Hello,

After my recent relocation to Australia, I decided to pen down a few lines about our experience in Canada. Our initial few years in Ontario was tough, due to our lack of information and misjudgment which made us move to a smaller city. As unemployment was a concern in that area, we went back to school while my wife continued and completed her degree in Accounting which finally gave her the option of a decent job albeit not in Ontario. (more on that later). Life was decent as we progressed to study but jobs were lacking which prompted us to work in any decent work that came our way.

We relocated from Malaysia in 2010 and I had a background in IT having worked in Singapore for a number of years with my better half having the experience in banking at a managerial level. while our mission was to ensure that our kids got the education that was severely lacking in Malaysia here in Canada, we were prepared for the worst.

Somehow we always managed to sail through the difficulties and after 3 years in Ontario moved to Calgary after being sold on the news that jobs were plenty there. I would now conclude that Ontario was good as well but due to our lack of vision that we shunned certain jobs that we felt were a waste of time. In fact I had a job after only three weeks in Ontario in tech support. However due to passing of someone very dear, prompted me to give that up.

Anyways, Calgary was a whole new ball game. Within two weeks, I landed a job in a Restaurant ( I also have a background in cooking ). After a month working there, which was unexciting, I got a job in a warehouse. The job was tough as it is coupled with unfriendly people at the workplace, I managed to squeeze in at least 3 months. That was the end of it and I went back to the recruitment agency which put me there in the first place and was offered an interview at another warehouse which was much more decent, as a Customer Service Rep due to my good communication skills. From there I progressed and during my entire tenure, I did not take a day off unlike others who were working there. We made a short trip to Malaysia there after, which prompted me to leave the job and when I came back, was offered a better one, at a local firm supporting their proprietary software for clients in Canada and States which also included paid trips to train them. That pretty much sums up our stay here in Canada and we left for Australia as during our time in Ontario, we decided to apply for our PR there. It was also due to its proximity to Malaysia and with our families there, travel to Canada made it difficult for us and others to travel for visits. When we left Canada we both had jobs with decent income.

My humble advise to everyone, Canada is not for everyone. The weather plays a big part and it can break you at times. I know of friends that refuse to come out of the house during winter!

It is really important to have good COMMUNICATION SKILLS. Yes I do have an accent, but please speak proper English. I grew up in a country (Malaysia) where English was a single subject and all other subjects were taught in Malay. All I did was practice and listen to others how they speak, watch English movies and dramas and not Hindi Serials! Go read English Articles and Newspapers. The bitter truth is no one cares about your experience from anywhere in the world here (Disclaimer: I might be wrong though). If you're thinking of becoming a manager because you were one in your country, yes you can but it will take time not as soon as you land, but then again I might be wrong as it all depends on the skill set that you have.

My IELTS results were nothing short of an 8 or a 9 in all bands (No one gave two hoots about my IELTS here), but that does not mean I will get a good job immediately. It takes time to prove yourself, make friends and speak to recruiters and pester them, give them a call every week so that they have a picture of you in their mind. You don't call they don't care!

Don't lie about your skill set, eventually someone will find out!

Lastly, I am happy to say that I still do keep in touch with my manager from my previous company and before I left, I was told by my managers that there will always be a job for me there if I ever decide to come back. I am proud that I have left a good impression and in fact I also received a testimonial letter from my manager for a job well done.

My only advise to those looking to move to Canada is come with an open mind, embrace the people, please don't stay among your own as you won't learn anything by being with your own but only bitterness about how Canada is unfair. It is very tough here and if you have a well paid job and are comfortable where ever you are eg India, Pakistan, UK, Australia, US or Dubai, just stay there. Life is very different here but please come and experience it as its worth it, The journey itself is tough and life itself is a journey so go forth and take the challenge,

I am sharing this information about my life experience here in Canada and the information given is not aimed at any specific individual. Feel free to comment or ask questions and I will try my best to give some constructive feedback if possible.

hi can I have your email address please....

Nice Article! MalaysianDesi!

Thanks for sharing.

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A Proud Indian Canadian

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Originally posted by dharmeshc

hi can I have your email address please....

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A Proud Indian Canadian

Yes done. Thank you

Well articulated and written.

You have brought up a key point - communication skills. There are many in this forum who trivialize communication/soft/social skills and believe just education and prior experience alone would prop their career automatically.

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Dimple2001

Would love to hear your experience in Australia. How did you find it different than, or the same as Canada (of-course, apart from the weather). What is the job market like, and how long did it take you to get into your desired employment.

On my personal level, I have heard all the good thing about Australia, and how one gets to find a choice'd employment in a rather less time relative to Canada.