Thinking of moving to Canada as a single mum

Welcome to Expat.com Annmarie!

Harmonie.

Hey AnnMarie

I am thinking of relocating to Canada myself and am kinda in the same position as yourself. Although my partner is moving with us his job will be in the northern territory of Edmonton in the mines which will leave me the majority of the time with our two children (aged 5 and 1). We will be more that likely based in Edmonton and also have the same concerns about the expat community, schools, activities for the children etc.

Any information you can share would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

Emma

Hi Emma
Apologies for taking so long to reply.  I haven't got a lot of specific information, but did get a lovely reply from a Canadian which said the work life balance was good in the western provinces, and was encouraging of the move.  I have put back my own plans for the present, but hope to make a move to coincide wiht the end of the school year 2013.  Good luck in your move to Edmonton.
AnnMarie

annmarie2 wrote:

I am thinking of moving to Canada as a single mum.  My ex lives in the UK and for various genuine reasons can't afford child support.  He currently comes over to visit once/month, and I bring my daughter there once every 2 months.  I am just meeting bills at present and not able to save for future big bills eg change of car, or university fees for my daughter (now 4 - I know it's a long way away but I know also that time passes quickly and I think our Uni fees in Ireland might go up like in the UK), and also make sure I have a pension.  The salaries being offered would mean that I could save enough to pay for those things.  I would hope that we would visit the UK once/year, and I could pay for my ex to come over and visit my daughter for a holiday once-twice/year.

There would be many exciting things about such a move - work wise it would stretch me and be much more interesting; leisure activities like skiing and skating etc would be on our doorstep.  It has the potential to be a great experience.

My main concern is how we would be welcomed into the community as a single parent family.  I work in healthcare and the better paid jobs are in small towns (although there are jobs in bigger towns) - being in a warm welcoming community would be really important but how to work out if a town which has a suitable post is warm and welcoming beforehand?  Also, afterschool childcare while I'm at work is really important.  If my child wasn't happy I would not be happy at work.  I've been really lucky with childcare so far for my daughter - have found warm and kind people as au pairs.  None of my family live close enough to do any childcare, but we do meet up currently about once every month, so that would also be an absence for my daughter.

I would love to hear from anyone else who has moved to Canada as a single parent, and how they found it.
Annmarie

I've lived in both the UK (Cheltenham, England) and Canada (born and raised); I will tell you that although I did enjoy my time in the UK, the quality of life in Canada is much better. I elt as though living in the UK makes it very difficult to save for the future, whereas in Canada your wages are much higher.

As for the job opportunities, the west coast does have more at the moment, but keep in mind that the cost of living in higher out there (especially in Vancouver).

No matter where you go in Canada, you'll be welcomed with open arms. In regards to your quote stating you'd be concerning being accepted in a community as a single mother, DO NOT worry about that at all. People are very friendly, and I highly doubt you'd have any issue whatsoever.

I would suggest taking a look at the east coast as well. There is an absolutely massive Irish influence on the east coast (Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia). I myself was considring moving to Halifax, Nova Scotia, but opted on moving to Abu Dhabi with my girlfriend (soon to be wife) for a few years. Cost of living out there is much cheaper, and the east is expected to be in line for the next gid boom.

Drop me a line if you have any more questions, as I'd be glad to help. All in all, I think it would be a great move for you and your daughter, as Canada is an extremely large country, with quite a bit of opportunity. On a side note, I do hate to admit it, but as you're part of the commonwealth, you'll be regarded high during the immigration process than that of other countries.

Anyway, good luck!


- Caylen