Job prospects for a UK University graduate

[kdudin]

Hi all,

I recently submitted a FSW express entry application as I am interested to move and work in Canada.

I have a bachelor degree and an MBA (masters) both from highly-ranked, globally in the top 100, UK universities...not Oxford or Cambridge lol

I also have 3 years of working for big 4 companies (some of the largest management consulting and financial services companies globally).

My work was across the Middle East region. These companies have branches in Canada.

If anyone has some kind of a similar situation, please let me know about your experience...was it easy to apply and get interviews/offers from large companies? Or did employers keep pulling the "Canadian Experience" excuse.

Thanks!

 

[canuck78]

Hi all,

I recently submitted a FSW express entry application as I am interested to move and work in Canada.

I have a bachelor degree and an MBA (masters) both from highly-ranked, globally in the top 100, UK universities...not Oxford or Cambridge lol

I also have 3 years of working for big 4 companies (some of the largest management consulting and financial services companies globally).

My work was across the Middle East region. These companies have branches in Canada.

If anyone has some kind of a similar situation, please let me know about your experience...was it easy to apply and get interviews/offers from large companies? Or did employers keep pulling the "Canadian Experience" excuse.

Thanks!

All depends. Assume you may be in finance. Canada is a relatively small country with many wanting to immigrate with similar experience as yours. On top of that there are Canadians who have worked abroad and return once they have school aged children. There are only so many jobs and the compensation is not as good. Your best bet would be to get hired by your previous employer and use your contacts. On top of that many of the banks are trying to downsize so yet another challenge. Would encourage you to think about why you want to immigrate to Canada and what compromises are you willing to make. You are likely making great money and could move to a variety of places.

 

[kdudin]

All depends. Assume you may be in finance. Canada is a relatively small country with many wanting to immigrate with similar experience as yours. On top of that there are Canadians who have worked abroad and return once they have school aged children. There are only so many jobs and the compensation is not as good. Your best bet would be to get hired by your previous employer and use your contacts. On top of that many of the banks are trying to downsize so yet another challenge. Would encourage you to think about why you want to immigrate to Canada and what compromises are you willing to make. You are likely making great money and could move to a variety of places.

Thanks for the reply! Actually, the money isn't as good as one would expect, I work in Jordan and the income isn't that great (I'm assuming you thought I was in Dubai or Kuwait). But honestly, one of the reasons that compelled me to consider immigration is the that I invested so much in my education and I don't feel like I'm being compensated accordingly. That and the fact that Canada has one of the highest qualities of life on the globe, I have direct family..an uncle who is a professor at a university in Ontario and he couldn't be happier. I actually tried to apply for jobs in the UK and received good interviews and feedback, the only problem was that I'm not a British citizen...so hopefully, that wouldn't be a problem if I'm a job-seeker with a PR in Canada as I can work without restrictions.

Would you happen to know if employers would value British degrees and international company-experience though?

 

[canuck78]

Thanks for the reply! Actually, the money isn't as good as one would expect, I work in Jordan and the income isn't that great (I'm assuming you thought I was in Dubai or Kuwait). But honestly, one of the reasons that compelled me to consider immigration is the that I invested so much in my education and I don't feel like I'm being compensated accordingly. That and the fact that Canada has one of the highest qualities of life on the globe, I have direct family..an uncle who is a professor at a university in Ontario and he couldn't be happier. I actually tried to apply for jobs in the UK and received good interviews and feedback, the only problem was that I'm not a British citizen...so hopefully, that wouldn't be a problem if I'm a job-seeker with a PR in Canada as I can work without restrictions.

Would you happen to know if employers would value British degrees and international company-experience though?

Yes I hadn’t considered that you would be living in Lebanon. If you don’t plan on working in Canada you won’t be able to meet the residency requirement and PR won’t help you work out of Canada. It will still be dependent on your citizenship. If your uncle is over 45/50 things have really changed in Canada. Getting a permanent job as a professor is much harder now and would imagine he would agree with me. Most are under yearly contract or part-time. Quality of life is decent but Canada certainly has problems. Many people in their 20s and 30s are not able to get a good job and buying a house without a large gift from their parents is unlikely especially in larger cities. Many immigrants are disappointed when they arrive. They expect free healthcare without wait times and are surprised about the tax rates. Not sure how they didn’t research that in advance. Childcare is extremely expensive and most families require both parents to work. Lots of people in Canada struggle to get dental care or afford medication. You can definitely immigrate to Canada but to break into the Canadian job market may be hard but not impossible. Luckily you can use your contacts if you worked for a large multi-national to get an interview. You may or may not be able to make a lateral move. As long as you have realistic expectations, have looked into typical Canadian salaries (you may be disappointed) and are willing to potentially struggle at the beginning you should immigrate. Also there may be a change in government this year so things around PR, citizenship, immigration, etc. can always change. I realize this seems very negative. I really do love Canada but life isn’t as easy as some people expect. Some have better quality of life in their own countries.

 

[kdudin]

Yes I hadn’t considered that you would be living in Lebanon. If you don’t plan on working in Canada you won’t be able to meet the residency requirement and PR won’t help you work out of Canada. It will still be dependent on your citizenship. If your uncle is over 45/50 things have really changed in Canada. Getting a permanent job as a professor is much harder now and would imagine he would agree with me. Most are under yearly contract or part-time. Quality of life is decent but Canada certainly has problems. Many people in their 20s and 30s are not able to get a good job and buying a house without a large gift from their parents is unlikely especially in larger cities. Many immigrants are disappointed when they arrive. They expect free healthcare without wait times and are surprised about the tax rates. Not sure how they didn’t research that in advance. Childcare is extremely expensive and most families require both parents to work. Lots of people in Canada struggle to get dental care or afford medication. You can definitely immigrate to Canada but to break into the Canadian job market may be hard but not impossible. Luckily you can use your contacts if you worked for a large multi-national to get an interview. You may or may not be able to make a lateral move. As long as you have realistic expectations, have looked into typical Canadian salaries (you may be disappointed) and are willing to potentially struggle at the beginning you should immigrate. Also there may be a change in government this year so things around PR, citizenship, immigration, etc. can always change. I realize this seems very negative. I really do love Canada but life isn’t as easy as some people expect. Some have better quality of life in their own countries.

Actually, the change in government and its possible effect on immigration related matters is what got me excited to consider this move sooner than later. No I definitely plan to work in Canada when I get my PR, I haven't considered anything else. My only question was if I'll be an appealing candidate to big employers as I'd like to continue working for the same type of employer that I do now. I've definitely considered a lateral move/internal transfer and will ask my department head to reach out to our branches in Canada for opportunities.

Hopefully, it'll work out! Thanks again for your help

 

[canuck78]

Actually, the change in government and its possible effect on immigration related matters is what got me excited to consider this move sooner than later. No I definitely plan to work in Canada when I get my PR, I haven't considered anything else. My only question was if I'll be an appealing candidate to big employers as I'd like to continue working for the same type of employer that I do now. I've definitely considered a lateral move/internal transfer and will ask my department head to reach out to our branches in Canada for opportunities.

Hopefully, it'll work out! Thanks again for your help

I highly doubt there will be any changes to the skilled immigration programs. Residency requirements for PR and citizenship is a potential target. Best bet is to get a job through contacts in your current or past employer.