@Oluwapelumi87 Hello, I'm not in a position to help as I've not even entered the EE pool but what @maternal and @salford1 are asking aren't off the mark, how best do you think can render help without knowing your exact situation, they are not asking you to bare your private stuff here but just to have an understanding of why you can't get ANY job in GTA, which they and others have said they find very strange, you got in May, they've been there longer, don't you think they will be best to help? Also, finding solutions to a peculiar issue as yours on the thread will help others in future, I honestly do not understand why you think they are being condescending or insulting. Please relax and see it for what it really is, be humble.

Cheers

yettyopy:


I agree to this 100%. It's diy oo. For the ladies moving here soon buy enuf wigs oo. Braids no be joke o. Except you can afford to pay $80 for Ghana weaving/ $120 for braids. As a housewife for now I can't afford it . I learnt on youtube how to braid my hair myself and actually did a decent job. Bought 3 different human hairs and converted to wigs. Also made 1 braid wig in naija before moving.

I braid, weave and fix hairs excellently!! I should make a living out of it when i land .....ryt now, I am learning to barb.
Thanks for d tip.

Oluwapelumi87:


@salford1 I want you to know that every insult and lie you throw my way you are throwing at God. I really pity you and I really advice you to go and kneel down and ask God to forgive you. You are showing yourself to be really heartless, and a true example of what is wrong with Nigeria. Yes, you are right you are under no obligation to help me, so as you have sown so you shall reap.

Hi Oluwapelumi, as your name suggest, God is with you. I think you should actually explain the background so people that can help will help you, there are a lot of silent readers on this thread. you never know, just share the background a little bit. Am not in Canada but I assume there should be some short courses you can take to land some survival Jobs, wont you like to move from Toronto? how is your network like?

Oluwapelumi87:


I'm now staying in the GTA (Mississauga) due to the high cost in Toronto.

Value village & Tim Hortons are currently recruiting for part time and full time jobs. I think you should check them out.

impish:
Good question. We are moving to Ottawa, and any useful information would help out a great deal.

Thanks guys in anticipation of your assistance.

Mrs. O, mycanadianfling blog

What do you specifically want to know.

Please what's the address of the store?

quote author=salford1 post=58888415]If you are in Calgary and searching for where to buy goat meat, shaki, bokoto, tongue, hard chicken, assorted fish e.t.c. These can also be purchased here at Mcknight. Apart from mechanic shops, there are halal butcher shops and Asian groceries stores. Stuffs like ata rodo and ewedu can be found in Asian stores. All the stores in these mall(probably close to 100) are owned by south Asians.[/quote]

maternal:


What exactly do you want to know. I know the city inside and out.

Thank you. I would like to know more about;

-Cost of living,
-Housing costs,
-Daycare/schooling for kids and
-Opportunity for jobs

Background: We initially chose Ottawa for a number of reasons but concerns about the availability of jobs made us to second-guess this decision and take a look at the Greater Toronto Area, particularly Mississauga.

However, after reviewing the factors that I listed above, we consider it wise to start small in a medium-sized city and grow from there. We are not ruling out moving to a bigger city in the near future for better opportunities, but we don't want to start up where our settlement funds will be exhausted quickly as new immigrants while we are trying to secure jobs. Thanks in advance for your kind response.

cc: salford1, TheCongo2, Blackbuddy, Fusion23, Gymme

impish:
Dear Oluwapelumi,

My heart goes out to you for some reason. I implore you to keep pushing. Look inwards with honesty, and think of ways in which you can improve yourself. Can you get better at your interviewing skills? Can you improve your resume? What free courses can you take online that improve your skill set? Check Coursera and others like it.

The people on here are very helpful, and I think you should take what they are saying with grace and find the positives in all their advice.

May God help you, and I look forward to hearing your testimony very soon!

Mrs. O, mycanadianfling blog

Thank you my Sister. I shall surely testify to the goodness of the Lord! Yes, I accept and take on board what you're saying wholeheartedly. I have looked into Canadian certifications in my field before arriving and had planned to start enrolling on them upon having some sort of an income stream. I will check Coursera as you have suggested and will research to see if there are any free courses I can take in the meantime to build up my skillset to make myself more employable in the Canadian market. You will not believe it but from own personal experience when I was in Europe I never found it challenging to find very good jobs. Therefore, it is strange when someone talks negatively about the job market in Europe, as within my own sphere of knowledge I believe it to be easier to navigate than Canada as in Europe they actually value and recognise one's experience and qualifications.

keni:


Hi Oluwapelumi, as your name suggest, God is with you. I think you should actually explain the background so people that can help will help you, there are a lot of silent readers on this thread. you never know, just share the background a little bit. Am not in Canada but I assume there should be some short courses you can take to land some survival Jobs, wont you like to move from Toronto? how is your network like?

@keni Thank you for taking the time to write me. I decided to locate to Toronto, Ontario (over another city/province) due to my background in Financial Services and my previous experience of working in Financial services in London, UK. To be honest with you, I only know one school friend here but this person will be leaving the country and is no longer opting to stay here anymore. They are helping me to connect with some people as I do not know anyone else here.

yettyopy:


Value village & Tim Hortons are currently recruiting for part time and full time jobs. I think you should check them out.

@yettyopy Thank you for your suggestion. I will surely check them out today.

Oluwapelumi87:


@keni Thank you for taking the time to write me. I decided to locate to Toronto, Ontario (over another city/province) due to my background in Financial Services and my previous experience of working in Financial services in London, UK. To be honest with you, I only know one school friend here but this person will be leaving the country and is no longer opting to stay here anymore. They are helping me to connect with some people as I do not know anyone else here.

When is your friend leaving the country? I assume you won't have a place to stay as a result of him living.
Given that you are low on funds with no place to stay and you don't know anyone around, would you consider staying at the homeless shelter untill you are able to fly on your own?
Now, I am not sure if the terms and conditions of your visa would allow you to receive any financial assistance from the governemnt.
When you are at the shelter, you will be given a bed and 3 meals a a day and the provincial gouvernment will be footing the bill.
And usually many shelters have programs that assist people getting jobs.

nadina:
Please what's the address of the store?

quote author=salford1 post=58888415]If you are in Calgary and searching for where to buy goat meat, shaki, bokoto, tongue, hard chicken, assorted fish e.t.c. These can also be purchased here at Mcknight. Apart from mechanic shops, there are halal butcher shops and Asian groceries stores. Stuffs like ata rodo and ewedu can be found in Asian stores. All the stores in these mall(probably close to 100) are owned by south Asians.

For meats and ewedu(molokhia): Central Halal Meats...4655 54 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T3J 3Z4.
Also there are two fish shops just opposite central halal meat.

For cheaper rodo...Fruiticana 216 Saddletowne Cir NE, Calgary, AB T3J 0C9.

African store: De Chosen African market..#116, 6800 Memorial Drive NE Calgary, AB T2A 6V3

Also worthy of mention is T&T Supermarket (chinese store) - 999 36 St NE, Calgary, AB T2A 7X6

Future Mayor of Alberta! Lol....I've read a lot about AB & have few friends there too...The low taxes is especially very attractive! Sadly, I've subscribed to at least 5 or 6 job boards since last year but the vacancy postings I get for my field (IT Business Analyst) has been very low, compared to ON...My husband is also in the Financial services field...We were thinking at some point, the possibility of settling in Nova Scotia for a while but then they have 15% tax rate, coupled with lower wages ...so for now, our compass keeps pointing towards Mississauga...I hope it works out fine in the end. In fact, I have a friend who started taking the ACCESS EMPLOYMENT online training/orientation b4 they landed in 'Sauga and she did 2 Skype interviews with CITI Canada b4 she left naija ...she's still with them as we speak....The list goes on & on. ..It is well...may the land favour us all in Jesus name!

maternal:


Toronto is fools gold. You fell for it, like ive been telling others here to avoid that place. I know the struggle. You're competing with millions of people for a few job positions , high taxes, high rent, high housing prices, etc. My advice? Pack your stuff and head to Alberta. Job or no job. Figure things out when you get here. But if you tell me more about your background such as education, I can help you more.

[quote author=salford1 post=58919617]
For meats and ewedu(mokokhia): Central Halal Meats...4655 54 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T3J 3Z4.
Also there are two fish shops just opposite central halal meat.

For cheaper rodo...Fruiticana 216 Saddletowne Cir NE, Calgary, AB T3J 0C9.

African store: De Chosen African market..#116, 6800 Memorial Drive NE Calgary, AB T2A 6V3

Also worthy of mention is T&T Supermarket (chinese store) - 999 36 St NE, Calgary, AB T2A 7X6

Thank you much.

Thank you much.


For meats and ewedu(mokokhia): Central Halal Meats...4655 54 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T3J 3Z4.
Also there are two fish shops just opposite central halal meat.

For cheaper rodo...Fruiticana 216 Saddletowne Cir NE, Calgary, AB T3J 0C9.

African store: De Chosen African market..#116, 6800 Memorial Drive NE Calgary, AB T2A 6V3

Also worthy of mention is T&T Supermarket (chinese store) - 999 36 St NE, Calgary, AB T2A 7X6
[/quote]

Oluwapelumi87:
Hello,

Sorry if this is not the correct forum to post this.

I moved to Toronto in May 2017 and have been finding it challenging finding any sort of work. It is now a life and death situation and need to find work ASAP.

I am in desperate need of assistance and would appreciate any help that anyone can find it in the hearts to offer.

Thank you in advance for your help and support.

Hi, I moved to the GTA in June 2015 and settled in Mississauga. I came with my whole family and my wife and I (bankers) started the job hunt also attending the excellent newcomers training with Acess Employment. After 3 months, my wife got several job offers in her field and accepted an offer from a multinational conglomerate which was bought over by America's largest bank and she's doing very well there, even training other new employees now. I got my own break after 6 months as I was focused on finding a job equal or higher than my last position in Nigeria. I got several job offers as well from top banks and finally decided to accept an offer from a top 5 bank in a senior position. A lot of people here who follow Canadavisa forum know my story and I'm a good example of favour and determination.

Don't let anyone tell you that settling in Ontario, Toronto or any big city for that matter was a mistake. There are Nigerians who came before us doing very well and many more will come behind and do just as well. Remember, the battle is fought, won or lost in the mind first of all and then the physical manifestation follows. Sure there may be those who are satisfied with playing in smaller ponds but there are also others who take the plunge and swim in big waters. Abraham left a small, humble beginning for great adversity to claim a big destiny, not the other way round. Same for when Joshua led the chosen into the midst of giants and they prevailed. It's never about the size of the dog going to fight but the size of the fight in the dog. If you decide to go to a smaller city and start over, it's good and fine as it's your journey in life. If you decide to stake your claim here and get your prize as God is doing it for those of us here, that's also fine. You can send me a private message to share some further support and maybe connect you with other successful Nigerians/Canadians on ground here so you learn and gain from them. It wont cost me anything to lift you up, it only glorifies God.

Blackbuddy, thank you for addressing someone broken and in need with some kindness. God bless you real good.

Blackbuddy, God bless you! I must say, I've become your fan....your responses, always so humane! I think God has bestowed on you a special grace...you got my 5 stars Bro!

Blackbuddy:


Hi, I moved to the GTA in June 2015 and settled in Mississauga. I came with my whole family and my wife and I (bankers) started the job hunt also attending the excellent newcomers training with Acess Employment. After 3 months, my wife got several job offers in her field and accepted an offer from a multinational conglomerate which was bought over by America's largest bank and she's doing very well there, even training other new employees now. I got my own break after 6 months as I was focused on finding a job equal or higher than my last position in Nigeria. I got several job offers as well from top banks and finally decided to accept an offer from a top 5 bank in a senior position. A lot of people here who follow Canadavisa forum know my story and I'm a good example of favour and determination.

Don't let anyone tell you that settling in Ontario, Toronto or any big city for that matter was a mistake. There are Nigerians who came before us doing very well and many more will come behind and do just as well. Remember, the battle is fought, won or lost in the mind first of all and then the physical manifestation follows. Sure there may be those who are satisfied with playing in smaller ponds but there are also others who take the plunge and swim in big waters. Abraham left a small, humble beginning for great adversity to claim a big destiny, not the other way round. Same for when Joshua led the chosen into the midst of giants and they prevailed. It's never about the size of the dog going to fight but the size of the fight in the dog. If you decide to go to a smaller city and start over, it's good and fine as it's your journey in life. If you decide to stake your claim here and get your prize as God is doing it for those of us here, that's also fine. You can send me a private message to share some further support and maybe connect you with other successful Nigerians/Canadians on ground here so you learn and gain from them. It wont cost me anything to lift you up, it only glorifies God.

impish:
May the land favour you XX01. Please keep saying that prayer.

God bless you!

Mrs. O, mycanadianfling blog

Amen! And favour you too.

God bless you Blackbuddy for coming through for him... Very kind of you.

I pray you find favor Oluwapelumi87... God bless you too.

Fantastic and humane!Thank you for not sounding like an "oracle" when you advise.
Everyone's journey is different.Everyone's path to greatness doesn't follow same course!
Great advise all around @salford1 @thecongo

Blackbuddy:


Hi, I moved to the GTA in June 2015 and settled in Mississauga. I came with my whole family and my wife and I (bankers) started the job hunt also attending the excellent newcomers training with Acess Employment. After 3 months, my wife got several job offers in her field and accepted an offer from a multinational conglomerate which was bought over by America's largest bank and she's doing very well there, even training other new employees now. I got my own break after 6 months as I was focused on finding a job equal or higher than my last position in Nigeria. I got several job offers as well from top banks and finally decided to accept an offer from a top 5 bank in a senior position. A lot of people here who follow Canadavisa forum know my story and I'm a good example of favour and determination.

Don't let anyone tell you that settling in Ontario, Toronto or any big city for that matter was a mistake. There are Nigerians who came before us doing very well and many more will come behind and do just as well. Remember, the battle is fought, won or lost in the mind first of all and then the physical manifestation follows. Sure there may be those who are satisfied with playing in smaller ponds but there are also others who take the plunge and swim in big waters. Abraham left a small, humble beginning for great adversity to claim a big destiny, not the other way round. Same for when Joshua led the chosen into the midst of giants and they prevailed. It's never about the size of the dog going to fight but the size of the fight in the dog. If you decide to go to a smaller city and start over, it's good and fine as it's your journey in life. If you decide to stake your claim here and get your prize as God is doing it for those of us here, that's also fine. You can send me a private message to share some further support and maybe connect you with other successful Nigerians/Canadians on ground here so you learn and gain from them. It wont cost me anything to lift you up, it only glorifies God.

40manlappy:


Thank you. I would like to know more about;

-Cost of living,
-Housing costs,
-Daycare/schooling for kids and
-Opportunity for jobs

Background: We initially chose Ottawa for a number of reasons but concerns about the availability of jobs made us to second-guess this decision and take a look at the Greater Toronto Area, particularly Mississauga.

However, after reviewing the factors that I listed above, we consider it wise to start small in a medium-sized city and grow from there. We are not ruling out moving to a bigger city in the near future for better opportunities, but we don't want to start up where our settlement funds will be exhausted quickly as new immigrants while we are trying to secure jobs. Thanks in advance for your kind response.

cc: salford1, TheCongo2, Blackbuddy, Fusion23, Gymme

Your summary is a reasoned and a logical position to take, this journey needs to be undertaken with full conviction and then you stay the course till you achieve your goal. I support your research and continuous search for info as you've been doing on this forum. No man knows it all but in the counsel of brethren we can find direction.
What I would suggest is that you research each of your target cities and the job opportunities there. Eg, go to linkedin, in the search bar, enter "Toronto financial analyst", it will ask if you want jobs, people, etc. Select jobs to see how many jobs are available. Do the same with other job sites like indeed, monster, eluta, Workopolis etc. Weight the results for different cities to see where the most opportunities abound. Next, go back to linkedin and search for people using same "Toronto financial analyst". It will bring out persons working in this field. Look for the Nigerian names and send polite, brief, connection requests. Don't ask for jobs, ask for info, that they please share their experience with you to guide your settlement activities. Most will not respond but the few that do, that is your foot in the door. Follow up with those ones. By the time you send 50 invites, there's no way you wont land 3 who won't be moved to help in various degrees. Remember, this research is your occupation for now so take it serious and don't be discouraged. People are facing different things in their life, even those who are settled here so not everyone has the time to help, just focus on the ones who respond positively. From Nigerians, begin to invite other immigrants, people who can empathise with your situation. Canadians don't know what it is to be lost in a new country but immigrants will identify with you, Indians, Chinese, Pakistanis, Europeans etc. The few that respond to you, politely ask for pointers to guide your job development. Never go direct and send epistles. Take it in baby steps, 2 to 3 lines at a time.
Look for immigrant assistance organizations in your target cities, send them emails/call to ask the scope of their services, any associated costs or if free. I'm not talking about asking for help with accommodation or free furniture, I'm talking about work/job readiness training, bridging programs, internships, work placements, etc.
Through your existing network of family and friends in Canada, begin to ask for introductions to people working in your desired field in different cities. Use the steps above to ask them to share their experience with you. Learn from their mistakes, take note of their successes and begin to plan your strategy. By the time you do the above between 3 weeks to 2 months, you will be a different person from when you started the process and less of a JJC. You take the result you have gathered for each city and prayerfully seek divine guidance. It is people that God will use to direct you, even yourself, He will use you to guide you within the homework you have done. You will be divinely led to take a course of action that makes sense and which you should follow. Hope this helps you out.

Thank you black buddy for your advice and consistency. I remember FSWP 2014, he was my go to person, he always had answers.
I still can't forget how you helped me to respond to my updated POF issues back then.
I am not surprised at what God is doing in your life and family, more of God's blessings sir.

Oluwapelumi87:


Thank you my Sister. I shall surely testify to the goodness of the Lord! Yes, I accept and take on board what you're saying wholeheartedly. I have looked into Canadian certifications in my field before arriving and had planned to start enrolling on them upon having some sort of an income stream. I will check Coursera as you have suggested and will research to see if there are any free courses I can take in the meantime to build up my skillset to make myself more employable in the Canadian market. You will not believe it but from own personal experience when I was in Europe I never found it challenging to find very good jobs. Therefore, it is strange when someone talks negatively about the job market in Europe, as within my own sphere of knowledge I believe it to be easier to navigate than Canada as in Europe they actually value and recognise one's experience and qualifications.

I will also counsel you to look into VOLUNTEERING... Speak up with your church/mosque members, that is a good way to start your networking.
Finally, don't look done on any job cos even a minimum wage job can pay your monthly bills. I talk from experience

I would want to visit here again... nice spot... played foot ball with my son and others there... Next year I will be there again

salford1:
The famous calgary playground zone signboard.
Often times...you would find a ghost police vehicle parked somewhere along the a road where the sign begins and end. His traffic radar and camera busy taking pictures of vehicles going over 30km while he reads the newspaper or busy drinking a coffee..

40manlappy:
@salford1, @maternal @TheCongo2

What do you know about living in Ottawa? I would like to hear from you apart from what I have read online. Thanks

Ottawa is nice ,it is chilled not as popular as Toronto or Montreal .

What you are doing is nice plan ahead , its a do it yourself thing thou people can help.

Let me give you pointers start planning temporarily before you get a job, because some house rent will require one year lease so do not tie yourself, get a temporary accommodation hint (Airbnb) it might look expensive at first but it will pay on the long run, u do not have to buy furniture yet.

on Career my advise build a very good CV and be able to defend it , please dont sell yourself short. Example you have one year experience in .net and they ask like we need 3 years experience in .net , say you have 2-3 years if you can do it.

Apply apply apply , big companies (Accenture, PWC , KPMG, Microsoft etc) , small companies ,every province .etc even if you get rejections, then negotiate your salary well too if it is negotiable.

so in summary plan temporarily first and when you get a job move..you might end up in Vancouver, Montreal or Edmonton if the right offer comes? if you have family and kids consider that too.

Blackbuddy:


Hi, I moved to the GTA in June 2015 and settled in Mississauga. I came with my whole family and my wife and I (bankers) started the job hunt also attending the excellent newcomers training with Acess Employment. After 3 months, my wife got several job offers in her field and accepted an offer from a multinational conglomerate which was bought over by America's largest bank and she's doing very well there, even training other new employees now. I got my own break after 6 months as I was focused on finding a job equal or higher than my last position in Nigeria. I got several job offers as well from top banks and finally decided to accept an offer from a top 5 bank in a senior position. A lot of people here who follow Canadavisa forum know my story and I'm a good example of favour and determination.

Don't let anyone tell you that settling in Ontario, Toronto or any big city for that matter was a mistake. There are Nigerians who came before us doing very well and many more will come behind and do just as well. Remember, the battle is fought, won or lost in the mind first of all and then the physical manifestation follows. Sure there may be those who are satisfied with playing in smaller ponds but there are also others who take the plunge and swim in big waters. Abraham left a small, humble beginning for great adversity to claim a big destiny, not the other way round. Same for when Joshua led the chosen into the midst of giants and they prevailed. It's never about the size of the dog going to fight but the size of the fight in the dog. If you decide to go to a smaller city and start over, it's good and fine as it's your journey in life. If you decide to stake your claim here and get your prize as God is doing it for those of us here, that's also fine. You can send me a private message to share some further support and maybe connect you with other successful Nigerians/Canadians on ground here so you learn and gain from them. It wont cost me anything to lift you up, it only glorifies God.

@Blackbuddy Thank you Sir for your words of encouragement, they have really lifted up my spirit. Thank you also for allowing me to send you a private message of which I will do so now. Thank you and God bless you!