₦airaland Forum

Topsmamen:
Hi. You're welcome. Please post this here.

opeyemmmy:
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Not necessarily. Provided he can source the CAD and deposit the funds in his CAD domiciliary account, the bank will transfer the money from his CAD account without having to convert it to USD.

Except the challenge is in getting CAD, in which case he may have to use a USD account. The bank conversion rate comes into play here.

einsteino:
PART 2 of My RAMBLINGS

Factors to consider when picking a survival job:
Flexibility: Some jobs are pretty rigid, you could get fired for being absent/late a few times despite the fact that you wouldn't be paid for those times. When you are still trying to settle and scouting for a better job, the best survival job would be the one that lets you still work on finding your dream job. This may include giving you the convenience to study or attend interviews. I noticed during the time I was working warehouse jobs I had no time for anything else. When I return home, I am too tired to do anything other than sleep and I would wake up with body pain.

4Barr:
Why all these isn't false, I think the most important thing for people reading this (that are yet to land) to note is to be open minded. The truth is not every story is applicable to all. I have friends that got jobs within weeks of landing at multi-nationals and some of the Big 6 Banks, on the other hand I have friends still searching for jobs after six months (unable to even get survival jobs like he said). I personally never worked a survival job since I landed in Canada almost eight months ago and I got a job exactly six-weeks after landing. What i'm trying to infer is that everything @einsteino said isn't false but just as 'getting a job easily' doesn't apply to all, 'working survival jobs' won't apply to all too. Come to Canada with an open mind that anything is possible and you won't be disappointed , but above all hope for the very best.

salford1:
This is true for non-regulated profession. You can even get a job before landing if you have good skills and solid work experience. There are immigrants with solid work experience that land over 100k per annum jobs few weeks after landing. However, if you are in a regulated profession and wish to practice in that profession, there is no magic or shortcut to it. You will have difficult exam(s) and sometimes intenship that could be up to a year long to fulfill prior to qualifying to practice. To pay bills, one will have to get any job while preparing for the said exams or interning.

amdman:
For example, for immigrant lawyers who prefer to practice, they are looking at close to three years of hard study. There is no short cut to this.

canadausa:
Hello Everyone, I am in Brampton area Ontario. Looking for Nigerians around me as friends only. Please hit me up!

salford1:
Exactly. It's even tougher if they are couples are in regulated professions. One person would have to hustle to pay bills and rents while the other study or prepare hard to clear the exams in one attempts or while going through the internships which are hardly paid.

There are alternatives though which might be less stressful and pay a little above minimum wages. E.g there are assistants jobs for some in the tech industry or health industries. Only obstacle would be competing with a large pool of candidates. The lesser the requirement for a job, the more applications an employer would likely receive for an opening.

canadausa:
Hello Everyone, I am in Brampton area Ontario. Looking for Nigerians around me as friends only. Please hit me up!

salford1:
I have never been to Ontario, but i heard Brampton is to Ontario, what Peckham is to London. How come you can't find naija people lol. Maybe you are looking in the wrong places.

amdman:
The Peckham I have heard of (never been there) is quite notorious for some very bad stuff. I live in Brampton and I don't see why it has got some negative rep, aside the large South Asian population.

salford1:
I have never been to Ontario, but i heard Brampton is to Ontario, what Peckham is to London. How come you can't find naija people lol. Maybe you are looking in the wrong places.

amdman:
PM me to join the whatsapp group for Nigerians in GTA

canadausa:
sent you a message

einsteino:
PART 2 of My RAMBLINGS
.

amdman:
I was speaking to a Filipino colleague whose husband practices law and she said she worked for 3yrs while her husband stayed home studying for licensing exams and getting accredited. Though it appears to have paid off for them today, I just wonder how much of a strain they went through to make that happen.

7stargeneralady:
Good evening, please I don't really understand how to dm you. Please can I have your email. I need to ask you something about my EE application. Thank you in advance quote author=Barryston post=75939213]DM me then

einsteino:
PART 2 of My RAMBLINGS
When we land we all want to get into our career as quickly as possible, but t

salford1:
Haven't been to Peckam either but I know there are lots of Nigerians living in that axis and Peckham has changed from what I hear. I was actually referring to Naija concentration in both towns and not in terms of bad stuffs.

einsteino:
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lastly(stupid me, this should have been the first thing sef), make sure you disabuse your mind of Canada being a Utopia even if you choose to settle in the part that has the postal code "L0M 1T0". .


Footnote: Canada is a leveler, so it is easy to to think we are all the same as immigrants from Nigeria and such we can extrapolate off anyone's case. This causes some people to erroneously tow a path because XX who is an immigrant from Nigeria just like them is doing it, without knowing jack about why it is okay for XX to and may not be okay for them. A good number of people here still have businesses, investments or spouses in naija that funds their living expense here, some came with fat savings, and some agbayas like me are still single, such category of persons have a large margin of error for their plans that you may not have. Point is while you get advice, try to also learn if its applicable to your situation, don't just jump in on everything said. We are all different, there are people who for the sake of their kids wouldn't mind anything Canada throws at them. On the other hand, some people by virtue of their psychological wiring wouldn't find fulfillment and happiness without their career. Know yourself and know what sacrifices makes sense for you and configure your plans accordingly, don't get bullied by what the majority thinks because at the end of the day your truth wouldn't subject itself to an election.

einsteino:
Occasionally, I am approached to give insights on life in Canada, Jobs and integration. I am not quite sure I am in a good position to answer as I have only been here for barely half a year, and then again I can't possibly know the prospects for every field and every person, so its hard for me to say anything specific to a wide population, and I am quite cautious making uninformed statements that could end up being the bedrock of someone's life decision. Nonetheless, I feel if I scribble some ramblings about what I think and have experienced, there maybe a thing or two to take from it. I have chosen to reply here to leverage on the possibility of people who may know better to peer-review and correct the errors in my thoughts.


Footnote: Canada is a leveler, so it is easy to to think we are all the same as immigrants from Nigeria and such we can extrapolate off anyone's case. This causes some people to erroneously tow a path because XX who is an immigrant from Nigeria just like them is doing it, without knowing jack about why it is okay for XX to and may not be okay for them. A good number of people here still have businesses, investments or spouses in naija that funds their living expense here, some came with fat savings, and some agbayas like me are still single, such category of persons have a large margin of error for their plans that you may not have. Point is while you get advice, try to also learn if its applicable to your situation, don't just jump in on everything said. We are all different, there are people who for the sake of their kids wouldn't mind anything Canada throws at them. On the other hand, some people by virtue of their psychological wiring wouldn't find fulfillment and happiness without their career. Know yourself and know what sacrifices makes sense for you and configure your plans accordingly, don't get bullied by what the majority thinks because at the end of the day your truth wouldn't subject itself to an election.

Bracha:
So you're single? Hmmm
Yes, that's all I got from that very informative post.

Obtay:
Hmmmm,
Thanks for this.
Just part of the reasons we are still staring at that COPR till date.We really need to come prepared,psychologically,emotionally wise.It might be a huge financial drop for us (considering we really are doing okay here )till we balance back but we are trying to look beyond the financial gains and focus on other benefit.Hopefully we summon the courage to soon.It is well.

One key thing that keeps crossing my mind is,if we decide to send kids abroad to school when they are of age(to say my kids are just 5yrs and 6yrs now).How are we sure we will still be financially fit then to pay the huge fee as international student? especially going with the way naijas economy is going and who knows what tommorw really holds.Then case of security challenge these days(heartbreaking)
..
Sorry to bother you all with my thoughts,,just alot running through my mind.

.
May God direct us all aright.

.

Bracha:
So you're single? Hmmm
Yes, that's all I got from that very informative post.

einsteino:
PART 2 of My RAMBLINGS
When we land we all want to get into our career as quickly as possible, but the reality is that for a good number of people this dream would elude them for quite some time. You should plan for how you would survive the transition period between landing and dream job. Believe it or not, many people even find it challenging to get a survival job, mostly because they do not know how to go about it. In my experience getting a survival job early on allows you to preserve your POF and invest it into more profitable things like career advancement, education or property.While you're on it, you could learn about canadian workplace culture, improve your communication skills and confidence, and possibly make some networks. Sure you could learn those on a dream job but the peculiarity is that a survival job lets you learn all these when the stakes are lower and allows you to mess up without the consequences being dire. I would share my experience so far, I am on my third survival job now and have worked both fulltime and part time positions.

What is a survival job? I think a survival job is one that requires low level/general skills and atimes physical dexterity, with just a means of income rather than passion/career as the motive for taking up such a job. So if you take up a job solely to pay bills while trying to find something better, then it may be your survival job while it is a career to others. There is nothing wrong in turning a survival job into a career especially if there is room for progression, some survival jobs pay well too.

The easiest survival job to get is warehouse job, but they could be quite tedious. There are several entry level roles in-demand here, I would just touch on a few to let you know what it involves.
Forklift drivers or Operators Industry pay ranges from $16/hr - $25/hr depending on experience, equipment and employer. Forklift drivers often need to be licensed before applying, in my case I hadn't any license or forklift experience. I was given a 3hours crash course training and had to pass a drive test immediately. Wage was $15.75/hr but since I was working nightshifts I was paid an extra $1, then an extra $3 i think for working a contract/backend position. That brought my total pay to $19/hr for 40hrs per week. I also worked an average of 20hrs overtime hours per week and as such got paid $28/hr for those hours. The nature of the job varies depending on the exact type of forklift you have to drive and the warehouse setting. There seems to be always forklift jobs, but if you are spending money on getting your license, I would say try to make sure its a type of forklift that is indemand and that you have the aptitude for.

Material handler is just a fancy word for something similar to wheelbarrow pusher lol. Though the work environment is much nicer than some so-called white collar jobs in naija. I worked as a material handler for 6weeks or so at The Bricks. I had to lift heavy items like Sofas, Washing machines, 8ft tall Refrigerators etc I'd place them on a 2 wheel dolley and cart it away to a loading cage. On most days I doubled as a loader: loading trailers for outbound shipment. Material handlers can earn from $14 to $20 depending on the employer and the needs/risks of the job. In my case I was paid about $14.45/hr, I could have earned $15.75 if I switched to a loader fully but mehn since I knew I was not going to stay for long I didnt bother to officially switch my roles, so I technically did more work for less money.

Shipping/Receiving Associate: this is almost same as a loader

Packagers box or packs items. it is a job that involves lots of repetitive actions and you often need to do it while standing and at a fast pace. Some warehouses are quite relaxed and may allow you even sit while doing this, but most wouldnt and the targets could be insane. But at least it doesn't involve lifting heavy items.


Other Survival Jobs
Call Centre and Customer Service Reps: Pay is usually minimum wage $14. Call centres could be inbound, outbound or both. Inbound call centre is a chill job, if you are a courteous person it would be as simple as being paid for being you. You just sit beside a phone and a computer, take calls and assist customers with their needs. You don't need to fake an oyibo accent. A couple of callers have complimented my accent and gone on to tell me about themselves. Unfortunately, I do more of outbound calls, lord I hate the days I am on outbound. Time is painfully slow on those days. Outbound calls involves calling and lightly persuading people to buy lottery tickets. its basically unsolicited calls to old customers. More often than not, you get the sense that you are a bother, on the not so bad days you could get the "Bleep you!". On the really bad days, you get a very polite please take my number of your list because my husband whom you intend to speak with just passed away. Atimes people would tell you they can not purchase tickets because they just lost their jobs, this is especially the case when the calls are to people in Alberta and they go on to indulge you in the difficulties they are experiencing. So, it can be a lot to contend with.

Personal Support Worker/Care Giver: PSW involves caring for patients, injured, ill or needy people —this could include changing bandages, turning patients to prevent bed sores, applying medicinal lotions, helping with oral medication, and bathing patients. This job typically requires a certification and police record check.

Uber and Skip the dish: Basically you just taxi people or go pick and drop off food. Uber typically needs your car to be no more older than 7-9years(ie a minimum of a 2010 to 2012 model car) depending on the city, amongst other stringent requirements. You don't need to buy a car to do this! You could hire a car from a dealer that way the wear and tear is transferred to the dealer. from my conversations with people who drive uber and skip the dish, it seems the secret to a profitable Uber driving is making sure your car has a good fuel economy, and most importantly location! Driving Uber in Toronto is far more profitable than driving in somewhere like Barrie. One thing though is that you greatly increase the probability of being in an accident because you are on the road for more hours and under the pressure of meeting schedule.

Bar tenders, servers and waiters: They often pay minimum wage or even less but it could be very lucrative if you are working at a club/hotel especially in downtown Toronto, this is because there is a culture of tipping here. In the end if you are lucky, you could make as much as extra $10 -$15 per hour in tips, over here the law says the employees get to keep 100% of whatever is tipped.

Cashier: you already know what this entails, main skill required is knowledge of POS CASH REGISTER, CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS AND ADMIN. Typical workplace would be fast food and retail stores

Security guard: Job roles under this includes: Security guard, Concierge, Bodyguard, Bouncer, and loss prevention employee. Requirements is typically a security license, cpr and first aid. If you go on to get a weapon's license, you could become a private investigator

Truck driving: pardon me, na crase dey worry me... this one no follow for survival job, na career wey they make way more than many white collar jobs and it takes a great deal of time and training to get a truck driving license.


Factors to consider when picking a survival job:
Flexibility: Some jobs are pretty rigid, you could get fired for being absent/late a few times despite the fact that you wouldn't be paid for those times. When you are still trying to settle and scouting for a better job, the best survival job would be the one that lets you still work on finding your dream job. This may include giving you the convenience to study or attend interviews. I noticed during the time I was working warehouse jobs I had no time for anything else. When I return home, I am too tired to do anything other than sleep and I would wake up with body pain.

Relevance to your Career: basically, the more closely related your survival job is to your field, the better. You could also try to pick a survival job that equips you with skills you may not have the opportunity to develop in your field but would need all the same. In my case, my engineering career has been overly focused on technical skills but my call centre experience has helped me horne a lil people skills( at least I am quite good at faking a smile, a polite and warm voice tone now ) that could even help me in my engineering career esp when it comes to liasing with clients, so yeah think of transferable soft skills. . .

Reliable work hours: When picking a survival job, be careful to go for one that gives you reliable hours. Some employers would send you home early or cancel your shift if there isnt much to do. This means you would forfeit your pay for the remaining hours. E.g lets say you got a job that you are scheduled to work 6 hrs per day for 5days a week... In the end you could get sent home after 3hrs of work in each of the 4days and have the fifth day shift cancelled. Meaning instead of getting paid for 30hrs of work, you would only get paid for 12hours! This makes your income very unreliable as you would have difficulty predicting how much you would actually earn in a month. Companies like Amazon give you reliable hours of work.

Reviews: Before taking a job, always read reviews of the firm on indeed and glassdoor. These reviews could give you insight on the work culture, pay, and much more. Sometimes ex-employees who write these reviews may exaggerate the cons but its better reading what they have to say than blindly accepting an offer.

Safety/Physical requirements: Some survival jobs require physical dexterity and also put you at risk. You want to be sure you have assessed the requirements of the job and can take it.


How to get a survival job
Like all other jobs, the internet is a good place to start. One advise I would give is do not be discouraged if you do not meet the job requirements, apply all the same. Most employers are unable to fill staff for survival positions, so they may not even find a qualified person to apply and end up taking whoever applies. You could search the websites below. create two indeed accounts, one for your survival job and the other for your dream job.

www.indeed.ca
www.monster.ca
www.workopolis.com
www.craiglist.com

1. Be attentive! whenever you are out, dont just get lost marveling at beautiful buildings and taking pictures to impress people in 9ja with the illusion that you have made it. look out for signs that say "help wanted" and "we are hiring", though be careful not to fall into the hands of scammers. Also try to spot out businesses, fastfoods, retail shops and factories/warehouses around you(find out where the industrial area is). You do not always need to wait for them to list a vacancy, you could just walk in with your resume and ask if they have a job you could do. Yes! Many survival jobs are gotten this way. Inshort you could even ask your neighbours if you could mow their lawn or plough their snow if you dont find any job at all, people get paid for that.

2. Be on the look out for Job fairs. Most job fairs would be filled with openings for good jobs and survival jobs, if you dont get hired at one, you would at least be able to learn what they are looking for and how you could get in.

3. Some jobs have season, for amazon warehouse it is typically October/November, during this time they hire almost anyone they can find without even bothering to interview them.. This is because this is when business is at its peak, so do your research find out which job type is on season.

4. Make friends, join whatsapp groups and tell almost anyone you know that you are looking for a survival job., no shame, you no thief...shame no dey pay bills here. also ask people how they got the job they are doing and what it entails.

5. If you havent time to waste on all of the above, then go register with an agency. They should be able to fill you in especially if you are available for fulltime positions.


Resume tips for survival jobs: Scrap out your professional experience that doesnt align with the survival job, its best you only state High School diploma if that is all they stated as requirement. This is because doing otherwise may suggest you wouldnt be with them for long. As crazy as it may sound, some companies actually want someone whose only ambition is to work in a warehouse all his/her life, you have to act like you are that person. While I was interviewing for a warehouse position, a HR person asked me what I found passionate about the job.

CanadasGOAT:
But from the little life has taught me in this Naija. This Canadian PR journey is totally worth it

AdetonaDami:
Please I need more info about getting certifications and License as an engineer as I am one.
I'm pre ITA tho but gathering information now is not a bad idea pls help