First 10 Days.After being here for 10 days , i must say that my experience was very much with in expectations.
Canada is beautiful and adorable place, people are always welcoming and helpful the transit system was a bit difficult to understand but after spending few extra dollars i discovered the art of travelling on the transit systems. One can enter the subway by buying a fare coin on a machine and that's cost $2.75, once inside the subway one can change the subway trains and can take buses or street cars (trams) without paying more fare but it should not be in return direction. I had no idea so i paid extra fares on buses until i found out that we get transfer tickets at subway stations. I know you guys might be confused so when you are here just try to get the TTC map and you will get fair idea how this transit system works.
My advice to new comers, try to stay in Toronto region and avoid GTA as i am living in Brampton and saving few dollars in rent but have to pay more in travelling from Brampton by using three different transit systems.
Apart from TTC ,Brampton Transit and Mississauga Transit there is another bus and train service called GO Transit its bit expensive but much faster and comfortable, specially good for long routes.
As you guys know The major regions which combine to form GTA are Toronto,Brampton,Mississauga , Markham and many others
The GO Transit connect these regions with its train and bus network.
Now regarding job opportunities, well i had the idea that job market is sluggish over here but i must tell you that there are jobs for Finance professionals in canada. One need to have proper qualification and the right attitude to search the job. The proper way to search jobs is by getting registered at various head hunter organizations and for accounts jobs one should get registered with Accountemps and Robert Half . But registering with them is also not that easy, they will not entertain every one and we have to regularly visit them to get the opportunity of interview and test. As you guys know i am here on short visit and will come here in next summer so i have not registered with these agencies as I will not be here to follow my case and in this way my CV will land in cold storage and they will consider me as non serious.
But I have met few people who are working here in accounts department without getting any local qualification and that's very encouraging.
Guys once you land here you will meet two kinds of desi's one kind is of those who are unsuccessful and are doing odd jobs, they are big in number and will discourage you, the others are successful who are working in their field although not big in number there are many who are successful. My advice always listen to successful people, you will get motivation from them and try to learn from unsuccessful people, learn from their mistakes and try to figure out why they failed. I have met at least 14 persons of my field and out of that 6 are working in accounts department other are doing odd jobs and guess what all of them are happy living in Canada. What I have figured out from their experiences is that if one has funds to support himself for few months let say 3 to 4 months then the chances of finding job in relevant field is very high but if one do not have enough funds then he will end up doing odd job with in a month or so and then the chances of finding relevant job are very low. As finding a relevant job is also full time job so it is not possible to find the relevant job and doing the odd job simultaneously.
Its very cold over here, in last 10 days the sun was out for just one day and the rest was just dark, cloudy, raining and damn cold. Shanbaba you must reconsider your plan of landing in January, they say that the month of January is month of Snow Blizzards and storms. Aah but you are landing in vancouver, i have heard that the temperatures are not that cold and it hardly snows over there. But its most expensive city to live , have you done some research about rentals etc
I have got the SIN Card and am waiting for PR Card, these days there is strike in Driving license department so could not go for G1 written test.
Wish you guys good luck
Take Care
MRS
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