Considering a move to Canada from London…

[whereisnext]

I am hoping some of you might be able to give me some good advice / tips on my idea…

Basically, without giving you my whole life story, I am 33, single, live in London and I want a change. I work in HR but I am unhappy in my job. I feel like I don’t really have any career prospects where I am. I have never lived anywhere outside of where I grew up (just outside of London) and London itself except my 3 years at uni. I have been thinking about going to Australia for a while, but it’s so far away and I hate spiders.

So now I am seriously considering moving to…. Canada!!

I can get the working holiday visa, and I’ve heard there’s a great quality of life out there. It’s also not that far away in the grand scheme of things…

What would you do? Have you lived in Canada? Have you lived abroad? Would you recommend it?

I would definitely do it! A working visa is only for two years so it's not a permanent emigration, just a long holiday! What an adventure. Do it now because that visa is only for people under 35 I think! Go, go, go. You can always come back earlier if you don't like it.

Canada is a great place my son lives there so visit frequently. Supermarkets are on the whole dearer than here, eating out similar, property all depends on which area you live in. Have you been to Canada, maybe try visiting the area you want to live in, Vancouver is very wet, the whole place is pretty cold in the winter months.

Canada is a great place to live but it's expensive. Where are you thinking of living?. I'm In BC (loving known as being cash!). I would recommend doing lots of research into the job and housing situation before you commit. Our healthcare service is in crisis and cost of living is high. We moved here for my DH work so luckily had all our visa expenses covered but it was still a long process. Canadians do have a reputation of being ' friendly ' but it's very surface level and can be hard to find real connections here. Most of my friends are also immigrants to the country. Good luck to you if you decide to go for it.

Yes I am in Montreal and really like it. You'll need French in Quebec though.

I also spent a year in BC on a working holiday visa and really enjoyed it. Lived in Whistler and Banff.

My best friend lives in Sask, east Canada and we’re over there (very) often. I love it there, always feel safe and welcome, we are white but friend is not and has no issues he’s from there and says it’s diverse and welcoming. I’m only commenting about Saskatchewan of course but Canadian culture in general seems very friendly and welcoming. It is expensive but there are cheaper areas and, depending on what you do and like doing, the jobs are there and the entertainment is plentiful. I’m encouraging my kids to go to uni or consider working there as an excuse to go back.

My son has lived in Canada for over 20 years. I visit often. It's a great place. They live in a major city which is expensive to live in, but love it. Loads to do.
Give it a go if you get the chance..

Be prepared for extreme weather. Summers are usually much hotter than the UK and winters very cold. It gets to minus 30 c at times.

The. Snow. Be prepared for that. Supermarket prices very high.

the dark. The snow. A lot of winter.

I have family there. The ones which went thinking it was just like home, didn't last a year. The weather, the distances are all more extreme. A cousin had wild fires near their house the summer after 4 months of snow and her kids have 2 hour round trips to the nearest school! She loves it though. Another young couple however found the dark and cold winter too hard and left after a.year. Vancouver is lovely but very very expensive, wet and grey in the winter. East Coast cities have an epic winter to contend with, and inbetween it's very rural, and rodeos and cowboys and oil production, which may not be what you are expecting. Also non Canadian work experience isn't valued much, so you may have to take a step back career wise to get a foot in the door.

Vancouver is lovely but very very expensive, wet and grey in the winter. East Coast cities have an epic winter to contend with, and inbetween it's very rural, and rodeos and cowboys and oil production

In between you have the central provinces, Ontario and Quebec. There are certainly parts that are rural, near particularly cottage country, but I have yet to see a rodeo.

Lots of them, my relatives bore me to tears telling me about it all!
Canadian Pro Rodeo Association share.google/VtuahrjFPvMsx8pn1

Funny how you're talking about the winters like it's a bad thing. Ice skating outside? Skiing? Cross country skiing? Sledging? Snowshoeing?? It's basically 8 weeks of guaranteed outdoor fun! Like Lapland really, which I know gets a real push on here.

Compare that to the grey and drizzle of the UK?? No comparison.

And ' the dark'??? The earliest I've seen it dark here is at 4pm in November and the latest in the morning is around 7am.

This is nothing compared to the UK. I remember walking home from school in the dark at 3.15pm in Lancashire. And it wasn't light till 9am some mornings.

You never get that here.

And by the by Vancouver is an absolutely amazing city. The food, Stanley park, Granville Island. Yes, it's grey, but once again probably not as grey as London, let's face it.

I did see anything anything east of Saskatchewan in that link.

My point is that central Canada, Ontario and Quebec, have a lot to offer, but they are very different to the prairie provinces where rodeos might be common.

If you can get a visa and you think you will be able to find work then go for it!

I would go there on a holiday first and visit different cities/places so you can narrow down where you would like to live.