Melbourne vs. Toronto(Canada) (fit in, crime, employment)

[allen_dsz]

Hi all. I'm an accountant working in Dubai and considering moving to either Melbourne or Toronto. I'm basically interested in moving somewhere for the long-term where I would have good employment opportunities as well as a good quality of life, a diverse and vibrant city, a liberal populace, and easy for a foreigner (Asian) to integrate into. I've decided on Melbourne and Toronto since I've been wanting to move to either Canada or Australia for a while, and have a few friends in these two cities. I'm kind of undecided on which city to move to, considering the above mentioned factors. I'm a US CPA working in public accounting for a few years now, and would be looking for employment in the accounting/ finance field.

If someone could enlighten me as to which city would be a better option taking into account what I'm looking for it would be great.

[Trimac20]

Both fit in the bill, so it would come down to whether you prefer Canada or Melbourne. The main differences, I would think, would include weather/climate (Toronto of course gets a much more severe winter), global location (Toronto is better for N.America and Europe, Melbourne for Asia). Melbourne has improved in leaps and bounds and is a global 'it' city, as is Toronto. Both offer the big city feel without being too overwhelming. Both are quite expensive globally speaking, but Melbourne can be surprisingly affordable. Which Asian country are you from? Both cities have large and diverse populations, including from Asia. Both also have large Italian populations, incidentally, but I think the Euro-feel is stronger in Melbourne.

[allen_dsz]

Ok. Thanks Trimac20....I'm Indian origin btw but lived outside India most of my life....which would you say offers better employment opportunities, specifically for accountants. That is one of my main concerns.

[Trimac20]

Originally Posted by allen_dsz

Ok. Thanks Trimac20....I'm Indian origin btw but lived outside India most of my life....which would you say offers better employment opportunities, specifically for accountants. That is one of my main concerns.

Sorry no idea about accountancy, both economies are doing quite well. Where have you lived most of your life, btw?

[Blocker]

Melbourne has the big 4 plus a wide range of medium tier firms. And has many many small firms too. If you wanted to work in commerce, that's a bit dicey ATM given the GFC.

For an idea of salary, go to

SEEK - Australia's no. 1 jobs, employment, career and recruitment site

and work your way from there.

Australia has 2 main professional bodies:

1) CPA Australia
2) Institute of Chartered Accountants

Both are in competition with eachother for members, and both have tried to merge, but the members voted against it.

But in either case, you're required to do about 60 PD hours in a triennium.

The Australian accounting profession is considered one of the most stringent in the world, probably second only to the USA. They are hot on things like ethics, conflict of interest and governance. The Australian Accounting Standards Board is harmonising the Australian accounting standards with international standards so if you've ever had to apply international standards, the Australian standards shouldn't be too foreign to you.

As for Melbourne itself, nothing much to add that hasn't been already been stated elsewhere on this site. Great city, growing very quickly, in the midst of a population boom, very multicultural, plenty to see and do, pretty good lifestyle but has its issue with petty crime as most cities do.

Can't comment on Toronto as I've never been.

Good luck with your decision, either way.