i actually got an interview.cant really move to halifax as have apartment in toronto and have paid 1st and last rent already.there just isnt any jobs and the ones that there are has way much competition for them as there are irish english german scottish hundreds coming in by the week.even swap admitted there was a job shortage.

Oh by the way soccermad1, my boyfriend has a 5 year degree and he had to take a job just digging on a site and doing general labour cos its all he could get. I know you've said you can't get any interviews and but my advice to you is, if you DO get one and you're offered it, no matter how crap of a job it is, just take it. It'll keep you going until something better comes along. I've realised over here that you can't be choosy, you just have to take ANYTHING to get you started. I even tried for dishwashing positions just to get a foot in the door and nope! Apparently I'm not even wanted for that!! lol

mac123

Happyduck02 wrote: »

I'm starting to think that about Craigslist too, although there is so many people walking in off the streets to apply for the jobs in shop/bar windows that you wouldn't really stand a chance. All they do is ask if you have a resume and say that they'll get back to you when they have a look at it, which they rarely do. I've tried recruitement agencies too, as a last resort. They've been promising me the world and getting me nowhere. It's just so frustrating at this stage.

yeah i went to a recruitment place yesterday and they showed me the door cause i dont have any previous experience in an office environment/call centre. they said i need 2 yrs min experience which is a feckin joke imo. i even have the business degree but i guess its not worth much!
can i ask how much your boyfriend is getting paid? is it cash in hand?

Cazlou

Happyduck02 wrote: »

Hi Caroline,

My boyfriend and I have been here in Vancouver for over 5 weeks. We're here for a year to begin with, and we'll see how it goes after that. We're living downtown, whereabouts are you? He has found work, I haven't yet, but I'm trying not to lose hope. You're right - work is quite hard to find over here. I didn't come over with the intention of making a fortune either, but the cost of living is higher than I expected and the savings won't last forever!!! I've applied to up on 200 places, have had about 7 interviews, and thats it! Pretty disheartening eh?! Well done you on your 2 part time jobs with room for a 3rd - you're a busy lady!

Heya, I'm living downtown too. So handy!!!
Yep it is expensive alright, I've had to figure out what groceries to buy from which stores in order to curb unneccessary spending- which then goes on nights out..:pac: I really had to swallow my pride and apply for stuff I wouldn't have done at home. Have you applied to many in person?? what areas (job and location-wise) have you been looking??

Mimikyu

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mindlet

Hi all, check monster. there are office admin jobs that is what I have done for 10 years-so here;s hoping..anyone around to meet up when i get there? Im going solo,

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

mindlet

I am heading in Oct, 5 oct and just checking jobs now, reckon hostelling is thw way to make friends and cost effective. Wher you heading again?