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Living overseas

Whether you're considering emigrating or an expat abroad, you'll find likeminds on this forum.

Canada. Can you tell me about it?

39 replies

SweetLorraine · 13/06/2009 09:40

Hi! I am planning to go and study and live there for a while with two dcs. What's the best province to study and live in. Also with a very reasonable cost of living?

OP posts:
SweetLorraine · 15/06/2009 18:15

bump

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madwomanintheattic · 17/06/2009 10:18

hi - we are moving to southern alberta in august with work. taxes are lower in alberta but tbh costs are pretty similar to here at the moment... city life obviously more expensive but similar choices to here...
depends what sort of thing you are after really? what are you wanting to study? (international fees - ouch - i looked at u of calgary for phd - might apply if/ when we get pr lol)
what sort of lifestyle? urban? rural? what do you like? water? mountains?
such a vast country with such different opportunities - difficult to know what to suggest really...
i guess french or english is a good place to start?!

madwomanintheattic · 17/06/2009 10:22

how old are your dcs? if any are yr r/ kindergarten ages you need to check school start age in the provinces you are interested in - some children who move during yr r for example have to go back to kindergarten as they are not old enough to start school in some canadian provinces - they use a date in february as the cut-off for admission rather than end of aug etc - so worth checking if that applies.

i always recommend britishexpats.com - they have a wiki with loads of info on the canada forum. i think quite a few people are applying for study permits for this year at the mo, so there would be a few folk around to get some ideas from, as well as loads in-country to give you some local flavour if you have some places in mind...

BecauseImWorthIt · 17/06/2009 10:24

It's a massive country! Do you not have any idea about it/where you want to go, roughly?

SweetLorraine · 17/06/2009 23:13

Hi! I was beginning to think there were no mumsnetters in Canada. Yes i know it's massive! I just want a nice and not too noisy place to study. I wouldn't mind if it's in a bilingual place as i would want dcs(under school age)to learn other languages. But i want a place with a very reasonable cost of living.

Thank you for responding!

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madwomanintheattic · 18/06/2009 10:36

lifestyle?

it would help to know what you were going to study? more vocational stuff you might have a choice of rural or urban - more esoteric and you are probably looking at major cities, which are going to have the same sort of costs as uk...
some of the unis have family accomodation (u of c does - again, i looked at it briefly) and is an hour to the mountains...

if your dcs are pre-school then you will have to factor in childcare etc as well as international fees. i'm a bit worried about the combination of reasonable cost of living and international fees if i'm honest! have you got a way of getting sponsorhip for that part? or a dh/dp who will either be on SOWP or providing childcare when you are studying?

i'd love to do it, but tbh even with dh working, we couldn't afford the fees and other expenses...

did you have a look at british expats? there are def people on there waiting for their study permit approval now...

i'm totally biased in favour of alberta lol, but there are lots of other places - have you tried a search of the unis offering the course you want to do?

SweetLorraine · 18/06/2009 12:26

I'm divorced so alone with dcs. My family's going to sponsor my tuition, childcare,accomodation etc. Due to personal issues,and they've already spent alot on me, i want the reasonable option. Basically they're helping me until i'm back on my feet. So i want to be very considerate.

My course (Early childhood education or Psychology), is offered in lots of Universities and Colleges in all the Provinces. Which is why i want info to know where to apply to.

I will look at British expats thanks! But i'll also appreciate any info on here.

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madwomanintheattic · 18/06/2009 13:50

i think the teacher training thing is an interesting conundrum - i'm assuming early years teaching rather than pre-school? have you researched whether the options are trnsferable if you want to work in the uk rather than canada?
i know some of the options don't work the other way round (for example gtp specifically excludes canada) so worth checking whether the professional accreditation you would end up with would be valid in both countries - no point burning bridges

so, lifestyle then? what do you envisage as ideal for you and yours? are you outdoorsy? skiers? want chickens? or need a deli and cinema within a block or two?

i briefly looked at the ed stuff at mhc (it isn't my subject really) - it's the sunniest place year round in ca! but ultimately you have to accept six months of snow too lol... how do you feel about weather? can you do extremes or feel the need for a warmer wetter vibe?

ultimately i think cost-wise you are probably better looking out of the major cities unless you are certain you will qualify for subsidised accom (it is limited depending on family size and uni size obv - i have no idea what the competition is like...)

madwomanintheattic · 18/06/2009 13:51
madwomanintheattic · 18/06/2009 13:52

can i ask 'why canada?' too lol?

just cos i'm nosy, really i'm guessing 'fresh start' but might be way off beam - have you ever visited?

BecauseImWorthIt · 18/06/2009 22:47

My family lives on the east coast, in New Brunswick. It's lovely and very beautiful there, but very quiet and low population levels.

Which is why I was asking you where you wanted to go. Do you want quiet/low population density or do you want buzzy/high population density?

SweetLorraine · 19/06/2009 20:52

Well i've looked at other places too. Canada was suggested by a friend.

BecauseImWorthIt, I want a quiet/low population density. What's the cost of living like?

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hullygully · 19/06/2009 20:54

It's a fairly large, though surprisingly empty, country at the top of America. They have a lot of snow and bears. And Mounties.

smackapacka · 19/06/2009 20:56

Have you ever been to Canada?

hullygully · 19/06/2009 20:59

Do you feel that's strictly necessary?

smackapacka · 19/06/2009 21:01

I was asking if OP had ever been to Canada and yes I feel it was necessary before I form a response.

hullygully · 19/06/2009 21:04

No, I meant the low quiet requirement. Bits of Canada are quite busy.

smackapacka · 19/06/2009 21:06

Ah I get it...

SweetLorraine · 19/06/2009 23:26

No i've never been to Canada. Not necessary. Just a preference.

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cookielove · 19/06/2009 23:31

my sister moved to canada 4 years ago, she lives about 40 mins away from toronto in a town called aurora, we visted her a month ago. She doesn't have children but she does know that most of the nurseries are montessori, in her area. Clearly this is not gonna be much help, as i have no clue what they are like anywhere else. But still feel i have to put my two bit in.

theselegswermad · 20/06/2009 04:03

Hi, we moved to montreal 3 years ago for husbands job and have 2 children.
You say you dont mind billingual well your children would have the option to attend french school or french immersion depending on if you were to apply for PR.
It's a great small city to study in with alot of student population, something to do with the cheap fees i think.
Childcare is also greatly sub here, daycare costs range from $7- $20 a day.If you are a single mum then you might get some of your fee's paid for?

If you like the cosmopolitian feel, love festivals,eating out and open spaces then it might be an option for you.
The children absolutly love it here so much freedom and activities are so cheap and easy.
The winters are cold and snowy but the summer's are so hot and lovely (4/5 months).

Try www.candianparents.com on the message boards that might give you a feel for different prov's

nooka · 20/06/2009 06:01

Well in a lot of ways the different provinces of Canada are like different countries, and then within the provinces there is a lot of variation too, so you need to know what you are looking for. You can't just ask "what is Canada like" as it were, because I don't think you will get a very meaningful answer.

We have been living in BC for six months and personally I think it is fantastic, but that doesn't mean you would like it at all.

So you get to choose between the Maritimes, which are the closest to the UK, and traditionally I think relatively poor. Quebec, which has a very different culture because of the French influence; Ontario, which is the "hub" of Canada I guess, and the most built up (although like the rest of Canada that is only the Southern part), more multicultural and diverse, and has a bit of a superiority complex; the Prairies, which are very flat and very cold (people move from there, not too there, I'm told); Alberta, somewhat conservative, and normally booming (like the American states below it it has quite a can-do type attitude, which you may find either bracing or alienating depending on your point of view); or BC which is very West Coast (beautiful, relaxed, and a bit hippyish at times) it also has a big Asian community in Vancouver, which is another cosmopolitan city; then there is Newfoundland, which seems to be thought of in the same way we might think of the West Country, like a bit of a strange cousin. If you really like the cold there are the Territories

That quick run down is a summation of the views of the people I work with btw!

All the major cities generally do pretty well on the "good places to live" lists, and the population density depends on how far from the border with the States you are really. All of the provinces are fairly sparely settled away from the big cities (that is Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver).

A significant factor is how far away you want to be, and the time zone differences too. For example, from where I live in the interior of BC it would take 12 or so hours to get back to the UK and there is an eight hour time difference. Whereas from Halifax (Nova Scotia) it's currently three hours time difference, and a 6 hour flight. The cost of getting home will obviously vary too.

The weather is something to consider very seriously too. The central provinces get very cold (down to -40 in Winnipeg for example), and stay that way for a very long time (with significant snow on the ground for months). Some people find that very difficult to adjust to. I live in the hottest city in Canada, and we still had a few weeks of -20 this winter. Now it's summer it is gorgeous though (and the snow was fun).

Regarding the bilingual aspects, then obviously Quebec, but also some of the Maritimes have large French communities, and Vancouver has a lot of Cantonese!

Geography is another significant consideration. BC is mostly mountains, lakes and trees (except where I live, which is semi-desert) with a great cast line. The Prairies and Alberta are flat (and I mean seriously flat!), Ontario has lots of big lakes, and then the Maritimes get mountains and coast line again. I think both coastlines are pretty beautiful. Bear in mind it is all big in a way that is quite difficult to comprehend. We drove from coast to coast when we moved from New York, and it took us two and a half weeks of pretty solid driving (7-8 hours most days).

Price wise, if you are not working, I would guess that the cheapest areas are the Maritimes and the Prairies. BC is relatively expensive, and Alberta's boom has pushed prices up there.

brimfull · 20/06/2009 07:04

I grew up in Canada.

I agree with nooka's post-very well done nooka.

Canada is a hard place to describe to people.

ANywya,I love GB and live here now but ma famille are still there in Ontario-feeling all superior

nooka · 20/06/2009 07:13

Thanks ggirl! The difference between provinces get discussed a lot at work. The only thing everyone agrees with is that BC is obviously the best place to live (and the interior is the best part of BC - or when in the Vancouver office, that Vancouver is the best part of BC. Lol). I expect similar conversations happen everywhere else too, except that wherever they live is the best there. Bit like North vs South London really (the South obviously being the best )

smackapacka · 20/06/2009 09:12

I came back on here and realised nooka had said what I was going to but MUCH better. Canada is beautiful and amazing, but very different dependending on where you are. Even Vancouver Island is the size of the UK. Good luck.