Brutal Winter and a Jobless Immigrant family

[specialmary]

My advice to people seeking jobs in Canada: be willing to move to crappy and cold places. Canadian economy has been bad in the past two decades, and it seems that there is no sign of picking up soon (just look at the value of Canadian money). If you are thinking about your first place to settle in Canada, beware of the cost in big cities. Consider less crowded cities in Canada - the cost of housing and living would be much lower. You may decide to move to better cities (such as Vancouver or Toronto) when opportunities arise.

Also, check how conservative a city is. I personally found that people tend to be very cold towards each other in conservative cities - not a good place to experience Canada as an immigrant and may make you feel depressed.

 

[canadadreamming]

If this story is true, The OP made many grave mistakes:

Wrong landing place: As an immigrant he should not land in Toronto as it is harder to compete for jobs there
Wrong move: He should not move his entire family to Canada without a job in hand, instead he should go alone first
Not sufficient fund: His fund should be enough for him to last at least a year to find job without relying on casual employment
Reluctant to move: He should have moved to other cities long ago
Wrong education: As an IT professional, he should stick to IT, by doing a certificate in accounting, he is making a career suicide
Over qualification: OP should know that no one will hire an immigrant from a third world country for a senior executive, senior manager job, he should not put his MBA, Masters, 10 years of experience on his CV, instead put only college degree, 2 or 3 years of highly relevant experience and he may boost his chance of getting jobs

In reality, nobody would be so idling as not to move or make changes to improve their situation after 3 years, this is Canada, not a third world country, opportunities are available but that in certain places like Toronto and Vancouver it is harder, move to Alberta, Sakaschewan, Prince Edward Island etc and jobs are abundant. The OP has only himself to blame for making too many, sorry to say, quite "dumb" mistakes. This is the problem with people who got through the old systems where 67 points is all needed to become PR, compared with today, I am sure the quality of immigrants would be much higher

 

[on-hold]

I was going to respond to the rich smorgasboard of stupidities in this post, but when I read that someone -- unbelievably -- wrote that Prince Edward Island is a place where jobs are plentiful, I realized canadadreaming is either a moron or senile, and I think I won't waste my time. Life is too short! Cheers, canadadreaming, good luck with your severe problems.

 

[good_choice]

--

 

[specialmary]

Actually there are a lot of good advice here. Not known by many, a lot of Canadians get jobs not by sending their CV. They get jobs by networking - knowing people in job fairs and knowing people in the company. Around 80% of the jobs in Canada are not advertised in newspaper - people invite friends or acquiescences to job interview. Some people volunteer in a company while searching for opportunities. Sometimes opportunities arise within the company that you volunteer, and sometimes outside. However, getting connected only means that you have an opportunity to be interviewed. You still need to show your ability during the interview before hiring you (no one is going to hire an incompetent person just due to connections). This job hunting experience is very different from the experience in many other countries. There is a hidden job market there - it is well known to many Canadian employers that referrals have higher job performance than those from other recruitment methods.

Due to difficulties in job hunting, many Canadians themselves become self-employed and get clients themselves. If you have the bravery and connections to self-employ go ahead.

 

[kateg]

My advice to people seeking jobs in Canada: be willing to move to crappy and cold places. Canadian economy has been bad in the past two decades, and it seems that there is no sign of picking up soon (just look at the value of Canadian money).

The two are linked.

With a weak Canadian dollar, Canadian goods become cheaper overseas. This means more exports, and more jobs. It's particularly good for Alberta, who is hit hard by the lower prices (relative to other currencies).

If the Canadian dollar were to go up, there would be fewer job opportunities, but people with money would be a bit better off.

 

[Jaxon911]

+1 on-hold - fully agreed. Being rude to people who were unfortunate to have a hard experience is in no way acceptable.

Plus i simply don't understand how people try to generalize specially if they individually have a good experience.

Before any one starts crying out loud, i was recruited from over seas for a NOC A job, came here as a skilled worker already employed and am doing pretty good. However, when i check the average cases around, cases like me are far rare. And that was specially because my employer was looking for a specialized skill and experience which is hard to find. There is a higher percentage of people who have tough experiences. So yes i feel for the OP and just hope he keeps trying and change his location.

I know a couple of well educated families who had very hard initial 2-3 years - but then they finally got options and are doing good now. So just hold on and try other locations. Specially remote ones. All the best.

Lastly, Canada has its own problems. Child benefits don't kick for foreign workers until 18 months. And they are not really significant except a couple of provinces.

The health care advertised as free has its own issues.

All this being said there are plenty of good things that contribute to the over all experience and image one chalks out after living here. If that is positive, you are good, if not, you should really reconsider your options.

While I agree being rude to people in trouble is isn't a good thing to do. I also see the point Floxzy made. The OP has posted this same thread in two places, one in "Express Entry 2015" and another one is "Finding Work in Canada" section. I don't doubt that OP is genuine but I am not sure about OP's intentions. A person in genuine trouble would try to paint a realistic picture and I don't think OP's post do that because of following reasons.

Title he gave is "Brutal winter and a jobless immigrant family", it is difficult to see why making this popular in forum threads would help him ie. why post it in multiple places? He is also not jobless, he has a job just not the one he wanted so title is contradictory to what's mentioned in the post.

OP's post for the most part talks about all the negatives in Canada, and there are contradicting facts. Word "Brutal" in his title makes his sound so much more bad than they're I think. People living outside and have never seen snow in their life would certainly think winter in Canada is unsurvivable, brutal and people literally die during winter based on his post. Almost every sentence his post yells, Canada is HELL, EVERYTHING is BAD and BRUTAL here, COMING HERE WILL BE THE WORST DECISION OF YOUR LIFE.

I think everyone knows Canadian winters are cold, making it sound even worst by use words like "Brutal" sounds like someone wants me to feel bad about living in Canada.

Certain points Floxzy made such as "why did he do jobs like grass cutting, snow cleaning and toilet cleaning"? I've never been to Canada, but I can still confidently say that for those with decent English skills, at least there are better jobs available such as "Taxi Driver", "Grocery Store job" or pizza shop / delivery man etc. Original Post is further frightening already frightened people about job situation in Canada. It's indirectly telling that if you come to Canada, be ready to clean toilets and clear snow during deadly brutal winters. If he is in financial trouble, why would he want to invite his parents?

Overall my point is that OP is painting an unrealistic picture to an extent about Canada. I'm sure jobs aren't easy to find, but I'm also sure Canada is not hell and most people with decent skills and background would be able to get a decent career in Canada and lead a successful life.

 

[katja2684]

OP's post for the most part talks about all the negatives in Canada, and there are contradicting facts. Word "Brutal" in his title makes his sound so much more bad than they're I think. People living outside and have never seen snow in their life would certainly think winter in Canada is unsurvivable, brutal and people literally die during winter based on his post. Almost every sentence his post yells, Canada is HELL, EVERYTHING is BAD and BRUTAL here, COMING HERE WILL BE THE WORST DECISION OF YOUR LIFE.

I think everyone knows Canadian winters are cold, making it sound even worst by use words like "Brutal" sounds like someone wants me to feel bad about living in Canada.

Certain points Floxzy made such as "why did he do jobs like grass cutting, snow cleaning and toilet cleaning"? I've never been to Canada, but I can still confidently say that for those with decent English skills, at least there are better jobs available such as "Taxi Driver", "Grocery Store job" or pizza shop / delivery man etc. Original Post is further frightening already frightened people about job situation in Canada. It's indirectly telling that if you come to Canada, be ready to clean toilets and clear snow during deadly brutal winters. If he is in financial trouble, why would he want to invite his parents?

Overall my point is that OP is painting an unrealistic picture to an extent about Canada. I'm sure jobs aren't easy to find, but I'm also sure Canada is not hell and most people with decent skills and background would be able to get a decent career in Canada and lead a successful life.

I think the OP sacrificed his entire life and career for the better future of his children - respect for that. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of people like him out there, we just don't have the opportunity to hear their story (at least not the unsugarcoated version).
I don't think decent English skills are enough in Canada if you want to achieve more than just surviving.

 

[fkl]

Are you sure employer contribute an equivalent amount for RRSP? I thought RRSP is individual payment only.But for CPP employer contribute an equivalent amount.

Some employers do, not every one. E.g. BB, Telus to name a couple. However, CPP deduction from employer is mandatory

 

[Jaxon911]

Some employers do, not every one. E.g. BB, Telus to name a couple. However, CPP deduction from employer is mandatory

I think it's the same system as UK. RRSP / Pension contributions are basically part of the benefits package. All employers have varying levels of contributions depending on what they want to offer.

Like my in previous job they had equal contribution upto 20% of salary system. So if I put 20% employer would put additional 20% of my salary in the plan. In my current job, it's different. Employer pays 6% fixed amount of my salary. I can pay as much or as little as I like.

 

[pranaEE2015]

People what is wrong in posting the same post under two different forums/threads??

And who do not believe OP's story should really need to be more sensitive and try putting themselves in other person's place and how disturbed he/she must have been at the time of writing that original post.

Such hard times have pushed people to take very drastic steps. the OP has only posted his experience on 2 different threads. He is sharing this to get some positive words, that's all..

Lets respect another human beings struggle....

May OP get a decent job soon.

 

[fkl]

People what is wrong in posting the same post under two different forums/threads??

And who do not believe OP's story should really need to be more sensitive and try putting themselves in other person's place and how disturbed he/she must have been at the time of writing that original post.

Such hard times have pushed people to take very drastic steps. the OP has only posted his experience on 2 different threads. He is sharing this to get some positive words, that's all..

Lets respect another human beings struggle....

May OP get a decent job soon.

Agreed pranaEE2015. I certainly won't be that picky about some body (OP) undergoing all that has been mentioned, let alone criticize it saying things are much better in Canada over all and he is at fault individually. It is a long shot (of exaggerated negativeness) to say he is trying to demotivate others to come to Canada as if that is going to benefit him.

Moreover, the criticism is even more ironic when it is done by some one who hasn't even landed here yet.

 

[Theo123]

my god. about 95% of people here who are already in canada and went there without a job offer are all saying the same thing. employment can take years to find! why the hell are we even bothering to apply for a visa in canada?!?!?!?

 

[specialmary]

my god. about 95% of people here who are already in canada and went there without a job offer are all saying the same thing. employment can take years to find! why the hell are we even bothering to apply for a visa in canada?!?!?!?

You just need to be prepared to be jobless for a year or more if your native language is not English AND if you work in an occupation currently not in demand in Canada. In addition, you will need to prepare yourself for the cultural shock. Getting a good English score in IELTS is not a sufficient requirement to obtain a reasonable job in Canada.

This is the experience of many people. That was why many university graduates chose to leave Canada.

 

[Jaxon911]

Agreed pranaEE2015. I certainly won't be that picky about some body (OP) undergoing all that has been mentioned, let alone criticize it saying things are much better in Canada over all and he is at fault individually. It is a long shot (of exaggerated negativeness) to say he is trying to demotivate others to come to Canada as if that is going to benefit him.

Moreover, the criticism is even more ironic when it is done by some one who hasn't even landed here yet.

May be certain stuff I wrote didn't came out correctly. I was expecting this that's why at the end I mentioned that my point is that "To an extent it is an unrealistic picture". Unrealistic in the sense that people know certain things before coming to Canada, criticizing Canada for the known reasons is unrealistic. For example, original post concludes by saying "Every day I look at the snow, I just feel I made worst decision of my life"

In my opinion, that's unrealistic. I didn't mean say he himself is at fault in full. Sure I haven't landed in Canada so I could be wrong, but I know that if I go to Canada, I'll see snow for 4 months a year. Of course it won't be there everyday but it'll be there during winter and I have myself to blame if I don't like the snow still I'm living in that country, it'd be unrealistic to blame Canada or criticize it.

But these are just my thoughts from what I've observed so far in my journey in to migrate to UK. I could be wrong, as I've never been to Canada!