JUST CURIOUS 15

[nifez]

Just a quick question about job prospects in ur respective areas.
As a newly graduated engineer from N.Ireland, i had every intention of moving to Canada (Got some family there, always here wonderful things about it), however after reading through some of these posts it seems Canada is NOT the place to be for engineers, in terms of having a succesful career.
As i am still young i feel decisions like this will greatly influence my future(if any) in engineering.
Job prospects for graduating engineers in N.Ireland are at best poor.(what with the guy who fixes the television being an electrical engineer!!)
These were my reasons for wanting to move in the first place, and im still keen to leave this country.
So i was just wandering wot working conditions, salaries, job prospects etc, for engineers are like where ur from?

 

[QCE]

Nifez for your info.

This will work for you.

I did a similar thing for my trip to the UK.(check out program B)

This is regarding people from IRELAND coming to Canada:

PROGRAM A Student General Working Holiday
Requirements
must be a citizen of Ireland
You must be a full-time student in Ireland or completed your studies within the previous 12 months
Aged 18-30 (inclusive)
First come first served basis
Applications take 4-6 weeks to process
No fee payable
Visa valid for 12 months
Have a written job offer from a Canadian employer
Full details at:

http://www.canada.org.uk/visa-info/visit/e_stuwrk.htm

PROGRAM B USIT
Requirements are similar to Program A EXCEPT you don’t need a written job offer from a Canadian employer.

You must apply through USIT:

USIT
19-21 Aston Quay
O’Connell Bridge
Dublin 2
Republic of Ireland

http://www.usit.ie

Other Requirements
one time only
residents of Northern Ireland are not eligible
applications take up to 8 weeks to process
cost is $254.68

 

[QCE]

The must apply through USIT thing is not necessary.

 

[nifez]

QCE: Im from Northern Ireland, so that wont work, but thanks for the info, maybe try and get an irish passport now, lol.

frenchcanuck: My degree is accredited by IEEE, so hopefully that should be enough.

moltenmetal: i know its gonna be tough, but thats life. I promise i wont complain if i have no luck. Will keep a diary of my experience, so you can see how i got on.

Thanks for all the help guys, think ive got enough to get through the points system, plus my partner has a good masters degree, also i have alot of family already there so i think ive got a good chance.

 

[moltenmetal]

Nifez: welcome, and you have my best wishes. Again, Canada's a great place to live with an enormous amount to offer. It's a very accepting society for newcomers, and that makes for an exciting cultural mix. But I still strongly recommend that you treat Toronto as a place to visit only- it's totally saturated with foreign-trained engineers right now and for the forseeable future. Don't make your transition any harder than it needs to be!

"Credential recognition" is a bit of a misnomer- the only person who really has to recognize your degree is your employer. If your Bachelor's degree is from a UK institution you are probably OK from a credential recognition standpoint for licensure too- but you will still need four years of mentored experience to get a license, at least one year of which must be in Canada. Some people find that to be a virtually insurmountable barrier given the current oversupply situation. But from the uninformed viewpoint of most employers, your degree will seem more familiar than that of someone from an institute in China or India etc. and that may mean you'll have a better chance of finding a job without a Canadian degree or prior Canadian experience than someone with credentials from these places, regardless of their absolute quality.

Remember that in Canada a license to practice professional engineering is neither necessary to find work as an employee engineer, nor is it a guarantee of work once you have one. Some recent immigrants seem to think it's the latter, and that it's the lack of a license alone which is keeping them from finding employment- and it's a total misconception.

If you intend to seek licensure, you are strongly recommended to begin the process in the province you intend to settle in BEFORE you leave your home country. It'll be easier to arrange getting the transcripts sent in etc. from home than it will from Canada.

Keep us up to date with your status!