Landed four months ago - Experience so far

[sapguru]

Thanks a lot mate for your valuable input. I am a CFA charter holder with 3 years of experience in US markets and am currently working with a KPO. In my case however, I am an Engineering undergrad with no masters degree. Will Engineering+CFA be accepted there or a finance/commerce degree is compulsory for a job there ? Plus, have you experienced any concerns about the state of the job market(in finance) there given the constant talk of an impending housing crisis ?
Thanks a lot in advance

Another way to check the required skill for jobs like CFA is to go through the job descriptions posted on linkedin or workopolis or companies website.

 

[greengoo5]

Alright guys. An update.

It's been more than four months at work. I've really enjoyed my time so far. The organization is fast paced as compared to the Canadian work place. That means lot of work and long hours. But I enjoy every single minute of it. The co-workers are amazing. The work's good. I'm having a nice time.

I don't have a hard time managing expenses as I don't have to pay the rent. The insurance on the car is a major pain. Gas also hurts as the commute is long. I'm able to save a good chunk of my paycheck nevertheless.

It's been summer so it has not been too bad. I'm a little worried about the next few months. Winter is coming!
Snow shoveling. Slow traffic. Harsh weather. Not fun.

So far so good.

 

[Emergentsky]

G

Alright guys. An update.

It's been more than four months at work. I've really enjoyed my time so far. The organization is fast paced as compared to the Canadian work place. That means lot of work and long hours. But I enjoy every single minute of it. The co-workers are amazing. The work's good. I'm having a nice time.

I don't have a hard time managing expenses as I don't have to pay the rent. The insurance on the car is a major pain. Gas also hurts as the commute is long. I'm able to save a good chunk of my paycheck nevertheless.

It's been summer so it has not been too bad. I'm a little worried about the next few months. Winter is coming!
Snow shoveling. Slow traffic. Harsh weather. Not fun.

So far so good.

Good to hear that man. What are your typical working hours there?

 

[greengoo5]

G

Good to hear that man. What are your typical working hours there?

Normally, 8:30 - 7:30.

They're flexible though. I can come in at 9:30 and leave by 4:00 if it's a slow day. Have the option of work from home if I've got something important come up. So the hours are not a problem. The work's fun.

 

[Emergentsky]

Normally, 8:30 - 7:30.

They're flexible though. I can come in at 9:30 and leave by 4:00 if it's a slow day. Have the option of work from home if I've got something important come up. So the hours are not a problem. The work's fun.

Wow.. you sure made the right move ! Keep posting

 

[Van_Can]

I've been a long time lurker of this forum. I don't post often but do have a habit of checking out threads quietly. Figured I should contribute by sharing my experience in Canada.

Back Home
I'm from India. In mid 20s. Did well academically. MBA from a top 10 school. Amazing job right out of college that paid well. 15ish Lacs/annum if you're curious. Two years later, I'm working as a manager with a 50% bump in salary. Lived at home with parents so didn't even have to pay rent. To summarize it, I was doing well. Very well.

Express Entry and PR
I had been in the pool since Jan-15 when Express Entry started. Got my three years of experience and got an invite in early 2016. I started browsing the forums after almost four months of getting my AOR. I didn't really need help with respect to the application process as I followed all the rules by the letter and had a pretty clear cut case. My process closely followed the norms. BG change after a few months. PPR slightly before the onset of the seventh month in Oct-16. Sent passports to the High Commission and received it back within a week. Booked my tickets and landed in Canada in Nov-16. Had an address in hand at the airport so applied for PR Card then and there only. The process was slow due to Christmas. Received a mail in January asking for fresh photographs. Received the PR Card in early Feb.

Canada
I am fortunate enough to have a family in Canada. I have a brother and a close uncle living in Canada for quite some time now.
Landed in mid Nov-16. Having slogged for 3+ years at my previous corporate finance job, I decided to chill for a good period of time. There's little hiring in December anyways. Really enjoyed my time. It was cold, but it was fun. Everything clad in white is a sight for the eyes which haven't witnessed snow in their life. With good gear, it's much easier to tolerate. Snowball fights as a grown man are even more fun...you miss less shots. I explored the beauty of the country side, the tall buildings of downtown Toronto and the history that the small towns have to offer. My vacation was fun but hardly did I know that it'd get stretched longer than I had initially thought.

Come 2017 and I started looking for work. I have a commerce degree with an MBA. I have also passed all three levels of the CFA exam. A year or two ago, my brother had shown my resume to a few people and everyone was of the opinion that I'd get a job fairly easy. Boy oh boy. I took it easy at first. Applying to a few jobs, relaxing for the rest of the day and spending time with the family. Slowly it dawned on me that it'd require much more effort than what I was putting in. I went gungho and started applying to a LOT of jobs everyday. But I'd only apply to the ones which were as per my skill level and interested me. I got a few phone calls from the HR. I blew a few. I aced a few. An even fewer interviews. I blew a few. I aced an even fewer. The absence of Canadian experience or qualification definitely hurt my chances to say the least. An Indian name didn't really help much either. But I'm a hard worker. I don't give up easily.

Fast forward to today. I have a job. My work closely resembles to what I was doing in India. The pay is nice. The commute is okay. The work is good. I'm happy.

The Reality
How do I find Canada? Amazing.
Is it easy to come from a foreign country and settle down? Not as easy as you think.
But I just made it sound like it's not a lot of trouble? Yeah, but chances are, you're not as fortunate as me.

I have my family here which is very supportive. Not even once they pushed me for a job which I didn't like or pressured me to start work at any time. There were days during my job hunt when I would be at an all time low, having blown up my few opportunities and having nothing else in hand. There were extended periods of time when I would just keep applying and not get any other response except the "We picked some other candidate. Yo". But I'm a hard worker. I don't give up easily. I kept applying.

I've figured that it's a numbers game. I applied to more than 500 jobs. and mind you, only the jobs that interested me and were a good match for my skillset. I received a phone call from around ten employers. A face to face interview with five and a job offer from one. You can do the percentages.

The Journey
People asked me if I was crazy to leave an amazing job in my hometown to move to a totally new country. They'd ask me if I had weighed in everything correctly before taking the risk. I don't consider myself to be super smart but I know that I'm hard working. I knew what I was risking and was aware of the fact that I had a supporting family in Canada. There were a multitude of reasons why I wanted to leave India and I'm not going to dwell upon them. The reasons are different for everyone. But when I'm asked the reason why I moved to Canada? For a better future for my family.

Every country has it's own set of problems. You just have to see what is important for you and take a decision. You have all the resources and the time to take an informed decision. There are a lot of times in life when you know things are not going to be easy and that you'd have to work hard for them. Chances are, even after putting in your 100%, things don't work in your favor. But that doesn't mean you stop trying. You put in your 110% and you make them work. That's how we progress.

So what's the takeaway?

• The lack of Canadian credentials/ experience severely hurts your chances. Having passed CFA exams helped me a lot. I believe it was the only reason I received the 10 phone calls. It really helps to get Canadian credentials as soon as you put your foot here. Further explanation below.
  
• I scored an 8 on IELTS. I've watched English soaps and listened to Eminem all my life. And yet, there are times when I've to request people to repeat themselves. It's really important that you are proficient both in listening and speaking English. It's going to make and break everything for you. From your daily conversations to the interviews. Speak slow and speak clear. Also, accent training helps a lot. Youtube my friend.
  
• Be prepared to work hard once you get here. If you're financially strong, good for you. Don't worry too much about the money and invest the time in getting Canadian credentials and searching for a job. If you're not, you've got to grab whatever comes at you. The thing that I love about Canada, there's no big or small work. It's just work. You're respected and treated like a human being no matter what you do.
  
• The weather is bad. But it's not the end. 30 Mil people live here. You have to invest in the right gear. A good winter jacket costs a lot but think of it as an investment as it's going to last you a while. Also, snow boots, gloves and a hat. Heck, I used to put on winter gear and spend hours building snow-forts in -15 C.
  
• Be prepared to work hard. Very hard.

A few tips for the credentials
Chartered Accountants and people interested in accounting. -> http://www.cpaontario.ca
Lawyers -> http://flsc.ca/
Teachers -> https://www.oct.ca/
People interested in Banking -> https://www.ific.ca/en/ & https://www.csi.ca/student/en_ca/courses/csi/csc.xhtml
People interested in Insurance -> https://www.ifse.ca/courselist/life-license-qualification-program-llqp/

The above links have information about credentials required for certain jobs. I'd be best if you search for the profiles you like on https://www.indeed.ca/ and see the kind of credentials the employers require.
Having credentials helps in the sense that the employer at least knows that you are willing to put in work and learn about the culture, taxation and the systems of the new country.

I can go on and on about a lot of stuff but it'd just be adding to the length of this page. If you have any questions, let me know. I'd be happy to answer.

Very informative and encouraging post. Thanks!

Would like to seek clarifications regarding some doubts I have. See if you could guide me regarding these.

I have applied for PR in July. IELTS Score 8. I am Chartered Accountant with around 15 years of experience in Industry / Professional practice. Auditing, accounting, taxation, IT audits. Have also got CISA certification from ISACA, USA. And a certification in Forensic Audit. From your knowledge in finance field how do you gauge the chances of me finding job in Auditing field?

And what kind of starting pay does an IT Auditor / internal auditor get paid?

Also how does my age (36) work against / or in favour while finding jobs demanding experience...?

Also, I will start applying for jobs once I get the COPR. I guess thats the way to go. Would seek your guidance in this. Job search meanwhile on online forums is in full swing though.

 

[md_uddin]

Hi @greengoo5. Did Immigration officer at the airport asked you to show the required POF on landing? If yes, how did u show them the pof? lastly, if you showed them bank statement, which bank did u show?

 

[greengoo5]

Hi @greengoo5. Did Immigration officer at the airport asked you to show the required POF on landing? If yes, how did u show them the pof? lastly, if you showed them bank statement, which bank did u show?

Nope. Never got asked for POF. I had all the documents handy though.I had SBI & HDFC.

Very informative and encouraging post. Thanks!

Would like to seek clarifications regarding some doubts I have. See if you could guide me regarding these.

I have applied for PR in July. IELTS Score 8. I am Chartered Accountant with around 15 years of experience in Industry / Professional practice. Auditing, accounting, taxation, IT audits. Have also got CISA certification from ISACA, USA. And a certification in Forensic Audit. From your knowledge in finance field how do you gauge the chances of me finding job in Auditing field?

And what kind of starting pay does an IT Auditor / internal auditor get paid?

Also how does my age (36) work against / or in favour while finding jobs demanding experience...?

Also, I will start applying for jobs once I get the COPR. I guess thats the way to go. Would seek your guidance in this. Job search meanwhile on online forums is in full swing though.

It's going to be easier finding a job in accounting than auditing. You'll have to get a CPA qualification to have a good chance in this field. Auditors get paid depending upon the firm and the position. A person in your position with a CPA should easy rake in 80k-100k. A starting position might be 40-50k.

Age isn't something which really matters here. Even if you're 36 and you want to start afresh in a field, you're more than welcome.

 

[Van_Can]

Nope. Never got asked for POF. I had all the documents handy though.I had SBI & HDFC.


It's going to be easier finding a job in accounting than auditing. You'll have to get a CPA qualification to have a good chance in this field. Auditors get paid depending upon the firm and the position. A person in your position with a CPA should easy rake in 80k-100k. A starting position might be 40-50k.

Age isn't something which really matters here. Even if you're 36 and you want to start afresh in a field, you're more than welcome.

Thanks a lot for your response

 

[md_uddin]

Nope. Never got asked for POF. I had all the documents handy though.I had SBI & HDFC.

Thanks for ur reply. Appreciated.
Lastly, Can you please tell me what documents did you have handy in terms of POF, though they havent asked you. Lots of us in the forum are a bit stressed out about this. There has been incidents where a local bank statement wasnt accepted as POF at the entry and they got denied for entry. If you can share your experience pls!

 

[next2015]

Thanks for ur reply. Appreciated.
Lastly, Can you please tell me what documents did you have handy in terms of POF, though they havent asked you. Lots of us in the forum are a bit stressed out about this. There has been incidents where a local bank statement wasnt accepted as POF at the entry and they got denied for entry. If you can share your experience pls!

Personally, I had a copy of my bank statement and a letter from the bank confirming that 1. I hold an account with them 2. the statement an official representation of the account 3. the balance on the account. The IO asked if I had the POF but as I got it he indicated he didn't need to see to it, but its safe to have it handy. If you intend to move all your funds prior to landing, then whatever instrument you use will suffice. If you have a draft thats fine, if its a travelers check thats fine, if it on a card then you need to show the card plus its online statement, if its cash then blow him away with the bundles. All the best.

 

[md_uddin]

Personally, I had a copy of my bank statement and a letter from the bank confirming that 1. I hold an account with them 2. the statement an official representation of the account 3. the balance on the account. The IO asked if I had the POF but as I got it he indicated he didn't need to see to it, but its safe to have it handy. If you intend to move all your funds prior to landing, then whatever instrument you use will suffice. If you have a draft thats fine, if its a travelers check thats fine, if it on a card then you need to show the card plus its online statement, if its cash then blow him away with the bundles. All the best.

Appreciated!

 

[syahska]

@greengoo5, glad to note that you are still in the forum and guiding prospective immigrants. I will be doing my first landing in the 2nd week of April 2018 and would like to understand the weather there during the said period. Understandably it is COLD and for the same, I intend to pick up The North Face Parka, The North Face Chillkat 400 snowboots before I land in. Gloves & hat / beanie will come in too once i decide on the brand / model. I am no brand ambassador of TNF nor do i work there. Decided based on my research. Hopefully should be in Toronto though an ICT with my existing employer.

 

[Prax]

@greengoo5, glad to note that you are still in the forum and guiding prospective immigrants. I will be doing my first landing in the 2nd week of April 2018 and would like to understand the weather there during the said period. Understandably it is COLD and for the same, I intend to pick up The North Face Parka, The North Face Chillkat 400 snowboots before I land in. Gloves & hat / beanie will come in too once i decide on the brand / model. I am no brand ambassador of TNF nor do i work there. Decided based on my research. Hopefully should be in Toronto though an ICT with my existing employer.

April is not too cold. Usually the day temperatures get better and nights are more colder with <5 C. April 2nd week will be even better. My suggestion is, don't buy all the snow gear before coming here. Just buy a good jacket that helps you to tolerate temperatures around 10C. Keep 2 more layers handy (sweater/hoodie etc). That should be enough to survive the last phase of the winter. normally you get good discounts in summers on winter gear. So you can buy all the stuff here in Canada. The usual practice here is to buy one high quality winter jacket (like Canada goose or something similar) and a pair of snow boots. the rest, you should be layers to stand the quickly changing temps that ranges from 0 to 20 degrees.
Since you are coming here in the 2nd Wk of April, you should be fine without proper winter outfits.

Good luck.

 

[canuck78]

I'II second that opinion although we had a mild winter last year. We have still had major snowstorms and -10C weather in April but Toronto is pretty mild compared to most places in Canada usually 0C in early April during the day). You will probably be able to take advantage of some clearance sales since April is the end of the season. Don't wait too long or order online if you have an address because by April there is not a ton of stock left especially if we have had a bad winter. If you put on gloves, a hat, some warm socks and some layers that will protect you until you get sorted.