What's the latest on Vancouver's job market? (ski resorts, 2013)

[iekirby]

Wow, you guys are the best! Thank you again for all the warm welcomes and encouragement! Thanks stone-ground and dougie86 for your suggestions and insights about job search. Vancouverites are such lovely and friendly people, and it's the first thing I notice about the city. Everyone here seem so easy-going and courteous, which is very different than what I've experienced in other major Canadian cities.

So far, both my boyfriend and I are doing pretty good. Even though his job isn't great, but it pays bills. As for me, I'm focusing my search on admin work, which isn't in an abundance like in Calgary, but there are some temp work during the summer. In regards to housing, we're definitely not living under a bridge or sharing a place with 4 roommates. Between the 2 of us we split the rent for a small apartment.

Anyway, we're continuously looking for better jobs than dishwasher and temp work, but in the meantime we're just happy to be here rain and all. Actually, the rain doesn't bother us especially since humidity is one of things we didn't get in Calgary. We may feel differently comes winter, but I think we're still basking in our triumph of overcoming all the obstacles to get here.

Thanks again for all your posts and your messages

[dougie86]

In case others are interested, there are musicals and entertainments all over Metro Vancouver. They are free, don't worry about it as most will contribute to the collection boxes.

Summer of Cinema and Song
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Place: Ferry Building Landing (foot of 14th Street), West Vancouver
Date: July 10 - August 28
Time: Song starts at 7 p.m. Cinema starts at sunset.
Concerts by the Sea

Eire Born Dancer Performances
Every Sunday in August
Place: Steveston Village
Steveston Harbour Authority broadwalk
Time: 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm
Eire Born Dancer Performances Every Sunday in August

[stone-ground]

Another fun and free venue is the Caribbean Days Festival happening this wknd, July 23/24 in North Vancouver, worth checking out!

Always lots going on, good music, food, funky cool clothing, jewelry and such and tons of people.

http://www.caribbeandays.ca/

[zzz888]

hi dougie!

im new on this forum so pls excuse me if i make any boo-boos!

i just wanted to carry on with the general discussion on here about job prospects in vancouver BC.
i am a canadian citizen although for personal reasons i had to move back to the uk, and thats where i am now, and thoroughly fed up with it as well!

ive been looking for any sort of admin or clerical work for around 10 mths now but havent had a single offer yet! im a graduate of the uk, with a degree in electronics and have actually worked in ontario before, so its not as if i'll be starting work in canada for the first time.

aside of any clerical/admin work, my main experience is in Quality Assurance (QA), ISO 9000, etc that kind of stuff, so if anybody on here knows any colleagues who are in this line of work, i'd be much obliged for any feedback.

at the moment, im busily trying to save money so that i can at least support myself for when i do come to vancouver, hopefully in the new year sometime.

does anybody know first hand what the job market is like in BC at the moment, pls?

Originally Posted by dougie86

Glad you guys made it here. The rest is just details. Welcome aboard.

"as a dishwasher for $10/hr"
Is that the rate now? A downtown sushi place more like a hole in the wall, owned by ethnic Korean, is hiring a stir-fry cook @$3000 per month and they are willing to arrange a work visa too. I can do that with one hand, but they need a cook certificate. A couple doors away is the Red Umbrella Cafe, where the white chef prepares my favorite Eggs Benedict; the owner a recent immigrant from China.

If you have experience in HR, payroll, admin and people skill, you might be interested to look at this short-term opportunity. It has a high sounding title, but really it is more like a super-administrator. It is a nice place where you get to meet cool and cultured people.
Check your PM.

.......
oops!
I've forgotten how to send a PM
and may have accidentally sent you an email instead.

[zzz888]

hi, kirby!

im fairly new on this forum and like yourselves, im looking to move to vancouver BC from the uk.

as you may have read from my other message to dougie, i wont repeat it all again! i notice your last post was sometime in july this year...does that mean you managed to fing a decent job and are happily working now?

any ideas or contacts to help my job hunt would help me a lot, if you dont mind passing them over!

be glad to hear from you or indeed anybody else on this forum....seems at first glance to be full of quite helpful people, compared to most other forums ive read!

Originally Posted by iekirby

Wow, you guys are the best! Thank you again for all the warm welcomes and encouragement! Thanks stone-ground and dougie86 for your suggestions and insights about job search. Vancouverites are such lovely and friendly people, and it's the first thing I notice about the city. Everyone here seem so easy-going and courteous, which is very different than what I've experienced in other major Canadian cities.

So far, both my boyfriend and I are doing pretty good. Even though his job isn't great, but it pays bills. As for me, I'm focusing my search on admin work, which isn't in an abundance like in Calgary, but there are some temp work during the summer. In regards to housing, we're definitely not living under a bridge or sharing a place with 4 roommates. Between the 2 of us we split the rent for a small apartment.

Anyway, we're continuously looking for better jobs than dishwasher and temp work, but in the meantime we're just happy to be here rain and all. Actually, the rain doesn't bother us especially since humidity is one of things we didn't get in Calgary. We may feel differently comes winter, but I think we're still basking in our triumph of overcoming all the obstacles to get here.

Thanks again for all your posts and your messages

[BIMBAM]

Oh, you know electronics? Vancouver just got a 7 billion dollar contract to build naval vessels and I think they're recruiting now. Check that out, it seems like a good opportunity for someone with your skills.

[dougie86]

Originally Posted by zzz888

hi dougie!
i just wanted to carry on with the general discussion on here about job prospects in vancouver BC.

i am a canadian citizen although for personal reasons i had to move back to the uk, and thats where i am now

im a graduate of the uk, with a degree in electronics and have actually worked in ontario before, so its not as if i'll be starting work in canada for the first time.

When you worked in Ontario previously, were you an EIT or a registered member of Professional Engineers Ontario? Same rule applies in BC. However, it will be a chicken-n-egg situation because you need to find a job first where your supervisor/manager consents to act as your mentor before you can register with the professional body.

You mentioned that you are willing to work as Clerk/Admin in Vancouver. Sure you can work in the casinos that pay $12-$15 an hour as a part-timer.
But you have a good chance of making a decent living as an Electronics Technician/Electrician. Take a course at BCIT and pass some exams.
Apprenticeship and Red Seal Program Listings

Good luck eh, whatever your endeavors.

[dougie86]

I heard that these companies have a starting pay of around $15 to $19, and good work environment.
Coca-Cola Refreshments Careers | Job Search Results
Costco Employment Opportunities

Jobs open in British Columbia

up to $26/hr
Welcome to One Stop Safety Services Corporation - Careers (http://www.onestopsafetybc.com/Page/Careers.aspx - broken link)
less than $20
https://www.bccsa.ca/Employment-Opportunities.html?

[iekirby]

Hi everyone!

Thanks again to dougie86 and stone-ground for all your insights, advice and useful links for employment opportunities, and also for the tips on free summer events and activities. Speaking of which, what is a good website or a good source (i.e. free newspapers?) to find out about all the upcoming festivals and events around Vancouver? Is there a good listing somewhere so I know what's happening in town?

Now, back to our topic...

By the way, welcome zzz888 to our discussion. Hopefully, you were able to find some useful info on this thread. It sounds like you have a lot of professional qualifications, so perhaps you can find something in your field. As for me, since posting in July, I was able to find some longer term temp admin work where one covered the summer, and the other one will take me to the end of this year. So I've been very fortunately, however, I don't know what will happen in the new year. My boyfriend just quit his dishwashing job a week ago because they had been cutting down his hours to only weekends, so it was definitely not paying the bills anymore. Luckily, he found a temp job at a print shop, but it will finish in January as well.

Anyway, I think the best advice is the post that someone posted last year(?), which is if you're planning to move to Vancouver permanently, BRING LOTS OF MONEY. For us, besides the huge expense of the move itself, the first few months was basically job search/unemployment. However, since we had saved up a decent amount of money, we were ok until the summer season picked up and we both landed seasonal work. There are definitely fewer jobs posted online since the fall season began compare to the summer, however, some companies are hiring for the busy winter season depending on the industry.

So far, from what I have observed, there seems to be no shortage of hospitality work in restaurants and hotels, as well as sales and customer service work in retail. As for office work, there seems to be more in the Burnaby area than in Vancouver. If you don't mind doing some grunt work in the beginning, these hospitality jobs can get you started with an income. Also, I find that recruitment agencies are pretty good at finding temporary work, so that might be an area to look into as well if you want to avoid the restaurant stuff. As for permanent work, I must have gone to atleast 10 interviews in 2 months, but there is a bit of a competition out there because everyone is fighting for the very few opportunities available.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly where the jobs are here in Vancouver, but despite all the uncertainties on the job front, I'm still really enjoying life here in Vancouver. The lifestyle is so much more laidback and the pace is alot less stressful here than any other city I've lived in

[dougie86]

iekirby, It's good to know you're still in Vancouver.

If you're planning to stay long term, it may be worthwhile to look in to a change of career path by investing in a 12-18-month course. In Toronto, a dental hygienist can earn up to $80k/year working full time, or $40/hr. While in BC, the salary is around $86k/year full-time, or $43/hr. Forget Quebec, the rate there is only $27/hr. I've no idea what's your interest, so I just post whatever comes to mind.

For the upcoming festivals and events around Vancouver, you can find them in the free monthly tourist booklets available at most malls info center. And don't forget the community centers near your work place or where you live.