Blackbuddy:


Hi, the NOC doesn't have to be the same. You can modify your career of choice or make a complete switch when you land. All the best to you and your spouse.

Thanks.. appreciate your response

Blackbuddy:


Hi, the NOC doesn't have to be the same. You can modify your career of choice or make a complete switch when you land. All the best to you and your spouse.

@Blackbuddy.....I sent you a PM.Please I still await your response.Thanks.

Oh, thanks.

Please can you help me with their numbers because none of the numbers on their site is going through.

qquote author=Esughusughu post=63402434]

Place a call to them, they will give you an account to transfer to. [/quote]

vcole:

If I'm not mistaken, you went to montreal on a trv for a conference or exchange posting?....

Yea, conference... Visit visa

vcole:

Just read through your posts again. If I may add, in my opinion, for you the best route would be tp write plab during or just after nysc. For now, jobs are readily available in the uk once you have your gmc license. So with your tier 2 status in the UK and hopefully getting a residency after about a year as a MO, you'll be better prepped for a move to Canada. With a specialist license from the UK, you get a full license here as well and can get a job immediately. However if you don't finish your residency from the UK but you have 2yrs of practice there, or 2yrs of gp residency there and you move here, you can get into the PRA program and sign a 3-4yr return of service contract in exchange for your license in some provinces.

Ok.. Thank you so much for this.. I'll think it through
Quick question: Would I still need to write mccqe 1 and 2 after two years of UK practice?

careerwoman:

Ok.. Thank you so much for this.. I'll think it through
Quick question: Would I still need to write mccqe 1 and 2 after two years of UK practice?

That PRA thing comes with it's conditions. For BC right now you only need mccee but seeing as that exam is being phased out next year they'll have to update their requirements but off the top of my head you'll need 24 months of proven family medicine residency or 24 months of practice with rotations in o n g. paeds. psych. surg. int med. You can confirm online though. Most of the peeps who moved here from the Uk through have an easier pathway. However fam med residency in d uk is just 2yrs or 3 right? So you'll most likely wanna finish up there if you've started before moving.

ugoiyke79e:

How are managing with school runs in your first winter? How is it like driving through in the snow?

salford1:

November was cold but december has been suprisingly warm out here in the west. The recently landed naija peeps must have brought warm weather with them.

Was just gonna say what Salford1 did. December was surprisingly awesome thus far till today. Lol! To be honest, now I sorta prefer the cold just because I know what to wear and layer up and all. It becomes a lil frustrating when I layer up and then in a few hours the sun and some warmth comes out to surprise me. Lol! Driving in the winter....well, october brought a lotta snow so I sorta got used to it then so driving now is better. Winter tires, windshield de-icer, driving slower....you'll be fine. I don't drive for long distances when it snows though. So for instance I won't drive from the south to the North but I'll drive within a 20 min drive radius from where I live. Anywhere else I park at the train station and use the transit.

Hello people. Please for those who have gone to other provinces but landed in Toronto, like how many hours do you think will be enough for the immigration and landing formalities? Asking because of the take off time of the connecting flight, one wouldn't want to miss that. Thanks

Jonbeezy:
pls i need someone to help me with info on how to immigrate to canada. the legit ways of getting a genuine visa and the cheapest costs. also,if i could get an insight on availability of jobs and costs of living,that'd be nice. pls help.

Hi, everything you need can be found at this link, https://www.nairaland.com/3999848/canadian-express-entry-federal-skilled

Wow...that's a lot of reading up to catch up with the thread. Its been like I went into a coma and just got out . Well its not easy settling into life in Edmonton with a spouse and two kids all younger than three. To live up to the purpose of this thread, I will share our experiences so far. This is so as to give those still planning to make the jump a fair sense of what to expect once they land here so they can make more informed decisions.

So we landed on Oct 7th and spent the first one month with our hosts in their town home. This may not be the most comfortable arrangement but i decided to tow this path because I had no experience whatsoever living outside Nigeria. Neither does my spouse. So I needed to understudy people a bit so as to avoid making costly blunders and it did work well for us. Before we left for our own apartment, we got to complete all my post arrival activities like SIN, Alberta health etc under the tutelage of our well experienced host. We got to start learning the Bus and train transit system so we could go out by ourselves without getting lost. We also made good use of our hosts' home wifi to search for apartments and apply for jobs. We also got to learn some of their routines and home management techniques which we have imbibed or plan to in their near future.

We moved out to our own apartment exactly a month after landing. We got a good deal because we had ample time to search for an apartment. We took a 2 bedroom that has free internet and cable TV, one free energized parking, free heat and water for $853/month. Our place is also very close to the Train station and Bus terminal so I always plan my trips from there. Moving in was stressful because of the luggages and kids so i hired uber cabs for it.

Job Search- Now this is where every aspiring canadian have fears. So here is how its been for us so far. I started applying for a job as soon as a got COPR (No time ). Got my first interview call a week after landing and I was excited. The excitement was in the end short-lived by the time I went for the interview. I had not mastered the transit system well at the time so I arrive 19mins later than I was scheduled. The security guy refused to allow me in because I was late. After that I wasn't getting any response for all the other applications I was sending. I wondered why I was busy shooting blanks. I thought maybe I wasnt doing something right. So, we decided to join a couple of newcomer services notably- WCI (welcome centre for Immigrants) and ERIEC. We attended a couple of informational sessions with them and utilized their career services like resume building and preparation for interviews. I am a brewer by profession in Nigeria while my wife has only her cloth-making business she operated but we both had to adapt our resumes to suit the canadian work environment. I see a lot of people asking for one guy's resume but it wont do you any good copy-pasting someone's resume. What will make your resume sell well is if you write it yourself because only you know your story. Just avail yourself to these free employment services and you will be fine.
So after we had tweaked our resumes we started getting calls for interviews. I got one immediately from a microbrewery in Edmonton and I had a drilling panel interview with them afterwards. They gave me a couple of paid trial shifts and later asked me to await a final decision on my job offer. In the same time I got called for another interview with the biggest brewer in Canada but for a temporary position (to last for 9 months) which I honored. That happened to be the easiest interview in my life...they just wanted to know what made me apply for such a job I was way more qualified for an I told them I wanted the opportunity to join their team.
A week later I was given both job offers and after careful consultations and considerations I picked the big brewery over the microbrewery. By Gods grace after clearing the background check I will be starting work on 2nd January. We are still expecting something for wifey but for now she engages with part time employment from a local employment agency.

So there you have it. There are jobs in Canada but its not offered on a platter for anybody. You must be ready to convince potential employers that it is you that they need to hire. First way is to attract them with an eye-catching resume laden with your skills and achievements in the past. Blow your trumpet well but be honest. Do not claim what you do not have. Be adventurous and apply different strategies to your job search( the microbrewery offer I got were not even hiring, I merely sent an unsolicited application to them and I got an interview). Then above all believe/trust in God who made it even possible for you to be a legal resident of Canada. He wont lead you here only to leave you hanging without work. Despite that he wont come and do for you what you have to do for yourself. So work hard and pray hard and the sky will be our starting point in Canada.

It will surely end in praise for all of us!

soja84:


@Blackbuddy.....I sent you a PM.Please I still await your response.Thanks.

Hi, I just rechecked my inbox and responded to all pending mails from Nairalanders bt I don't seem to have gotten any from you. Please resend, let's see if it'll come now.

AZeD1:
Anyone who Software Developer/Web developer about to land in Ottawa anytime soon?

Yea, I am web developer in Ottawa. I just sent you a PM request.

freeradical:
Wow...that's a lot of reading up to catch up with the thread. Its been like I went into a coma and just got out .

Blow your trumpet well but be honest. Do not claim what you do not have. Be adventurous and apply different strategies to your job search( the microbrewery offer I got were not even hiring, I merely sent an unsolicited application to them and I got an interview). Then above all believe/trust in God who made it even possible for you to be a legal resident of Canada. He wont lead you here only to leave you hanging without work. Despite that he wont come and do for you what you have to do for yourself. So work hard and pray hard and the sky will be our starting point in Canada.

It will surely end in praise for all of us!

Thank you for this. This is what I needed to read at this time. God bless you. How's life in Edmonton? Where in Edmonton are you? We are also looking to land in Edmonton.

freeradical:
Wow...that's a lot of reading up to catch up with the thread. Its been like I went into a coma and just got out . Well its not easy settling into life in Edmonton with a spouse and two kids all younger than three. To live up to the purpose of this thread, I will share our experiences so far. This is so as to give those still planning to make the jump a fair sense of what to expect once they land here so they can make more informed decisions.

So we landed on Oct 7th and spent the first one month with our hosts in their town home. This may not be the most comfortable arrangement but i decided to tow this path because I had no experience whatsoever living outside Nigeria. Neither does my spouse. So I needed to understudy people a bit so as to avoid making costly blunders and it did work well for us. Before we left for our own apartment, we got to complete all my post arrival activities like SIN, Alberta health etc under the tutelage of our well experienced host. We got to start learning the Bus and train transit system so we could go out by ourselves without getting lost. We also made good use of our hosts' home wifi to search for apartments and apply for jobs. We also got to learn some of their routines and home management techniques which we have imbibed or plan to in their near future.

We moved out to our own apartment exactly a month after landing. We got a good deal because we had ample time to search for an apartment. We took a 2 bedroom that has free internet and cable TV, one free energized parking, free heat and water for $853/month. Our place is also very close to the Train station and Bus terminal so I always plan my trips from there. Moving in was stressful because of the luggages and kids so i hired uber cabs for it.

Job Search- Now this is where every aspiring canadian have fears. So here is how its been for us so far. I started applying for a job as soon as a got COPR (No time ). Got my first interview call a week after landing and I was excited. The excitement was in the end short-lived by the time I went for the interview. I had not mastered the transit system well at the time so I arrive 19mins later than I was scheduled. The security guy refused to allow me in because I was late. After that I wasn't getting any response for all the other applications I was sending. I wondered why I was busy shooting blanks. I thought maybe I wasnt doing something right. So, we decided to join a couple of newcomer services notably- WCI (welcome centre for Immigrants) and ERIEC. We attended a couple of informational sessions with them and utilized their career services like resume building and preparation for interviews. I am a brewer by profession in Nigeria while my wife has only her cloth-making business she operated but we both had to adapt our resumes to suit the canadian work environment. I see a lot of people asking for one guy's resume but it wont do you any good copy-pasting someone's resume. What will make your resume sell well is if you write it yourself because only you know your story. Just avail yourself to these free employment services and you will be fine.
So after we had tweaked our resumes we started getting calls for interviews. I got one immediately from a microbrewery in Edmonton and I had a drilling panel interview with them afterwards. They gave me a couple of paid trial shifts and later asked me to await a final decision on my job offer. In the same time I got called for another interview with the biggest brewer in Canada but for a temporary position (to last for 9 months) which I honored. That happened to be the easiest interview in my life...they just wanted to know what made me apply for such a job I was way more qualified for an I told them I wanted the opportunity to join their team.
A week later I was given both job offers and after careful consultations and considerations I picked the big brewery over the microbrewery. By Gods grace after clearing the background check I will be starting work on 2nd January. We are still expecting something for wifey but for now she engages with part time employment from a local employment agency.

So there you have it. There are jobs in Canada but its not offered on a platter for anybody. You must be ready to convince potential employers that it is you that they need to hire. First way is to attract them with an eye-catching resume laden with your skills and achievements in the past. Blow your trumpet well but be honest. Do not claim what you do not have. Be adventurous and apply different strategies to your job search( the microbrewery offer I got were not even hiring, I merely sent an unsolicited application to them and I got an interview). Then above all believe/trust in God who made it even possible for you to be a legal resident of Canada. He wont lead you here only to leave you hanging without work. Despite that he wont come and do for you what you have to do for yourself. So work hard and pray hard and the sky will be our starting point in Canada.

It will surely end in praise for all of us!

Very good. First of all congrats freeradical. I also think u made a great decision by going for bigger company. Hopefully bigger things will come after 9 months. Please a few questions- is it a regulated profession? If yes, how did u deal with that? What about the Canadian experience thingy? How did u navigate around that? Or didnt they ask?

Please who has an idea where one can get a decent(used) car for 4 or 5 thousand dollars
I need good deals Biko @blackbuddy @salford @salford1 and other gurus come and epp me

@freeradical Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your story. Also nice to have you back here

40manlappy:
@freeradical Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your story. Also nice to have you back here

Thanks bro. So how is it going with your own journey?

vascey:


Very good. First of all congrats freeradical. I also think u made a great decision by going for bigger company. Hopefully bigger things will come after 9 months. Please a few questions- is it a regulated profession? If yes, how did u deal with that? What about the Canadian experience thingy? How did u navigate around that? Or didnt they ask?

Brewing is not regulated in canada so I got lucky there. My wife however studied Agric Economics and that field is regulated. So we have started the process for her to get the Agrologist-in-training designation here in Alberta. We just sent her transcript and other documents to IQAS for a specialized assessment and will take it from there when we get the report.

Canadian experience is a highly misunderstood concept. Our work experiences from Nigeria where relevant are highly valid. Brewing is a universal science so there is nothing special between what canada brewers do compared to how we brew in Nigeria. What they mean by Canadian experience is that are you able to cope in their canadian work environment. Do not be quick to say you are because its a whole different culture they have compared to ours and many foreigners still don'd get this. Infact I believe that is what the first brewery wanted to guage when they called me in for those paid trial shifts. They asked me in the interview about how I intended to cope with their canadian work environment and I answered well based on my level of preparedness. I did a pre-arrival food safety management course for Food and beverage professionals and that helped me a lot in this regard. So I knew what they expected and how to behave. So in a nutshell when they tell you about Canadian experience tell them you respect diversity in the work-place. Tell them you entertain feedback to help you improve. Tell them you are aware of the informal organizational structure where managers and supervisors do not ride on high horses but are willing and open to ideas and suggestion from their subordinates to make a performing team and never shout down or criticize openly a team member from making a contribution. Then greet people less formally...Don't call anybody Sir or Ma. Good morning Nick, Hi Susan....these are acceptable ways of greeting your Ogas in Canada.

Again I cant over-emphasize the role of training in all this so from after COPR you have to start doing something. There are several pre-arrival trainings and even some post arrival ones. The simple way around the dreaded canadian experience for me was just one free online training!

freeradical:
Wow...that's a lot of reading up to catch up with the thread. Its been like I went into a coma and just got out . Well its not easy settling into life in Edmonton with a spouse and two kids all younger than three. To live up to the purpose of this thread, I will share our experiences so far. This is so as to give those still planning to make the jump a fair sense of what to expect once they land here so they can make more informed decisions.

So we landed on Oct 7th and spent the first one month with our hosts in their town home. This may not be the most comfortable arrangement but i decided to tow this path because I had no experience whatsoever living outside Nigeria. Neither does my spouse. So I needed to understudy people a bit so as to avoid making costly blunders and it did work well for us. Before we left for our own apartment, we got to complete all my post arrival activities like SIN, Alberta health etc under the tutelage of our well experienced host. We got to start learning the Bus and train transit system so we could go out by ourselves without getting lost. We also made good use of our hosts' home wifi to search for apartments and apply for jobs. We also got to learn some of their routines and home management techniques which we have imbibed or plan to in their near future.

We moved out to our own apartment exactly a month after landing. We got a good deal because we had ample time to search for an apartment. We took a 2 bedroom that has free internet and cable TV, one free energized parking, free heat and water for $853/month. Our place is also very close to the Train station and Bus terminal so I always plan my trips from there. Moving in was stressful because of the luggages and kids so i hired uber cabs for it.

Job Search- Now this is where every aspiring canadian have fears. So here is how its been for us so far. I started applying for a job as soon as a got COPR (No time ). Got my first interview call a week after landing and I was excited. The excitement was in the end short-lived by the time I went for the interview. I had not mastered the transit system well at the time so I arrive 19mins later than I was scheduled. The security guy refused to allow me in because I was late. After that I wasn't getting any response for all the other applications I was sending. I wondered why I was busy shooting blanks. I thought maybe I wasnt doing something right. So, we decided to join a couple of newcomer services notably- WCI (welcome centre for Immigrants) and ERIEC. We attended a couple of informational sessions with them and utilized their career services like resume building and preparation for interviews. I am a brewer by profession in Nigeria while my wife has only her cloth-making business she operated but we both had to adapt our resumes to suit the canadian work environment. I see a lot of people asking for one guy's resume but it wont do you any good copy-pasting someone's resume. What will make your resume sell well is if you write it yourself because only you know your story. Just avail yourself to these free employment services and you will be fine.
So after we had tweaked our resumes we started getting calls for interviews. I got one immediately from a microbrewery in Edmonton and I had a drilling panel interview with them afterwards. They gave me a couple of paid trial shifts and later asked me to await a final decision on my job offer. In the same time I got called for another interview with the biggest brewer in Canada but for a temporary position (to last for 9 months) which I honored. That happened to be the easiest interview in my life...they just wanted to know what made me apply for such a job I was way more qualified for an I told them I wanted the opportunity to join their team.
A week later I was given both job offers and after careful consultations and considerations I picked the big brewery over the microbrewery. By Gods grace after clearing the background check I will be starting work on 2nd January. We are still expecting something for wifey but for now she engages with part time employment from a local employment agency.

So there you have it. There are jobs in Canada but its not offered on a platter for anybody. You must be ready to convince potential employers that it is you that they need to hire. First way is to attract them with an eye-catching resume laden with your skills and achievements in the past. Blow your trumpet well but be honest. Do not claim what you do not have. Be adventurous and apply different strategies to your job search( the microbrewery offer I got were not even hiring, I merely sent an unsolicited application to them and I got an interview). Then above all believe/trust in God who made it even possible for you to be a legal resident of Canada. He wont lead you here only to leave you hanging without work. Despite that he wont come and do for you what you have to do for yourself. So work hard and pray hard and the sky will be our starting point in Canada.

It will surely end in praise for all of us!

lol naija people and God. But congrats I'm happy to hear stories like this. Not to take anything away from you, because you literally planned your arrival perfectly and put the effort in, but it has more to do with where you decided to land more than anything. You've proven what I've been telling people all this time. Stay away from expensive/ over-saturated Toronto if you can. Come to Alberta. Far less competition, cheaper cost of living/housing, lower taxes, and a better economy. In over a month you have your own place (853 for 2 bedrooms with heat,internet, etc is dirt cheap in Canada), a job, etc. I love how you didn't have a big head and used the resources provided by the government for new arrivals. Such as resume building and so forth. Most importantly, you now have Canadian experience on your resume. More doors will surely be opening, it'll only get better. Your method should be used as a template for new arrivals. Again Congrats.

Deebay:

Thank you for this. This is what I needed to read at this time. God bless you. How's life in Edmonton? Where in Edmonton are you? We are also looking to land in Edmonton.

Edmonton is good now. The ice that piled after heavy snowfall in october and november has melted away though we are expecting a second wave anytime soon. There are many opportunities here as we see job adverts every now and then. I am still discovering the city itself.

I stay close to Century Park and we are looking forward to meeting you guys when u eventually arrive

maternal:


lol naija people and God. But congrats I'm happy to hear stories like this. Not to take anything away from you, because you literally planned your arrival perfectly and put the effort in, but it has more to do with where you decided to land more than anything. You've proven what I've been telling people all this time. Stay away from expensive/ over-saturated Toronto if you can. Come to Alberta. Far less competition, cheaper cost of living/housing, lower taxes, and a better economy. In over a month you have your own place (853 for 2 bedrooms with heat,internet, etc is dirt cheap in Canada), a job, etc. I love how you didn't have a big head and used the resources provided by the government for new arrivals. Such as resume building and so forth. Most importantly, you now have Canadian experience on your resume. More doors will surely be opening, it'll only get better. Your method should be used as a template for new arrivals. Again Congrats.

, senior senior, why I go chop glory wey belong to my Father....Abi na me create myself.

Thanks for the encouragement tho cos that doesnt come easily from you so I guess I must have really done something well. Thanks so much

freeradical:

Thanks bro. So how is it going with your own journey?

Welcome bro. Still in Nigeria and hope to land in April. I am using the waiting period to take advantage of pre-arrival services from Canprep, OCISO and others that were assigned to me.

This response just took my headache on this career switch away.

AZeD1:

No.


You can change careers when you get to Canada.

congrats @freeradical. What it might take others years to achieve...you did it in a few month.
You applied wisdom. All you have to do is not take advantage of internal openings to get into your more desired role. i doubt they would let you go after 9months. All the best.
Free chilled beer anytime i show edmonton be that..

Congratulations @ Radicals.

@ Canadiannurse, seeing some nice cars at 3k to 7k at Quebec. Will check them out when I arrive there. Use the Internet , check kijiji website.

CanadianNurse:
Please who has an idea where one can get a decent(used) car for 4 or 5 thousand dollars
I need good deals Biko @blackbuddy @salford @salford1 and other gurus come and epp me

usually kijiji for that amount.

Nogen:
Congratulations @ Radicals.

@ Canadiannurse, seeing some nice cars at 3k to 7k at Quebec. Will check them out when I arrive there. Use the Internet , check kijiji website.

Cars are actually way cheaper in Quebec so that's another pro fpr your choice.

@freeradical great update. Congrats on the job.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Please is marketing a regulated profession? Do you see a lot of brand / marketing manager roles? We actually have family in Edmonton but we were tending towards ontario because we see more of those jobs over there.

freeradical:
Edmonton is good now. The ice that piled after heavy snowfall in october and november has melted away though we are expecting a second wave anytime soon. There are many opportunities here as we see job adverts every now and then. I am still discovering the city itself.

I stay close to Century Park and we are looking forward to meeting you guys when u eventually arrive

Nwandy218:
Thanks for sharing your experience. Please is marketing a regulated profession? Do you see a lot of brand / marketing manager roles? We actually have family in Edmonton but we were tending towards ontario because we see more of those jobs over there.

It's up to each individual to do research on his chosen profession but since you are first to ask I'd take a minor exception in your case and do a bit of d work for u. From what I've researched in Alberta marketing manager is not a regulated profession. I don't think Ontario will be any different. See link below

https://alis.alberta.ca/occinfo/occupations-in-alberta/?offset=0&letter=all&s=Marketing%20Manager&featured=-1&sort=-1

The above website is a government of Alberta initiative and is a great resource to help plan your career and take solid action.

vcole:
@freeradical great update. Congrats on the job.

Thanks madam vcole. I feel giving back to the thread I've gained so much from is only fair. How is our Canadian baby holding up?