CASE STUDIES

Let’s take a look at three people who are thinking about moving to, and working in, Canada. Each has different expectations and priorities. We will consider their individual needs, the problems they might encounter and how these difficulties can be resolved.

Samantha Curry seeks a complete change

Samantha is looking for a complete change of lifestyle. She is bored with her life in Britain and her job as a dietitian at the local hospital. She visited Vancouver on holiday last year and fell in love with the lifestyle there. She is 24 years old and single, living at home with her widowed mother. Sam doesn’t intend to move to Canada for the rest of her life, but would like to try it for a few years.

Having already visited Canada, Samantha has a fairly good, if perhaps superficial, idea of the lifestyle there. She is determined that she wants to live and work in Canada for a few years but her widowed mother, whose impression of Canada is one of Eskimos and frozen wastes, is concerned.

Samantha shows her mother some of the information she has already gathered about Canada, pointing out that almost 80 per cent of Canadians live in major towns and cities.

‘The United Nations named Canada the best place in the world to live. They can’t have been talking about living in igloos, can they?’ Sam points out.

Sam’s mother is a bit more comfortable with the idea, but still feels she needs to know a lot more before she will be happy about it.

George Robins wants to further his career

A 38-year-old electronics engineer, George has felt for some time that his career has not been progressing as he would wish. He wants to work in a more forward-looking country, but does not fancy moving himself, his wife and two young children to the United States. He sees Canada as the ideal compromise. Although nervous about the move, his family supports his ambition and is willing to take up a new life in Canada.

George gathers the family together for a discussion. His wife is concerned about how they will fit in.

‘Won’t they think of us as foreign?’ she wonders. ‘And we don’t speak French.’

George explains the multicultural aspect of Canadian life. His wife is surprised to learn that people of so many nationalities make their home there.

‘And French is only one of the official languages,’ George points out. ‘In most parts you don’t need it at all.’

George and his family realise that they have quite a bit still to learn about life in Canada and decide to get some books from the library. There the librarian tells them that the Internet contains a wealth of information about Canada and suggests a few sites to start off with, such as www.canada.org.uk Back home, the family is able to learn a great deal more about the very different areas of Canada and begins to get quite excited about the proposed move.

Lucy Martin thinks the grass may be greener

Lucy is in her first year of a degree course in environmental studies at East Anglia University. After two years of A levels and then going straight to university, she badly feels the need for a break.

A friend mentions the BUNAC Work Canada programme. He went on it himself a couple of years ago and had a great time. He is now a BUNAC representative at the college.

‘But how did you survive?’ Lucy asks. ‘Did they find jobs for you?’

‘It’s up to you to find jobs, but they can give you lots of assistance. You can either try to get something before you go or bite the bullet and start looking when you arrive.’

‘I think I’d rather find something before I leave,’ says Lucy. ‘I don’t have very much money saved. Just that bit I got when Mum died last year.’

‘Didn’t you say you had an aunt living in Canada?’

Indeed Lucy’s mother was Canadian and her sister still lives in Ottawa. Lucy’s friend explains that with a personal sponsor, she will need less funding.

Lucy joins BUNAC and attends a Work Canada Info Session, after which she is very enthusiastic. She tells her friend she has decided to go ahead with the year out.

‘Great. You’ll have a fantastic time. After all, Canada is the ideal place for someone doing environmental studies.’

‘Why?’ asks Lucy.

‘Well, it’s a big place. Bound to have lots of environment.’

Lucy laughs, but is still nervous about the venture.