Canadian working holiday
Canadian working holiday
(OP)
Hello world o' engineering
I'm a mechanical design drafter looking at going to Canada for a working holiday, late 2010 and I was hoping for advice.
I was going to start off in Vancouver, but what city would be a good home base to aim for? (apologies, I know this was touched on in a previous thread, but I was hoping for Canada specific suggestions).
Are there any specific training courses that would be advantageous for the Canadian market?
I have my technical diploma in CAD, and a few CAD software training courses and 4 years worth of experience in Oli&Gas, mining and subsea industries.
Any and all advice appreciated!
I'm a mechanical design drafter looking at going to Canada for a working holiday, late 2010 and I was hoping for advice.
I was going to start off in Vancouver, but what city would be a good home base to aim for? (apologies, I know this was touched on in a previous thread, but I was hoping for Canada specific suggestions).
Are there any specific training courses that would be advantageous for the Canadian market?
I have my technical diploma in CAD, and a few CAD software training courses and 4 years worth of experience in Oli&Gas, mining and subsea industries.
Any and all advice appreciated!





RE: Canadian working holiday
I guess it depends on what you're after, Vancouver is veeery west coast, lots of gangs, lots of drugs, laid back but huge crime rate, very strange in that regard.
RE: Canadian working holiday
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Old link, but couldn't be much better now
RE: Canadian working holiday
That said, I wouldn't recommend Fort Mac as a vacation zone, it's hard enough on people that grew up in rural areas and -40 temperatures.
RE: Canadian working holiday
Fe
RE: Canadian working holiday
FeX32 - why not Totonto? Not much work to be had?
I'm coming from Australia, so I won't be hunting warm temperatures.
-40 will be a wonderful change from 40+
(Yes, I'm an Aussie that doesn't like the sun, we do exist)
And when I say working holiday, I don't mean a vacation with a bit of work thrown in.
I do intend to do be working most of the time, the holiday bit is experiencing a different country, culture and climate. Change is good.
Is accommodation overpriced and somewhat hard to come by in Fort McMurray?
And does anyone have any course or qualification recommendations?
RE: Canadian working holiday
I have a friend that does CAD, he moved to Alberta because of loss of job.
But, my advice is to apply. Southern Ontario is a much different place than Alberta.
I take my first post back, definitely apply.
Fe
RE: Canadian working holiday
Canada's industries are pretty localized, so the kind of field you want to work in may dictate where you should go. Unless you are in a field like construction, and there are lots of places you could go.
RE: Canadian working holiday
What do many of the foreign-trained engineers do when they can't find work as engineers? Why CAD drafting and design, of course! That doesn't bode well for your hope to find a position here.
Ft. McMurray is a boom town in a bust period. They may still have trouble finding people willing to work in Tim Hortons doughnut shops but the decent-paying jobs are down a long long way from the peak of a couple years ago. Calgary has seen hundreds of layoffs in the consulting engineering offices. Toronto still gets 55% of the immigrants to Canada and hence has a huge over-supply of people wishing entry to the engineering job market- and one which has existed for over ten years, compounding the present problem. The surrounding GTA and Southern Ontario environs have seen huge lay-offs in the manufacturing sector. Vancouver? The winter Olympics have generated a boom but that won't last either- and there are always plenty of easterners wanting to move to Vancouver to escape the harsher winters in the rest of the country.
Yeah, those are all realities, but it's a big and beautiful country and who knows what you'll find. With Australian experience and good English communication skills, you might be lucky. But there's still a recession on here, so be realistic.
RE: Canadian working holiday
If you havn't experienced the cold you may want to go sit in a freezer for a while. The cold in Alberta is a dry cold but, in my opinion, much better than the himidity in the maritimes. I will take the cold over poisonous things, creepy crawlies, volcanoes, and typhoons.
You probably want to consider making sure a job is lined up before moving. The design work is being shifted to other less costly locations because of the economy and cost of oil.
My 2 cents.
EJL