Theory and Practice of Searching for a Job in Canada (Part 2) - The first step is the hardest

Introduction

This article is very different from the first for several reasons. First, here we digress and discuss things that should be known before leaving, which, I hope, will allow us to plan emigration more effectively. Secondly, this article presents just a huge amount of facts, and the facts, as is well known, tend to become obsolete very quickly (the date of this writing, January 12, 2012). And finally, this article is more like an impromptu, since I did not have time to take care of the structure or iron out the style. I attached a small questionnaire where you can determine the future direction of articles and their frequency. Officially, the article is written here . Unfortunately, I do not have accounts on Habré, User, or any other site where you stumbled upon this article, so all corrections will be made only at the official registration address.

Before leaving

It is extremely important to think about your plans for finding a job long before the emigration itself. A clear plan will strengthen your starting position and help you avoid some of the mistakes of your predecessors. Your age, English, your savings and marital status - the four most important, key parameters, in my opinion.
Let's start with the savings. It is advisable to save as much as possible. First, you will be able to look for a job for a longer time without worrying even about a side job. If you get some easy part-time hours for 10-15, you can stretch your initial savings for a fairly decent time. For example, if you are single and do not mind renting a room, the rent per month will be 400-750 (prices in Toronto). The cheaper, the more your home will be like a barn or hostel. On average, for dollars 550-650, you can find a decent apartment with its own bathroom, a sane neighbor and in the area that you like (except perhaps downtown). For comparison, a two-room apartment in Burnaby (prices in Vancouver) will cost about 850. As such, if you are renting a room, there is usually no parking space. It is included in the rental price. Ads on the variant you are interested in can be viewed on craigslist or kijiji, in the housing section for Vancouver and Toronto. I strongly recommend that you thoroughly familiarize yourself with these two sites, as they greatly help to buy all sorts of trivia in life.
In the apartment usually includes light, Internet, and heating. Heating is of two types, gas and electric, and as usual, the second is more expensive. You can look at Internet prices on the Rogers, Bell (Toronto) and Shaw, Telus websites (if you prefer to download movies from torrents, telus just loves to send threatening letters that they will take action) (Vancouver). There are even smaller companies where you can find better conditions, cheaper prices, and ... hmm ... less quality service.
For food, one can go from $ 200 and up. When choosing your apartment, make sure that there is a food supermarket somewhere nearby (at prices, ascending, Toronto: No Frills, Superstore, Walmart, Longos, Vancouver: Superstore, Walmart). Otherwise you will have to drive on groceries. Even if you are an experienced driver, you still have to first look for a car, among other things. By the way, on the right, you will have to retake the necessary. Also, the car will have to pay insurance, which depends on your driving experience, the car and how long you used the services of the insurance company from which you take insurance. If you decide to use public transport, a month, to the maximum, you will have no more than 155 dollars to go. This amount is the cost of a travel ticket to three zones in Vancouver, and the usual ttc travel ticket ($ 151, Vancouver, $ 126, Toronto, south of Stelees). These costs, with a certain skill and a good area (close to the subway, popular bus routes, shops, work) can be reduced (details can be found on the public transport website, translink.ca for Vancouver, as well as on the website ttc.ca , yrt. ca and gotransit.com for Toronto. Again, I highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the plans, fares and routes on these sites. This knowledge will allow you to make a more informed decision when you look after your apartment or room.
Health insurance in Canada is paid and will cost about $ 60 a month. Next year, if you have a low income, the state will pay for your insurance.
Last in the list of costs should include the cost of mobile communications. In no case, do not think that this is a luxury! First of all, if you rent a room, it may not be very convenient for you to conduct telephone interviews (with the most optimistic forecast that you will have a phone at all). Then, you will need to make sure that this phone has an answering machine in order to receive messages without relying on the good faith of its neighbors. Finally, in any emergency situation, you may need to contact your friends or warn your employer that urgent circumstances have arisen on your way. Before Wind Mobile and Mobilicity appeared in Vancouver and Toronto, cellular tariffs were expensive to the point of disgust. Both companies offer unlimited plans for 25-45 dollars. When choosing a plan for yourself, make sure that voicemail and caller id are included in the price, otherwise you will have to pay extra for these two services.
Finally, to this point, I note also that, in general, it will be necessary to learn to save. For most of my acquaintances, in which I will include immigrants, native Canadians this has become a habit. RedFlagDeals.com will allow you to be aware of sales and special offers.
There are faster ways to lower your savings. One of the most popular is to go to study. The more you spend, the more benefit it will bring to your job search :-P. If you have a specialist in your hometown, it may be worth getting a local master’s degree. If you have a high average score, you can even get certain grants from the university and generally learn for free. If you are not sure whether you will go to study or not, I still strongly recommend that you translate and notarize your diploma at a university (it is at the UNIVERSITY, and not with a lawyer). Make multiple copies for several universities.
How can a master's degree help you? First, the university offers internship in private and public companies (co-op / internship programs). This program involves many large companies in Canada, including IBM and EA. You will gain local experience, make useful contacts, and finally get access to internal ads within the company. While working in a company, you can directly write to another manager, there is a vacancy in the department and you can schedule an interview. By the way, here the practice is paid and the most remarkable thing is that this money is not usually taxed. In addition, you can earn TA (teacher assistant). Again, these positions are paid decent money ($ 25- $ 35 / h), but the number of hours is quite small. Also, your supervisor can pay you as an RA (research assistant), provided that his department has received enough cash grants for the current year. Nobody forbids you to apply for a huge number of other programs for masters and PhD students. If you start studying for a master's degree, the invisible hand of the state will help you in every way and your chances of finding a job, either while studying or after graduation, will increase incredibly. In general, this is a good strategy, first go to study on a student visa, preferably on a grant, find a job, stay on a working visa, and finally get a permanent resident.
Further, if you are not sure that you want to contact the master, which I still strongly recommend to do, if you don’t work at all, you can get a local bachelor in an abbreviated two-year program. You will have access to co-op programs, but you can forget about grants and other privileges of masters. By the way, on average, masters pay 10-15 thousand more.
A diploma and certificate is a cheap and fast way to get local education. It helped some people, some not so much. 100% guarantee that at the end of such a program you will find a job, no one will give you.
The last two items are inextricably linked. The older you are, the greater the likelihood that you have a family, and, therefore, it will be harder for you. It is difficult for me to give any recommendations to people of such status, since I am relatively young (24 years old) and not married. I note that the load morally, physically, money on you will be much more. Many options available idle, for you just closed. Financial pressure can make you clutch for any unskilled work. Getting out of such positions is extremely difficult. Children will take a lot of time and effort, especially small ones, even illegal to leave unattended. And in very rare breaks you will frantically try to find jobs, go to interviews and learn English. The state helps families with low incomes by paying a certain amount for each child (for more information about such programs, see cra and cic.gc.ca).
Learning English is such an extensive topic that it deserves a separate article. Vote for this item in the questionnaire!