Working Holidays in Canada

Canada Lake

For many people a working holiday is the best way to spend an extended period of time in a country without having to acquire large sums of money to fund ones trip. This is especially relevant in a large country like Canada as it takes time and cash spent on planes, trains and automobiles to see it all. Working is also a great way to get to know the locals and meet other travelers.

Visas

Unless you want to apply for immigrant status, which is a lengthy and expensive process and is only worth doing if you intend to move to Canada indefinitely, working visas are available for British and American citizens through BUNAC (aged 18-35). They charge an admin. fee and make you buy their insurance, which provides good cover but is not the cheapest out there.

Where to work

Where you chose to work depends entirely on what you want to see and do while in Canada. The larger cities such as Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver have a wide variety of employment opportunities, if you have a particular skill or vocation (especially a trade) jobs are easy to come by and the pay can be good (that is in relation to they cost of living). If you want to live in a smaller town jobs in the tourist industry are the best bet, these are often seasonal, some locations come alive during the summer (hiking, climbing, rafting etc.) and some during the winter (snow sports). It's common to travel around and get work in many different locations, this is a great way to see the whole country and get a taste of city and country life.

Useful Points:

You will need to take some start up money as it can take a few weeks to get work.
Sometimes you need to compromise and take a job you don't like, I spent the winter cleaning hotel rooms but I got to snowboard almost every day.
When looking for work the best method is face to face contact, Canadians are very friendly and like to chat, go back again and again to get your face known.
Keep your resume short and relevant to the job you are applying for.
If looking for seasonal work, arrive early in the season to get the best jobs, ski resorts have recruitment fairs around the end of October and the season starts in December.

There are many useful resources on the internet (check out the BUNAC site) but there is no substitute for getting out there and talking to other travelers and locals.

Don't forget to have fun - just because you are working doesn't mean you can't be free and flexible.

Useful links:

Citizenship and Immigration Canada

BY: Baba

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