Calgary

FalconGirl

Hi Guys,

Me and my boyfriend are looking to move to Calgary in summer 2016. I am an Accountant with experience working in PDVSA Oil company in Venezuela. My boyfriend is a Business Analyst who has worked on many projects but studying Accountancy aswell with the aim of becoming a chartered Accountant. We are both looking to move to Calgary to continue our professional careers there. So from experience can any of you guys who have lived/live and work in Calgary answer a few questions for us.

Is there many accounting/finance jobs available in Calgary?
Is it a big oil company region?
How is the standard of accommodation and price range?
How is the cost of living?
How is the standard of living? Healthcare etc
What is the City itself like for recreation?
How is the Calgary Nightlife? Clubs, Bars, Restaurants etc
How is the climate?


And in general, is it good city to live or is it boring. We both 27, adventurous and looking to have a good time. Going out to restaurants and clubs at the weekends. Anything you feel like adding, throw it the info here.

We think there is a good possibility that this will be a long term move away from Ireland and looking for a fresh start. We are just starting the research now and this thread is our first step and hopefully we will apply for Visas next year.

Also what Visa types should we apply for since we hope to make it long term? Can anybody who is living there an a permanent basis and working professionally tell us how they got their visas?

Thanks so much and I look forward to any replies.

circular flexing

Why Calgary?

I don't live there (I'm in Vancouver) but the news over here at the moment is about how far up the creek Alberta is at the moment due to the falling price of oil.

Theresalwaysone

Been living here for 4 months now, working professionally as a BA downtown.

I won't be here past next August. I really don't enjoy the city.

Is there many accounting/finance jobs available in Calgary?
Yes. Not as many as Toronto though. Calgary is pretty much ALL O&G and this has taken a hammering recently.

Is it a big oil company region?
Yes.

How is the standard of accommodation and price range?
Cost of accom is pretty heavy. Paying 800 for a basement suite in the suburbs isn't unusual. If you are willing to share, you could probably do it in a reasonably affordable manner.

How is the cost of living?
Expensive. But not prohibitive, You generally get paid well so its a zero sum game.

How is the standard of living? Healthcare etc
Actually quite good. City is clean, relatively safe (DT has lots of homeless but they are more of an inconvenience than a danger). Place is very sunny and dry and pleasant. Healthcare is good. I dont have a health card but my GF who is Canadian has, and the standard is so so much better than Ireland.

What is the City itself like for recreation?
For an Irishperson. Not so good. No real field sports, indoor soccer is prohibitive in location and organisation. There are rinks everywhere so skating and hockey is available. Huge number of gyms, but all very expensive. $60 a month min. You are also 90mins from some truly awesome mountains so skiiing, boarding, hiking, camping, hunting etc etc all available.

How is the Calgary Nightlife? Clubs, Bars, Restaurants etc
Meh. Just Meh. Because the city is so sprawled out, and that the climate is so cold at times, people tend to drink in their local pubs (think of it like a cookie cutter pub for each 'community'.). The pubs arent like home, no character, no pub atmosphere.

DT can actually be a good laugh on weekends. Its VERY quiet otherwise. Deathly. Bars like National, Craft, and most of 17th are always pretty busy (depending on the weather, bad weather means less chance of getting a cab home so less people go out).

How is the climate?
Its been a pretty mild winter here by all accounts, suits me obviously. I would say that the climate is only really an issue if you are unprepared. Its cold. VERY cold at times but its also very dry. Not like Ireland where the cold soaks into you.

I'll finish with this, I think Calgary is NOT a place I would settle permanently. Its too boring, too standard, lacks any kind of edge or character. It is a safe, pleasant city but not one which I think I could enjoy long term.

EI-DOR

Regarding the visa, you will need to get the 2 year IEC working holiday visa which isn't released yet. You will find posts and plenty of information about it on this page!

LucidLife

Just remember what ye are leaving behind. If ye want opportunity then go. Work hard/play hard. Ye will make excellent careers here. I am a bit away from Calgary myself but been a few years back.

Ye will both get work once here. Without question. There will always be work in oil and potash out here, for our generation at least. With the jobs ye want ye will have free health care immediately or maybe after 3/6 months. Ignore post about price of oil. It's actually given a boost here because Russia is producing less so demand shot up here. And every oil producer the world over has to sell at same price give or take right now regardless.

IEC working holiday visa for now. The other options tie you to an employer which you dont want. On your second year, providing you have work you can simply apply for permanent residency. Don't sweat it yet. Just be prepared beforehand for the IEC. They will be gone in minutes.

It's not cheap to rent but look on kijiji.com/calgary. That's the local classified ads that are popular. You can find lots of useful information on accommodation there. It's also a slightly social site. Groups of all kinds organize meet ups etc.

Summer is beautiful and winter even more so but it's mighty cold. Two weeks ago it was 2.5 times as cold as any period in Ireland on record. But you can prepare easy enough for it.

It's not Ireland or anything close. You won't have relationships as strong as you know. People out here keep to themselves a lot more than home. I'm not a big drinker but as mentioned don't expect much atmosphere in bars, at least not like home.

RomanKnows

I worked in Calgary in 2010 for a few months on a lucrative contract. Working for Suncor. I'll be honest; I didn't think that much about the place. The weather really is an eye-opener. It's also fairly superficial. I'm still in contact with a few lads over there working as engineers and the thinking at the moment is that things might tighten up because of the oil prices. That said, they love getting out on the winter weekends to ski, or hiking/camping during the summer. There's also a good GAA club there which I found rather more comforting and enjoyable than I would have before I went out there.