[pitt]

Scotian do you know if these safety companies in Canada fly workers overseas for every hitch? I know this british guy who just moved to Australia and he said the companies there dont pay for him to fly back to England, every time he wants to go back to England, he needs to buy his own ticket after his hitch.

I am wondering if canadian companies buy expat tickets to fly to their homes. It will be nice if they would pay for the tickets after a 28 days hitch.

[scotian]

(02-04-2012 03:23 PM)pitt Wrote:  

Scotian do you know if these safety companies in Canada fly workers overseas for every hitch? I know this british guy who just moved to Australia and he said the companies there dont pay for him to fly back to England, every time he wants to go back to England, he needs to buy his own ticket after his hitch.

I am wondering if canadian companies buy expat tickets to fly to their homes. It will be nice if they would pay for the tickets after a 28 days hitch.

Pitt, I doubt they do but I'm not too sure, most safety guys I know work a 2 weeks on, 1 off shift. That's typical shift in the oil sands, not too many guys work 1 month on, 1 off (I did for awhile and my company gave me $1000 for flights each shift), most prefer 12/7, 10/4, 21/7, etc because they want to make more money to buy stuff like trucks, house, ATVs, etc.

You could get a seasonal safety gig and only work maintenance shut downs then go wherever you want when the gig is up.

[Hades]

How much money can I make as a mechanical engineer?
Or a petroleum engineer?
Thanks
Hades

[Atlantic]

(02-06-2012 08:17 PM)Hades Wrote:  

How much money can I make as a mechanical engineer?
Or a petroleum engineer?
Thanks
Hades

Hey man there is loads of good job websites to check wages on. Bit of a vague question to be honest. Depends on how many hours you work/where you are at/ how good you are etc...

Not to give out to you but Scotian has put up some high quality info here so best not to ask questions that show little or no background research on your own behalf. Again not trying to discourage you but moving to Canada will take some self-motivation and organisation so best to realise that at the start and then come back when your questions show some effort and planning.

[Hades]

(02-10-2012 03:44 PM)Irishman Wrote:  

(02-06-2012 08:17 PM)Hades Wrote:  

How much money can I make as a mechanical engineer?
Or a petroleum engineer?
Thanks
Hades

Hey man there is loads of good job websites to check wages on. Bit of a vague question to be honest. Depends on how many hours you work/where you are at/ how good you are etc...

Not to give out to you but Scotian has put up some high quality info here so best not to ask questions that show little or no background research on your own behalf. Again not trying to discourage you but moving to Canada will take some self-motivation and organisation so best to realise that at the start and then come back when your questions show some effort and planning.

Thanks for the reply.
I'm considering doing something like this once I graduate so I can get rid of my debt as fast as possible. Totally willing to put in maximum effort once I'm able to (in two years).
It's just that all the engineering firms and contractors that I have found on the internet (related to the oil boom) don't list anything about a basic wage for this particular job. I guess I'll keep looking or email one of the contractors or something.

[Atlantic]

(02-11-2012 07:53 PM)Hades Wrote:  

(02-10-2012 03:44 PM)Irishman Wrote:  

(02-06-2012 08:17 PM)Hades Wrote:  

How much money can I make as a mechanical engineer?
Or a petroleum engineer?
Thanks
Hades

Hey man there is loads of good job websites to check wages on. Bit of a vague question to be honest. Depends on how many hours you work/where you are at/ how good you are etc...

Not to give out to you but Scotian has put up some high quality info here so best not to ask questions that show little or no background research on your own behalf. Again not trying to discourage you but moving to Canada will take some self-motivation and organisation so best to realise that at the start and then come back when your questions show some effort and planning.

Thanks for the reply.
I'm considering doing something like this once I graduate so I can get rid of my debt as fast as possible. Totally willing to put in maximum effort once I'm able to (in two years).
It's just that all the engineering firms and contractors that I have found on the internet (related to the oil boom) don't list anything about a basic wage for this particular job. I guess I'll keep looking or email one of the contractors or something.

What exactly are you studying? The more detailed you make your search the more useful the information you’ll find. I am happy to help you out, or anyone else, when I get there and have some firsthand knowledge of the industry.
From what Scotian has already written above I have come up with the following game plan for myself:

1.Get my foot in the door
I started a LinkedIn account to apply for jobs in Canada and I instantly started receiving emails from people looking for me to hire them. LOTS of emails. All promising me they will travel to Canada and are really well qualified etc. It doesn’t make any sense since I am not a company but it does show one thing. That the real companies are probably receiving a ton of emails full of promises and can’t decipher who is worthy to hire. So I have decided to take any job which just gets me out there and gives me a chance to actually start working there. Which brings me to my next step…

2.Instantly start networking.
People like hiring people they know and who they have met in person. I am going to show up and network like crazy. It’s all about building a reputation and getting along with the gatekeepers and decision makers. I have seen people move up in jobs really fast just because they know how to make vibe well and network intelligently. It’s a fine line and you don’t want to be a kiss ass or put yourself across to strongly but if you can build a good reputation and get on with people you will get ahead a lot faster.

3.Start looking to jump ship.
Scotian mentioned jumping jobs a lot and you can see his salary has risen quite a lot every year. I will be looking for jobs that have the highest return on investment. Basically what pays well and has me inside in a warm office. I have a degree in engineering management so I am looking to make the most out of that. I am also looking for something that allows me to have a month off now and then.


Personally I am coming over from Ireland to make some serious money and over a few years build an amazing lifestyle. I believe that the stronger my goals going in the better I will do and the quicker I will get results. I am 24 in a few weeks so If I do 5 years of work and use my time off to start some businesses and use my money wisely I should be well set up by 30. Not that I won’t be having fun before that. I surf a lot and love to travel so I will be taking quite a few weeks off to head down to south America.

You have two years before you can start working so start doing some research into your best moves between now and then. I wouldn’t worry too much about the exact wage you will be making because that will always change. Think about what you are going to do with the money so that you can build an amazing lifestyle and move on after a few years. Start looking into books on networking, starting businesses, travel and game. Work on the basics and the rest will fall together. Lots of people make very big money but blow it all or invest it into a very average lifestyle. I’d rather own a cheap surf shop in a cool coastal town in Brazil then a big expensive house in a Calgary suburb if you get my drift.

If you put up some more details on your situation I will give you some more advice I wish I had heard during University but at the end of the day that’s just my take so start looking into why you want to make that money in the first place yourself.

[scotian]

[/quote]

Thanks for the reply.
I'm considering doing something like this once I graduate so I can get rid of my debt as fast as possible. Totally willing to put in maximum effort once I'm able to (in two years).
It's just that all the engineering firms and contractors that I have found on the internet (related to the oil boom) don't list anything about a basic wage for this particular job. I guess I'll keep looking or email one of the contractors or something.
[/quote]

I'm not too sure about the exact wages for professional engineers or engineering summer students, but its safe to say that they would be fairly well remunerated. I see ads for oil sands engineers on http://www.jobbank.gc.ca in the 120-150K range, that would probably be a minimum, a guy with a few years experience will likely make more.

One thing to remember, engineers don't usually work an insane amount of over time like tradesmen do, they have a cushy office job where they sit at a desk all day and tell guys like me what to do, so they don't always make really big dollars, like a welder can.

Engineers don't go to school for 5 years so they can climb around pipe racks in -30 weather or inside boilers wearing a Hazmat suit and working under air where the ambient temperature is +40, that's for grunts like me!

[scotian]

Irishman, sounds like you have some solid plans figured out, do you know when you'll be arriving in Alberta?

I'm not familiar with the Linkedin site, but all I can really say to any guy like you who is moving to Western Canada to work in the oil and gas industries is that you will ALWAYS get better responses once you are actually in province and able to physically meet someone for an interview.

Also, good to hear that you have a long term plan, that's exactly what I did when I moved out in 07' to go to school (I finished that 3-4 year plan last year, need a new one!) and I accomplished all of my goals, and more (paid off all debt, bought property, travel, invest, help family, etc).

Another thing all guys should remember, BE PATIENT, don't expect to land a sweet gig that pays 6 figures and be working for a company that'll fly you in from abroad right away. You may start at the bottom, working with high school drop outs and ex-cons, but if you work hard and impress the right people, you should be able to rise up into a better position easily, especially with your education.

As I've said in other posts, the bar is pretty low here, if your supervisors see that you can handle the job, show up on time, don't fuck the dog too much (everyone does a bit, part of the job!), they'll give you more responsibilities.

Sounds like you've got your head screwed on right, you're right not to want to buy a big huge house in Calgary (you should see the suburban sprawl in that city, like a see of enormous houses from the airport to the city), but I wouldn't be too quick to write off settling in Alberta, once you get here, you may just like it, I know quite a few guys from the UK and Ireland who immigrated and say they love it there, wide open spaces, mountains, etc.

Good luck homie and as we say in Canada, KEEP YOUR STICK ON THE ICE!

[Atlantic]

(02-13-2012 09:34 AM)scotian Wrote:  

Irishman, sounds like you have some solid plans figured out, do you know when you'll be arriving in Alberta?

Thanks Scotian. I have everything sorted really except a solid lead on a job. CEDA have been slow to respond but I am sure I will have a final answer from them this week. I plan to be in Alberta this time next month. I will be arriving on a very tight budget so am very keen to have worked lined up for when I land. Ireland’s recession is out of control so I am getting out as quick as I can.

Either way I will be there this time next month but would be nice to know for sure that I have work when I land. Although I am confident that if I didn’t that I could get hired within a few days. My plan this week is to start ringing every company I can get a number for. I know this is quite a crude approach but I really want as much contacts and job leads as possible for when I land and sending CVs doesn’t seem to be working.

I will start with all the companies listed so far in this post and then whatever else I come across. For me it’s really just about getting there and starting work. Don’t mind putting in a month’s work doing whatever as long as I get my foot in the door. When I get an exact date on flights Ill message I will let people know and keep them up to date on how everything goes. So far has anyone else reading this been successful on securing work or even booking flights? It would be cool if we got a whole crew moving up for the next year or two. That will definitely keep everyone motivated and provide a network benefit each other. Really hope in a months’ time I got the inside scoop to be helping more people get up here.

I will post up again soon and let people know how all these phone calls go.

Scotian are you up there at the moment?

[alecks]

(02-13-2012 04:05 PM)Irishman Wrote:  

(02-13-2012 09:34 AM)scotian Wrote:  

Irishman, sounds like you have some solid plans figured out, do you know when you'll be arriving in Alberta?

Thanks Scotian. I have everything sorted really except a solid lead on a job. CEDA have been slow to respond but I am sure I will have a final answer from them this week. I plan to be in Alberta this time next month. I will be arriving on a very tight budget so am very keen to have worked lined up for when I land. Ireland’s recession is out of control so I am getting out as quick as I can.

Either way I will be there this time next month but would be nice to know for sure that I have work when I land. Although I am confident that if I didn’t that I could get hired within a few days. My plan this week is to start ringing every company I can get a number for. I know this is quite a crude approach but I really want as much contacts and job leads as possible for when I land and sending CVs doesn’t seem to be working.

I will start with all the companies listed so far in this post and then whatever else I come across. For me it’s really just about getting there and starting work. Don’t mind putting in a month’s work doing whatever as long as I get my foot in the door. When I get an exact date on flights Ill message I will let people know and keep them up to date on how everything goes. So far has anyone else reading this been successful on securing work or even booking flights? It would be cool if we got a whole crew moving up for the next year or two. That will definitely keep everyone motivated and provide a network benefit each other. Really hope in a months’ time I got the inside scoop to be helping more people get up here.

I will post up again soon and let people know how all these phone calls go.

Scotian are you up there at the moment?

wow irishman your really going for it. (I actually emailed you about it aswel but not sure if it went through).

Anyway im irish too and the recession is so bad its unreal,hundreds of people are emigrating every month. Im going to do a fas course in some trade (welding,carpentry etc) and actually move over there by this time next year. I just have to bite the bullet in a situation like this.

knowing that Il have to start at the bottom like scotian said,I actually dont mind,it will give me a challenge to work for. I just need to start becoming financially independent from my family at this time. And like what you said about the lifestyle you can build once you work your ass off....SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD lol. Like i know they said its not for everyone (I wouldnt give two shits if i lived in a prison camp/work 14 hour days), but they say the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Best of luck irishman.

[Atlantic]

Hey man and I seen your message but when I went back to response I it was gone. Try sending it again and Ill get back to you again man. Best of luck

[Atlantic]

From making a lot of calls I am thinking the best idea for someone from Europe is to sort out a easy job such as bartending and then apply for proper jobs once you arrive. A lot of companies have told me that they will only talk to people once they are there and ready to go. I am starting to think this is the road I will go down. I had a job setting up tents for parties in Grande Prairie after 5 minutes on the phone with a woman. Not sure if I will take it but is a very handy way to just get to Canada and minimise your costs getting setup.

[DjembaDjemba]

Hi Scotian,

great info.

I'm a Canadian citizen with a Bach in Econ, and a certificate in occupational health and safety (but no experience related to that field). I worked some admin jobs here in the past and now I have a career in sales finance.

Curious to know if I could still learn a trade up there at my age (27) or if it would be easier to find a job based on my past experience (finance/sales/admin)? Will the Health and Safety Cert will come in handy or is it useless? I'm pretty much tapping out of Toronto (tired of these hipsters and the wages are garbage in relation to the living expenses) and I figure the Oil Sands are the place to make a quick legal buck to pay off some debts and learn valuable skills. I've only worked office jobs my whole life however I'm in relatively good shape.

[scotian]

(02-16-2012 10:02 AM)DjembaDjemba Wrote:  

Hi Scotian,

great info.

I'm a Canadian citizen with a Bach in Econ, and a certificate in occupational health and safety (but no experience related to that field). I worked some admin jobs here in the past and now I have a career in sales finance.

Curious to know if I could still learn a trade up there at my age (27) or if it would be easier to find a job based on my past experience (finance/sales/admin)? Will the Health and Safety Cert will come in handy or is it useless? I'm pretty much tapping out of Toronto (tired of these hipsters and the wages are garbage in relation to the living expenses) and I figure the Oil Sands are the place to make a quick legal buck to pay off some debts and learn valuable skills. I've only worked office jobs my whole life however I'm in relatively good shape.

If you want to get into the health and safety field, contact HSE INtegrated Ltd or United Safety for an entry level position, your education and past work experience will come in handy for sure.

Its never too late to learn a new trade, 27 is definitely not too old! The only hard part will be deciding which one, I would recommend getting into one that you could also do elsewhere (electrician, diesel mechanic, plumber,etc). Look into courses at SAIT; NAIT Red Deer College, Keyano college

A good idea would be to take an enty level job with one of the above safety companies, work a few months on site during the busy shut down season, make a few bucks then decide where to go and what to do from there.

Also, dont limit yourself to the oil sands (although thats where most of the work is), also check out NE BC (fort st john, fort nelson), other AB areas (calgary-red deer Edmonton, grande prairie, cold lake, lloydminster, etc) and saskatchewan has lots of work too in regina, estevan, etc (oil and gas, uranium, potash, etc).

As a young Canadian you wont go wrong by moving out west!

Irishman, keep calling companies to see whats out there....unfortunately I'm not in Alberta now (I'm in Colombia til mid April) so I cant help you out but your idea is a good plan, just get a job to hold you over til you find one you want, just make sure you have enough money to sustain yourself for a few weeks (3-5K canadian should be ok)....the farther north you go in Ab, the more work there is!

[phoenix101]

Just read this "article" and thought of this thread: they are looking to fill just under 300 positions but this was mentioned: "Over the next five years, between 75,000 and 90,000 skilled workers will be needed to plug the labour shortage. Recruitment will mainly be in areas of advanced technology, construction, mineral exploration, agriculture and petroleum.
Permanent residency for Irish workers is being fast-tracked by the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Programme."

replace 'link' with 'www' and remove the 'xxx'.

link.xxxbusinessinsider.com/saskatchewan-looks-to-ireland-to-fill-its-labor-shortage-2012-2

link.xxxthejournal.ie/where-in-the-world-saskatchewan-wants-irish-workers-360622-Feb2012/


"Saskatchewan – thumbs down – too difficult to pronounce after a few pints."

[Atlantic]

(02-20-2012 11:07 AM)phoenix101 Wrote:  

Just read this "article" and thought of this thread: they are looking to fill just under 300 positions but this was mentioned: "Over the next five years, between 75,000 and 90,000 skilled workers will be needed to plug the labour shortage. Recruitment will mainly be in areas of advanced technology, construction, mineral exploration, agriculture and petroleum.
Permanent residency for Irish workers is being fast-tracked by the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Programme."

replace 'link' with 'www' and remove the 'xxx'.

link.xxxbusinessinsider.com/saskatchewan-looks-to-ireland-to-fill-its-labor-shortage-2012-2

link.xxxthejournal.ie/where-in-the-world-saskatchewan-wants-irish-workers-360622-Feb2012/


"Saskatchewan – thumbs down – too difficult to pronounce after a few pints."

Nice man. Seems to be quite a few Irish cats on here will similar goals. Hope to see you all there. Heard some bad news today that my visa is delayed 6-8 weeks but that gives me some more time to enjoy Cork.

How are the other Irish people on here getting on?

[NeVerGymLess]

This is the best website to find info about fort mac. Its 200 = pages about guys talking about oil and gas jobs. http://www.alloilandgas.com/forums/threa...e-206.html

[scotian]

(02-24-2012 03:43 PM)NeVerGymLess Wrote:  

This is the best website to find info about fort mac. Its 200 = pages about guys talking about oil and gas jobs. http://www.alloilandgas.com/forums/threa...e-206.html

I just browsed this website and didn't really see anything about work in Fort McMurray, only info about working on drilling/service rigs throughout AB/BC/Sask, which is work I personally would NEVER do, but to each his own I guess.

[elabayarde]

So... Im receiving a Masters Degrees in MEchanical and Aerospace engineering in may. I am so down! For the pay that It sound like u can make. But, can the engineers like double up on contracts or something to get over time hours. Also, has anyone got to the bottom of the American getting a visa B.S.

[scotian]

(02-25-2012 07:32 PM)elabayarde Wrote:  

So... Im receiving a Masters Degrees in MEchanical and Aerospace engineering in may. I am so down! For the pay that It sound like u can make. But, can the engineers like double up on contracts or something to get over time hours. Also, has anyone got to the bottom of the American getting a visa B.S.

With a masters degree in mechanical engineering, you shouldn't have a problem getting a visa into Canada, do some research on the immigration Canada website: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/

I'm sure you'll be well compensated at whichever company you end up working at, don't worry about OT hours, you'll have your hands full learning and doing whatever position you're put into. Trust me, this is a line of work where, if your employers sense that you have half a brain and some decent people skills, you will advance quickly.

I encourage you to come up here and check it out, I've worked with several Americans over the years and they all say that this is the best money that they've ever made. Tell your class mates too and anyone else in the states that you know, you have the skills that we need and trust me, you'll be welcomed here.

peace

[Atlantic]

First stage of my Visa has just gone through. It has taken a lot longer than expected so kind of pushing back my plans of being there by early March. Looks like April now. I find out in the next 1-2 weeks if I am fully approved and then I am booking flights straight away. It has maybe worked out better for me cause I am actually saving a lot at the moment so that will allow me to shop around for the best job when I get there.

Scotian if you don’t mind could you suggest what courses one should do when they arrive to maximise employment opportunities?
I am between two minds in doing some courses straight off the plane or trying to get companies to pay for me to get trained up as part of my terms of employment.

Once again thanks Scotian for all this information. I’m already looking forward to travelling the world and starting businesses this time next year…

[pitt]

(02-26-2012 06:57 AM)Irishman Wrote:  

First stage of my Visa has just gone through. It has taken a lot longer than expected so kind of pushing back my plans of being there by early March. Looks like April now. I find out in the next 1-2 weeks if I am fully approved and then I am booking flights straight away. It has maybe worked out better for me cause I am actually saving a lot at the moment so that will allow me to shop around for the best job when I get there.

Scotian if you don’t mind could you suggest what courses one should do when they arrive to maximise employment opportunities?
I am between two minds in doing some courses straight off the plane or trying to get companies to pay for me to get trained up as part of my terms of employment.

Once again thanks Scotian for all this information. I’m already looking forward to travelling the world and starting businesses this time next year…

Congratulations on making a move there, i think you are the only cat on here who has made serious moves so far, congrats on that.

Do you mind if you tell me if you are applying for a holiday working visa which is valid for up to a year?

I have also read somewhere that they want to recruit drivers so i dont know if driving and holding a driving license is a must in order to get a job there (hopefully scotian can clarify this).

Irishman you also said that you have been making contacts on linkedin..have you found any jobs from there?

[Atlantic]

(02-26-2012 08:08 AM)pitt Wrote:  

Congratulations on making a move there, i think you are the only cat on here who has made serious moves so far, congrats on that.

Do you mind if you tell me if you are applying for a holiday working visa which is valid for up to a year?

I have also read somewhere that they want to recruit drivers so i dont know if driving and holding a driving license is a must in order to get a job there (hopefully scotian can clarify this).

Irishman you also said that you have been making contacts on linkedin..have you found any jobs from there?

This is the visa I applied for…
http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/ire...eng&view=d

I have just got past the first stage and hopefully in two weeks’ time will be fully approved and ready to book flights. I have been told it is easy to get a second year and hopefully I will end up getting citizenship.

Yes I have seen a lot of driver jobs applied for but I am sure you could sweet talk your way into a lot more jobs if you had to. A good thing for you to do would be to ring up a company that is looking for drivers and just start asking them all your questions.

So found I have found LinkedIn to be hugely disappointing. No proper offers or contacts made. Everyone seems to be all take and no give. I have had more people asking me to hire them than actual job offers. I would not bother with it.

My advice would be to start making the move and applying for your visa. Save as much as you can and then get ready to do some serious job hunting when you arrive. Seems like the sort of place where just looking and acting more professional than the majority will get you a long way. Which is something that any of the guys on here with a bit of social skills and dress sense is more than capable of. Once I have my foot in the door I am looking to move up the ladder very quickly and getting a comfortable well-paying job.

Pitt if you are serious about it I will help you out when you arrive and try line up contacts and jobs. Same goes for anyone on here that seems to be making real effort.

Can’t see why more guys aren’t posting up actual plans of doing this. All the info is here, the jobs are nearly guaranteed and the money is impressive.

[Neo]

I just sent out some resumes to companies in Fort Mcmurray with openings that matched my previous experience. I don't know if they'll consider me since I'm from the US and they are not trade jobs. But I'll keep at it and see what happens.

[r_passion]

For those the a high level of education, you should consider the PNP program as a means to gain residency status in Canada. It is specific to each province so you should look at the Alberta PNP website. You do need a confirmed job offer to do this and you are as good as stuck with them until your residency comes through (if you get laid off you will be ok if you get a similar job for a different company.

I am on the BC PNP program and my residency should be ready by the end of August and I will be looking to start working the remote camps as a cook to see what it's like. The pay would seem to be on the lower end of the scale doing that but it's a foot in the door and a good chance to meet those working the actual sites for networking purposes. Right now I have to grind my current job at a peanuts wage but thats the West Coast for you. At least I ski in Whistler 2-3 days a week.