How I got three job offers while being outside Canada

[axolotl]

Finally I got my level of French officially assessed and was placed on a FLS (Le Français Langue Seconde) wait list. I have been told that the average waiting time is about two weeks. My course will be on Monday and Wednesday between 18:30 and 21:00 at Toronto Catholic District School Board.

Surprisingly, my NCLC level of reading was only 6, lower than what I got for writing, listening, and speaking (at 7, 8, and 7 respectively).

Obviously there are two French courses for people living in Ontario: CLIC offered by the Federal government, and FLS offered by Ontario. According to the one who evaluated me, there is no difference between the two except source of funding. I chose FLS because its schedule and location worked better for me.

For those living in Toronto, here's how to get enrolled in either FLS or CLIC.

• Call YMCA Language Assessment and Referral Centre (416 925 5462) to get your current level of French evaluated.
• The evaluation has four parts: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
• At the end of the evaluation, they will show you all the possibilities in Toronto and you can choose which one works for you the best.

 

[4RyL]

Finally I got my level of French officially assessed and was placed on a FLS (Le Français Langue Seconde) wait list. I have been told that the average waiting time is about two weeks. My course will be on Monday and Wednesday between 18:30 and 21:00 at Toronto Catholic District School Board.

Surprisingly, my NCLC level of reading was only 6, lower than what I got for writing, listening, and speaking (at 7, 8, and 7 respectively).

Obviously there are two French courses for people living in Ontario: CLIC offered by the Federal government, and FLS offered by Ontario. According to the one who evaluated me, there is no difference between the two except source of funding. I chose FLS because its schedule and location worked better for me.

For those living in Toronto, here's how to get enrolled in either FLS or CLIC.

• Call YMCA Language Assessment and Referral Centre (416 925 5462) to get your current level of French evaluated.
• The evaluation has four parts: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
• At the end of the evaluation, they will show you all the possibilities in Toronto and you can choose which one works for you the best.

Are the French classes free? I have zero knowledge in French so how do i get into that?

 

[axolotl]

Are the French classes free? I have zero knowledge in French so how do i get into that?

100% free for permanent residents. (But I am not sure whether they are free for citizens.) Call the same number and say you know nothing about French and they should directly find you a beginners' course without any evaluation.

 

[canuck78]

Are the French classes free? I have zero knowledge in French so how do i get into that?

If you don't plan on progressing through to higher levels and plan on staying in Ontario probably not worth you time. I see axoliti is considering moving to Quebec where she will need good French skills to work and live there. Her future children would have to attend French schools if both spouses are still permanent residents. Yes daycare cost a lot less but the subsidized spots are not always easy to find and you will not get preferential treatment because of your assets/income. Still less expensive than in Toronto. Provincial taxes are quite high although Ontario's taxes have increased for the highest income earners. The real savings is currently in post-secondary ed. Not sure how long they can keep prices low for quebec residents.

 

[axolotl]

If you don't plan on progressing through to higher levels and plan on staying in Ontario probably not worth you time. I see axoliti is considering moving to Quebec where she will need good French skills to work and live there. Her future children would have to attend French schools if both spouses are still permanent residents. Yes daycare cost a lot less but the subsidized spots are not always easy to find and you will not get preferential treatment because of your assets/income. Still less expensive than in Toronto. Provincial taxes are quite high although Ontario's taxes have increased for the highest income earners. The real savings is currently in post-secondary ed. Not sure how long they can keep prices low for quebec residents.

For clarification, my motivation to improve my French is not to move to Quebec (Also, I will make myself very poor on paper if I move to Quebec.)

I understand that everything that I have posted previously may suggest that there are always some financial considerations behind every action that I make. But surprise! It is actually not true.

Below is my daily routine.

• Walk 10,000 steps.
• Read at least five lines of Latin. (Currently reading De Bello Gallico, Book IV.)
• Spend at least five minutes on Greek. (I am using Greek: An Intensive Course.)
• Watch news in French (Journal Télévisie à 20 heure) on France 2.
• If I am not tired, study physics.

(I spend a lot more time studying physics in the weekend, and by studying, I mean doing a lot of calculations.)

Except for the first one, there is no ulterior motive other than pleasure. (Told you. My hobbies are cheap.)

This is exactly what financial freedom means to me: to be able to spend more time doing things that I want to do. I want to retire early, not because I hate working so much, but because there are other things that I think I will enjoy more.

 

[canuck78]

For clarification, my motivation to improve my French is not to move to Quebec (Also, I will make myself very poor on paper if I move to Quebec.)

I understand that everything that I have posted previously may suggest that there are always some financial considerations behind every action that I make. But surprise! It is actually not true.

Below is my daily routine.

• Walk 10,000 steps.
• Read at least five lines of Latin. (Currently reading De Bello Gallico, Book IV.)
• Spend at least five minutes on Greek. (I am using Greek: An Intensive Course.)
• Watch news in French (Journal Télévisie à 20 heure) on France 2.
• If I am not tired, study physics.

(I spend a lot more time studying physics in the weekend, and by studying, I mean doing a lot of calculations.)

Except for the first one, there is no ulterior motive other than pleasure. (Told you. My hobbies are cheap.)

This is exactly what financial freedom means to me: to be able to spend more time doing things that I want to do. I want to retire early, not because I hate working so much, but because there are other things that I think I will enjoy more.

You are in a very lucky position to be able to learn for the joy of learning. For others on this forum who are trying to learn from your success I just wanted to point out that you have to be "bilingual" to have access to some government jobs or you need to speak French in many areas of Quebec especially if you plan on working. Just pointing out that unless you plan to dedicate yourself to a couple years of lessons and practice at home your time might be better spent upgrading your current skills, spending time with your family, working, etc. You an I are lucky that we have a pretty solid knowledge of French already but for new immigrants practicing/learning Fench may not be the way I would encourage them to spend their time especially if they are starting from scratch.

 

[Yuvraj Singh]

Hi I tried transferwise, but unfortunately it cannot send the money from india to canada. I am already using paypal but I feel it is too expensive..I wish to send a few CAD to my brother (whos on study visa there).....if you can provide an alternative

 

[axolotl]

Hi I tried transferwise, but unfortunately it cannot send the money from india to canada. I am already using paypal but I feel it is too expensive..I wish to send a few CAD to my brother (whos on study visa there).....if you can provide an alternative

Sorry. I don't know any cheap way to transfer money out of India.

 

[thisworks]

@axolotl : How's life in Canada going? any updates? your posts are interesting.

 

[vgkarthik1985]

@axolotl,

When I read the title of the post, I was very keen as I thought it was written by a mediocre candidate, but you belong to the creamy layer!!

My score is 416 and would be filing EOI soon, not sure how long it is going to be before I get the ITA.

Like you, I would like to move to Canada after getting a job (from outside Canada). I am from India, have 10+ years of IT exp and have Bachelors (4 years) as my highest qualification.

Any advice from you and contacts would help a lot! Looking forward to it.

Thanks
Karthik

 

[axolotl]

@axolotl,

When I read the title of the post, I was very keen as I thought it was written by a mediocre candidate, but you belong to the creamy layer!!

My score is 416 and would be filing EOI soon, not sure how long it is going to be before I get the ITA.

Like you, I would like to move to Canada after getting a job (from outside Canada). I am from India, have 10+ years of IT exp and have Bachelors (4 years) as my highest qualification.

Any advice from you and contacts would help a lot! Looking forward to it.

Thanks
Karthik

Initially I started job hunting because I did not know whether I would have enough points for my partner and me to apply together.

Now that I have seen quite a bit in the tech startup sector in Toronto, I would say that it is not difficult at all to find a job if you have IT skills. It is in fact much easier to find a job once you are already here. You have to however keep in mind that your managerial experience, if there is any, may not be relevant in the beginning. They want you to be a foot soldier before promoting you to an officer.

So I would advise you to come first and then start job hunting. There are certain tax advantages if you move to Canada with a job offer. But it is probably not the most important thing to consider in your stage.

 

[vgkarthik1985]

Initially I started job hunting because I did not know whether I would have enough points for my partner and me to apply together.

Now that I have seen quite a bit in the tech startup sector in Toronto, I would say that it is not difficult at all to find a job if you have IT skills. It is in fact much easier to find a job once you are already here. You have to however keep in mind that your managerial experience, if there is any, may not be relevant in the beginning. They want you to be a foot soldier before promoting you to an officer.

So I would advise you to come first and then start job hunting. There are certain tax advantages if you move to Canada with a job offer. But it is probably not the most important thing to consider in your stage.

That is my exact problem. I do not have the luxury to quit my job and come there and search. I have to find a job from India, only then I can move to Canada. I am ok with any job role but I am from the support sector.

I have seen vast openings for development, this is worrying me.

 

[axolotl]

I have put some content in this thread on my personal website.

I have disclosed a bit more information there on the companies from which I got those job offers.

 

[FreshLife]

I have put some content in this thread on my personal website.

I have disclosed a bit more information there on the companies from which I got those job offers.

Thanks. I will read it when I reach home, but I skimmed through. Impressive scores in IELTS. Though the fonts are messed up around it. I will soon find out how I did in IELTS. Fingers crossed!

I see that you said: " .. am not including any equity compensations here since they are difficult to value any way .. ". I tend to disagree a bit, because equity also ends up in your account though with quarterly / yearly frequency. So, they are real cash that account towards your net worth / cash. Even if stocks crash (in case of IPO'd company), companies tend to give out refreshers to match promised total comp in order to retain talent. However, in case of startup I believe the value of equity can be thought of as 'likely' worst case scenario (unless you are joining a company at seed stage).

 

[axolotl]

Thanks. I will read it when I reach home, but I skimmed through. Impressive scores in IELTS. Though the fonts are messed up around it. I will soon find out how I did in IELTS. Fingers crossed!

Good luck!

I see that you said: " .. am not including any equity compensations here since they are difficult to value any way .. ". I tend to disagree a bit, because equity also ends up in your account though with quarterly / yearly frequency. So, they are real cash that account towards your net worth / cash. Even if stocks crash (in case of IPO'd company), companies tend to give out refreshers to match promised total comp in order to retain talent. However, in case of startup I believe the value of equity can be thought of as 'likely' worst case scenario (unless you are joining a company at seed stage).

The startup that I joined did their seed earlier 2017. I know what its current valuation is but in three years it could grow anywhere between 10x and 50x, if there is no disruptive new competitor or a severe economic crisis.

I may write a new post later this week on learning/improving one's French. I managed to improve my spoken French from A1 to C1 in a period of about nine months.