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Landed four months ago - Experience so far

greengoo5

Star Member
Aug 31, 2016
68
105
India
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Hi,

The post is informative especially for my wife, who has been a corporate secretary(CS) in India and now we are applying for PR with she as primary applicant. Can you guide what should she be doing to get a job in canada once we land there?

My most imprtant query is that we both are in mid 30's and i have had my own business for over 10 years in India. I just have normal degree from a fashion college in India. Due to certain reasons we have planned to move to canada. We have a 5 year old daughter. Everywhere i just read stories about jobs and career of only skilled people like my wife. Can anybody please put a light on what people like me can really do to make a living in Canada. My English is fluent and working hard to get a decent pay is not at all a problem for me. But what exactly will i do wanders me. I dont have slightest of clue. Doing any job like that of a cashier, real estate agent, bar tender, service executive etc is not a problem for me but only if takes me some where better off financially over few years.

Yes certainly i have a plan B of investing some money in a business there, but that is certainly after i understand the country and not necessary if i am able to get a decent job.
There are a lot of professions which you can aim for. A realtor for instance is pretty lucrative here. A business of import/export does wonders here as most of the stuff is imported from ROW. If you had a garment business, you could explore that option. A job is not the end of the world for everyone. A lot of people start their own venture and make it big. You can also try looking for sales job in the automobile industry or switch gears to a banking advisor after a few certifications.

Most of the sales jobs have stretched targets, but pay really well.
 

babar96

Newbie
Mar 26, 2017
5
0
Thanks dude for detailed post.

i hv almost similar profile, did BBA (4 years program) and CFA and currently working for corporate and investment banking department in Pakistan.
i believe i should opt for Toronto city bcoz it will have higher opportunities related to my current profile, rite?
im just wondering what is the best place/area to live in Ontario that is cost effective and provide easy access to Toronto as well?

looking forward for your kind response.
 

sonali.kaushal

Star Member
Feb 15, 2018
88
9
USA
AOR Received.
30-03-2018
Hi,

I am the same profile as you. I need some information. Did you get all three levels of CFA evaluated by WES? I did not. I am not even sure if that is possible. Not for the points, but further in the process, did you show three levels of CFA anywhere? Like in LOE or with the other educational documents that you would have sent after receiving ITA. I just entered the pool yesterday & expect to receive the invitation anytime soon now.
 

sonali.kaushal

Star Member
Feb 15, 2018
88
9
USA
AOR Received.
30-03-2018
I've been a long time lurker of this forum. I don't post often but do have a habit of checking out threads quietly. Figured I should contribute by sharing my experience in Canada.

Back Home
I'm from India. In mid 20s. Did well academically. MBA from a top 10 school. Amazing job right out of college that paid well. 15ish Lacs/annum if you're curious. Two years later, I'm working as a manager with a 50% bump in salary. Lived at home with parents so didn't even have to pay rent. To summarize it, I was doing well. Very well.

Express Entry and PR
I had been in the pool since Jan-15 when Express Entry started. Got my three years of experience and got an invite in early 2016. I started browsing the forums after almost four months of getting my AOR. I didn't really need help with respect to the application process as I followed all the rules by the letter and had a pretty clear cut case. My process closely followed the norms. BG change after a few months. PPR slightly before the onset of the seventh month in Oct-16. Sent passports to the High Commission and received it back within a week. Booked my tickets and landed in Canada in Nov-16. Had an address in hand at the airport so applied for PR Card then and there only. The process was slow due to Christmas. Received a mail in January asking for fresh photographs. Received the PR Card in early Feb.

Canada
I am fortunate enough to have a family in Canada. I have a brother and a close uncle living in Canada for quite some time now.
Landed in mid Nov-16. Having slogged for 3+ years at my previous corporate finance job, I decided to chill for a good period of time. There's little hiring in December anyways. Really enjoyed my time. It was cold, but it was fun. Everything clad in white is a sight for the eyes which haven't witnessed snow in their life. With good gear, it's much easier to tolerate. Snowball fights as a grown man are even more fun...you miss less shots. I explored the beauty of the country side, the tall buildings of downtown Toronto and the history that the small towns have to offer. My vacation was fun but hardly did I know that it'd get stretched longer than I had initially thought.

Come 2017 and I started looking for work. I have a commerce degree with an MBA. I have also passed all three levels of the CFA exam. A year or two ago, my brother had shown my resume to a few people and everyone was of the opinion that I'd get a job fairly easy. Boy oh boy. I took it easy at first. Applying to a few jobs, relaxing for the rest of the day and spending time with the family. Slowly it dawned on me that it'd require much more effort than what I was putting in. I went gungho and started applying to a LOT of jobs everyday. But I'd only apply to the ones which were as per my skill level and interested me. I got a few phone calls from the HR. I blew a few. I aced a few. An even fewer interviews. I blew a few. I aced an even fewer. The absence of Canadian experience or qualification definitely hurt my chances to say the least. An Indian name didn't really help much either. But I'm a hard worker. I don't give up easily.

Fast forward to today. I have a job. My work closely resembles to what I was doing in India. The pay is nice. The commute is okay. The work is good. I'm happy.

The Reality
How do I find Canada? Amazing.
Is it easy to come from a foreign country and settle down? Not as easy as you think.
But I just made it sound like it's not a lot of trouble? Yeah, but chances are, you're not as fortunate as me.

I have my family here which is very supportive. Not even once they pushed me for a job which I didn't like or pressured me to start work at any time. There were days during my job hunt when I would be at an all time low, having blown up my few opportunities and having nothing else in hand. There were extended periods of time when I would just keep applying and not get any other response except the "We picked some other candidate. Yo". But I'm a hard worker. I don't give up easily. I kept applying.

I've figured that it's a numbers game. I applied to more than 500 jobs. and mind you, only the jobs that interested me and were a good match for my skillset. I received a phone call from around ten employers. A face to face interview with five and a job offer from one. You can do the percentages.

The Journey
People asked me if I was crazy to leave an amazing job in my hometown to move to a totally new country. They'd ask me if I had weighed in everything correctly before taking the risk. I don't consider myself to be super smart but I know that I'm hard working. I knew what I was risking and was aware of the fact that I had a supporting family in Canada. There were a multitude of reasons why I wanted to leave India and I'm not going to dwell upon them. The reasons are different for everyone. But when I'm asked the reason why I moved to Canada? For a better future for my family.

Every country has it's own set of problems. You just have to see what is important for you and take a decision. You have all the resources and the time to take an informed decision. There are a lot of times in life when you know things are not going to be easy and that you'd have to work hard for them. Chances are, even after putting in your 100%, things don't work in your favor. But that doesn't mean you stop trying. You put in your 110% and you make them work. That's how we progress.

So what's the takeaway?
  • The lack of Canadian credentials/ experience severely hurts your chances. Having passed CFA exams helped me a lot. I believe it was the only reason I received the 10 phone calls. It really helps to get Canadian credentials as soon as you put your foot here. Further explanation below.
  • I scored an 8 on IELTS. I've watched English soaps and listened to Eminem all my life. And yet, there are times when I've to request people to repeat themselves. It's really important that you are proficient both in listening and speaking English. It's going to make and break everything for you. From your daily conversations to the interviews. Speak slow and speak clear. Also, accent training helps a lot. Youtube my friend.
  • Be prepared to work hard once you get here. If you're financially strong, good for you. Don't worry too much about the money and invest the time in getting Canadian credentials and searching for a job. If you're not, you've got to grab whatever comes at you. The thing that I love about Canada, there's no big or small work. It's just work. You're respected and treated like a human being no matter what you do.
  • The weather is bad. But it's not the end. 30 Mil people live here. You have to invest in the right gear. A good winter jacket costs a lot but think of it as an investment as it's going to last you a while. Also, snow boots, gloves and a hat. Heck, I used to put on winter gear and spend hours building snow-forts in -15 C.
  • Be prepared to work hard. Very hard.

A few tips for the credentials
Chartered Accountants and people interested in accounting. -> http://www.cpaontario.ca
Lawyers -> http://flsc.ca/
Teachers -> https://www.oct.ca/
People interested in Banking -> https://www.ific.ca/en/ & https://www.csi.ca/student/en_ca/courses/csi/csc.xhtml
People interested in Insurance -> https://www.ifse.ca/courselist/life-license-qualification-program-llqp/

The above links have information about credentials required for certain jobs. I'd be best if you search for the profiles you like on https://www.indeed.ca/ and see the kind of credentials the employers require.
Having credentials helps in the sense that the employer at least knows that you are willing to put in work and learn about the culture, taxation and the systems of the new country.

I can go on and on about a lot of stuff but it'd just be adding to the length of this page. If you have any questions, let me know. I'd be happy to answer.
Hi,

I am the same profile as you. I need some information. Did you get all three levels of CFA evaluated by WES? I did not. I am not even sure if that is possible. Not for the points, but further in the process, did you show three levels of CFA anywhere? Like in LOE or with the other educational documents that you would have sent after receiving ITA. I just entered the pool yesterday & expect to receive the invitation anytime soon now.
 

greengoo5

Star Member
Aug 31, 2016
68
105
India
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
CFA is not counted as formal education for the purposes of PR. I couldn't show it anywhere.
 

sonali.kaushal

Star Member
Feb 15, 2018
88
9
USA
AOR Received.
30-03-2018
CFA is not counted as formal education for the purposes of PR. I couldn't show it anywhere.
Hi,

Did you also not show it under professional association as a member in the personal history? Not for the purpose of the score but association as a member.
 

atish

Star Member
Jan 13, 2014
103
54
Montreal
Category........
QSW
Visa Office......
Pretoria
NOC Code......
4031
App. Filed.......
3-11-2015
AOR Received.
03-02-2016
Med's Request
12-07-2018
hi greengoo5..inspirational post..i live in Mauritius..applying for PR for me wife and baby and planning to live in Montreal..As main applicant i want to work as secondary school teacher .I also don't have any family/friends in canada..i am looking for appartments to rent on kijiji but i do not know if i am on the right track..as for jobs..I don't know where to look at..any advice from you would be most welcomed..thx
 

jammin24

Star Member
May 4, 2016
81
16
If you have been working in New York (or India but that is just a guess) you are in for a shock. Canada is definitely not a hub for fashion jobs.
No it certainly is not. Half the population of Toronto walks around in sweatpants. Ugh. o_O
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,959
12,759
hi greengoo5..inspirational post..i live in Mauritius..applying for PR for me wife and baby and planning to live in Montreal..As main applicant i want to work as secondary school teacher .I also don't have any family/friends in canada..i am looking for appartments to rent on kijiji but i do not know if i am on the right track..as for jobs..I don't know where to look at..any advice from you would be most welcomed..thx
Have you looked into the requirements to teach in Canada? You usually need to attend a Canadian teacher's college.
 

atish

Star Member
Jan 13, 2014
103
54
Montreal
Category........
QSW
Visa Office......
Pretoria
NOC Code......
4031
App. Filed.......
3-11-2015
AOR Received.
03-02-2016
Med's Request
12-07-2018
Have you looked into the requirements to teach in Canada? You usually need to attend a Canadian teacher's college.
is there somewhere i can look to if i can teach in quebec?thx
 

anil1984

Newbie
Mar 21, 2018
4
2
INDIA
Hii,

@ greengoo5 , Really inspirational post for those who are very curios about Canada..

I am having some queries...

Self planning to migrate to canada along with my wife and my kid (We have received ITA). My wife is a chartered Accountant from India with 5 years experience and myself Mechanical Engineer (Construction Plant and Machinery Manager) with 12 years experience.
We are planning to settle either in Vancouver or in Alberta.

Since we are not having any relatives in canada, i have decided to come first and search for a job in Canada for initial period.

My query is how about Alberta and Vancouver for Construction jobs ? And also where we can get good chance for Chartered Accountants ?
 

didouette

Star Member
Oct 31, 2017
145
83
Guys- how do you decide where to settle in Toronto?? Toronto is so big with many regions... plus, do you rent a house depending on where is the school ones kids will attend or rather depending on where one is likely to work???
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,959
12,759
Guys- how do you decide where to settle in Toronto?? Toronto is so big with many regions... plus, do you rent a house depending on where is the school ones kids will attend or rather depending on where one is likely to work???
Yes school district is dependent on where you live. Budget and how many bedrooms you need often narrows down the search area. Would also encourage you to consider where you work or you could be spending hours commuting everyday.
 
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