Science in Canada

biomed32

Hi all,
I have an honors degree in Biomedical Science and a MSc in Biotechnology and have yet to be successful in gaining meaningful employment in Ireland. I have always wanted to travel and have considered going to Canada for some time.

From looking at Canadian websites there seems to be a lot of work available in the science sector, both in general science and environmental science. I am looking to hear from anyone who has gotten a job in a laboratory over in Canada and also looking for which websites and people that would be useful to contact.

Any information would be greatly appreciated

Thargor

Would love an answer to this regarding pharma/biotech aswell please.

Would loveto hear an update from yourself aswell Biomed if you find anything, thanks.

MaggieRow747

I am also looking for the same information :-)... I have an ord degree in biosciences and an hons degree in biomolecular science.

Does canada have the same degree system as us?

biomed32

Still digging, I'm finding it very frustrating, all agencies tend to deal with retail etc

MaggieRow747

biomed32 wrote: »

Still digging, I'm finding it very frustrating, all agencies tend to deal with retail etc

Yeah i found that myself... What part are you planning on heading ? I saw that ontario specifically toronto have science jobs but not too sure in what specifically :-/...

biomed32

gearing myself towards Alberta and Edmonton to the West, mix of medical and environmental over that direction. I also hear the cost of living is better then in CBD areas such as Toronto etc in terms of rent. I have a few feelers and I will probably bumble along to some of those expos in the coming months

MaggieRow747

Yeah i heard about the environmental in alberta alright.. I cant do medical dont think cause i didnt do biomed :-(... Think pharma would be the way for me and hope to get something in toronto.. Is there many expos on ? Ive only heard of the one in march in the convention centre ??

biomed32

There is usually one in the RDS the working abroad expo. All other expos generally have some sort of emmigration stand too

MaggieRow747

Any luck on the jobs front?

ego.

Hey guys i am considering going to canada with an ordinary degree in biosciences and was wondering are you guys finding it very difficult to get work. have you been called for interviews at all?? would you consider yourself good at interviewing etc?? have any experience working in science or any expierence woking in a responsible position.

Just sussing it out as i may not go if i cannot get work.

Thanks in advance.

MaggieRow747

ego. wrote: »

Hey guys i am considering going to canada with an ordinary degree in biosciences and was wondering are you guys finding it very difficult to get work. have you been called for interviews at all?? would you consider yourself good at interviewing etc?? have any experience working in science or any expierence woking in a responsible position.

Just sussing it out as i may not go if i cannot get work.

Thanks in advance.

Hey, i also have an ord degree in Biosciences. Im not over there yet, but am halfway through my visa application. In regards to work over there im not really too sure like on the jobs sites there does seem to be a good few jobs but ive sent about 30 emails to pharma companies in just the toronto area and ive got no response and i have also applied for jobs and no response ( this could be that i dont have my visa yet). I have 6 months work experience in beaumont hospital and i did my add on level 8. Have you applied for your visa or anything?

ego.

Have the Visa first round just waiting for POE letter pretty much as i have no legal convictions or anything.

I would pretend you have your visa mate and that you are already in Canada with a good cover letter.... (Thats what the visa specialist in Ireland told me to do) as this will give you a gauge of job interest (if you get a interview you have a chance of getting a job) if there is no interview then they are not interested and you need a better C.V. cover letter or they don't want your skill set

I'm not intending to leave till oct-sept so i will be sending around C.V.s in the next month to gauge interest and if i get no interview offer i will not be going.... But i will be telling them i have a two year open work visa+am living in Canada as this will reflect my actual situation when i want a job.


The big thing with someone without a visa is the company must go out of there way to sort your visa and unless you are exceptional or there is no one else they will normally employ someone in Canada already as they can just fire them at no cost and get someone else, i.e they don't need to sort flights,visa and no real bad taste in there mouth from firing.



This is the information i have received from visa specialists and my careers office in the college. (the visa specialist said expect 6-8 months to get a junior position so to have work planned out there to keep you going while u job hunt i.e. bar work or something)

MaggieRow747

Well with most of the emails i sent off i wasnt actually asking them to employ me i was just trying to suss out if they would take on a person with my degree basically i was just asking for information on the pharma industry over there at the moment and what kinda positions i would be eligible for.

Did you do your Biosciences degree in DIT?...Do you have any experience yourself ?

Also did you do the medical check for your visa application ?

ego.

Dont ask them that they are paying a HR person so they will usually not reply as this is wasting company time. You must apply as if you are genuinely going for it for them to give you an offer.... i know it sucks but you will just have to tell them something came up if u get a reply... consider using a different name if your just sussing.

No LYIT.

Just on to the second part but have my Garda cert sorted.

MaggieRow747

Well i thought that showing an interest in a company might just get me some information and all i need is really one person to reply to get the information i want as i said i wasnt looking for them to employ me as i dont have my visa yet.

Ah i see and there no jobs in limerick (im assuming) then no ?

Have u started the mycic part as in have you done the questionaire and has it said you have to do the medical ?

ego.

Sorry if it seemed like i was insulting you.

Just saying the company will not reply to a question as they are on the clock and will get in trouble for giving you just information when you are not looking to work for them.

You have to apply as if interested and you will get the information that way.

Theres no jobs in ireland mate.

Yeah i will be going to the doctor soon.

MaggieRow747

No like i completely get where your coming from i just thought if i got one person that would give me a good reply i would be happy but going by the job site it looks more promising than here there not looking for like an unreasonable amount of experience and are also taking on graduates..

Awh okay cause i got my medical done yesterday but then kinda re-thought do I actually have to get it for the pharma industry or is it just for medlab.. Hoping we do have to get it cause thats a waste of €305

smokeyjoe123

I went to Canada with a degree in biotech a few years ago and found it quite difficult to get any science-related job, bearing in mind that I did not have any work experience in this field before I went. I did eventually get a really interesting job working in the R&D department of a materials science company. I spent about two years over there and got some great experience.

My advice for anyone planning the move with minimal experience is to be very careful and really do your homework before you go. Most of those environmental/medical science jobs require you to obtain Canadian certifications before you are even considered. Also, many employers do not even want to know about your degree if it's from outside US/Canada. You can pay to have your credentials converted to the Canadian equivalent. The majority of science jobs you would have a hope of getting in Canada will be contract lab work with quite low pay (~$13/hr depending on location)

When I came back to Ireland last year, I got a science job almost immediately. The money is a bit less but the cost of living here offsets that completely. There are science jobs in this country and employers are looking for people. I think I am much better off here and I can see my career going somewhere. Sorry to put a bit of a negative twist on the thread, but Canada is far from the land of milk and honey that it's made out to be. PM me with questions or if you need science work here in Ireland and I may be able to help!

Thargor

Thanks for that Smokey.

emmahugs

Just wanted to add my two cents here...

I came to Canada last year with 6 year experience in the pharma industry and a degree in chemistry. I found it extremely difficult to get in the door with companies, I applied for approx. 200 jobs and only got called for 2 interviews. Its all about who you know here, so try to connect with people on Linkden, employees in companies you want to work for and ex grads from your college who have moved to Canada. Smokeyjoe is right to work in a medical lab you will need an extra qualification. You will hear again and again that you don't have "Canadian experience", this was very frustrating for me as I had experience from Ireland.

Having said all that, I ended up meeting a company at the national job fair at the convention centre in Toronto who I ended up getting the job with. Its an excellent job with fantastic prospects for the future, much better than I would have had if I had stayed in Ireland.

You need to be persistent to get a job in your field here but open to working a part time job to get Canadian experience (and it will help you to save some money!)

You can PM me if you have any questions!

smokeyjoe123

emmahugs wrote: »

Just wanted to add my two cents here...

I came to Canada last year with 6 year experience in the pharma industry and a degree in chemistry. I found it extremely difficult to get in the door with companies, I applied for approx. 200 jobs and only got called for 2 interviews. Its all about who you know here, so try to connect with people on Linkden, employees in companies you want to work for and ex grads from your college who have moved to Canada. Smokeyjoe is right to work in a medical lab you will need an extra qualification. You will hear again and again that you don't have "Canadian experience", this was very frustrating for me as I had experience from Ireland.

Having said all that, I ended up meeting a company at the national job fair at the convention centre in Toronto who I ended up getting the job with. Its an excellent job with fantastic prospects for the future, much better than I would have had if I had stayed in Ireland.

You need to be persistent to get a job in your field here but open to working a part time job to get Canadian experience (and it will help you to save some money!)

You can PM me if you have any questions!

Glad to hear you are doing well there emmahugs and totally agree with you about the 'Canadian Experience' thing, they just don't want to know you if you haven't worked in Canada before. I tried quite a few pharma companies myself, got a couple of calls but only for sales jobs which were way too far from where I was living. The truth is you won't hear from 99% of your applications. I had to work some crappy retail jobs to keep the wolf from the door. People must be prepared to do this when they get there.

The job I did end up getting however was fantastic, absolutely nothing like it in Ireland or most other countries, really groundbreaking research going on there and I loved going to work! I made the decision to come back but was very upset leaving a job like that behind. They were even arranging with Immigration for me to stay (because my boss knew someone high up there). Again, it really is all about who you know there!

They are big into 'networking', so get yourselves on LinkedIn and start making contact with potential employers. It was really a great experience overall and I have absolutely no regrets. I still do wonder sometimes what it would be like if I stayed, but I'm happy with the decision I made. I have complete respect for anybody who sticks it out and makes it big there.

Thargor

How was the money for you both if you dont mind me asking? Would you be well off by Canadian standards? Would it be possible to save up the price of a house working in Canadian Pharma?

emmahugs

Well like I said, I'm not longer in pharmaceuticals by the pay here is good. Unfortunately the cost of living is also quite high and you should factor in travel to work (be it car or train) as the pharma companies are not based in downtown Toronto. But yes you could save for a house here on the wages.