Working Holiday to Canada....

John259

These are for all you Tim Hortons fans:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbXGtm-EquM#t=320
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dFvoJ_kQtU

dawyldthing

callum9999 wrote: »

If you're there for the money, I'd imagine summer camps are absolutely dreadful pay? I know my pay with CCUSA in the US worked out to be $1 an hour!

You don't have to do a camp/ski season, you can work absolutely anywhere in Canada doing absolutely anything (legal!) for a whole year.

You don't get paid a great deal, just about got your money back. But it's more for the experience of getting to know different cultures and the whole camp thing. Like playing quiddich, camp skits, canoe breakfasts, Mississippi mud among other things that we just wouldn't do in England.

dawyldthing

Timbits are lush. Plus it's not too badly priced.

callum9999

dawyldthing wrote: »

You don't get paid a great deal, just about got your money back. But it's more for the experience of getting to know different cultures and the whole camp thing. Like playing quiddich, camp skits, canoe breakfasts, Mississippi mud among other things that we just wouldn't do in England.

So completely unsuitable for someone looking to make money then! Not that I saw any evidence that basic US culture was any different to UK culture (from the perspective of a young child - the adults are rather different!). If you went to camp in England you'd probably do much the same thing as well.

As you can tell I'm rather cynical about the whole camp experience (largely because I was in the kitchen...)!

PenguinOfDeath

Try Bunac http://www.bunac.org/uk/work-abroad/work-canada

callum9999

PenguinOfDeath wrote: »

Try Bunac http://www.bunac.org/uk/work-abroad/work-canada

I was tempted by Bunac but it seems like an enormous rip off. If you end up getting a good job quicker because of it then it will still be worth it, but are they actually any good for anyone who can use their own initiative to contact companies and search online job databases?

eamon

One of my nephews worked in a new Canadian power station (close to the USA border in Alberta) for 2 years. From the proceeds he is funding 3 years at university. As a well qualified and experienced electrical engineer he was commanding top Can$ and was able to save loads. I suspect that the other posters are correct just like in the UK there are plenty of low skilled low paying jobs with little in the way of saving money potential.

dawyldthing

callum9999 wrote: »

So completely unsuitable for someone looking to make money then! Not that I saw any evidence that basic US culture was any different to UK culture (from the perspective of a young child - the adults are rather different!). If you went to camp in England you'd probably do much the same thing as well.

As you can tell I'm rather cynical about the whole camp experience (largely because I was in the kitchen...)!

Realistically when working abroad anywhere you aren't going to make a great deal as short term accommodation is usually a lot more then you still have your every day costs. Camp allows you to see a place, visit local places on days off and live pretty cheap while seeing a different culture.

Working in the kitchens is hard work and long days. I don't think it would have been something I could have done over there as you literally paid to work. Saying that though I know 2 that were there when I were that were from England in the kitchens are I think getting married. But they didn't really get chance to get involved with the activities as they were either in the kitchen or got free time. Plus you guys were there longer than we were.

Mind you saying that my Canada experience was a bit similar as I was a lifeguard and so spend most of my time just life guarding, taught a bit of kayaking and canoeing, but it wasn't like the American camp experience as most of the time we weren't really working with the kids and I might as well have worked at the local pool at home. But it was nice to see a different country without it costing as much as if I was travelling for 3 months as you save a lot with the food and activities included (like on a day off we took a canoe off around the lake and stuff, which isn't something you could do in England)

callum9999

dawyldthing wrote: »

Realistically when working abroad anywhere you aren't going to make a great deal as short term accommodation is usually a lot more then you still have your every day costs. Camp allows you to see a place, visit local places on days off and live pretty cheap while seeing a different culture.

Working in the kitchens is hard work and long days. I don't think it would have been something I could have done over there as you literally paid to work. Saying that though I know 2 that were there when I were that were from England in the kitchens are I think getting married. But they didn't really get chance to get involved with the activities as they were either in the kitchen or got free time. Plus you guys were there longer than we were.

Mind you saying that my Canada experience was a bit similar as I was a lifeguard and so spend most of my time just life guarding, taught a bit of kayaking and canoeing, but it wasn't like the American camp experience as most of the time we weren't really working with the kids and I might as well have worked at the local pool at home. But it was nice to see a different country without it costing as much as if I was travelling for 3 months as you save a lot with the food and activities included (like on a day off we took a canoe off around the lake and stuff, which isn't something you could do in England)

That depends where you go and what you do. In Australia I knew several people who made a fortune (I think they had an average of £10,000 in savings after 3 months!) working in the mines. If you want to work in a camp with kids then it's a great option, but I still maintain it's a bad suggestion for someone more interested in making money! You live pretty cheap yes, but 95% of your time is spent either working or waiting to go back to work - you could just go to the area for a week and you'll probably see more of it than you would during the entire period at camp! And you keep saying you see a different culture, but unless my camp was especially bland I just cannot see it. Kids are kids - I can't see how you experience anything radically different to the UK.

I think you're enormously underselling England here! Of course you could get some friends together and go canoeing on a lake somewhere - just like you can actually go and work in summer camps. These camp schemes are great for people who want to go and experience camp life without caring about money, and younger people who want to go and travel but are a bit nervous of jumping in and doing it alone. I don't think it's any good at all for more "mature" travellers looking to earn a bit of money.

PenguinOfDeath

callum9999 wrote: »

I was tempted by Bunac but it seems like an enormous rip off. If you end up getting a good job quicker because of it then it will still be worth it, but are they actually any good for anyone who can use their own initiative to contact companies and search online job databases?

I used them (years ago now admittedly so maybe not relevant) for getting the visa, your SIN number and the group flight. The centre was useful for a orientation, meeting people and nights out, a holding centre for mail and somewhere to hang out and to use the computers for free with people in the same boat as you.

No-one I knew got a job through them or using their help in the end (I got one before I left the UK) but the fact we met before the flight meant some of us moved in together and made friendships that have lasted long after - obviously this is luck of the draw of who you get and how outgoing you are in the first place, I think it ended up being cheaper than buying your own flight at some point too.