It has been six weeks or so since I landed at Calgary airport but looking back now I'm amazed at how time has flown. I thought it may be useful to write down what I've been upto and what I've found out during this time in case it helps anyone else attempting to move to Canada (or another country as it all applies) .. some of this may be irrelevant to your cause but I hope some of it is some use :-)
Finding an apartment / house
I looked for somewhere central to the places I wanted to be able to walk or bus to (I don't intend to get a car for a month or two still) - things like downtown, cinema, work, supermarket etc. I was staying in a nice little B&B in Calgary whilst I looked for somewhere to live and I found there was plenty of accommodation around the areas I wanted to be (thanks to Jason for helping drive me around before I got here to get a feel for the different suburbs :-) ). I found for the difference of just 50-75 dollars you could vary between a dingy 1 bedroom basement apartment to a nice airy south-facing 1 bedroom apartment with a balcony - so its definitely worth being patient and not panicking into taking the first place you find.
Finding a job
I had applied to a number of different places before I left the UK and had lined up a number of phone & in-person interviews during the 6 week process. I'd also made sure I took the advice of a friend of a friend who gave a list of agencies to send a resume to (followed up by a phone call). One of these agencies got back to me a few weeks later with a potential job role which my resume matched. In the end I met with the agency, had an interview and I'm happy to say that I've got a job that starts in a week or two. Ignoring the money side of things (which is always useful!) it'll be good to be working again as I do like making sure I feel I have used my brain and had a good day at work :-) Whilst its worth looking at various online recruitment agencies for the region that you're interested in, don't underestimate the networking potential by asking friends/friends of friends or via sites like linkedin.com for advice/knowledge etc. I was very thankful that someone who I met volunteered to pass my resume around their contacts if I didn't have any luck with one or two of my interviews - this was a very kind gesture that was really appreciated.
Watch the pennies (without being a scrooge)
As its a condition of entry to the country that you have a certain amount of money which should last (in theory) 6 months or so, it's a good idea to budget and write down all your in and out of country commitments, working out what money you have and how long it'd last. I did this early on to make sure I could cover my lease/rent along with electricity, food & phone costs covered etc - I didn't spend huge amounts of money on things to start with but I made sure that I didn't sit around doing nothing.. just use some common sense :-)
Get bank accounts/credit cards sorted
I set up my bank account as soon as I arrived into the city as I knew it'd be one of the more paperwork intensive things! Essentially I have a bank account with a line of credit being arranged (in the form of an overdraft) and I've applied for a credit card through the bank - this is a good way to start to build a credit history in the country. Take a credit card with a low enough limit and use it as you would a debit card every month - making sure you automatically pay it off completely at the end of the month. Over a 3-6 month period your credit history will demonstrate your ability to make regular payments & not fall behind.
Get money transferred
I made a little mistake to start with - I didn't predict just how badly the exchange rates could potentially impact me. Thankfully, this may not cause me too many issues but its something be aware of as you get ready to move money about. When I arrived on the 6th of Feb the rate was CA$1.66 to £1 .. a week or two later it dropped to $1.55. Assuming you have £10,000 to transfer then the drop in rate I experienced is an effective $1000 'disappearance' in funds. I know in theory rates can go up as well as down but I'd recommend to anyone with large amounts of cash to transfer that you get advice from one of these companies who specialize in money transfers between countries - they may be to make sure you get the most for your money.
Meet people & start to settle in
There are various ways you can do this which I've found to be worthwhile (depending what you like doing of course) - meet people at live events, through work, in the pub, running or other sports clubs etc. There is lots to do in most places and its just a case of researching, asking around and getting on with it. I found when I got to the city that it could be quite disorientating .. having spoken to a number of different people who I know have emigrated to different countries, they've all told me the same thing and the disorientation is quiet normal. Homesickness, missing family members and filling the void with new friends and colleagues is all part of the emigration process :-)
Arrange the things you may normally take for granted
There are lots of things to arrange which I normally take for granted. I've started to work my way through this list although some of the things may wait until I start getting a pay check and know things will be stable :-) The list of things include opening a electricity/gas supplier account, registering for the provincial health insurance scheme (although you have a 3 month wait as a new resident), arranging for driving lessons/test/license (each province is different), setting up a mobile phone contract (if you don't want to continue being harassed by awful pay as you go costs), home contents insurance, think about when to buy/lease a car to get you about, and so on..
Explore!
I will admit that I was really spoilt when I first arrived into Canada as I had somewhere to go in the mountains in order to chill out and relax with friends (before the serious business of finding somewhere to live & work kicked in). I love the mountains, open space and outdoors - it was one of the main reasons I decided to move here and it was really good for me to get out there before heading to the city. Whilst the mountains are only 60-90 minutes away by car for me, there is still plenty to do here - you have to remember there is likely to be plenty to do within bus & walking distance. Get out and explore - find shops, places to visit, places to enjoy a coffee and watch the world go by - whatever your taste happens to be. Remember why you moved to Canada (or other country) and start to make the most out of it :-)
And last of all, I thought I'd share a photograph that is a stitch comprising of other photographs. The photo overlooks the valley where Fernie, BC sits as well as looking across to the ski hill, Mt Fernie, the three sisters, Mt Proctor etc.. Spring is coming :-)
