# Just after some help to a few questions



## sout101 (Mar 6, 2012)

Hi Guys, 
We have been talking about moving from the UK to Canada for some time but I still have a few questions before I take the plunge. 
Currently in the UK I work away from home Monday-Friday as there is very little well payed work where I live, but this is having an impact on my family life which Is hugely important in my decision to look away from the UK. 
My partners family all live in Toronto so we would most probably be heading in that direction, I know it is frowned upon to ask about wages but in order for me calculate wether I can actually afford a house once we sell ours in the UK i would need to have a rough idea what I would be earning, I understand I may be payed a little less until I get into the Canadian way and I also understand it will be a steep learning curve to begin with but if somebody could help me out that would be great feel free to pm me if it is not allowed on here. 
Also we are thinking of heading over to Canada in the summer to visits family and do abit of research and wondered if anybody would be willing to have me on site for a day?j ust so i can get an idea as to what I can expect if we do move over.
Just want to do things right this time as I have previously lived in New Zealand but that was when there was just the 2 of us now we have a little one we can't just bag our bags and go, so to speak. 
Cheers for any help guys.


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## SamM (Dec 13, 2009)

I believe it's pricing questions that are frowned on. Average wages are posted by the Canadian government, as well as labor market outlooks (I.e. Current hiring potential, future industry growth). 

If you do a google search for carpenters wages in Toronto you should be able to find something that would give you a good idea. 

You may want to consider Edmonton instead of Toronto to start. Not sure of the immigration process, but I know that they are so desperate for trades out there that there are companies that will recruit you and get you hired and help navigate the immigration process. 

And welcome to Canada, eh?


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## sout101 (Mar 6, 2012)

Hi Sam
I have checked a few sites on google and they vary quite a lot i even did one for the UK and it was the same. So figured here may give me a better idea, 

I have not looked at Edmonton at all to be fair, but think she has her heart set on joining her family in Toronto. The immigration process is pretty simple as The better half is a Canadian citizen already so I am just tagging along so to speak. I'm happy to try anywhere if we get more quality family time than we do at present. The wages are a big question as currently we live quite well and don't want to make the move to be struggling if know what I mean.


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

Why don't you PM each other and cover some of the inside details---


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## Brutus (May 29, 2007)

There is a sub on reddit about immigration to Canada.

http://www.reddit.com/r/ImmigrationCanada

Maybe you can find some help there on the process of immigration.


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## rotarex (Mar 31, 2008)

Carpenter Wages in Toronto is only for those in the UNION. anywhere from $25-$40/hr
Union Build Houses, condos, Industrial, Commercial, City Work. 

The majority in order to be in the JUNION its a 2-4 years wait. 
so you would have to find a job working for a non union company like my self 
there is about *1000 *of us 
out of the 10000 about only 100 knows what they are doing as a skill 
out of the 100 about only 10 knows how to be a proper business man

so if i was giving advice to come to work here, it would be. show me your portfolio, what can you bring to the table, in terms of skill and attitude. 

other than that good luck.


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## Chris Johnson (Apr 19, 2007)

Define your quality of life.

Toronto is a great city, it has everything here, but be prepared to pay for it as well.

Since you will be new here, and most likely starting work without recommendations or contacts the pay grade will not be great, so unless your wife is working you maybe living paycheque to paycheque until you get firmly established.

I know western Canada has some very lucrative wages but also has higher housing and food costs which negates the additional wages.

So unless your from a cultural background that you can live with many other family members under one roof, the getting started will be a challenge.


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## BrentD (Nov 22, 2013)

I hope you like sitting in traffic!

Toronto can pay very well but living there is expensive. A lot of guys live outside of the city and commute in everyday. They would rather pay $10 000 a year in fuel then live in the city. 

What are you looking to do exactly? Framing?


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## asgoodasdead (Aug 30, 2013)

I don't think you can really compare apples to apples. there's the exchange rate, different tax rate, cost of living, etc. but it also greatly depends on what lifestyle you're used to. you said you live very comfortably right now. maybe you'll make less money in Toronto but you'll have more time to spend with your family and watching your kid grow up. and your partner will be happier being close to her family. so you gotta decide what's more important.


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## sout101 (Mar 6, 2012)

asgoodasdead said:


> I don't think you can really compare apples to apples. there's the exchange rate, different tax rate, cost of living, etc. but it also greatly depends on what lifestyle you're used to. you said you live very comfortably right now. maybe you'll make less money in Toronto but you'll have more time to spend with your family and watching your kid grow up. and your partner will be happier being close to her family. so you gotta decide what's more important.


Yeah the money isn't a massive factor I just would like to see what we would be able to afford if we did make the move. Family time and the great outdoors are the main reasons if I am going to be honest so that is more important to me. 

Brent I would prefer to do a mix if it was possible, as I do here. I did framing in NZ but eventually settled with a GC who had a team who did it all and the variation in work seemed to suit me.


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## Deckhead (Dec 9, 2010)

Just out of curiosity what is a partner you have a kid with? 

What part of England? Can't you just move to another part of England or some other area of Britain where you can make a decent wage and live?


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## sout101 (Mar 6, 2012)

A girlfriend then as we are not married so she is not my wife so partner sounds better ha


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## FRAME2FINISH (Aug 31, 2010)

She's still taking half your ****!!!! Call her your wife for crying outloud!!!


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## sout101 (Mar 6, 2012)

FRAME2FINISH said:


> She's still taking half your ****!!!! Call her your wife for crying outloud!!!


Half of nothing is still nothing lol. 
Ok she is now my wife that will make her day


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

sout101 said:


> Half of nothing is still nothing lol. Ok she is now my wife that will make her day


Congratulations on the new wife. :laughing:


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

There is no guarantees you will land a job or be making the going rates when you move there.
Making a move from one country to another is a big step, and going there with nothing waiting for you, or a job being lined up, you need savings to carry your family and pay the bills, unless you have a family you will mooch from for the time being until you find something. 
Like others said Canada is no Peaches there and cost of living is up there, so you better plan this out or try and have your family to find you a job, so you can survive for the time being, before depleting your savings.


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## C2projects (Jan 9, 2013)

In residential the average wage (in calgary atleast) is $13.00-$15.00 an hour that's for a labourer. It goes up from there but from my experience while I was an employee it maxed out at $25.00. 

In commercial I have heard there's more money as an employee. The other benefit is that usually if you're on with a big company they will also pay for your schooling.


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## FRAME2FINISH (Aug 31, 2010)

Happier than you ever thought it would lol

Unless she plain hates you then you have my condolences !!!!


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## FRAME2FINISH (Aug 31, 2010)

Oh god I posted at 2 am lol I was in a loader all night not pushing snow, had to do something to keep awake!!!


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## muskoka guy (Nov 16, 2013)

I live two hours north of Toronto. Wages around here average between 20 and 35 dollars an hour. Anything over 25 is hard to come by unless you work for yourself or are very skilled. An earlier post addressed the union issue. Housing in Toronto is expensive. Barrie is about 45 minutes north of Toronto and has been growing steady for a long time. Might find some prospects there. In Muskoka where I live, we have a tourist based economy. We have managed to stay busy in the high end cottage business. Baby boomers from the city who have cottaged here for years are retiring and moving north out of the city. Toronto is very ethically diverse. I worked in the city for 10 years and when things got tough I found it hard to compete against ethnic builders who would work for almost nothing to stay working. They say Toronto has a housing bubble that is going to burst. If this happens it will be the same as back in the nineties when I left. Everyone cuts each others throats to stay employed. As long as they keep the interest rates low, the building industry will keep going. If the rates start going up I think times are going to get tough again in the city. Good luck to you and welcome to Canada.


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