I've never written a blog before, for the simple reason that I never felt that I had anything worth writing, which would be worth anyone's time reading. Moving continents, however, is a pretty big adventure which gives a lot of scope for writing. My aim with this blog is that hopefully at least one person out there will read it and find it helpful.... otherwise it's just been a chance for me to practice my typing...
Being Irish, I applied for the One year working holiday Visa through Usit. If this is the method you are using, make sure to schedule an orientation meeting with Swap before you go, and do go as it's really helpful. They also organise lots of events which are a great way to meet new people in the same situation as you, so if you're on Facebook, look them up and add them to get notifications on what's going on.
What most people do is organise a hostel before they go for the first week or two so they have somewhere to base themselves while they try to get settled. I stayed at the Samesun Hostel on Granville Street and I would highly recommend it. They have wireless internet available for free throughout the hostel and computers available for internet use for $1 per half hour, which is great for keeping in touch back home. They also have a bar downstairs which is always full of other backpackers and long term travelers. They run nightly events in the Beaver Bar such as Open Mic Night, Poker Night and Trivia Night which are great ways to meet people. They also have $2 breakfasts every morning and $5 dinner specials every evening, I recommend the sunday roast as it's great value and always reminds me a bit of home. The staff are also very helpful and friendly.
So, for when you get there, here are a few handy tips I learned about how to get settled in:
1. Accommodation
Most people start out in a hostel but that gets annoying after a while, no one likes to endlessly live out of a suitcase! craigslist.ca have a lot of house listings up but beware of scams!! Never send money abroad! We got out apartment by calling up a realtor. By going through an official realtor it's so much safer. If you want to look in the paper, the Vancouver Sun generally has the best listings.
Next, where to live! Downtown is the most expensive, a lot of people tend to go out to the suburbs like Burnaby or Kitsilano. It all depends on your budget! The most espensive area Downtown is Coal Harbour, Yaletown can be a bit pricey too but you can be lucky and both are really good areas. Westend is a nice area with pretty affordable apartments. Don't live in Gastown or Chinatown, they have a high percentage of junkies so it's not the most..... comfortable place to live.
I myself live in Yaletown, it's right by the public library, the main post office and BC Place, plus, it's a really nice area too.
If you can have a few ideas of where you want to live or a few apartments in mind before you go, it really helps move things along. Looking for an apartment can take longer than you think, and there is generally a good bit of paper work involved once you do find a place that suits. If you can organise some form of proof that you have good credit back home that really helps, as do character or work references. They prefer if you have a job but if you have references and a good work history the might let that slide.
Be wary of people who offer you a month to month lease, it sounds like a dream but be aware that it also gives them a right to ask you to leave more or less whenever they feel like it.
Also, if you are hoping to get an apartment downtown, bear in mind that most of them are unfurnished. They do have Walmart and Ikea outside of town that do great deals and Sleep Country on Granville do really comfy beds for reasonable prices. Shop around and you'll find good deals.
2. Communication
Everyone needs a way to keep in touch with people back home and here in Vancouver, so a phone is important. In terms of calling home, stick with buying call cards, it's way cheaper, and if possible just stick to Skype on the internet.
In terms of keeping in touch with your friends here in Vancouver, you're looking at going with Bell, Telus, Rodgers or Fido which all have stores in the Pacific Centre off Granville Street. Most companies will advise you to go for bill phones as it is a cheaper option here, however, you need a credit card to purchase one and you may need to give them a $200 security deposit while they check your credit history. If you are thinking of getting a Canadian Credit Card, don't bother! They need a $1000 security deposit which they need to keep for 3 years.....
What I went with was a pay as you go phone from Bell. You buy the phone and it comes with a plan where by you pay $50 a month for 100minutes talk time, free talk at the weekends and at night plus all txt messages are free. This is all within British Columbia of course.
*Beware, in Canada you are charged for the calls you receive as well as the calls you make.
3. Banking
HSBC have great options, however, they do require that you have a job or at least a job offer before they will let you open a bank account, so bear that in mind.
I went with TD Canada Trust which has a branch in the Pacific Centre off Granville Street, they are so helpful and friendly! They'll have your account set up in no time and if you have any valuables that you need stored safely they have safety deposit boxes at great rates! (We stored our laptops, passports and work doc's there until we got our apartment, just in case!) Browse around and see if other banks suit you better.
4. Work
My advice, go straight to a recruitment agency as they are really helpful and can get you temporary work while you're getting started, or more regular work if you want to get straight into it. Most of the clothes shops, mainly along Granville Street and Robson street are regularly looking for new staff so that's also a great place to start looking! The interview process is a bit 'different' over here, for example, there is a phone ethics and morality interview all about stealing that most retail stores will ask you to take which is not something you ever come across back home.
As with most things, craigslist.ca has lots of new job ads going up daily so keep an eye on that also. The Vancouver Sun also has lots of listings and the have an online site too.
That's the basics for getting started covered, hope it helps.
Liz :)
