Moving to Canada Questions

spartan5power

Hey All, anyone working within the Learning and Development industry in Calgary? I’m in the process of considering options.

Would there be more opportunities than here in Ireland and is it tough to get a job?

I’ve heard that work experience gained in Ireland is not as valued as Canadian work experience is that true?

Would an employee Trainer role within a business qualify as a skilled profession?

Housing is extremely expensive in Ireland right now and mortgage rules are very strict, how does this compare to Calgary (Alberta)?

simongurnick

Get on LinkedIn and search for recruiters to put these questions to. I'm in ontario so cant answer specifc to ontario. Good luck

spartan5power

simongurnick wrote: »

Get on LinkedIn and search for recruiters to put these questions to. I'm in ontario so cant answer specifc to ontario. Good luck

Thanks Simon! I’ll give that a go.

Can I ask, what has been your experience in Ontario as far as the original questions in my post?

simongurnick

spartan5power wrote: »

Thanks Simon! I’ll give that a go.

Can I ask, what has been your experience in Ontario as far as the original questions in my post?

Sure. I'm a program manager right now supporting l&d projects for one of the banks. I would say adjust your language on your resume (not a cv over here) to align with canadian corporate lingo. For example you meantioned employee trainer...my company calls that a learnig facilitators. Go through some job posting on indeed and see what language they use and make sure your resume matches. One of the trickiest things with work experience from another country is that recruiters think you will be gone hom within a year or so
So you need to approach that carefully depending on your situation. Also i know for l&d there are a few canadian certs you can get onli e for adult learning. Might be worth searching on gooogle for a few. Finally, any specific reason you are going to calgary?

spartan5power

simongurnick wrote: »

Sure. I'm a program manager right now supporting l&d projects for one of the banks. I would say adjust your language on your resume (not a cv over here) to align with canadian corporate lingo. For example you meantioned employee trainer...my company calls that a learnig facilitators. Go through some job posting on indeed and see what language they use and make sure your resume matches. One of the trickiest things with work experience from another country is that recruiters think you will be gone hom within a year or so
So you need to approach that carefully depending on your situation. Also i know for l&d there are a few canadian certs you can get onli e for adult learning. Might be worth searching on gooogle for a few. Finally, any specific reason you are going to calgary?

Thanks for all the info, I really appreciate it! I said employee trainer but to be honest I was just trying to be as generic as possible.. My official title is Operations Trainer but again if this isn’t clear I could definitely take your advise and adjust it on my resume (CV)

As for why I’ve chosen Calgary, I spent some time there a long time ago and just really liked it. It’s not set in stone by any means though.. Would you say there’d be more opportunities in Toronto and within Ontario in general?

simongurnick

spartan5power wrote: »

Thanks for all the info, I really appreciate it! I said employee trainer but to be honest I was just trying to be as generic as possible.. My official title is Operations Trainer but again if this isn’t clear I could definitely take your advise and adjust it on my resume (CV)

As for why I’ve chosen Calgary, I spent some time there a long time ago and just really liked it. It’s not set in stone by any means though.. Would you say there’d be more opportunities in Toronto and within Ontario in general?

Possibly. Toronto seems to be really growing these days and i had heard calgary took a hit with the decline in oil prices.

jme2010

The thing with Irelands stupid housing crisis is that nobody wants to live outside the city.

Canada is so massively mind-boggling huge that 40min-1hour commutes are easy and normal.

If you ever wanted a detached 4+ bedroom house it's not gonna happen in Dublin or other major cities, you gotta move to the sticks, which people who work/live near the city just wont do in Ireland.

Anyway...don't worry about buying until you have PR and getting citizenship. I live in Toronto downtown.

My 1 bed condo+den with balcony costs around 1500 euro p/m. The building has 24hr concierge, swimming pool, jacuzzi, BBQ area, cinema the works. I have the "luas" on the doorstep of the building and basically the Aviva minutes walk away. The quality of life here is ridiculously good compared to what you can get in Dublin.

You'd get and even bigger place in Calgary for that price, but it's not going to have as much buzz as Toronto.

Elite Woad Raider

I can't speak for Calgary but there seems to be a lot of Canadians moving to Victoria, British Columbia. There are a lot of jobs here and professional jobs pay a minimum of 50,000 CAD a year.

If you don't have a professional job, like me, you will struggle. I make the same here as I do in Ireland (13.86 CAD per hour) however, here is much more expensive. Food, internet, and rent are far more expensive.

And the Canadian attitude is ****: they think they're modern but they're way behind us. I've had to put up with Irish jokes since I've gotten here. They think we're a joke but you wouldn't believe how far behind the times they are.

You get a lot of British expats here who still talk about the troubles and think Ireland is 'war-torn', I kid you not. And they love the queen of England here. Believe me, if you think this place is like to the US, it's not!

We got a pretty good summer this year but with the attitude and the people, the place appears so grim!

antix80

spartan5power wrote: »

I’ve heard that work experience gained in Ireland is not as valued as Canadian work experience is that true?

Having lived in Toronto for a year.. it's true. It's harder getting your first job so take anything to get "Canadian experience". Once you're in a job you'll probably be headhunted.

Elite Woad Raider wrote: »

And the Canadian attitude is ****: they think they're modern but they're way behind us. I've had to put up with Irish jokes since I've gotten here. They think we're a joke but you wouldn't believe how far behind the times they are.

I'd the opposite experience in Toronto. They are so joyless and politically correct. Would have given anything for a bit of humour and slagging.

Elite Woad Raider

antix80 wrote: »

Having lived in Toronto for a year.. it's true. It's harder getting your first job so take anything to get "Canadian experience". Once you're in a job you'll probably be headhunted.



I'd the opposite experience in Toronto. They are so joyless and politically correct. Would have given anything for a bit of humour and slagging.

I've travelled the world and Canadians are by far the most miserable and stingiest people I've ever met.

circular flexing

antix80 wrote: »

Having lived in Toronto for a year.. it's true. It's harder getting your first job so take anything to get "Canadian experience". Once you're in a job you'll probably be headhunted.

Yeah once you get that first Canadian job it's usually plain sailing from there. I'm getting 2-3 LinkedIn requests a week.

the_syco

spartan5power wrote: »

As for why I’ve chosen Calgary, I spent some time there a long time ago and just really liked it. It’s not set in stone by any means though.. Would you say there’d be more opportunities in Toronto and within Ontario in general?

Was going to goto Calgary back in 2016, but didn't as the oil price going south put a lot of people out of jobs, and thus it'd be harder to get a job. So I went to Toronto.

jme2010 wrote: »

The thing with Irelands stupid housing crisis is that nobody wants to live outside the city.

Canada is so massively mind-boggling huge that 40min-1hour commutes are easy and normal.

On this; the distance from Dublin to Mullingar would be seen as fairly normal to commute. But as said, don't worry about it until you get PR.

jme2010 wrote: »

My 1 bed condo+den with balcony costs around 1500 euro p/m. The building has 24hr concierge, swimming pool, jacuzzi, BBQ area, cinema the works.

As above, you get what you pay for in Toronto. I paid CAD$700 (about €500) a month, but only had a balcony thing, and had to buy my own aircon, which was only really for my own room. When you start adding in the extras, such as the gym and transport, paying to live near your job makes sense to a lot of people. Also, said condos usually have proper aircon; proper aircon can make your life in Toronto so much more pleasant.

=-=

If coming to Torono, I'd advise coming in the winter. Arriving in the middle of summer means it'll take your body at least two weeks to get used to the humidity - I arrived in May, and it took me nearly a month to get used to the humidity! Also, September is also a bad time, as all the students start then, so you'd be in competition with them for accommodation.

el diablo

Elite Woad Raider wrote: »

I can't speak for Calgary but there seems to be a lot of Canadians moving to Victoria, British Columbia. There are a lot of jobs here and professional jobs pay a minimum of 50,000 CAD a year.

If you don't have a professional job, like me, you will struggle. I make the same here as I do in Ireland (13.86 CAD per hour) however, here is much more expensive. Food, internet, and rent are far more expensive.

And the Canadian attitude is ****: they think they're modern but they're way behind us. I've had to put up with Irish jokes since I've gotten here. They think we're a joke but you wouldn't believe how far behind the times they are.

You get a lot of British expats here who still talk about the troubles and think Ireland is 'war-torn', I kid you not. And they love the queen of England here. Believe me, if you think this place is like to the US, it's not!

We got a pretty good summer this year but with the attitude and the people, the place appears so grim!

In which ways is Canada way behind Ireland? I've been here several years and rarely hear "Irish jokes" and have never heard any Canadian proclaim their love for the Queen. You must be hanging around with a weird bunch of people. What's the point of working in a minimum wage job and then complaining about the cost of living? You'd probably be better off returning to Ireland.

Elite Woad Raider

el diablo wrote: »

In which ways is Canada way behind Ireland? I've been here several years and rarely hear "Irish jokes" and have never heard any Canadian proclaim their love for the Queen. You must be hanging around with a weird bunch of people. What's the point of working in a minimum wage job and then complaining about the cost of living? You'd probably be better off returning to Ireland.

1. Knitting: I've witnessed this on more than one occasion, in public transport and backpackers hostels. (Absolute dorks).

2. Vaping: The local supermarket where I live just introduced vaping oil. When I went to buy some the shop assistant said I was the only one who bought the stuff in a few months and implied it was a fad which was going to die out.

3. Beyond meat: This is a new veggie burger that's taken off in restaurants. Its made from wheat gluten which is proven to be bad for you.

Canadians are by far the dirtiest scummiest nationality I have ever met. They make our worst look like saints.

antix80

Excellent trolling.
Like knitters are more dorky than vapists?

the_syco

Elite Woad Raider wrote: »

2. Vaping: The local supermarket where I live just introduced vaping oil. When I went to buy some the shop assistant said I was the only one who bought the stuff in a few months and implied it was a fad which was going to die out.

Most supermarkets in Ireland don't stock vape oil, nor do their employees know much about vaping.

Elite Woad Raider wrote: »

3. Beyond meat: This is a new veggie burger that's taken off in restaurants. Its made from wheat gluten which is proven to be bad for you.

Wheat gluten; the same stuff that is in bread is bad for you? Really?

jme2010

Elite Woad Raider wrote: »

If you don't have a professional job, like me, you will struggle. I make the same here as I do in Ireland (13.86 CAD per hour) however, here is much more expensive. Food, internet, and rent are far more expensive.

And they love the queen of England here. if you think this place is like to the US, it's not!

Why don't you piss off back to Ireland with that crap, you miserable b@stard. (I'm not being mean MOD, read this trolls last few replies)

Why move here for a min wage job? You're probably a kid who thinks of the IEC visa like a J1. You'll squander your only chance here and be crying while in the dole queue about how amazing Canada was and "you'd give anything to go back"

Elite Woad Raider wrote: »

the Canadian attitude is ****: they think they're modern but they're way behind us.

Load a bollocks. Canadians are fantastic friendly people, more intelligent and up-to-date on world/Irish issues than a lot of Americans I've met.

I will say though, "Torontonians" are more to themselves and would'nt spark up a conversation with randomers but that comes with the territory of big city life.

Anyway most people around the world who work min wage jobs would have a crap attitude. Stop surrounding yourself with bitter people.

Toronto is class. Full stop. I love the city, the beaches, the islands, the people, the beer, the sports oh god the sports.

You aint gonna change my attitude little troll. Go flip me a burger or whatever you hate to do.

Lollipops23

el diablo wrote: »

In which ways is Canada way behind Ireland? I've been here several years and rarely hear "Irish jokes" and have never heard any Canadian proclaim their love for the Queen. You must be hanging around with a weird bunch of people. What's the point of working in a minimum wage job and then complaining about the cost of living? You'd probably be better off returning to Ireland.

I had Irish jokes within 24 hours of landing in Ottawa.

I still have several Canadian friends, but they were few and far between. I found them to be incredibly passive aggressive in general, as well as poor at the work/life balance.

Midnight_EG

I'll echo the sentiments of Canadians being unhelpful and less modern. I lived in Toronto (two minutes from the Eaton Center) for a while, and just couldn't deal with the slowness and lack of common sense. Had a lot of Irish jokes too, they never relented, and people in general are just...weird?

antix80

Midnight_EG wrote: »

I'll echo the sentiments of Canadians being unhelpful and less modern. I lived in Toronto (two minutes from the Eaton Center) for a while, and just couldn't deal with the slowness and lack of common sense. Had a lot of Irish jokes too, they never relented, and people in general are just...weird?

In Toronto.. yes.. people are so .. "nice." They'll desperately ask you "aren't Canadians so nice".. I'd be like "Yes, ... nice"...

Look you can have a good lifestyle over there. They're foodies (vegan cupcakes, anyone?), they usually get into some sport so they can pretend to like sports .. and beer, what can I say.. they'll sometimes have one beer. They're obsessed with their jobs but -in office work anyway- they're actually terrible at their jobs. It's like they're pretending to be successful humans without having learned how to be human first. The result is a soulless city with only a thin veneer of a lively, modern city. I've been to many different countries and I've never seen so many grinning, lifeless, robotic drones as populate the streets and buildings of Toronto.

jme2010

antix80 wrote: »

I've never seen so many grinning, lifeless, robotic drones as populate the streets and buildings of Toronto.

One actual thing I've seen here is image obsessed instagram idiots, who have some person (hired or a friend) follow them around while they pose. There is a ton of shallowness here and 'Torontonians' can be cold but this is not Ireland and the way of life/communicating having the 'craic' will not take the same ingredients that works down the pub in the local back home.

I feel all the moaning in this thread (and people agreeing with the moaners) comes from the type of folk who find the nearest Irish pub they can find and start asking where they can find good old rashers and sausages blah blah. Have some cop on. You moved to a different country it's going to be different, get over it and assimilate at least one ounce of the culture.

Lollipops23

jme2010 wrote: »

I feel all the moaning in this thread (and people agreeing with the moaners) comes from the type of folk who find the nearest Irish pub they can find and start asking where they can find good old rashers and sausages blah blah. Have some cop on. You moved to a different country it's going to be different, get over it and assimilate at least one ounce of the culture.

I got dragged to precisely one Irish pub the whole time I was in Canada; we all hated it and never went back.

I went on a date with a Canadian lad and it was by far the most boring date I've ever been on (and I've been on many a sh*t date!!).

My coworkers were usually obsessed with either work or getting married (seems to be the objective of a LOT of Canadian women anyway). Not hobbies or world affairs....just work and get married.

unblinkered optimist

Canada is what you make of it, its a huge and diverse country full of opportunity. If you don’t like it in Toronto, give it a go elsewhere. If you give it a genuine effort to integrate and take advantage of all thats here and it still doesn’t gel with you, then you can return to Ireland with no regrets.

Canada has been good to me and my family, but thats only as a result of me making an effort to belong here. I wish you best in your journey.

the_syco

Midnight_EG wrote: »

just couldn't deal with the slowness and lack of common sense. Had a lot of Irish jokes too, they never relented, and people in general are just...weird?

Don't goto Quebec; am told they're even more slow doing things.

=-=

I worked in tech support. Found the people I worked with to be intelligent, and always trying to better themselves. I suppose it can depend on the sector that you're in.

Some of the Canadians I've drank with can drink. But the majority are not alcoholics like most of us Irish are, and thus their life doesn't seem to gravitate towards seeing how much they can drink.

antix80

Many irish drinkers could be diagnosed as alcoholics.
Many Canadian non drinkers could be diagnosed as neurotic or narcissistic
Culture is key
Saying I'm from "t dot o" isn't culture tho. It's trying too hard

spartan5power

Wow this thread really went off on a tangent!

Thank you to everyone for sharing your valuable experience and opinions.

I for one don’t expect Canada to be the same as Ireland and would imagine there will be pros and cons as there would be for living in any country..

In Ireland right now even the worst houses are so expensive, is Canada the same?

Is the health system more efficient than the HSE?

Is it a necessity to have private health insurance like it is in Ireland?

Im also interested in the difference in standard of living and opportunities for someone like me who works within the Learning and Development function..

Does anyone have any further information on any of these questions?

Elite Woad Raider

spartan5power wrote: »

Wow this thread really went off on a tangent!
In Ireland right now even the worst houses are so expensive, is Canada the same?

It depends where you live. I can speak for Victoria and Vancouver, and yes they are ridiculously expensive. Just as bad as Ireland, some places even worse.

spartan5power wrote: »

Is the health system more efficient than the HSE?

It's similar to ireland. They have MSP which is equivalent to the medical card in Ireland but it's tightly protected if your a new immigrant. If you lose your job you will lose your MSP. I have health insurance just in case. They also expect you as immigrant to be grateful for having it.

spartan5power wrote: »

Is it a necessity to have private health insurance like it is in Ireland?

Yes just in case!

spartan5power wrote: »

Im also interested in the difference in standard of living and opportunities for someone like me who works within the Learning and Development function..

If you have a job in Ireland I see no reason for leaving. It took me to come to Canada to realise how better a country Ireland is.

spartan5power wrote: »

Does anyone have any further information on any of these questions?

By the way, Canadians think it's acceptable to live in a caravan. I worked with a lady in a bakery in Victoria. She was working full time with early morning starts from around 4am. The most she could afford was a mobile home in a trailer park.
By the way people act here you would think they were impoverished.

antix80

Elite Woad Raider wrote: »

By the way, Canadians think it's acceptable to live in a caravan. I worked with a lady in a bakery in Victoria. She was working full time with early morning starts from around 4am. The most she could afford was a mobile home in a trailer park.
By the way people act here you would think they were impoverished.

I've a friend who lived in canada and he bought a mobile home in a small city , nice garden with 2 mature trees. It wasn't cheap. It was as good as any small house and his neighbours were mainly retirees. I'd take it any day over a flat in Toronto

Elite Woad Raider

I've ran into about 7 Irish gypsies since I've arrived and they say they've never felt so much at home!

antix80

Elite Woad Raider wrote: »

I've ran into about 7 Irish gypsies since I've arrived and they say they've never felt so much at home!

They won't get away with their nonsense over there.

unblinkered optimist

spartan5power wrote: »

Wow this thread really went off on a tangent!

Thank you to everyone for sharing your valuable experience and opinions.

I for one don’t expect Canada to be the same as Ireland and would imagine there will be pros and cons as there would be for living in any country..

In Ireland right now even the worst houses are so expensive, is Canada the same?

Is the health system more efficient than the HSE?

Is it a necessity to have private health insurance like it is in Ireland?

Im also interested in the difference in standard of living and opportunities for someone like me who works within the Learning and Development function..

Does anyone have any further information on any of these questions?

You will find cheaper housing in places like Winnipeg or London, Ontario. If you are happy to live and work in tier 2 cities, you will have a pretty decent quality of life. Any good employer will supply some form of health insurance. But the public health system in my experience is better than Ireland. Good luck with your research.

el diablo

antix80 wrote: »

They won't get away with their nonsense over there.

Why not? they get away with it in the UK, Australia and all over Europe.

the_syco

I've only lived in Toronto, so my answers are based around that.

spartan5power wrote: »

In Ireland right now even the worst houses are so expensive, is Canada the same?

Toronto houses would be equal to Dublin city centre prices, and then some. Have seen houses go for in excess of a million dollars. Even with the exchange rate, so would be equal to a million euros for a four bed house, at roughly a distance of Dublin city centre to Lucan.

spartan5power wrote: »

Is the health system more efficient than the HSE?

Yeah. In Ontario, you get an OHIP card after you work for 3 months, and you need to renew it every year. With it, you can goto a walk-in doctor with ease, and I even had my foot x-rayed for free with it. Find it to be a good system.

spartan5power wrote: »

Is it a necessity to have private health insurance like it is in Ireland?

Going over, you need to show that you won't be a leech should something go wrong. Pay €300 for it. Reading the small print, and you'll see that it'd cover expenses to allow you to be fixed up to fly home, but not much more. Without this 2 year insurance, you won't get your two year visa, and you'll be told to fcuk off back to Ireland.

Most full-time employment will get private health insurance, and this often covers dental work. Contract work will pay nice, but no company private health care.

spartan5power wrote: »

Im also interested in the difference in standard of living and opportunities for someone like me who works within the Learning and Development function..

Sorry, can't help. If you're going to Toronto, join "irish and new in toronto!" or if going elsewhere, join the Irish facebook page for that location, and ask there.

spartan5power wrote: »

Does anyone have any further information on any of these questions?

Ask away.

Elite Woad Raider wrote: »

By the way, Canadians think it's acceptable to live in a caravan. I worked with a lady in a bakery in Victoria. She was working full time with early morning starts from around 4am. The most she could afford was a mobile home in a trailer park.
By the way people act here you would think they were impoverished.

Have seen a few of these. Typically, I find them to be in areas where people wouldn't buy houses in. In Toronto, the cheap houses/mobile homes are in the flight path of Pearson airport.

antix80 wrote: »

I've a friend who lived in canada and he bought a mobile home in a small city , nice garden with 2 mature trees. It wasn't cheap. It was as good as any small house and his neighbours were mainly retirees. I'd take it any day over a flat in Toronto

Have found that people in a lot of the flats in Toronto don't know their neighbours, unless you're in the likes of the Irish Twin Towers. So for that reason, I don't know would I live long term in one.

Elite Woad Raider

antix80 wrote: »

They won't get away with their nonsense over there.

There are people out there who are worse than gypsies, and they're called Canadians. Before you make your mind up, come here and find out for yourself!

poisonated

Some very racist comments in this thread. I’ve lived in Canada and found that Canadians are lovely. It is expensive though. Also the winters are not pleasant.

jme2010

poisonated wrote: »

Some very racist comments in this thread.

That Elite Raider chap is a troll.

poisonated wrote: »

I’ve lived in Canada and found that Canadians are lovely.

I can only speak to people in Toronto. I work in software and everybody in this small start-up have such good personality and make great friends. I've been to my co-workers homes to watch hockey and basketball. At least half of them love the drink and get proper drunk on nights out, but the other half of the group is more of the dry, one pint and a pint of water.

poisonated wrote: »

Also the winters are not pleasant.

I found the start of the winter in Toronto to be bitter cold and hard to get through. That was until the snow started around December 1st and I discovered skiing and ice skating.

Nothing like free ice skating outdoors at Christmas time. Or snow shoeing at night on fairy lit trails. Pure magic can be found during the winter too.

jme2010

jme2010 wrote: »

I can only speak to people in Toronto. I work in software and everybody in this small start-up have such good personality and make great friends. I've been to my co-workers homes to watch hockey and basketball. At least half of them love the drink and get proper drunk on nights out, but the other half of the group is more of the dry, one pint and a pint of water.

This.

I love it here, way more than at home, and I never thought I would still be here but here I am, just sent my citizenship application in last week. Have had no trouble meeting and becoming friends with Canadians although I do know a couple of others from home here which is nice to have.

Best decision of my life, easily.