Starting Life in CANADA 2: Tips and Stories

[eischied_21]

Here in Winnipeg, I have a friend who studied Healthcare Aide, $3000 binayad nya for the program. I am not sure how long the program is pero not more than 1 year ata.

thanks sis for this info. Kaso mukang malabo rin kun eto kukunin kasi mukang mahirap makakuha ng residency after mag-aral unless may employer na magsponsor sayo or baka hindi makakuha ng post study work visa after magaral.

[freelancer_babe]

Mukhang Canada ata ang favorable sa mga single parent na tulad ko na kino-consider ang migration sa ibang bansa.

Di ako pumapasa sa "points" system ng New Zealand at Australia. Sa Canada lang ako lumusot. Mukhang dagdag points kasi sa dalawang bansa na yun ang magkaroon ng partner.

Nakakabahala lang yung nababasa ko na karamihan ng nagmigrate, kailangang magtrabaho as dishwasher, sa grocery.... pero doon sa mga dumaan nito, paano nyo namamanage ang finances ninyo? Talaga bang ginagamit nyo muna ang show money doon habang naghihintay ng break na makabalik sa profession?

[mrsB]

^One year pa lang ako sa Canada (Alberta) pero sa observation ko dito, talagang mauubos muna ang show money mo bago ka maka-settle hehe. Sa umpisa pa lang eh you need to spend na on your accommodations. Tapos pagkain, trasportation, etc.

If I may ask, ano ba ang profession mo? To be honest, talagang "blue collar" work ang karaniwang binabagsakan ng mga tao dito. Hindi naman nila inaacknowledge ang education and work experience ng mga new immigrants. Syempre kasi iba ang system at culture nila dito. Ang solution is mag-aral, mag-upgrade ng education and skills. Pero dahil mahirap mag-aral kung may sarili at pamilya kang binubuhay, hindi na rin ito nagagawa ng majority ng Pinoys na nandito.

 

[sarsingkit]

That is what the showmoney is for. Magagamit mo talaga yon to help you settle, eh kung matapat pa na dumating sa Canada ng Fall eh di kailangan na bumili ng winter clothes. May kamahalan pa naman.

Ganyan talaga sa simula. Tiyaga lang talaga. Kung single parent ka at dumating ka dito as Permanent Resident, may benefits na ang bata so you will receive an allowance from the government. Kahit papaano nakakatulong din yun.

[rics]

Your show money will serve as your emergency money, initial cash out for things you will need to start a life in Canada. Like, you would have to spend on medical insurance for a couple of months before being qualified for health coverage (in Ontario, dont know in other province).
 

[eischied_21]

Mukhang Canada ata ang favorable sa mga single parent na tulad ko na kino-consider ang migration sa ibang bansa.

Di ako pumapasa sa "points" system ng New Zealand at Australia. Sa Canada lang ako lumusot. Mukhang dagdag points kasi sa dalawang bansa na yun ang magkaroon ng partner.

Nakakabahala lang yung nababasa ko na karamihan ng nagmigrate, kailangang magtrabaho as dishwasher, sa grocery.... pero doon sa mga dumaan nito, paano nyo namamanage ang finances ninyo? Talaga bang ginagamit nyo muna ang show money doon habang naghihintay ng break na makabalik sa profession?

Same dilemma here. Bagsak din ako sa point system ng New Zealand and Australia kasi I'm still single. Sa totoo lang din nahihirapan ako magresearch about migrating in Canada. Hindi ko mahanap yun pointing system ng Canada like ilang points ang equivalent if your age is 25 or 30. Ilang points ang equivalent if you only get total of 6 points sa IELTS. Baka alam nyo mga sisses paki-share naman.

And eto nga rin blue collar jobs nga ang karamihan work kasi hindi recognized yun education and work experiences kahit 10 years or more ka na nagwowork. Sabi nga nun friend ko na nagbakasyon dyan kasi yun parents nya is nasa Canada na pantay pantay daw talaga mga pinoy pagdating sa Canada kahit skilled or hindi ka sa pinas.

[eischied_21]

If I may ask, ano ba ang profession mo? To be honest, talagang "blue collar" work ang karaniwang binabagsakan ng mga tao dito. Hindi naman nila inaacknowledge ang education and work experience ng mga new immigrants. Syempre kasi iba ang system at culture nila dito. Ang solution is mag-aral, mag-upgrade ng education and skills. Pero dahil mahirap mag-aral kung may sarili at pamilya kang binubuhay, hindi na rin ito nagagawa ng majority ng Pinoys na nandito.

Sis how about mga IT... Ano ang demand ng IT sa Canada? Do you have pinoy friends who landed an IT jobs there?

Thanks for this info. Your thoughts help me to decide more to choose NZ/AU over Canada. Sa NZ/Au kasi kahit papano recognized ang mga IT people.

[sarsingkit]

Sabi nga nun friend ko na nagbakasyon dyan kasi yun parents nya is nasa Canada na pantay pantay daw talaga mga pinoy pagdating sa Canada kahit skilled or hindi ka sa pinas.

This is what's great about here in Canada. Kaya wag mabahala kung magland kayo sa "blue collar" jobs. Mind you, ang ibang "blue collar" jobs eh mataas pa sweldo kesa sa mga nasa office.

[freelancer_babe]

Thanks mga sisses (and bros, kung meron) sa responses ninyo.

@mrsB,

Sa IT ako sis. Pero natapos ko ECE.

Marami bang professionals na nasa blue collar jobs ang nakaahon rin at nakabalik sa rightful professions nila?

@rics,

Thanks. Balak ko pa namang utangin ang show money. Nakakadagdag lang pala sa current na utang ko na.

@sarsingkit,

Is it more practical to ship the winter clothes na lang instead of buying these sa Canada mismo? Daming mga winter clothes sa ukay ukay sa Baguio hehe. Branded pa.

If blue collar jobs pay really well than office jobs, then is it also true for technical jobs - like IT or engineering? At kung dapat na hindi mabahala sa blue collar jobs, is then a good long term career choice ba?

@eischied_21,

Same question as yours. Baka may exception ang mga nasa IT. It has always been an in demand course in many countries kasi. Most especially if one has the very in-demand skills. Hehe.

Good for you, mukhang pasado ka sa point system. Time for me to get a husband na nga, para pasado ako sa point system ng AU/NZ :-p



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I don't get it kung bakit ganun ang Canada. First they really scream that they want immigrants with such skills and so. Then they subject would-be immigrants to their point system. Tapos pagdating doon ang ending rin lang is blue collar jobs because the university degrees and work experience gained elsewhere aren't recognized? They could have just decided to take in blue collar workers na lang with experience.

(On another note, the white collar workers still have this chance of working in Canada using this route, instead of satisfying blue collar skill sets).

Also, can anyone here enlighten me why some countries like Canada pay better rates on blue collar jobs than the office ones?

[mrsB]

IT? Hmm, to be honest wala pa akong nakilala dito (o alam na kakilala ng kakilala) na nasa IT field. Mahirap makakuha ng white collar (i.e. office job) dito kapag wala kang Canadian experience o education. Or unless siguro may backer.

My husband is a professional engineer (meaning, licensed siya talaga). Civil/Geotechnical Engineering ang field niya. Pero wala siyang kahit isang officemate sa engineering firm nila sa Pinoy. Isang Pinoy lang daw ang nakilala niya na professional engineer din, medyo may-edad na. Naging licensed siya dito kasi nagwork siya sa California for a couple of years and licensed din siya doon. When he moved here in Edmonton in 2009, we thought it would be easy kasi galing na siyang US with a North American work experience. But he still had to struggle at first, worked as a geotechnical technician bago siya na-promote. After acquiring some Canadian work experience, he took the engineering exam (yung ethics part na lang kasi licensed na nga siya sa California) and passed.

My point is, when you come here, you have to manage your expectations. You don't expect companies to hire you based sa work experience and education mo sa ibang bansa. Iba ang standards and practices dito eh. Kahit simpleng letter-writing ay iba.

Dito sa Canada, may "dignity" ang labor. Kaya siguro nasabi na pantay-pantay ang mga tao. A hairdresser or a truck driver can earn more than what an office professional earns. Why? Depende nga kasi sa skills yan. There are jobs na mahirap gawin physically, kunwari yung nasa construction, kaya mataas ang rate ng mga laborers. Ifactor in mo pa yung lamig sa labas. Sino ang magle-laborer kung $10/hour lang ang rate?

Isang issue na nga ang pagkuha ng Canada ng educated and experienced immigrants tapos pagdating dito eh kung ano-ano lang daw ang jobs na napapasukan. I am not bothered. Common sense, if you are a rich country (first world country, sabi nga nila), natural na sasalain mo ang mga taong papapasukin mo. Bakit ka kukuha ng uneducated kung meron namang educated? Immigrants are not being forced into Canada. Ang mga tao sa ibang bansa ang gustong pumasok dito, so sila ang dapat mag-adjust. Again, management of expectations lang yan.

Ay regarding sa single parent, naku mahirap magmigrate dito na single parent ka. Unless may kamag-anak ka na mapupuntahan agad at tutulong sa iyo. Yep, may makukuha agad allowance from the government ang mga bata pero imagine, paano ka makakapagtrabaho nang maayos kung may anak ka? Iiwan sa Day Care? Expensive din ang Day Care (mas mahal pa ang per hour rate ng tagaalaga sa day care kesa sa entry level job) saka siyempre kawawa ang bata, maninibago. Better pa siguro kung mauna munang mag-migrate yung parent tapos saka na lang kunin ang anak pag settled na.

 

[freelancer_babe]

Isang issue na nga ang pagkuha ng Canada ng educated and experienced immigrants tapos pagdating dito eh kung ano-ano lang daw ang jobs na napapasukan. I am not bothered. Common sense, if you are a rich country (first world country, sabi nga nila), natural na sasalain mo ang mga taong papapasukin mo. Bakit ka kukuha ng uneducated kung meron namang educated? Immigrants are not being forced into Canada. Ang mga tao sa ibang bansa ang gustong pumasok dito, so sila ang dapat mag-adjust. Again, management of expectations lang yan.

Actually mukhang sa Canada lang nangyayari ang ganito (I may be wrong). In other countries like AU/NZ they seem to hire based on skills pagkalapag pa lang doon. I could be wrong though as my basis is just from experiences shared in forums such as this.

I know a few people who work as IT professionals doon. Not sure if they started there by getting blue collar jobs here and there. Or that they are lying about their line of work in the first place. Hehe.

Ay regarding sa single parent, naku mahirap magmigrate dito na single parent ka. Unless may kamag-anak ka na mapupuntahan agad at tutulong sa iyo. Yep, may makukuha agad allowance from the government ang mga bata pero imagine, paano ka makakapagtrabaho nang maayos kung may anak ka? Iiwan sa Day Care? Expensive din ang Day Care (mas mahal pa ang per hour rate ng tagaalaga sa day care kesa sa entry level job) saka siyempre kawawa ang bata, maninibago. Better pa siguro kung mauna munang mag-migrate yung parent tapos saka na lang kunin ang anak pag settled na.

In my case, daycare is not a worry anymore. Currently nasa high school na ang kid ko but still a minor. Ang mas worry ko, baka pag nauna ako, my kid will not be qualified as a dependent anymore because of her age. I understand it'll be a different financial issue for me but at least hindi na alagain ang kid ko na kailangan pang iwanan sa kamag-anak.

[sarsingkit]

Hindi ko sure sis kung mas mura magpaship from Philippines, hindi ko pa kasi na-try yun. Pero siguro pwede nyo na dalhin pagdating dito. Yun nga lang dagdag sa bagahe.

Maganda ang explanation ni mrsB. Dagdag ko lang, it is about being above the rest. Example kasi, sa office namin, ang Admin job eh basta graduate ng Grade 12 pwede na mag-aaply pero a few cents above the minimum lang ang pay. Bakit? Ano ba ang karaniwang requirements for Admin Staff? Filing, Microsoft Office, Internet Applications, magsort ng mail, etc. At this age, sino pa ba ang hindi marunong noon diba? Halos lahat ng tao eh marunong na. Eh kung Plumbing, carpenter, long haul driver, etc. Hindi lahat ng tao marunong at the onset. Tinetrain ka talaga para dyan. Lahat ata ng skilled jobs na kagaya nyan eg may standards so dapat may certificate ang gumagawa.

It is the Canadian Government the invites immigrants who are productive and who has the potential to be tax payers, who can bring their assets from their home country to Canada. Now, ang hiring process eh iba naman iyan. Depende na lang iyan sa management ng company. Kung willing sila maghire ng new immigrant eh di good for you. Maganda kasi na imanage natin ang expectations para hindi tayo ma-frustrate. Sa totoo lang, while I have Pilipino friends who became successful in becoming  professionals like nurses, engineers and even a lawyer per meron din talagang nafrufrustrate at umuuwi na lang. Tayong naming Pilipinos eh known to be resilient. Tyaga lang yan and having a backup plan. Kung hindi ka man mauwi sa IT job, eh ano ba ang iba mo pang gusto? Anong temporary work and gusto mo?

Anong field mo sis sa IT. Sorry hindi ako IT pero diba may ibat ibang field of expertise pa yan?

[rics]

My husband and myself were in the IT filed back home.
While my husband was able to get a job similar to what he does back in the Phils, I was not. Pero, hindi naging madali to get into the IT field. He did menial work, just to get that Canadian experience.

Pwede naman that one who has IT experience back home can land the same job here, but its not going to be easy. We're in Ontario, the business capital, so there might be more IT related jobs. That being said, there's also a lot more concentration of immigrants here, plus you compete with graduates from Canadian universities as well. You have to option to get back to school to upgrade. Again, bec. of stiff competition, that is not a guarantee you land the same job you have have now.

[angel_babyteen]

Hi guys, any advice, aalis na ako sa employer at the end of the month, live-in caregiver, i got my open work permit already, i still dont know what career path should be taken, if you were to go back to school, be short course , 1 or 2 years what would you take? My bf's brother who is chiropractic said not a psw bec mostly of his client wanted to switch career, any career that at least give me a decent wage? And if you think any skills that i could take in school to be able to try opening a business? Tia

[sarsingkit]

^Hi sis! Saan ka sa Canada? I suggest, CPA. Matagal lang but everything is online. Hindi lang masyado mataas ang salary sa simula but I think rewarding naman in the future. Kahit siguro mag-accounting certificate ka muna sa school. Pwede mo naman din pa-credit yun sa CPA. Suitable pa when you open your business.

[angel_babyteen]

Im in TO sis, my friend is considering that, ang iniisip ko kasi baka sobrang tagal na ng 4 years, tsaka kung kaya ko rin ba financially, that would require youd at least be good in numbers right? Hindi ako  magaling sa numbers :/
How about 2 years business admin? Or 1 year admin asst? Or chef? May eczema nga lang ako sa kamay, ang hirap mag start kahit na andito na ako sa Canada.
Isa pa thingking if mgbaksyon muna ako sa pinas for a month before mag start new or antayin ang PR tsaka magbakasyon, kaso pag may new job na, mahihirapan na kumuha ng vacation leave, and dami kong concerns, pasensya naaa :/

[sarsingkit]

Mag accounting certificate ka na lang muna sis. May certificate na din naman yun. Here in Manitoba, may as short as 10 months ata. Pwede na yun. Makakuha ka na ng entry level na accounting jobs. Kung magdecide ka na ituloy sa CPA, pwede mo na ipacredit yung nakuha mo na subjects. Just double check that with CPA in Ontario. Accounting ang nature ng job ko, pero hindi pa ako CPA. Hindi din ako magaling sa numbers pero sanayan lang sis. Matetrain ka din overtime. Pag calculation naman, lagi may calculator eh.

Uwi ka muna siguro. hehe. Personal advice lang naman yun. Kasi ako mag-3 years na ako dito, hindi pa ako nakakauwi. Kasi nga like you, madami din akong concerns like syempre pera and vacation days sa office. Pero gusto ko sana umuwi. Nakakamiss din sa Pinas. Ano pala concern mo sa eczema? Pag nagchef? diba lagi naman may gloves. saka may Gysomed naman. hehe.

[angel_babyteen]

^ thanks sis, pag lagi akong nghuhugas ng kamay tsaka sya nag a act up, sige i will look into that nga, mga office jobs din yan db sis? And marami bang job opening sa acctng? Iniisip ko rn ang chef at pag nakaipon start ng small restaurant, kung chef alone kaya maganda ang kita? Na consider ko rin kaya ang dental assistant or dental hygiene kaso both mahirap makakuha ng work.
Saan ka pala dito?

[berrycherry]

Sino mga taga toronto dito?

[rics]

^depende, Toronto lang ba? or Gta?