Quebec?

littlemiss maevie

Anyone living or working in Quebec? I would love to go there but can't find much information on work and living. I'd really love to go to Quebec city but when looking through job sites I can't see much.
I don't speak fluent French but pick it up quickly so thought going there would help.
Are all jobs mainly for french speakers or are there some for english speakers? I'd be willing to do temporary work until I become fluent and then take on a french speaking position.

vicquebec

I am living and working in Quebec. Try this website http://www.workopolis.com/EN/Common/HomePage.aspx

Other options are monster.ca etc. If you are willing to get immersed in French, then great. Note though that the French spoken in Quebec is very different in speaking, accent etc. It will take a while, will be stressful.. but the effort WILL pay off. There are jobs for English speakers of course! The company paid for a french course for me during working hours. With the visa you're going on I'm not sure how that will work in your case though. When I arrived in Quebec a few years ago, I had practically no French, but got a great IT job within 3weeks. Which leads me to a question. What area are you looking to work in? Most jobs will require bilingualism but no always.. I was very lucky though..

littlemiss maevie

I actually went to school in france for 4 months and if i had of kept up speaking the language then I would be fluent but I didnt have the chance. It hasn't all gone but I need to speak it again for it all to come back to me. Im pretty good at languages so am not worried about accents or picking it up. I also used to study german and find it easy to pick up spanish.
The problem I have is getting the chance to pick it up again so would need to start with work through english and I cant find many places like that.
I actually work in IT at the moment. I mainly do sales, reception and admin work.
Thanks for the help, I'll have a look through those sites now

vicquebec

Since you already have some french, you will probably pick it up quick.

No Prob, if you are determined you will find what you want. Those jobs are there especially because a lot of IT companies in Quebec have clientele in both the USA and other parts of the world, so they are in great need of English speakers. This is the untold and unknown facts about Quebec! What part of IT are you working in? Are you able to work fulltime?

littlemiss maevie

Yes it will be fulltime Im looking for. Its a sales and repiars company I work for. (I actually part own it) We also do a bit of software development but the only input I have in that is making sure its user friendly.
Im not worried at all about picking up the language as long as there is that opportunity

willabur

I have just landed in Montreal also, I am a software test specialist. Any tips you could give for getting started would be great. I am currently in the process of throwing myself into my french, I did it for the LC and took a refresher course last year when I made up my mind to come here. Will take alot of effort and some time to get up to scratch but I am looking forward to it.

So any tips, sites, agencies, companies etc that you recommend getting in contact feel free to reply to this or pm me

merci!!

vicquebec

Hi Willabur-

Bienvenue au Quebec! You have two things to get use to in other to love Quebec. The language and the winter. If you succeed there, you will never leave.. Its such a beautiful place.

Quick heads up for you: There are two taxes, provincial and federal. These taxes are added to everything you purchase, so don't be shocked, you will get used to it pretty quickly..

Have an open mind, be willing to learn new things, the french here is different in speaking, but make an effort people will appreciate it..

If you work in any area of IT and software QA etc.. you're in business. You should find something very quickly. The only obstacle I can foresee is the type of visa you're on? check out workopolis.ca; monster.ca; simplyhired.ca. The best agency I know would be randstad.ca

willabur

Thanks for that, my girlfriend is Quebeqois so I have a little bit of an idea regarding what I am in for. Off to get my social insurance number now

vicquebec

she is quebecoise.. with an (e) cos she is female:)

My wife is from quebec as well, you are lucky she will get you settled in quick

ciaran67

Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown was in Quebec the other day. Episode 4

Clicky for snippet

poutinelover

Hi everyone,

I have been working on moving to Quebec for a good while now and would really appreciate advice from anyone who has managed to settle there already or is in the process. My girlfriend is Quebecoise and I have stayed in Quebec for different durations of a couple of months up to a year before(my first stay was on the working holiday visa). I am pretty much up to speed with the Quebecois culture and have advanced intermediate french and recently began trying to get a work permit to make the permanent move.

I had a few discussions with potential employers on my last visit who said they would look into obtaining a permit for me. Unfortunately, I don't have any quick visa options and, on the advice of an immigration lawyer, decided to forgo the notorious long and difficult CSQ application process in favor of going directly for a temporary work permit with my IT background. However, I just got word from one employer I spoke with saying my chances of securing a permit coming from Ireland are not good. Needless to say I am a bit frustrated by this and looking for the best way forward.

I am a Software graduate and currently specialising in web / mobile development so I am mainly seeking entry level web positions.

I absolutely love the province and cannot see myself living anywhere else. On top of that myself and my girlfriend are tiring of the constant flying back and forth and spending months apart. I would be really grateful for any guidance on securing a job/permit and getting settled there as fast as possible.

Merci beaucoup et bonne journée!

willabur

In Quebec when you are in a relationship for more than 1 year you are effectively married or Conjoined as they call it here.
Once you can prove that then you can maybe try applying to get a defacto style visa.

Regarding work I too work in Mobile Apps as an Automation Engineer. I got a permanent job within two weeks of landing here but on the flip side I have over 10 years of pertinent experience so the graduate thing might work against you to begin with at least

poutinelover

willabur wrote: »

In Quebec when you are in a relationship for more than 1 year you are effectively married or Conjoined as they call it here.
Once you can prove that then you can maybe try applying to get a defacto style visa.

Regarding work I too work in Mobile Apps as an Automation Engineer. I got a permanent job within two weeks of landing here but on the flip side I have over 10 years of pertinent experience so the graduate thing might work against you to begin with at least

Thanks for the prompt reply willabur. Yeah my girlfriend and I have discussed the 1 year de facto couple option. As far as I am aware it has to be one year continuously living together and then the added time after submitting the visa application? In that case it would be a financial issue if I am unable to work. We also discussed the possibility of just getting married to take a more direct route but I have no idea how much more advantageous/faster that would be over living together for a year.

As I understand the application process for a married couple is just as long and expensive as the regular CSQ. So I am just trying to find the fastest route to being able to get a job without needing to find an employer who can justify submitting a work permit application that will most likely take months and be unsuccessful.

On the job search front:
I understand totally as a graduate I will find it more difficult than someone with your experience.In that regard would you have any advice regarding how to go about it/best technologies to pursue or tips on how to boost my chances in the Quebec market. It's great you secured a job in 2 weeks! In my case I was thinking if I don't find a job within a couple of months I would need to re-think my plan. Does that sound reasonable?

Just for the record, I am focusing on Javascript,HTML5/CSS and Ruby on Rails at the moment and gradually trying to work that it into mobile web / hybrid frameworks.
Sorry I am conscious of turning this into a tech thread!!
Thanks again for any help!! ;-)

vicquebec

@Poutinelover: I moved form Ireland 2years ago and now live in Quebec. My wife is also Quebecoise. I must sya I do not totally agree with willabur on the job information. I currently work in Software support, the role I currently work in is at a much much higher level than I did in Ireland. I didnt have the "experience" as such but I got a job within 2weeks of moving here in the middle of winter!

Of course Im not saying that will happen in your case, but its not entirely impossible. You might know that the mentality here is quite different from Ireland. Your desire and commitment etc are seen as huge qualities here. With those skills you mentioned above, you should find something soonish its just the visa issue. Regarding the visa, I would say the family class sponsorship will be the best route to go on..

poutinelover

vicquebec wrote: »

@Poutinelover: I moved form Ireland 2years ago and now live in Quebec. My wife is also Quebecoise. I must sya I do not totally agree with willabur on the job information. I currently work in Software support, the role I currently work in is at a much much higher level than I did in Ireland. I didnt have the "experience" as such but I got a job within 2weeks of moving here in the middle of winter!

Of course Im not saying that will happen in your case, but its not entirely impossible. You might know that the mentality here is quite different from Ireland. Your desire and commitment etc are seen as huge qualities here. With those skills you mentioned above, you should find something soonish its just the visa issue. Regarding the visa, I would say the family class sponsorship will be the best route to go on..

Thanks for the positive input vicquebec. As I say I appreciate all advice because it is difficult sometimes to know the best way to go. I am prepared and determined to get a job and settle into Quebec life. I will actually be back at Christmas for about a month so hope to get the job hunt back on track despite the slightly negative feedback I just received.

I think the crux of the problem for the employers I spoke with was the fact that the government appear to be really tightening up the rules regarding hiring non-francophone workers.Having spent a lot of time in Quebec I understand and respect how important the French language is. Like I say my French is not too shabby and I learned mainly in Quebec so the accent is kind of second nature to me at this stage. I think the gaps I have in my French would be resolved within a few months living there. As a result I feel I would integrate very quickly.
The plan after the holidays is to return for a longer stay so I guess I am just trying to get prepared best I can and optimise my chances of securing a work permit. I have seen a lot of positions in IT and web development in particular but most require a couple of years experience. However, I would like to think because the IT market is in generally good shape (if it is booming in Ireland it must be! ) that I should be able to find some position with a decent chance of getting a work permit? Sorry if that's a bit waffly or directionless...I am just looking for as many opinions from a grass roots point of view as possible to help with our decisions over the next few months; ie. getting married or going for the long haul of living together and gambling that I get a permit before running out of funds. Cheers!

willabur

what part of Quebec are you planning on moving to?
In Montreal at least alot of the IT is through english so no french is not a reason not to get a job even if they are required (I think) to advertise for bi-lingual people.

On the Job front - yeah Its possible to get a job quickly but I have heard 1st hand stories of people taking some months in order to secure work. My company don't do sponsorship as a rule but I have a 2 year visa and permenant contract which is not a workable situation long term. Until I decide whether my long term future lies in Quebec or at home at least I have some time to play with