Hi guys... been away for almost a year now.
I don’t mean to sound like a broken record just in case someone has touched on this topic before; but I doubt if the knowledge would harm anyone.
A good friend of mine planning on landing in Canada asked for my honest opinion of how it has been for us since we landed just over a year ago. I can honestly understand where this question is coming from. Plucking your family and life style from the relative secure known of living in Lagos and shipping off to the great unknown of Canada can be quite daunting. What makes it worse is that no one seems to give an honest account of what really goes on. You tend to get responses like "it's ok" or "God has been faithful". Personally, such responses frighten the hell out of me. Thank God for threads and forums like this.
I have a friend of mine who just moved with his family from 9ja to Calgary here, back in September 2015. My guy came to Canada with no illusions; he landed alone (his family came 2 weeks after him). He stayed at my place for 2-3 days, rented a decent budget home close to downtown (I will talk about budget later), moved in and got a job at Walmart a week later (his reasoning - it doesn't make sense to spend his savings in Naira on dollarized items, he needed to earn dollars). Just before his family landed, he got certified as a security personnel (Security guys earn fair amount with relative little input as compared to a Walmart job... lol and if you are lucky to be on night shift, you have enough time to read for your exams). All these while he searches for a job in line with his previous work experience. Did I forget to tell you that my guy is an IT professional with almost 15 years of experience in the Nigeria's financial sector. The man has worked for the biggest banking brands in Nigeria.
Yesterday, he joked about a conversation he had with a Canadian woman who he happened to have had dealings in Nigeria. The Canadian lady is conversant with Nigeria having trained IT professionals in Lagos on numerous occasions. The lady told him to be open minded in his search for a job; take any job; anywhere in Canada; that he should leave his family and go if necessary. But he should bear in mind that he would most likely be sacked before 3 months. He shouldn't take it personal; that most Nigerians struggle because of the difference in work cultures (I'd talk about the Canadian work culture, also later). We all laughed because he got sacked from Walmart exactly 3 months into the job. He currently works with his security licence and is studying for his professional exams. The beauty of this story is that my guy now has Canadian work experience - which so invaluable over here.
Most immigrants here, whether they tell you or not, worked in "transition" jobs for about 6 months to 1 year before getting that job similar to what they were doing back home. On the average, it takes between 2-3 years to get back to the job status at which you were before you landed in Canada. Once you get there, there's no turning back. It's really bliss from there on. Personally, I think the 2-3 years is worth it anytime, any day.
There are very few societies that give you the opportunities, peace of mind and security.. I am yet to meet a Permanent Resident who regrets being in Canada.
If you are thinking of coming to Canada, please come with a similar mindset to that of my good friend; else you will be quite disappointed. Those dream jobs are not lined on the street on Canada. Yes, I know a couple of guys that got great jobs within weeks of landing - I tell conveniently tell you that those are the exception.
Plan. I can't overemphasize this enough. Plan, plan, plan.
Plan for employment upgrading programmes, certifications et al;
Plan for your drivers license; plan to buy a car. This is a must; don't even think you can do without it. Luckily, there are auctions around where you can get a good vehicle for between $1,000 - $3,000 CAD. I'm talking about 2002 to 2006 models. Please just buy it even if the intention is to use it till you settle down. My advise is to go for Japanese, Toyota or Honda; so you send home to 9ja after you have finished with it (or bought that range rover as a replacement) and make your money back
. Another friend of mind was lucky to buy a 2008 Toyota Sienna - full options - for less than $5,000. Again, these are the exceptions. You can also shop for cars on Kijiji.com
Talking about kijiji; you can practically get your furniture free on kijiji. You just have to look hard. My advise again based on experience; don't start acquiring too much junk before you move to your own house (yeah, owning your house is possible with only 6 months into your job). Moving can be stressful.
Plan your budget.
