First Post

This blog offers back dated information based on the post-graduation employment experiences that my partner and I have encountered. Upon completing Masters degrees in Canada we have lived and worked in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. We hope that this blog offers a portal for advice, information and general discussion on international moving and employment. This is not a forum for job seekers per se, as we do not view this as a site for job postings. We hope to cover all that we can in terms of international moving, relocation, money, investing, taxes, mental health (not un-related to taxes!) and any other issues that present themselves as we progress. As this information is based on our own experiences, some issues may be specific to Canadians working internationally, or completely non-international related issues as they come up but are worth noting. We will try to emphasize when this is the case. In the end we hope this blog will provide information to those potentially relocating internationally that would have benefited us during our moves.

America Bound

Many Canadians struggle with the decision to move to the States. The much reported 'Brain Drain' was all over the news at the time (at least in Canada...in the US was it the Brain Fill?). At the end of the day for us, it was a matter of trying something new in a place that was (seemingly) familiar and, more importantly, accessible by U-Haul van.

My partner had an offer of employment and a Masters degree in a field on the NAFTA Professional Job Series list which, we discovered, made the relocation and visa issues far more straightforward than we had anticipated. She was able to apply for a TN Visa at the US/Canada border with an offer of employment, a valid passport, and $50 US fee. The last requirement was no small point, as in 2002 the Canadian Dollar was trading at 0.65 cents US! Of course if one converts the other way it is obvious what much of the Brain Drain was about.

The main warning we were told when going to the states for the initial job interview was DO NOT say you are going for a job interview when at the border. Nobody every expanded on what would happen, but needless to say anything out of the ordinary at the border may be frowned upon by the good men and women who guard the 49^th parallel.

The main sticking point for the entire relocation was that in 2002 a Canadian spouse or common-law partner was not able to work in the US without a visa of their own. Which meant my daydreams of maxin' and relaxin' on the sofa with Comedy Central (not available in Canada) were quickly dashed. Long story short, I was able to find a job quickly and present my offer of employment for my own TN Visa at the border. I would have been allowed to travel to the US and stay, but again our financial situation at that time would not have smiled upon this.

As of 2005 I don't think Canadians are even required to apply for the TN Visa if on 'the list'. To be sure, further (and more importantly constantly updated information) can be found at the following website:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1274.html

Graduation!

As is typical of many successful graduates, our graduation was going to mean changes. No more student poverty. No more living off student loans. A well deserved steady income. All the clichés. To properly start this blog of our experience seeking enlightening employment internationally (and the monetary reward we surely thought would be waiting) it would be good to begin with some basics.

If you are fortunate enough to have landed your dream job straight out of school, you can skip this part. For those who found themselves questioning both their initial employment (and income) level, you are not alone. We only discovered the book recently:

I Went to College for This?: How to Turn Your Entry Level Job Into a Career You Love by Amy Joyce.

At the very least it gives you the satisfaction of knowing that you are not alone. I recommend visiting your local library for a copy if you were even remotely near the dire financial circumstances that we were.

For the Canadians reading, post-graduation talk will no doubt lead one to discussions of the government run Canada Student Loans program. Say what you will about the program, but it does provide for many who could not otherwise to attend University in Canada. But they are terrible to pay back. I will not go into detail here, as there are other forums for such discussions, but I will give a few useful sites for those in need:

http://www.members.shaw.ca/frasie/bad.htm

(Again, at least you are not alone)

http://www.canadastudentdebt.ca/

(Independent advice for those in need)

http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/debtplanner/debtplanner.jsp

(Very useful tool to determine what extra payments will mean to any loans)

There are many sites that go into further detail on these issues, this is just a primer. A google search will surely lead you to more specific information. Any postings with additional issues or experiences are of course welcome.