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I have just received my letter of introduction (for the Canada working holiday program for Australians), which means that by this time next year, I need to be in Canada! The visa allows me to stay in Canada for two years, with no restrictions on the type or amount of work I can do. I plan on entering Canada around the middle of June 2012.
So, I guess it's time for me to start really researching where I want to live! Here's my background:
26y.o. female. Hometown (between ages 5&17) Mount Isa, Queensland (small isolated town, population around 25,000...didn't love it!). Current location: Brisbane, QLD. Education: Bachelor of Science.Work experience: 4 years full-time project management & editorial work at a medical research institute. Currently single, interested in dating men in Canada I'm not the world's biggest socialite, and though I don't mind bars/clubs etc, its not the best place for me to meet & connect with people. I figure I will do some sort of volunteer work when I arrive as a way to meet people & make friends. I am also a qualified dance teacher and would either like to join forces with an existing studio to help teach a few hours per week, or start up my own class focusing on dance fitness for adults.
Type of work sought: Ideally, something similar to my current position, but am open to anything as long as it will allow me to live (fairly well!) in Canada for two years! If my ideal situation includes rent of $1200 per month, I guess I would need to earn around $3600 after tax.
Standard/type of living: I would love to be able to rent a room right in the centre of whichever city I end up in. I've done the 'whole buying a house in the suburbs and commuting' type thing, and I don't love it. I would like to treat myself to inner-city upscale living for a while As above, I guess I think that $1200 for a room in a shared, downtown apartment would be my upper limit!
Personal budget: All things going to plan, when I arrive in Canada I will have enough money to live for 5 months without work (keeping aside a kind of 'safety buffer' of around $3000AU). I'm wondering if I should do some sort of barista or bar course now and try and start working at that one day a week here, to have the option of at least getting some casual work in hospitality to keep me going for a bit?
So with that in mind, which city do you think would be a good fit, and why?
I'd go to whatever city i could get a job in as making money is going to be your most important need.
If money is no object then what kind of area do you think you'd like Mountains? maybe Victoria
The foothills? Calgary or Edmonton.
The prairies? Regina or Saskatoon
Ontario has many small areas like Kitchener/Waterloo area or big city Toronto or medium size city like Ottawa,
Canadas maritime provinces are beautiful and research should be done on places like Fredericton NB, Charlottetown PEI,Halifax NS.
Quebec has potential if your French is good, Montreal and Quebec city are where the jobs are.
Many online job search engines Find Jobs. Build a Better Career. Find Your Calling. | Monster.ca Is just one example.
What do you like to do? Do you ski, skate, scuba dive? Is there any area in Canada that intrigues you? Do you want to explore the mountains of BC or the lakes of Ontario, or the Eastern coastline?
As a young graduate, you should move to wherever you can find decent employment.
Ottawa is worth checking out...but I'm biased there! Ottawa has a medical school at the University of Ottawa, and there's also Carleton University. The Ottawa Heart Institute is a major medical research organization. Also, you can apply for work with the Canadian federal government. The National Research Council, and Health Canada, would be the two largest departments to apply to. Government jobs are filled through a "competition" process (exams and interviews) which can take a few months, just to fill you in. But then, you'd make good money and have very attractive benefits. Careers in the federal public service
Toronto has a large amount of research going on in the health fields as well, and also Montreal. Toronto is #1 in Canada though, due to size of the city (population is 5.6 million), University of Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children, many pharmaceutical companies, etc. etc. Toronto also has a critical mass of younger professionals, and the male:female ratio is in your favour there (the neighbourhood Yonge and Eglinton is nicknamed Young and Eligible). Montreal's big claim to fame is the McGill University medical school.
Ottawa's population is 1 million, and you can look up other info on Wikipedia of course... Same with Toronto.
Edited to add: I agree that getting a job in hospitality, or similar, as soon as you can when you arrive is a great idea. There's no point in depleting your cash reserves when you can easily pick up a service job to at least get some money coming in to pay for groceries, etc. It will also provide you with a Canadian employer to use as a reference for the next (better) job. And it shows that you're motivate to work, and you're not just sitting around on vacation doing nothing everyday. Toronto would be your best bet that way... and one more thing, $1200/month for a room in a shared apartment flat is too much. Check out the Toronto Craigslist to give you an idea of what the rates are for a room in different locations in the city.
She doesn't sound like she's a big drinker. She doesn't seem to be big on socializing. She's into dancing. She needs a good paying job in medical research. This seems to suggest places like Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, etc., to me. Heck, even Calgary, London or Halifax are likely to be better choices. St. John's is a decent place, but it isn't ideal for everyone.
She doesn't sound like she's a big drinker. She doesn't seem to be big on socializing. She's into dancing. She needs a good paying job in medical research. This seems to suggest places like Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, etc., to me. Heck, even Calgary, London or Halifax are likely to be better choices. St. John's is a decent place, but it isn't ideal for everyone.
St. John's is home medical school so there should be opportunities there for work, there's a lot more to life in St. John's then being a "big drinker", I hear we even have dance schools here. I've also heard people mention the similarities between Australia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
St. John's is home medical school so there should be opportunities there for work, there's a lot more to life in St. John's then being a "big drinker", I hear we even have dance schools here. I've also heard people mention the similarities between Australia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Many of the med school roles for which she might be considered weren't well paid historically. Unless that has changed, she won't enjoy a great quality of life assuming that there is even anything for her at the med school.
St. John's is either a great place to raise a family or a good place to go out and enjoy a booze-fuelled evening. Honestly, I don't think that it's a great place for a person who is single and childless, who doesn't have a big drive to socialize, and who doesn't seem to be much of a drinker. And, yes, there are a few dance schools in St. John's, but there may not be work like the OP desires. In a bigger town, she'd have more schools to pick from and likely more opportunity.
I've been to Australia and I grew up in Newfoundland. Other than both places having strong roots in the British Isles, I didn't notice any big similarities.
I'm not trying to aggravate you here. I wish only to suggest that the OP is likely looking for something that is more readily found in Canada's bigger mainland cities.
Last edited by maclock; 07-18-2011 at 09:20 PM..
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I'm not the world's biggest socialite, and though I don't mind bars/clubs etc, its not the best place for me to meet & connect with people. I figure I will do some sort of volunteer work when I arrive as a way to meet people & make friends. I am also a qualified dance teacher and would either like to join forces with an existing studio to help teach a few hours per week, or start up my own class focusing on dance fitness for adults.
