Ask HN: Moving to Canada, any advice?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6138058

by vojant • 13 years ago

2 9 13 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Hello, I am 26 years old, I currently live in Poland and I would like to move to Canada with my wife and 2 years old son. All my life I have lived in Poland but recently I felt a great need for change. While my son is 2 years this is a good time to move. I am currently in the process of selling a house and I'm going to move to a different country. I chose Canada because it is far away and would give me the opportunity to learn about other cultures.

I am a full-stack PHP developer. I have 4 years of experience at work mainly in small startups.

I would like to ask a few things about moving to Canada:

- What is the job market for developers in Canada, and will be easy to find a job in not big, friendly company?

- The best places to start looking for a job in Canada?

- Maybe you have any advice on moving to Canada?

I will appreciate your advice.

My email: vojant at gmail.com

Maven911• 13 years ago

Market is good, pay is signicantly less than in the States Good markets would be Toronto,Calgary Waterloo, Ottawa

Its cold in winter, learn to ski or snowboard, take advantage of the cheaper tuition here even if your done with school

vojant4• 13 years ago

Thanks. It's much easier to get visa to Canada than States, that's why I don't have a problem with lower salary.

jdjb• 13 years ago

Lots of jobs for PHP devs in Canada. Definitely look in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary or (if you speak French) Montreal.

Ottawa, Calgary, and Montreal have pretty cold winters but the living costs are much higher in Toronto and Vancouver. There's a few other smaller cities in the southern Ontario area (London, Windsor, St Catherines) where there should be some job opportunities as well.

vojant4• 13 years ago

Thanks! I am not affraid of Winters, I am looking for new experiences.

throwaway1979• 13 years ago

Best of luck! Canada is an amazing country. You will have a good quality of life and you are doing good for your family. Btw ... I love Poland as a tourist :) Toronto has a sizable polish community as far as I am aware.

Canadian companies are a bit strange when it comes to "Canadian experience". I strongly suggest taking a continuing ed course at a local university (especially if that lets you access the career center at the university).

As the other poster said, salaries are lower but livable. Recent immigrants in Toronto/Mississauga often rent parts of houses (e.g. a floor or a basement). It lets you save on rent. Some places have weird restrictions with respect to getting a drivers license. You will find out.

Canada is a wonderful country overall. Like any place, it has some issues. I wish you and your family the best of luck!

vojant4• 13 years ago

Thank you! Unfortunately, I never studied, could it be a problem while looking for a job?

rahilsondhi• 13 years ago

I've been in Toronto all my life and I love it.

Job market for developers is good. There are a lot of hot startups in Toronto (500px, Wave, Wattpad), Waterloo (Vidyard, Thalmic), Vancouver (Unbounce), etc.

Check this list out of the top 100 Canadian startups by TechVibes http://www.techvibes.com/blog/the-canadian-startup-index-201.... Also try all your standard job boards (GitHub, Indeed, Mashable, Craigslist) and Canadian ones like StartupNorth.

When you move to your new city, use Meetup.com to find local tech meetups. It's a great place to meet people and find work.

I'd be happy to answer more questions via email.

eddiemunster666• 13 years ago

I'm just checking, you have sorted out a work visa yeah or already applied to jobs? As from what I remember you can only get a 6 month visitor visa, which means you have that much time to try and get a job and get a work permit sorted before you'd have to leave the country. It's doable but I would probably do a lot more research on the subject before moving my family over.

vojant4• 13 years ago

I haven't sorted out a work visa yet. I am during research phase on this subject, so far it doesn't look too hard. I'd like to find a job before I move out to Canada - I dont need to go there right now, I can wait some time. Thanks for advice I will focus on visa research.

Ask HN: Moving to Canada, any advice?

Related Stories