Considering moving to Canada

Last activity 09 March 2015 by splashycat

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Matthew BadenhorstMember03 March 2015 11:53:38

Hi all.

I am a 22 year old, South African male Currently working as a Fashion and Lifestyle photographer In Cape Town.

I Grew up In Cape Town and have been living here my whole life, And now I am craving a change. The work here as a photographer is pretty Slow and outdated Compared to other countries. I have thought about moving countries for a while now and Canada has been top of the list.

My girlfriend of 4 years is also very keen on the idea. She is currently Doing her second year in Human Resources through UNISA and has the advantage of studying abroad. I on the other hand only have a diploma in photography but wish to Work and maybe study marketing when or if I arrive in Canada. Both our families are very supportive of us and are willing to fund the first few months of our move (with intent of paying it back).

Now my question is.

What is life on that side of the world from a fellow South Africans point of view?

How difficult is it finding work there compared to South Africa?
( I have had some pretty Tedious jobs, so dont mind getting my hands dirty)

Would we be able to live on minimum wage or entry level jobs until something better is found?
( I know I wont just land a photography job straight away so anything will do)

How is living there as a young adventurous adult?

Hope to hear some good things!

Matt

MarjorieViP04 March 2015 04:38:42

1352

Hello Matt,

Welcome to Expat-blog and congratulation for your 1st post

We do have a Living in Canada guide section which can help on the subject and also you can download the Canada Expat Guide, where you can fetch maximum informations while awaiting for other members to interact.

Happy reading!

Marjorie

splashycatNew member09 March 2015 23:33:23

Hi Matt
I'm not sure if I can be very much help, but I can give you some advise. I'm not a young South African..I'm 39, married with kids. We have been living in Canada for a year and a half. We rent a house in Oakville which is one of the most expensive, but nicest suburbs near Toronto to live. The cost of living generally, is extremely high-bargain on about 3 to 4x more than SA for everything. Jobs are plentiful if you aren't fussy, and minimum wage is around $10 an hour I think. You should check out ads for photography jobs on Kijiji in the meantime.
What type of visa do you intend to come over with? We are currently on a 3 year work permit and have just applied for permanent residency. They have changed the whole structure of this, so we aren't sure if we will get it.
There seem to be many young people your age around..especially in the city and living in suburbs just outside of Toronto. Living in the city is EXTREMELY expensive. You can get a feel for rental prices on Kijiji too..(check GTA)
I'm not sure whereabouts in Canada you want to live. Winter is brutal (very very cold), but spring and summer is fantastic. If you like the outdoors, this is the country to be. There are loads of provincial parks where you can camp (and take pics..). Skiing and snowboarding is also very popular in the winter. Vancouver is a lot warmer, but more expensive than here.
I'm not sure what else you would like to know. I hope that helps you a bit!
Cathy

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