The Canadian Department of Immigration plans to increase the number of immigrants from 240 to 265 thousand in 2013, so the government of this country is meeting halfway with foreign students wishing to stay permanently.
To achieve the desired result, in 2013 the government relies on the Canadian Experience Class program, which has been in effect since 2008, which implies the transfer of temporary residence rights to the right to permanent residence. It applies to individuals with work experience and qualifications in a particular field of activity in Canada. This category also includes foreign students who studied in Canada for at least 2 years and then worked for another 1 year.
The upward trend in the number of immigrants has been maintained for the seventh consecutive year. In 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada under this program intends to accept a record number of immigrants of 10,000 permanent residents. At the same time, studying in Canada (at least two years) greatly simplifies the immigration process.
What to do after graduating from a university in Canada?
The migration policy of the country of the maple leaf is most loyal to specialists brought up within the walls of their own universities, and allows foreign students to stay in the country to work after receiving an education.
Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism of Canada, said the government's efforts will be aimed at changing the composition of Canada's immigrants in favor of foreign students and temporary workers in the country. It is these categories that have specialties in demand on the market, are familiar with Canadian culture and speak English or French. Therefore, it is they who will first of all receive the status of a permanent resident of Canada in 2013.
In addition, graduates from Canadian universities can gain additional opportunities by participating in one of the provincial immigration programs.
Today the state of affairs is as follows: upon graduation, a student has the right to work full-time for a period of 8 months to 3 years (Post Graduation Work Permit program). To be eligible for this privilege, a student must complete their full-time program and successfully complete a graduation diploma. Moreover, if the duration of the program is from 8 months to 2 years, then the work permit will have the same time frame, and if the duration of the training program is from 2 to 4 years, then the work permit will have a duration of 3 years.
In addition, anyone who is in Canada for more than 12 months with a study or work permit is eligible to apply for Skilled Worker immigration, regardless of occupation.
Effective January 2, 2013, skilled workers are eligible to apply for the Canadian Experience Class with only 12 months of work experience in Canada. This period has become one year less than before - 24 months. Moreover, foreign graduates from Canadian higher education institutions will have more time to gain experience in working in Canada. From now on, they can receive a work permit for up to 36 months (previously it was 24 months).
As graduates of Canadian universities from among our compatriots note, it is not very difficult to obtain a work permit. To obtain a work permit, you need an official letter of offer from the employer, a report card from the university and a questionnaire. It is necessary to take into account such factors as the time of going to work, the location of the company itself (for example, for Toronto there is a more flexible system for obtaining Work Permit - work permits), the time frame for processing documents and the work contract, as such. As a rule, documents must be sent to the province of Alberta, and the registration procedure takes 2 months or more.
The prospects for employment in the specialty are very real: in a number of specialties, the level of employment of graduates reaches 100% in the first six months after graduation.
What help can a university provide?
Employment in Canada begins with ... study. College and university curricula are systematically revised to meet current and future market needs. Academic programs are formed with the participation of future employers - companies and enterprises, which means that they place a strong emphasis on hands-on learning. In addition, most academic programs include work experience in enterprises, so graduates are more than ready for the labor market.
The Canadian state, for its part, guarantees the student only the right to work. Successful employment directly depends on the student himself. Students should independently contact potential employers, present themselves competently at the interview in order to create a favorable impression of themselves. However, the same informal employment rules apply in any other country in the world.
Educational institutions, as a rule, provide assistance to students by holding seminars where you can learn how to write a competent resume, give advice on interviews, talk about where and how to look for work, what Internet resources can be used, how to behave at an interview with a potential employer etc.
To help students find work, universities, often in conjunction with other universities and colleges, organize job fairs. Attending such events is of great practical benefit, because it not only teaches students to communicate with potential employers, develop their own presentation and communication skills, but also provides a chance to find a good job, because employers who find themselves at the fair come there to look at promising graduates. If the graduate can boast of academic and other achievements, he / she will be able to choose from several proposals from large international companies.
A very promising option would be to join the union of graduates of a graduated university. Members of this union quite often provide employment assistance to their "fellow allies". Many governments have established support services in different countries to connect with these communities. HEIs are actively involved in alumni communities and, in some cases, even help organize graduation ceremonies for international students in their home countries.
In addition, each university has a student committee (often a department of international relations) that deals with issues of university policy, including the problems of foreign students. The committee helps students find information about opportunities for further study in the country or employment. You can also always turn to this committee for the advice of a professional lawyer, which is paid not by the student, but by the student committee. Sometimes universities have a separate career center, which receives vacancies from employers.
There are also many employment agencies in Canada, where they not only provide advice to graduates, but also establish contacts between alumni and potential employers.
Where to get experience?
As students note, working experience in Canada is very important. Therefore, if your curriculum did not include practice, then the most effective advice would be to participate in volunteer activities and optional summer internships. It is very useful to work during the holidays or while studying. Even if it will be a work not in line with the profile. Canadians themselves believe that it is better to work as a McDonald's waiter than to sit on a welfer. Any job will help you expand your resume and show yourself energetic, active and proactive.
It is necessary to take recommendations from each place of work. Therefore, many of our students are willing to even volunteer to get a recommendation from a Canadian employer and Canadian expirience. And here, too, universities come to the aid of students. The university's career center will help you find a part-time job. During your studies, you can earn extra money on campus (in a library, cafe) and get an extra line on your resume.
Where do Canadian graduates work (through the eyes of a Canadian)
The largest employers in Canada are banks, which provide a variety of positions ranging from teller (tellers) to loan officers. Major banks in Canada: RBC, TD Canada, BMO, HSBC. Banks recruit specialists in the field of finance, accounting, HR managers, and many programmers and administrators find work in these structures.
Insurance companies also hire such specialists, plus additional account managers. The largest representatives: Allstate, Desjardins Group, Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, RBC Insurance, State Farm Insurance.
Canada has a very well developed logistics and transportation system of cargo transportation. Many small and large companies are engaged in transportation by large vehicles (trucks). Such companies willingly accept specialists with a diploma in logistics. Many specialists in the field of accounting also find work there.
In addition, many American companies have their offices in Canada, which in many cases employ executive managers and economists, designers, programmers, etc. You can always find work in American firms.
Quite a lot of tourists visit Canada every year - more than 35 million people. This figure exceeds the number of local residents! Therefore, there is a great need for workplaces in hotels, especially for middle and senior personnel positions. The tourism industry also includes various restaurants, which also recruit managers and chefs.
Food technologists and equipment development engineers, who are key specialists in the food business, have no difficulty in finding employment. Canadians love to eat well and spend a lot of money on various foods. And since Canada is a multinational country, almost all types of products from all over the world are produced here: cheeses, sausages, sweets, juices, etc. There are not very many imported products in Canada due to high taxes, respectively, its own food production is on the rise ...
A fairly popular specialty is lawyers and legal assistants. Especially in the insurance system, which is well developed in Canada. The insurance system works to protect the citizen, so if, for example, a person fell on a street that was not accidentally cleaned by utilities and broke his leg, he turns to lawyers. Specialists will quickly draw up all the documents so that a person receives compensation, which, by the way, is rather big in Canada (tens of thousands of dollars) - despite the fact that medicine in the country is free. Of course, in this system, some lawyers try to sue the money for the client, while other lawyers defending the plaintiff try not to give it away legally. One way or another, there is enough work in this area for everyone.
Doctors and nurses are in great demand because it is not so easy to become a doctor or a nurse. As in any country, the requirements for future doctors are quite high, they study at medical faculties for a long time and very intensively, then long-term practice (internship) and only then graduates are allowed to work independently. The time from the start of studies to the receipt of the first salary from a doctor is 6-7 years, from a nurse 3-4 years, so not everyone goes this way.
In addition to working for a company, Canada has a very developed system of so-called self-employed (freelancers). A person can work for different companies under contracts and independently pays taxes on profits. About 30% of all employees in Canada are self-employed.
Labor market forecasts
Analysts at the Canadian Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada predict that by 2017, Canada will create about 1.5 million jobs requiring higher education.
Simple calculations show that the first representatives of the baby boom generation turned 65 years old last year, so a significant outflow of labor is expected in the Canadian provinces this year. Another source of job creation is vacancies. In connection with the massive retirement of the generation of baby boomers (people born from 1946 to 1964 - during the post-war demographic boom), at least 4.1 million vacancies will be vacated in various sectors of the economy.
The low birth rate in subsequent years and the retirement of more than 190 thousand people (in Alberta alone) opens up excellent prospects for the employment of international students. Over the next 10 years, one of the richest provinces in Canada will lack at least 77,000 workers.
To fill the newly created and vacant vacancies, universities and colleges in Canada need to increase student enrollment by at least 1.5% per year. The opened student places are supposed to be filled both at the expense of local applicants and foreign students.
Accordingly, measures will be developed and taken to simplify the procedures for the employment of graduates and the immigration of foreign specialists.
Already today, the Canadian government is implementing its commitments to create jobs and intensively support the scientific sector of the economy. As part of Canada's economic plan, the authorities are investing $ 600 million in the scientific sector of the economy, some of which will go to create new jobs and improve infrastructure in colleges and universities.
In addition, experts from the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) predict that the largest increase in the number of new jobs is expected in the field of information technology, specialty medicine such as, for example, occupational therapy or physiotherapy, as well as in technology sales.
The most promising in terms of development and creation of new jobs are Canadian companies that specialize in computer technology, semiconductors, measuring technology, medical and healthcare services. Recently, there have been significant advances in the development of the service sector at the community level, as well as in the active business and private sector.
No significant upturn is expected in industries such as retail and wholesale, apparel, publishing, pulp and paper, printing, textiles, tobacco and fisheries.
Salary level
What financial ground has the Canadian job market paved the way for? How much will the graduate earn and what are the job prospects?
The average salary for young professionals is C $ 22,000 - C $ 42,000 per year, depending on the type of activity.
Many educational institutions keep their own statistics on the employment of their students, which can be found on the websites of these universities. So, for example, the following indicators of employment of graduates are given on the website of the Conestoga College:
Accounting - 91% of employment, average salary - $ 33,400 per year;
Mechanical engineer - 95% employment, average salary - $ 42,000 per year;
HR management - 88% of employment, average salary - $ 35,000 per year.
But the statistics of employment of one of the largest Canadian colleges - Algonquin College (Ottawa), depending on the specialty:
Computer Engineering - average starting salary of 37,000 CAD per year, employment rate during the first 6 months after graduation - 85%;
PR - average starting salary of 36,000 CAD per year, employment rate during the first 6 months after graduation - 95%;
Engineering (urban construction) - average starting salary of 34,000 CAD per year, employment rate for the first 6 months after graduation - 100%;
Massage therapy - average starting salary of 34,000 CAD per year, employment rate during the first 6 months after graduation - 92%;
Accounting - average starting salary of 33,000 CAD per year, employment rate for the first 6 months after graduation - 83%;
HR management - average starting salary of 33,000 CAD per year, employment rate during the first 6 months after graduation - 92%;
Marketing - average starting salary of 31,000 CAD per year, employment rate during the first 6 months after graduation - 89%;
Business Administration - average starting salary of 29,000 CAD per year, employment rate for the first 6 months after graduation - 88%;
Graphic design - average starting salary of 27,000 CAD per year, employment rate for the first 6 months after graduation - 75%;
Broadcasting (TV) - average starting salary of 25,000 CAD per year, employment rate for the first 6 months after graduation - 91%;
Professional photography - average starting salary of 25,000 CAD per year, employment rate for the first 6 months after graduation - 83%;
Culinary Management - average starting salary of 24,000 CAD per year, employment rate for the first 6 months after graduation - 100%;
Hospitality and Restaurant Management - average starting salary of 22,000 CAD per year, employment rate for the first 6 months after graduation - 93%;
Floristry - average starting salary of 21,000 CAD per year, employment rate for the first 6 months after graduation is 80%.
So, we continue talking about professional adaptation in immigration on the example of how I was looking for a job in Canada. Her first paid job. Because a year after I arrived, I already had three volunteer unpaid work experiences. And an urgent need for money 🙂.
In the previous episodes of the eighth series about the professional adaptation of immigrants, I talked about how, having encountered serious difficulties on the way to obtaining a Canadian psychologist license, I decided to turn my career slightly to the side and went to free courses in career guidance Bridge-to-HR.
In my life, I have changed professions so many times that this turn did not frighten or strain me in the least. I was sure that everything would work out.
Bridge Program turned out to be quite interesting and, of course, was the cornerstone on my path to success.
As I mentioned, it has four main parts:
- Seminars on resume and cover letter writing, job search and interviewing.
- College studies by specialty.
- Internship in the specialty (work for nothing, in other words 🙂)
- Mentoring program. A mentor is assigned to you, who teaches you the intricacies of job search, introduces you to the right people and tells you how and where to look for a job.
I went through all four stages in about a year.
The benefits of the program were enormous.
How Bridge Program helped me find a job in Canada :
1. I learned to write a resume from scratch (even from minus one, perhaps, since I somehow managed to live without it until I was 45), and so well that now I teach others.
2. I got 4 college courses in HR Management for free, which saved me a lot of money.
3. Thanks to the internship, I worked in a Canadian organization and strengthened my self-confidence, I realized that I can do it. And the line in the resume is Canadian experience.
So, for everyone who travels to Canada, I strongly recommend going to these programs, they exist for different professions.
Until the point is, I sent out a resume.
Oh, and it's hard work, I must tell you.
Finding a job in Canada is not easy
Here in Canada they say so: “Looking for a job is a full-time job”... With my experience, I would add: with constant overtime.
Here's what the right resume email looks like if you want to get a good job in Canada fast:
- You read the position description carefully.
- You go to the employer's website, look through the highlights, who they are, what they do.
- You redo your resume template for the position, somewhere you change the wording, you shift the emphasis in the right direction. You add keywords from the description. You remove the unnecessary.
- In the same way, you redo your cover letter. It is desirable to reflect your knowledge of the company and understanding of what exactly you will be useful to it. Not they to you, but you to them - this is important.
- Strictly following the instructions of the employer, submit your resume for the position. Often, in addition to submitting the actual resume, this requires filling out online forms, and sometimes it takes a very long time.
This is a long, dreary, and most importantly, boring process.
It's good if it takes an hour for one position. It often took me more. But, even if an hour, in a day, you can send out 8-9 resumes, and this meant plowing without lunch and distractions for other things. This has rarely happened to me. Usually 3-5. And not every day.
And in general, I confess honestly - I was a lot lazy here and sent out a little. Because I didn’t like this process, it didn’t turn me on and didn’t bring me pleasure. I forced myself.
Probably, I would have worked more, I would have found a job earlier.
Motivation also dropped because there was no response to the resumes sent out. Well, or almost none.
My first interview took place in mid-May 2014, and I started active mailing in January. That is, almost 5 months have passed. Naturally, I flunked this first interview. She shook like a wagtail.
In the meantime, I was struggling with the distribution of resumes, another internship rolled up to me here.
York City Hall, where I did my HR internship in the summer of 2014
Canada has a social assistance system. It has many components. I will write a large article about her separately. The topic deserves it.
The main component is the poverty benefit, or Welfare... If you do not have a job and your own home, you can ask the state for help. What we did when the money brought from Kazakhstan ran out.
In addition to paying you benefits and health insurance, the state is trying in every possible way to get you a job so that you get off his neck. Which, in general, is understandable. There are many who want to sit on this neck.
As part of these attempts to throw me off my neck, I was asked to strengthen my competitiveness in the labor market by working in the HR department of the municipality of the district where I lived. It's like our regional akimat or the regional government, to make it clearer.
Lord, how they received me there! As an HR industry star on tour, no less! I have never heard so many compliments for my cognitive abilities per unit of time before, and I'm afraid I will never hear it 🙂.
In general, it should be noted that people in Canada are just wonderful
They support, praise, help. I haven’t met any other attitude in three and a half years. I will definitely write an appointment. I even have a separate heading for this: "The obvious is the incredible."
This internship was very interesting.
I was assigned to an employee who at that time was developing a strategic plan for the development of human capital. And there was something to develop - more than 2,500 employees, and more than one million of the population on the vast territory that this municipality serves.
We formulated the values of the organization and ZUNs, which were then to be tested when hiring, in order to make fewer recruiting mistakes and hire exactly the right people for this organization.
It was very exciting. The work allowed me to get acquainted with the structure of the organization, the recruitment process, better understand the internal HR “kitchen”, and at the same time train my strategic thinking.
I worked two days a week, the contract was for six months. I continued to submit my resume.
In the meantime, my husband found a job. He completed the course for heavy truck drivers, passed everything the first time, got his license, and was hired by a Russian company. “Russian” I call Canadian companies, the owners and top managers of which are compatriots from the former USSR, and in which mostly employees communicate in Russian, with a few exceptions.
There are a lot of such companies in the Greater Toronto.
And when you don't know the language well, then the road is just there
In theory, such companies should be such a "transit point" for immigrants. Everyone needs money, so people strive to get a job as quickly as possible, arguing that they will learn the language along the way.
But there is a tricky trap here. If your job feeds you well, and you hardly have time and energy to learn the language (after all, your language does not develop at work when everything is in Russian), then many people get stuck in such companies for a long time. Someone even for life.
Here, of course, one can argue to the point of hoarseness whether this is their choice or not. Usually such people say that they had no choice - they had to feed the family. And this is true, but not all.
The other part of the truth is that they had no motivation to move on. Otherwise, both the strength and the time would have been found.
After all, I, too, constantly during this first year tried to go to the supermarket as a cashier. Sip, so to speak, the immigrant bowl to the bottom. As it should be for Russian intellectuals.
In Canada it is called survival job, work for survival.
But some kind of inner protest and an intuitive sense of imminent success stopped me from taking this step. And rightly so, that did not go. There would be no time left to find a job. And self-esteem would sink below the baseboard.
And my intuition didn't let me down again
So, on the subject of survival work, this is what I think.
- It is necessary to resist to the last and go to it only as a last resort. Better to get on the welfare and shrink your expenses. In the short term, this, of course, is a big minus in everything, but then it will be good when you find a job in your specialty or so, but in any case, more decent and high-status.
- If they were forced to go to her, then this is also not a sentence. It is necessary to draw up a realistic step-by-step plan for how to get off it now. I emphasize - realistic! And implement it in stages.
Well, okay, I digress from the main line of my story.
A very interesting story happened to my job placement.
I received two interview invitations in a row. They called directly one day. And that was after a rather long break, for two or three months I did not go to interviews.
In general, it turned out so strange with invitations to interviews. They always walked in pairs.
Some called, after a couple of days - others call. When this happened twice in a row (that is, 4 interviews passed in this way), and they called me with an invitation to the fifth, I already knew - they would soon call for the sixth. And for sure - they called on the same day after lunch 🙂.
The interviews were scheduled for two different days, one after the other. I had a couple of days to prepare, but somehow I didn't prepare very zealously. Apparently, this was just a period of reduced motivation after long failures.
The first interview was for a 6 month contract position in college. I went through it incredibly badly. Just out of hand!
Having prepared carelessly, I was terribly nervous, trying to pretend to be something of myself, in general, I made all possible mistakes of the applicant.
I came home and burst into tears just out of despair. I knew right away that the interview was unsuccessful, I didn't even have to wait for the letter that is usually sent to unsuccessful candidates.
And tomorrow there will be another interview. And I was so angry with myself for my stupidity and for these stupid mistakes, that something inside me, apparently, clicked at that moment, and everything fell into place in my brain. I didn't really prepare that evening either, I just conducted an internal dialogue with myself, sorting out all the mistakes of today's interview and pondering other, more effective, strategies of behavior and structure of responses.
And the next day I went to “surrender” where they took me in the end.
I did an excellent interview
She didn’t show off, she wasn’t very nervous, by the way. And the interviewers were very pleasant and supportive (unlike yesterday's). I felt much better after this interview, although the result was, of course, not known to me.
During the interview, you need to be moderately relaxed and moderately focused..
I wrote about this a few days ago in my article about).
The first call that I went through was the next day, I was asked to send recommendations.
And another three to four days of waiting for the final decision. By the way, the recommendations were checked very carefully, they even wrote to my former director in Astana. We were not too lazy to find a translator.
Translated, by the way, was our employee, a Chinese woman who once worked as a translator from Russian. We then developed a very warm relationship with her. She always used the chance to speak Russian with me, complaining that without practice the language is forgotten.
And here all my free internships, and even volunteer work, fired right. They called all my Canadian employers, and they gave just excellent characteristics to my humble person.
Hence the conclusion - take every opportunity to get real work experience in a new country. Volunteer, seek out all available internships. All this will then work for your success.
And on October 27, 2014, I went to work in Canada
One year and 3 months after the move!
It's record-breaking fast. Especially for a competitive industry like HR.
Well, am I not a fine fellow? Well done, of course!
My experience of looking for a job has confirmed such a simple truth that in order to be successful, you have to step by step, persevere in what you have to do.
Accept periods of despair and recessions in activity, wait out them, gaining strength and energy, and again shit from where you left off. And so on until the result.
There is no other way
True, it is important to periodically check the correctness of the chosen course and direction of action. Because priorities may change, new information and opportunities may appear, and you never know what else.
Systematic, meaningful actions in the right direction, given the basic conditions, will always lead to success. Don't go to the grandmother.
Checked on myself
In the next series, I will talk about how I adapted to a new place of work and about the difference in corporate cultures in the post-Soviet space and in Canada.
My adaptation is especially interesting because before that I had not worked in the office for my uncle for more than 20 years, but exclusively for myself, my beloved. And to be honest, I was afraid that working from 9 to 5 would be too difficult for me.
Whether it was so or not, you will learn from the following episodes of my immigration saga.
If you have a higher education in your country, you can study at a Canadian university in 1-3 years, then stay in the country and get a Canadian passport in 3 years.
Do you want to change your life for the better? Move to Canada! To do this, you do not have to wait until the long and laborious immigration process under the federal or provincial program goes through. In addition, not everyone has enough points to complete it successfully. There is a way out - study in Canada and subsequent employment in a high-paying job.
General requirements for admission to a Canadian college or university
If you have a complete secondary education or a bachelor's, specialist's or master's degree, you can apply for admission to a college (this is also a university) or a university in Canada. As a rule, exams do not need to be taken. You may be 20 or 40 years old. It is customary in Canada to study at any age.
Canadian College Admission Language Exam
For admission, you must have the results of a language test. Language proficiency requirements differ, but usually the exam results must be at least IELTS 6.0. However, language tests shouldn't scare you. There are a huge number of courses that prepare for successful delivery, both in Ukraine or Russia, and in Canada itself. We cooperate with several Canadian language schools, and we ourselves have completed language courses there.
Admission to a Canadian university without passing IELTS
Moreover, at the colleges themselves, you can find language centers that make it possible to enter a university without taking TOEFL or IELTS. The cost of a 2-month language course is about CAD 2800 (Canadian dollars) or USD 2200 (American dollars).
After studying at a Canadian university for 1-3 years, you will receive a certificate or diploma of a Canadian bachelor, master, candidate of science, which is recognized throughout the world.
Obtaining permanent residence in Canada after study
After graduation, you will need to issue a post-graduation work permit, according to which you can work. The duration of a work visa corresponds to the number of years of study; in the case of two or more study programs, a work visa is issued for a period of 3 years. And having 1 year of experience in Canada, you can easily apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class program or through the provincial nomination program for students who graduated from a Canadian educational institution. Some provinces (for example, Ontario) immediately provide permanent residence for graduates of master's programs, even without a work contract.
Canadian College Tuition Fees
The cost of studying at a Canadian university is usually around 15,000 CAD per year. Textbooks are expensive, about 1000 CAD. Accommodation in 1 room will cost ~ 400 CAD per month. If you rent an apartment, then from 1000 CAD per month. Meals will cost 400-600 CAD per month. Monthly pass - 100 CAD (sometimes included in the tuition fee).
Thus, the cost of obtaining higher education in Canada is from 21,000 USD per year. College fees can be broken down into parts.
Refund of part of the money for studying in Canada
The good news for those planning to stay in Canada after their studies and start working: in the coming years, you will receive about 20% of the money you paid for your studies back in the form of a tax credit.
Canada has long been one of the most popular countries for immigration. About 70% of the population of the state are immigrants. It attracts, first of all, with economic stability and a high standard of living of the population. There is work in Canada for Russians as well. What are the characteristics of the Canadian labor market? How can you find a job?
Working in Canada attracts immigrants from all over the world primarily with a decent level of wages and social security. Foreigners who have permanent jobs receive a residence permit under a simplified scheme.
There is practically no unemployment in the country, but there is still competition. The authorities' immigration policy is aimed at attracting intellectual resources from other states.
The list of demanded professions is annually replenished with new ones. At the same time, Russians who worked or are working in Canada always speak positively about the country.
Popular cities for work
Foreign nationals are more likely to find employment in major Canadian cities. There will always be work in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal. The unemployment rate here is well below the national average.
What vacancies and where can I find
Before you start looking for a job, there are a few things to consider. The applicant must know one of the state languages - English or French. Moreover, he must have certificates confirming knowledge. The list of in-demand vacancies directly depends on the region where the foreigner is going to work. Visit cicic.ca to check if your qualifications meet Canadian requirements.
How can Russians find work in Canada? There may be several options here. The most effective way is employment through acquaintances and connections. The Russian diaspora will also help in finding work. Job advertisements can be found in such well-known print media as The Gazette, Vancouver Sun, National Post. In addition, you can use specialized sites:
- ca.indeed.com
- careerjet.ca
- canadajobs.com
- eluta.ca
- jobbank.gc.ca
- jobs-emplois.gc.ca
- linkedin.com
- monster.ca
- workopolis.com
The bulk of the population works in the service sector (70%), industrial (28%) and agricultural (1.6%) sectors. The most in demand in Canada are medical workers, oil workers, financial analysts, and technical specialists.
Natives of the CIS countries mainly work in such professions as a truck driver, welder, roofer, concrete worker, bricklayer, farm handyman, social worker. Women can also work as cleaners, housekeepers, nurses, maids, waitresses, seamstresses, salespeople.
Salaries
Work in Canada is paid differently. Each region has a minimum wage level. Typically, it is at least $ 1,500 per month. The national average wage is $ 3,800 per month. And the average hourly wage is about $ 11.
Legalization of work in Canada
Employment in Canada is possible only under an employment contract. If the applicant has a specialty that involves membership in trade unions and associations, he must obtain a license. This applies, for example, to doctors.
Each region has separate requirements for foreign applicants. However, the general condition is to obtain a work permit.
The employer must first obtain permission from the local authorities to enroll a foreign citizen. A foreigner can be hired by a Canadian employer as long as it does not infringe on the labor rights of local residents.
How to get a work permit and who doesn't need it
Work in Canada is not possible without obtaining permission from Labor Market Impact Assessment. You can get it through your employer. To do this, he must send a request to the local office of the Ministry of Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSDC).
If the Department confirms that the employment of the foreign national meets the labor standards and needs of Canada, a work permit is issued. After that, you can start applying for a work visa.
You do not need to obtain a work permit:
- Information technology workers.
- Social workers caring for the sick, elderly, children.
- Specialists working in the framework of international agreements NAFTA and CCFTA.
- Entrepreneurs transferred to a branch of their company in Canada.
- Participants of exchange programs.
- Students sent for internships.
- For teachers and students.
- Religious workers.
- Refugees.
Do I need diploma nostrification
Nostrification of a diploma may also be required to get a job in Canada. This applies to applicants who intend to work in professions that require special education or qualifications (for example, engineer, construction worker, doctor). Nostrification is not needed for blue-collar jobs.
Medical examination
At first glance, this is obvious: it is easier to find work in Toronto than in any small city. But sometimes a metropolitan education can turn into a minus, not a plus.
For clarity, we will give an example from Moscow life: a young specialist who graduated from a Moscow university and comes for an interview with an employer has overestimated salary expectations. He is sure that the employer is ready to pay him more than a graduate of a provincial university. And he's wrong.
The employer first takes any person for a trial period and will part with this person without regret if expectations are not met. And a person from the provinces is ready to start work for less money, and that is why it is easier for him to find a job. And after a year (usually just a year later, the first large increase in wages occurs) the salary of the conditional "provincial" reaches the level corresponding to his real competence.
And the employer also knows that the “conditional provincial” is ready to work harder than his metropolitan competitor, and diligence is the most important quality when a person gains authority. So it is not harder for a "provincial", but easier to get a job. And most importantly, at the same time, he spends about 30% less on his education than a resident of a metropolis.
Mistake 2: “Canada is a country of emigrants. Staying there is a matter of technology. "
Indeed, any foreign student who graduated from a Canadian university (college or university) has the right to stay in the country to work and change his status.
But this rule has a number of limitations. One of the main ones is that the educational institution that a foreigner graduates must have government accreditation (at least, the accreditation of the Ministry of Education of the province in which he is located). There are also non-accredited educational institutions in Canada, and they work quite legally for themselves, but it is impossible to stay after graduation ...
Mistake 3: "You have to study at the university, and only C grade students study in colleges"
This stereotype is based on the fact that college applicants do have lower (albeit very insignificant) entrance requirements. And the cost of training is also slightly lower.
For example: a year of study at a really decent one will cost 10-12,000 Canadian dollars per year (8-9,000 USD), and a year of study at a university will cost 14,000 Canadian dollars per year (10,700 USD).
Let's unveil why Canadian colleges are actually more popular than universities.
Foreigners who want to save money act according to the following scheme: within 2-3 years they receive a professional education in college, then find a job and after that, having received the status of "permanent resident" (permanent residence), they go to finish their studies at the university for a bachelor's degree. At the same time, they pay much less - not as foreign students, but as local residents. This scheme is even more beneficial for those who do not want to stop at a bachelor's degree and enroll in a master's degree.
So it’s not only C grade students who study in colleges, but people who manage money wisely.
Mistake 4. "The higher the level of education, the easier it is to find a job"
Canada is a country where there is no cult of higher education. The average Canadian goes to college and starts working. The moment he needs to change his profession or take a step forward in the career ladder, he finishes his bachelor's degree. And only top managers and those who plan to go into science receive a master's degree.
The employer's logic is simple: a person with a master's degree needs to be paid more, therefore, he should occupy a higher position. People often have to hide their master's degree and show only their first higher education diploma when applying for a job.
What should foreigners who have already received higher education do? The same thing that Canadians themselves do - to apply not for a master's degree, but for other postgraduate education programs: a postgraduate certificate or a postgraduate diploma.
Where can you get such a post-graduate education?
If the decision to get a master's degree in you is firm, like the rocks of Flight Rocks in British Columbia, then get it at least where international departments work well and the university is interested in the further success (in employment) of its foreign students.
Let us explain. Take McGill or the University of Toronto - extremely prestigious and fantastically snobbish universities. “Be happy that you are studying with us,” reads the faces of university officials. And universities that are slightly younger (and therefore a little less well-known) care incomparably more about their students, including foreign ones, because places in ratings, surveys and analytical reviews depend on the level of employment of graduates. The higher the percentage of employment, the more new applicants there will be next year.
Mistake 5: "I'm smart enough to get admission and visa on my own."
The choice of a university is a choice of fate. This choice can only be made by yourself. But in order to avoid mistakes, it is worth listening to the people who have already helped several thousand students to get an education in Canada and, in fact, start a new life.