4 years in Canada

When I read Singaporean Missy Jo's (The Slim Rolly Polly Wannabe) blog post about her doubts on ever settling-in after almost 5 months in Perth, it reminds me of the doubts I used to have after about 6 months in Canada. Back then, my "Migration & settling-in: A progress review" had more "did not meet target/expectations" (X) than "met target/expectations" (V). I guess the doubts/ups-and-downs is a challenge that many new immigrants go through.

I have been in Canada for just over 4 years now. Below is a progress review of my "settling down" process -- and thankfully a happier report, it seems.

V Local friends: As mentioned back in my April-2011 blog entry, I have been blessed and continue to be blessed in this regard. I am very grateful for that.

V Love life: DD has been a wonderfully supportive husband. We have gone through ups-and-downs together, and our relationship has grown stronger with time. Of course, we both have individual quirks that each has to put up with from the other. After all, marriage takes effort. Overall, we share similar values for the important matters, and have shown adaptability and willingness to communicate+accept differences on other matters.

V Family: Through marriage to DD, I have gained a Canadian family with members spread mainly over 3 Canadian provinces. I have since met most members on the maternal side of DD's extended family and some members on the paternal side too.

V Career: I have been working as a registered nurse in Metro Vancouver for 1+ year now. I am quite happy with my current main job and 1 unionized casual job, both private-sector employers. There have been ups-and-downs in my main job (click here for example), but all in I am happy where I currently am. On most days, I look forward to heading to work as I found my work meaningful and rewarding (not just financially).

V Canadian income: My income goes up and down depending on the number of hours I have been assigned on my main job each month. When there is a lull in my main job, I look towards accepting on-call shifts at my casual job, which helps to stabilize to my income. It also helps that a RN's pay here really reflects the professional nature of the job. Friends and (my in-law) family suggested that I look towards working with a health authority instead for more stable income and better benefits. My reply was, (as mentioned above) I am happy where I currently am, and have actually quit from a casual job with a health authority earlier this year.

V Living accommodations: As Mr S from Neurotic Ramblings puts it, "having your own place to call home" is one of the factors that Singaporeans and/or ethnic-Chinese often count towards the concept of "settling down". DD and I have recently moved into our "new home" -- an old condominium unit which is technically-speaking owned by the bank (thanks to the mortgage we took). We are still in the process of unpacking and settling-in, but it certainly feels good to have "our own place to call home".

V Getting around: I am still relying on Metro Vancouver's good public transport infrastructure to get around most of the time. Sometimes, DD would chauffeur me around. I am so comfortable with the current arrangements that I kept delaying on my plans to get a B.C. driving licence. Unlike in Singapore where people generally expect things to tick like clock-work, people here seem to be more tolerant of sudden changes in plans due to un-forseen circumstances (e.g. breakdowns in public transport).

V Community/volunteer participation: After a few rounds of ad-hoc and mid-term community/volunteer roles, I have settled nicely into a new long-term community/volunteer role earlier this year that is likely to last for a few years.

? Credit rating: When DD and I applied for a home mortgage in B.C., I found to my surprise that my Credit Rating is "UNKNOWN" despite having used my credit-cards regularly and paying my dues fully on schedule. I guess I should have heeded the advice from my lecturer at the "Financial Literacy Program for new migrants" to check with one of the 2 major Canadian Credit-Reporting Agencies at least once-yearly on my credit rating (i.e. either Equifax Canada or TransUnion Canada). [Aside: Thankfully, DD has excellent credit rating and our mortgage application went through smoothly.] I guess getting my credit rating set-up is one item on my To-Do-List. That said, there is no urgency as my main bank (i.e. financial services provider) seems view me as an excellent credit risk, and it keeps offering to increase my credit limit and/or promoting lines-of-credit to me.

Ok, that's my status summary for now. Someone once told me that it takes 5 years to settle into a new country. I now truly appreciate the wisdom of her advice as my "settling-down in Canada" is still a work-in-progress.

Mid-career nursing

This is for choaniki, who is considering a mid-career switch to nursing and/or other healthcare-related professions for the purpose of emigration.

The following videos are from CNA (Canadian Nurses Association). Age is generally not an issue when seeking employment in Canada, as long as one is able to meet the demands of the job. E.g. Within the last year, I have personally met 4 other Canadian-trained nurses (RN and/or LPN) aged between 30's to 50's who switched career into nursing. That said, age may affect your chance of emigrating under an "immigration points-system" that factor the age of the applicant into account.

Mid Career Paths in Nursing
Published on Oct 11, 2013

Beginning a Career in Nursing
Published on Oct 11, 2013

Combining Careers
Published on Oct 10, 2013


IMHO, if you have the funds, it may be worth it to do the career conversion training as a foreign student in your targeted host country instead of taking up the Singapore's WDA PCP option. This is because you will face less issues getting your nursing registration when your skills education/training is from the host country. In addition, your time spent as a student in your host country may help you qualify for migration visa options specifically designed for this group.

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Lastly a bonus video to show the concept here (in Canada) that nurses advocate not just for the patients under their direct-care but also on general health-related issues/policies. Compare this with another nursing advertisement (from you know where) which emphasize caring and following one's heart in nursing, but says nothing about nurses practising upstream-thinking to address (e.g. socio-economic and political) issues/policies that impact a nation's health.

Registered Nurses: A leading force for change

Enjoy!

Destiny

When I informed my friends that I was getting married, several friends remarked, "It's your destiny to be in Canada."

My friends meant well, of course. Destiny is an interesting concept indeed.

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Almost 20 years ago (mid 1990's), I had a simple fortune telling session in Hong Kong. I was told that my life had been and would be pretty tough, until I hit middle-age.

Then around 10 years ago (mid 2000's), I got around to learning about psychic practice, similar to those practised at the Berkeley Psychic Institute. For a while, I dappled in the paranormal. [Aside: In supporting an associate's paranormal business, I was interviewed by an expat-magazine and had my "15-sec of fame" on TV in Singapore.]

In 2006 after a traumatic event, I decided to change my name for better luck. Fortunately, I talked with a Feng Shui master friend of mine. He advised me to keep my original name as it is a lucky name. I asked him about the Hong Kong fortune teller's reading. His reply was, "You practice meditation and you know how to do paranormal stuff. So you know very well that you can modify your future."

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Around 7 years ago, just before I start my nursing training in Singapore, a friend did a BaZi [生辰八字] and related Chinese fortune-telling calculations for me. She said, "Your life will be tough until age 52."

So I asked, "When can I change my career successfully?"

She replied, "Age 52."

"But I am already going into nursing..."

Friend replied, "Then you will change your career again at 52."

I asked, "Oh, I see. I'm not surprised, I have too many interests that I would like to pursue. How about migrating out of Singapore?"

She replied, "52."

"Getting married?"

"52."

I mused, "So everything also must wait until 52?"

Friend replied, "Yes, 52 is a turning point in your life. Oh, by the way, try not to drive before that age. You're very accident prone."

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My friend is right about the accident prone bit. E.g. I had a lucky escape from death last June (2013).

[18-Jun-2013, Richmond, B.C., Canada]

I was strolling slowly along a pedestrian walkway while deep in thoughts. I was heading towards the traffic crossing seen in the photo above. I mentally berated myself for missing the "CROSS" signal ("white man walking" light) by a few metres, and then returned to my thoughts. 

Suddenly, I heard a series of loud bangs. I looked around and saw a badly damaged white car spinning in the middle of the road junction. Apparently, another car had hit the white car so badly that it (the white car) spun round-and-round, past the pedestrian crossing to hit other cars waiting at the red light. As you can see from the photo above, the impact was so great that one of the cars swung 180-degrees (i.e. the one with the tire on its hatchback). Imagine if I had walked fast enough to be crossing the road at that instance (where the 2 persons were standing on the road in the photo above) -- habis! [i.e. Finished!]

It's not my first brush with Death. E.g. My 2009 pneumonia episode. I guess Destiny wanted me to stay alive.

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Last summer (August 2013), a psychic I met told me that someone had deliberately cast a hex on me. Indeed I was having such a bad time at work back then that I sometimes secretly wished that I was the palliative one, not my youthful client(s). You see, I was not afraid of death, but the pain/torture that sometimes came with being alive. [Aside: I hope that when Death eventually visits, he would deliver me swiftly.]

Anyway, long story short. 破财消灾。 [Pay the price to ward-off disaster.] After all, I had not been meditating consistently for a long time so I knew that I needed help to deal with this biggie. I know some would call me silly for "wasting money on superstitious stuff". But if you've walked in the shoes of my rather curious life, you may have second thoughts.

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So the tally.

• Changed career - checked. I'm not making tons of money, or even regular income, but I'll live.
• Emigrating from Singapore - checked. Still adjusting to my host country.
• Get married - checked. Still happily married, still in the honeymoon phase.
• Accident prone - checked. Lucky to be alive.

[08-Mar-2014, Husband-brand Happy Brunch]

Have I changed my destiny or otherwise? I don't know. When I told DD about the "52" fortune, he puts it as, "You've just shifted your destiny earlier by X years."

[Note: DD is a skeptic, but he has learned to humour me and not criticize my beliefs. Such is love that moves a man.]

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Just sharing my story. May it bring hope to those who are trying to change their destiny.

Migrating via Student Visa - Part 3

DECLARATION and DISCLAIMER: The following is my personal opinion. I am not any way qualified to give education and/or migration advice to anyone, and thus any content from me shall be construed as a sharing of personal opinion, not advice. I do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided by me. Under no circumstances will I or anyone related to this content be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from any reliance on the information or other content posted or linked by me.

This post will cover some odds-and-ends relevant to the issue of migrating via Student Visa. See links to previous posts on this series at the footnotes.

1. Popular sources of information on Canadian university rankings

Those interested in pursuing education in Canadian universities can check out the various popular sources of information on Canadian university rankings.

The Maclean's university ranking website is a well-known and popular source of information for Canadian high-school students heading to universities here. However, its university ranking is not without controversy. That said, it also publishes university rankings done by others, seen from a Canadian perspective. Thus, it is a useful website to read consolidated information related to Canadian universities. E.g. The 2013 Shanghai Jiao Tong University ［上海交通大学］ (China) annual Academic Ranking of World Universities is reported by Maclean's here.

[15-Aug-2013 Maclean's report of SJTU's Annual Ranking of World Universities]

The Globe and Mail (a well-established newspaper in Canada that was ever unsuccessfully sued by one old-man in a little red dot) reports on Education in Canada. E.g. 23-Oct-2012 Canadian University Report 2013: Student satisfaction survey results.

Of course, one can hardly forget the world-famous Time's World University Rankings.

2. Consider the option to transfer university

My understanding from speaking with the locals is that the 1st year of undergraduate studies here is usually a broad-based education (i.e. course credits from various fields). In order to sign up for these courses from such a wide variety of fields, it is not uncommon that one ends up having to do extra courses/certifications prior to entering the university in order to meet the course pre-requisites.

I have met students from China who do some preparatory courses (e.g. 1 year of studies) at, e.g. SFU, in order to gain admission to undergraduate courses in their target universities.

• For a guide on your transfer options in B.C., Canada, check out www.bctransferguide.ca
• As mentioned previously in Part 1, to search on your post-secondary education options in B.C., Canada, check out www.educationplanner.ca
• Finally, to understand more about post-secondary admissions and transfers in B.C., Canada, check out bccat.ca (BC Council on Admissions & Transfers). The BCCAT runs both Education Planner and BC Transfer Guide websites.

3. Consider the weather and economy of the region/city

Please check out the weather and economy of the region/city where you plan to study before making a decision. You don't have to travel to Canada to do so, but at least do some online research (e.g. Google, Wikipedia, region's tourist information, etc). In a country as big as Canada, it can be "too hot" in one city and "too much snow" in another on the same day. Understanding of the local economy will also help the potential students to consider what skills they may need (i.e. training, certification, and/or preparation) to help them clinch part-time work near their schools.

Note: When looking for a job B.C., Canada, employers will typically ask for "2 Canadian work reference". Therefore, it is important to have regular (e.g. once weekly) part-time work and/or volunteer assignments while studying so that one can get one's managers' and/or volunteer co-ordinators' references* to support one's job application after graduation. *That is, get their names, contact numbers (cell/mobile and work number), and their consent/agreement to be your reference.

In B.C., you will need certain certifications even for the "blue collar" jobs. E.g. Waiters need "Food Safe Level 1 Certification" and perhaps also "Serving It Right" (for premises that serves alcohol). E.g. Even volunteers at summer camps may need a current CPR Level C Certification from an approved B.C. authority.

Good luck on your student/migration journey!

Footnotes:

• See Part 1 "How to sort out the paper mills from the really "recognized" education centres?".
• See Part 2 "Factors to consider when selecting an education programme for the purpose of immigration".

Migrating via Student Visa - Part 2

DECLARATION and DISCLAIMER: The following is my personal opinion. I am not any way qualified to give education and/or migration advice to anyone, and thus any content from me shall be construed as a sharing of personal opinion, not advice. I do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided by me. Under no circumstances will I or anyone related to this content be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from any reliance on the information or other content posted or linked by me.

In the previous part, I covered "How to sort out the paper mills from the really "recognized" education centres?"

This post will cover some "Factors to consider when selecting an education programme for the purpose of immigration".

Note: I am not going to cover common student concerns such as financing your studies, choosing a school with the right cultural fit, etc. These I will leave to the readers to do their own research. This section focuses on specific considerations relating to the eventual goal of immigration.

1. Check the CIC requirements for PGWPP and CEC

Some graduates who apply to stay in Canada after graduation do so under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) CEC (Canadian Experience Class) visa. Note: PGWPP is only a temporary work visa. It does not give the visa holder Permanent Residency status.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is only after gaining "at least 12 months of full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) skilled work experience in Canada" that the PGWPP visa holder can apply for Permanent Residency under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) visa.

For details on eligibility, please check the CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) website for "Determine your eligibility — Work after graduation". See below for a paraphrased summary of the requirements. Note: ALL requirements must be met, i.e. AND, not OR situation.

• Have a valid study permit when you apply for the work permit.

• Completed full-time studies of at least 8 months. IMPORTANT NOTE: If your studies is less than 2 years but more than 8 months, then you'll only get a work permit for a period no longer than your study period. E.g. If your studies is for 9 months, your work permit (in the best case) will only be for 9 months; and IMHO that sucks because the processing time for Permanent Residence applications for the Canadian Experience Class within Canada is around 9 months to 1 year for 80% of the cases to be processed in the best situation. Sometimes it can be worse due to un-forseen circumstances. E.g. CIC workers going on strike from 11-Jun-2013 to 07-Oct-2013. Thus, if you can, please aim for 2 years or more program, so that you can get a 3 year work permit. [Note: This suggested approach is also shared by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 5:53:00 PM in my previous blog post on this series.]

• Post-secondary programme from a public-institution, OR a private institution that operates under the same rules and regulations as a public institution, OR a private institution for a program of study leading to a degree recognized by the province. Therefore, it is important that if you go for a program from a private institution, you shall check with the relevant provincial ministry on whether that specific program is eligible for migration application BEFORE you commit to the program. [Click here for the Ministry of Advanced Education, BC.] Plus, you'll have to take the risk that a program that was previously recognized may be dropped from the "recognized list" when you personally complete the program. In short, if you want to minimize your risk, I suggest sticking with the publicly funded institutions.

• Apply for your work permit within 90 days of receiving written confirmation (for example, a transcript or an official letter) from your institution indicating that you have met the requirements for completing your academic program.

• Other conditions apply. Please click here for details.

2. Check CIC for other ways to immigrate with your skills

Check CIC website for the Federal Skilled Workers Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. In case you cannot qualify for CEC, it is wise to have done an education programme leading to skills that are wanted under either of the above schemes.

The only catch is that the list of skills wanted and the quota of visas allowed for each skill changes from year-to-year. Thus, it is a risk that you'll have to calculate. E.g. Nursing was dropped from the wanted skills list in May-2013, despite having been there for the longest time ever.

Currently (as of today 06-Oct-2013), FSWP is applicable for the following job codes.

0211   Engineering managers
1112   Financial and investment analysts (Cap reached)
2113   Geoscientists and oceanographers
2131   Civil engineers
2132   Mechanical engineers
2134   Chemical engineers
2143   Mining engineers
2145   Petroleum engineers
2144   Geological engineers
2146   Aerospace engineers
2147   Computer engineers (except software engineers/designers) (Cap reached)
2154   Land surveyors
2174   Computer programmers and interactive media developers (Cap reached)
2243   Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
2263   Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety
3141   Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
3142   Physiotherapists
3143   Occupational Therapists
3211   Medical laboratory technologists
3212   Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists' assistants
3214   Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
3215   Medical Radiation Technologists
3216   Medical Sonographers
3217   Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists

Currently (as of today 06-Oct-2013), FSTP is applicable for the following job codes.

Group A – Jobs with sub-caps of 100 applications each (and their corresponding 2011 NOC code)
7202 Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
7204 Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades
7205 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
7271 Carpenters
7301 Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades
7302 Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews
8211 Supervisors, logging and forestry
8221 Supervisors, mining and quarrying
8222 Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling services
8241 Logging machinery operators
8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
9211 Supervisors, mineral and metal processing
9212 Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities
9214 Supervisors, plastic and rubber products manufacturing
9231 Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing
9241 Power engineers and power systems operators
9243 Water and waste treatment plant operators

Group B – no sub-caps (2011 NOC code)
7231 Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors
7233 Sheet metal workers
7235 Structural metal and plate work fabricators and fitters
7236 Ironworkers
7237 Welders and related machine operators
7241 Electricians (except industrial and power system)
7242 Industrial electricians
7243 Power system electricians
7244 Electrical power line and cable workers
7245 Telecommunications line and cable workers
7246 Telecommunications installation and repair workers
7251 Plumbers
7252 Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers
7253 Gas fitters
7311 Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
7312 Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
7313 Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
7314 Railway carmen/women
7315 Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors
7318 Elevator constructors and mechanics
7371 Crane operators
7372 Drillers and blasters - surface, mining, quarrying and construction
7373 Water well drillers
8231 Underground production and development miners
8232 Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers
9232 Petroleum, gas and chemical process operators

Pay attention to the job codes (a.k.a. NOC codes) above. We will touch on it in the next section.

3. Check your future employment prospects

Working in Canada is a federal government funded website that lists job requirements, earnings, outlook, for each area of Canada. There are many ways to use the website; some suggestions below.

• "Explore Careers by Occupation" helps you to discover the education and/or training requirements to enter a specific occupation/job-code (NOC code). See previous section for examples of jobs with shortage of qualified workers.
• "Explore Careers by Education Program".
• "Job Market Trends" for each specific area of Canada. 
  1. AB = Alberta
  2. BC = British Columbia
  3. MB = Manitoba
  4. NB = New Brunswick
  5. NL = Newfoundland
  6. NS = Nova Scotia
  7. NT = Northern Territories
  8. NU = Nunavut
  9. ON = Ontario
  10. PE = Prince Edward Island
  11. QC = Quebec
  12. SK = Saskatchewan
  13. YT = Yukon Territories

That's all for Part 2 for now. Please feel free to drop your comments, feedback and ask further questions in the Comments section below.

Footnote: See Part 1 here. See Part 3 here.

GNIE: Staying in touch

Recently some of my GNIE classmates contacted me to stay-in-touch. It is always nice to hear how my peers are doing, giving encouragement and supporting each other on our nursing journey. 

• Kudos to the few who have obtained full-time lines (i.e. unionized positions) with the health authorities. Their hard-work and persistence (in job applications) have paid-off.
• Some have casual positions with the health authorities, which I believe would eventually help them to secure permanent full/part-time positions with perseverance. 
• A few have joined me in Paediatric Home Health Nursing -- getting regular part-time pay.
• Most have regular part-time or full-time hours with private acute care (e.g. surgery position) or private residential care.
• A few are juggling several casual and/or agency jobs.
• A few I've not heard from and/or are still looking for jobs.

All said, I am glad to hear of my GNIE peers getting jobs and that some are climbing the corporate hierarchy and/or union seniority. Examples of nursing job market challenges that I've heard of include the following.

• I have heard from some LPN colleagues of other nurses (notably LPNs) who graduated in January 2013 and have yet to land their first nursing job 8 months later (in September 2013).
• I have also met and heard from other colleagues of nurses with some years of experience who lost their "unionized jobs" because of the union agreement with the health authorities to re-structure the work-hours -- thus they got "bumped off" from their previous jobs as "more senior" unionized nurses took over their jobs. Note: That's the disadvantage of "union jobs" -- your job is not really secure unless you have maximized your union seniority, which takes about 10 years of full-time work. Check out the url below for the article titled "Not Qualified". 
  
  https://www.bcnu.org/news/magazines/2013/Update_Oct_2013_ForWeb.pdf
  

At the end of my evening shift today, I count my blessings that I am getting around 90 hours of work this month -- not quite full-time, but enough to live on (for I lead a simple lifestyle). At my peak, I was working 175 hours in August-2013 between several jobs, so it is nice to have a slower pace to catch my breath and reflect on my career directions.

Migrating via Student Visa - Part 1

In one of my previous posts, Vegabond had some questions about migrating to B.C., Canada, indirectly via the Student Visa route.

Vegabond wrote on Friday, August 30, 2013 12:06:00 AM:

Hi Winking Doll,

I have been following your blog ever since I chanced upon it from asingaporean son. Thanks for starting this blog :) I, too, am looking to move to BC however I do not qualified as a skilled worker. My local uni degree has little employability out of sg...haha. I'm interested to do a career switch into healthcare and is looking at some of the healthcare related programs in Canada. What is your insights on other allied health professionals in terms of jobs outlook/demand in Canada, how open is employers towards foreigners who graduated from Canadian schools, etc?

Vegabond wrote on Friday, August 30, 2013 12:14:00 AM: 

Appreciate if you could email me and share your opinions and advice about entering Canada via student visa route... Wishing u luck in finding your ideal job in BC! My email is [Email edited for privacy]

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His/her questions cannot be answered in a single post, so I shall do this in a series. This is the first part. But first a declaration and disclaimer.

DECLARATION and DISCLAIMER: The following is my personal opinion. I am not any way qualified to give education and/or migration advice to anyone, and thus any content from me shall be construed as a sharing of personal opinion, not advice. I do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided by me. Under no circumstances will I or anyone related to this content be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from any reliance on the information or other content posted or linked by me.

The B.C. education scene is very lively. There are lots of paper mills. Many will promise you "take this or that course, this or that industry is short of skilled people" etc. What they do not inform you is the reality of the B.C. (and/or Canadian) job market. I shall cover the B.C. job market later in this series. 

Firstly, how to sort out the paper mills from the really "recognized" education centres? At the risk of offending a lot of BC graduates and holders of higher-education paper-qualifications, here are my 2 cents of opinion.

1. Go to publicly-funded and/or well-known post-secondary schools

These are listed on the Translink (public transport) website as follow. "Eleven post-secondary institutions in Metro Vancouver are eligible to participate in the program (University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Capilano University, Langara College, Emily Carr University of Art & Design, Vancouver Community College, Douglas College, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology and the Justice Institute of BC)."

Note: As far as I know, Simon Fraser University and Emily Carr University of Art & Design is not publicly-funded. It is private, but has a good reputation (see point 3 below). I do not know about Capilano University, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology and the Justice Institute of BC -- I suspect some of these are not publicly-funded either.

IMHO, as a result of having to justify for funding from the government, the publicly-funded institutions have to ensure that their education/training programmes have some relevance and/or maintain acceptable standards.

2. Check EducationPlanner.ca

EducationPlanner.ca is the website created to assist those exploring post-secondary education options in BC. You can search the website for programmes offered by the various education institutions.

3. Ask those in-the-know about informal ranking

I was told informally by various BC locals/residents of the following informal rankings.

• For degree courses, UBC (University of British Columbia) has the best reputation (i.e. well-recognized across Canada, in USA and overseas). SFU (Simon Fraser University) also has cross-Canada and some international clout. I've been told by some that this is followed by BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology). KPU (Kwantlen Polytechnic University) is behind BCIT in the reputation/prestige game. 

[Note: I did not have much of a choice of education institutions as CRNBC only recognized 2 institutional courses specifically catered to Graduate Nurses, Internationally Educated Re-entry. One was mainly classroom-based from KPU and the other was a mainly online-based course from Thomson Rivers University.]

• For arts, animation and design, Emily Carr University of Art & Design is the place to be.

• For community colleges, the top-ranking is VCC (Vancouver Community College). [Note: Be careful of copycats with sound alike names, e.g. VCC (Vancouver Career College), but of different reputation.] The next best is Langara College. Douglas College is ok, but definitely does not have the "oomph" of the preceding 2 publicly-funded colleges. One thing to be aware is that while community college qualifications are recognized throughout BC, I've been told that they do not carry the same prestige across Canada. Thus, the community college route is only recommended if one does not intend to leave BC and/or one intends to transfer/upgrade to other courses in the universities.

Ok, that's all for Part 1 - How to sort out the paper mills from the really "recognized" education centres?

Footnote:

• Click here for Part 2 - Factors to consider when selecting an education programme for the purpose of immigration.
• Click here for Part 3 - Odds and ends.

Liar, liar, pants on fire

I confronted a friend for lying today, i.e. earlier on Monday evening. It's been cooking for some time (i.e. months) now as I usually try to give a person 3 chances. In this case, I've given way more than 3 chances.

As for the final straw that breaks the camel's back -- let's just say in short that it is not the wisest move to blatantly lie to your referee about the status of your job search, and whether or not you've had any job interview(s). Especially when your referee has been "casually" asking/prompting, "What? No news? Not even a job interview?" after you know you've attended job interview(s) where you've left that person's contact as your referee. E.g. I received an email request for reference on 30-Jul-2013.

I am really so disappointed. [Click here and here.] Considering the amount of effort I've poured into our friendship. Effort which is now rewarded by the "lack of trust" her actions betray. I could have helped the person on her next step of her career aspirations -- getting a job with a health authority -- but I would calmly exit from the relationship now since I know that she is fine, having landed several jobs, including one that gives her regular pay (thanks to the contact I passed along to her).

SG Nursing Board - To be or not to be?

I received the renewal letter for my registration renewal with the Singapore Nursing Board recently. 

[SNB letter sent to my Canadian postal address]

Previously, I have maintained my Singapore nursing registration (just in case I need a Plan B) while working towards my Canadian (i.e. British Columbia) nursing registration. Now that I've obtained my B.C. nursing licence, the question is whether to continue with my Singapore registration.

I do not see myself returning to nursing in Singapore, given the very different work and/or nursing culture there. [IMHO, it is a rather inhumane and inequitable work culture. Click here to see what FrugalIntrovert wrote about the Singapore work and lifestyle norms.]

That said, it is hard to give up on one's roots. Similarly, on the issue of "to be or not to be a Singapore citizen" -- as per my comments on ASingaporeanSon's blog entry.

Labour Day weekend trip

I am so looking forward to my long Labour Day weekend trip with DD's family. I need a good break. I realize that I am not thinking clearly about finances and career -- 2 very important areas in which I have had to work hard for all my life, and for which I have had recurrent lapses. 

I hope this trip can clear my thoughts and bring inspiration, like last year's Labour Day weekend trip (with a group of awesome friends). 

Countdown -- 3 days to take-off! I really need a good break.

Public Health Nursing

Today I met a Public Health Nurse via a friend. I am excited to learn about the wide scope of coverage for Public Health Nursing in B.C., Canada. I hope to learn more about it and to see if I may be a good match in that area.

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Sometimes my B.C.-based nursing peers/acquaintances ask me how I know about this or that (referring to the B.C. health care system and/or nursing industry). IMHO, my knowledge is actually very limited, it is just that I may be atypical in my willingness to share what I know. I am well aware of the fact that my professional network in B.C. nursing is still very limited, unlike many of my peers who have big/strong communities of fellow countrymen in the same profession. I do what I can to build my knowledge by asking around and talking to others in the industry whenever the opportunity presents itself. Fortunately, many nurses have been kind to me, with some sharing insiders' views of trends, etc. This is important as such information contributes towards making better "bets" in my career decisions. Keeping my fingers crossed!

In-transition

Have not been blogging recently. Not much of a mood for it. I spent the Singapore National Day working and only realized that it was Singapore's National Day when I was documenting my nursing notes and found the date so familiar.

Anyway, at first I thought my lack of motivation to blog was because I was too busy; juggling work and a still budding relationship. Then I noticed that I have been feeling glum and not my usual "let's get up and at it" self more often. Where being "in-transition" carried hope previously, it now comes across as yet another "so near yet so far" endless treadmill. It became obvious this week when even my verbalization carries more negativity than positivity.

I'll probably take a short break and return when I feel better. Need to make time for myself and attend to my needs. I have so much that I want to share about -- especially nursing job search in Greater Vancouver, but really being in the wrong mood means that the words may well form into a crappy article, so I'll wait it out.

GNIE: RN job search - Update 6

Here's a quick update. Of our cohort of 29 GNIE graduates who passed the CRNE (i.e. eligible for full practicing licence with the CRNBC):

• 23 (or 79%) have found Registered Nurse jobs,
• 2 (or 7%) are not actively searching for job, and
• 4 (or 14%) either I do not have information or they are still actively searching.

For other details, please refer to my previous update.

Drunkard's target is not the wine［醉翁之意不在酒］

I came across a piece "Confessions of an ex-HDB Officer" by a TRS contributor CJ. I am not going to comment on his confessions, but rather the (possibly troll) responses that are rather interesting and (IMHO) reflective of a typical Singaporean mindset. [Note: Italics and bold mine, for emphasis.]

For example, Alan Tay, Professional Tree Hugger at Tree Lovers, posted on July 3, 2013 at 7:27pm [with 2 Like's]:
CJ was out HDB because he was sacked? Otherwise, CJ is so noble to resign and take a pay cut of 50%. How many years did he work in HDB? I smell bulls***

For example, Ron Koo, who "Works at SLNG Terminal Project @ Meranti Cresent, Jurong Island", posted on July 4, 2013 at 7:09am [with 1 Like]:
the story is very doubtful as the writer said he left HDB for a 50% pay cut. Don't bite the hand that feeds you, or rather, once fed you with a fat rolex.

Let me start-off by stating that I do not know CJ personally. In fact, I only read TRS occasionally, but something about his later article "The People Vs HDB. In the matter of public interest." which showed up on another blogger's blogs-of-interest caught my eye. Then I followed-up on his preceding article and chanced upon the above comments.

The comments, as I've mentioned above, (IMHO) reflects a typical Singaporean mindset. A mindset which sees the path to success as a rigid straight line, from A to B. A mindset that finds it hard to imagine that there exists people who will wilfully take "The Road Not Taken".

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost (1874-1963). 
Mountain Interval. 1920.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;       5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,       10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.       15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.       20

I shall repeat myself -- I do not know CJ personally. I have no reason to doubt or believe his story. That said, I know it is possible to walk away from a job/career and to take another that pays 50% or less. I have done so myself. In fact, I have tried 3 attempts -- only to finally succeed on my 3rd attempt.

[1997 Job offer from NCB]

[Note: The above job offer was neither my highest nor lowest pay in my 10+ years spent in my first career. It just serves to illustrate that there are people (your truly for example) who will wilfully walk away from a job/career and move on to one that pays 50% or less of one's previous salary. "The starting basic salary for Registered Nurses is approximately $1,800." according to the WDA Professional Conversion Programme for Registered Nurses webpage as at 22-Jul-2013.]

IMHO, what the commenters above probably do not understand is the Chinese saying, “醉翁之意不在酒”。["The drunkard's target is not the wine."] Look at the long-term. And as Robert Frost wrote, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

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p.s. For those who wonder:

It took me many years, but I am on-track for a return to my previous salary levels. The major/critical point is that I am in a different career, in a different country -- one with proper labour protection and a good social support system (which I willingly pay tax for). I no longer have to deal with stressors like:

• watching my colleagues fall as I survive 3 retrenchment chops in less than 4 years, 
• worrying about being "cheaper, faster, and better" all-the-time, 
• being too old to be employable after age 40, 
• "can afford to die, but cannot afford to fall ill", and
• my retirement fund (e.g. CPF Life) possibly handling out morsels which I cannot survive on in my "golden years".

For those who want the numbers as proof: BCNU's (B.C. Nurses Union) pay-scale for newly graduated Registered Nurse start at CAD31.71/hour as of April 2013. The typical full-time RN works 1700 hours/year or more.

How to become a Live-in Caregiver

[DECLARATION and DISCLAIMER: The following is my personal opinion. I am not and have never been a Live-in Caregiver; nor am I in any way qualified to give advice on the matter. Thus any content from me shall be construed as a sharing of personal opinion, not advice. I do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided by me. Under no circumstances will I or anyone related to this content be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from any reliance on the information or other content posted or linked by me.]

In an earlier post "IEN dreams of migrating to Vancouver" I wrote:

I have met other IENs whose ultimate goal was to obtain Canadian residency/citizenship status. A few did it by the long, slow, arduous route of first becoming a live-in caregiver, spend a couple of years to get their Canadian residency status approved while planning their return to nursing. The con is that they lose their skills during the long process, but the pro is that it is a stable route for those with limited finances and are willing take a long-haul view.

Yesterday, an IEN asked me how to find a "live-in caregiver" job. There's Professor Google to the rescue. 

• Google for "craigslist live in caregiver vancouver" turns up the following link (amongst others)
• Google for "live in caregiver vancouver" turns up links to wowjobs.ca and vancouver.kijiji.ca (amongst others)

As usual, I suggest that readers take time to find out for themselves about policies governing the employment of Live-in Caregivers. Do not rely on hearsay, check out the official information which are available from various government-related websites online. [Note: Click here for an old blog post with some of these links.]

In addition, I believe it would be useful to get the following certifications make your application stronger.

• BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registration. Click here and read the Comments Section for my opinion/suggestion on how to get it done.
• A current (i.e. less than 12 months-old) CPR Level-C certificate. Popular trainers include Lifesaving Society and St John's Ambulance. If you prefer other trainers, again Professor Google can be of service. [That is, please Google for it yourself.]
• Food Safe Level 1 Certificate (once-off training, no expiry date).

Hope the above will be useful for those aspiring Canadians-to-be with a limited budget.

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p.s. I know that major "maid-for-export" countries, such as the Philippines, have job agents that can help the aspiring immigrant secure such jobs even before leaving their respective countries of origin. However, the job applicants should always bear in mind that there may be differences in employment laws between Canada and their respective country of origin. Be aware of your employment rights as a Live-in Caregiver, be wary of unscrupulous job agents, do not be conned/intimated into becoming a victim.

GNIE: RN job search - Update 5

Since my previous update on May 24th 2013, today's status based on the grapevine is as follow: Of our cohort of 29 GNIE graduates who passed the CRNE (i.e. eligible for full practicing licence with the CRNBC), 20 (or 69%) have found Registered Nurse jobs.

Most of us hold several jobs - a mix of casual and other positions. We are distributed amongst the following:

• Private hospital acute care (mostly elective-surgery related) - Regular full-time and casual positions
• Public hospital acute care - Casual positions. There are about a handful of us with these positions now.
• Residential care - Temporary full-time and casual positions
• Home nursing - Permanent part-time and casual positions
• Agency nurse (sent to acute, residential, home, etc positions) - Casual positions
• Education (e.g. clinical instructors for Care Aides) - Casual position

Notes:

• The above data is amongst those that we know/hear from.
• Of those who have yet to find a job, 3 have just passed the June 2013 CRNE.
• There are a few who are not actively looking for RN jobs due to various personal reasons.

IEN who left nursing > 5 years

I received the following question from an IEN on my "IEN preparing to apply to CRNBC" blog post.

From haidee gabriel on Tuesday, July 02, 2013 12:57:00 AM: 

Hi 

My name is [name-removed for privacy] and I'm a registered nurse in the Philippines and my case is kind of the same with Raine's situation, an internationally educated nurse who relocated from the Philippines to BC, Canada. I wasnt able to practice my profession as well in the Philippines. The difference about my case and Raine's is that, I graduated March 2007 and its been 6 years now. Do you think I can still challenge the exam or continue with my application? I need your expert opinion about this. What do you think is the best thing to do so i can still be a registered nurse here? I still want to challenge the exam if possible coz i dont have much time to go back to school coz i have a little baby. Your response to this email will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance. Please email me your response as well in my email add if you dont mind, its [email-removed for privacy] Thank you so much once again.

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Hi Haidee,

Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.

> I need your expert opinion about this.

Firstly, let me be very clear about this: I am NOT an expert on the subject of your questions, nor was I ever an expert; and I did NOT EVER claim to be so. PLEASE DO NOT GET ME INTO TROUBLE BY STATING/IMPLYING OTHERWISE. I am just another IEN sharing my personal experience and opinions. If, for some reason or other, you missed my declaration and disclaimer on my other blog post, I  am replicating it here (below) for your information. Please read through it so that you are clear on the purpose/value of my personal sharing.

DECLARATION and DISCLAIMER: The following is my personal opinion. I am not from CRNBC nor in any way qualified to give advice to Internationally Educated Nurses, and thus any content from me shall be construed as a sharing of personal opinion, not advice. I do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided by me. Under no circumstances will I or anyone related to this content be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from any reliance on the information or other content posted or linked by me.

Ok, now that we're clear on the purpose of my sharing, let's look at your issues. 

CLPNBC is very clear that about your situation here. Quote from CLPNBC website:

If you have been out of nursing practice for five years or more, you will be required to complete further education prior to writing the CPNRE.

For CRNBC, I would recommend that you attend one of their "Registration Informational Sessions" to get the answer from the horse's mouth. It is held monthly at CRNBC premises.

For both nursing boards, the rules are changed/updated frequently, so I suggest that you check directly with the boards than to rely on hearsay -- e.g. from people like me who applied for registration years ago when the rules were different for us back then.

> i dont have much time to go back to school coz i have a little baby.

I've met an IEN who is meeting the CRNBC requirement for a nursing re-entry course via the mostly-online program from Thompson Rivers University. In other words, there are options for those who "do not have time to go back to school".

However, before you embark on any nursing re-entry training, I strongly recommend that you consult CRNBC and/or CLPNBC for their assessment on what their specific requirements are for you to return to nursing. Do not waste resources on training that would not be of any use to you. Do NOT trust anyone or any organization who/which claims to be able to provide you training that will ensure your nursing registration -- only the 2 nursing boards are authorized to decide on the appropriate trainings required. In short, follow the rules, or go your own way at your own peril.

So what can you do in the meantime? If you need above minimum-wage income, I suggest checking out the requirements for Registered Care Aide. With that registration, you can work as a Care Aide. There are private companies that assign shifts according to your availability for home care. [Click here and here for examples.] In addition, click here for some resources (e.g. funding, accreditation centres) available for foreign-trained immigrants to return to their professions.

Lastly, you did not mention it but I'd cover the matter for completeness since (IMHO) I have heard some complaints about discrimination and/or non-recognition of foreign training from other IENs. The requirement for re-entry training after having left nursing for 5 years or more is not specifically targeted at IENs. How do I know? I have personally met a Canadian-trained RN who had to do a nursing re-entry course as a result of having left the nursing profession for years. Note: Visually, she is a "white" Canadian; so yes, as far as I am aware, the system is fair and transparent.

As for emailing you, my apologies that I prefer not to correspond privately with any of my readers, unless you know me personally (face-to-face) otherwise. Hope the above helps. If you have further queries, please drop a comment below.

Cheers, WD.

Happy Canada Day, 3x!

Happy Canada Day!

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Click here for a video from Citizenship and Immigration Canada on "A free Canadian".

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This is my 3rd Canada Day (or around 2 years 9 months since landing). I have been quite busy for the past 2 months, and today is a break for me to rest and relax. And also a time/chance for another "migration & settling-in" progress review (compared to my previous blog on it 6 months after landing).

V Local friends: I had been blessed for the friends I've made since arrival. Some of whom I can count on in an emergency. Admittedly, I've placed bad bets on a few persons who entered (and thankfully have since left) my life. Overall, I enjoy my interactions with people whom I've met in Canada.

V Canadian income: I have just started working last month (June-2013), albeit not full-time. That is, I am taking some shifts here-and-there, as I was juggling between job interviews, nursing trainings, and personal life. Still my first month's income was enough to cover my usual basic expenses.

V Career: Grabbed the 1st RN nursing job offer and started working. I'm happy to say that it turns out to be a good match (at least from the 1st month of work). I will write more on my career thoughts when I have time in future.

V Living accommodations: I used to think that I would like to rent a studio with my own kitchen and toilet. And preferably a studio near my workplace. As it turns out, I have gotten used to living with my landlord and landlady. Even though I had an opportunity to rent my own basement apartment at a really reasonable price recently, I decided not to.

V Getting around: I am still relying on the good public transport infrastructure to get around. My plan is to get a Canadian driving licence by the end of this year to improve my job opportunity.

V Credit rating: In progress.

V Love life: Going great, surprisingly. I met a really nice fella, DD. DD joked that he cannot propose yet because we have yet to have our first "couple's quarrel". I asked him, "What if we don't ever quarrel?" [After all, both of us have been rather reasonable for any issues/disagreements so far.] He said, "Then we'll have to manufacture one." Since we had been talking casually about buying a place, I joked, "I know, let's go apartment hunting. It's a good way to get couples quarrelling." As usual, he agreed and joked, "I'll schedule it in my calendar: Start a couple's quarrel over apartment hunting."

Given the above (and considering what's happening in Singapore, click here and here), while I am currently still a Singapore citizen, I will weigh my citizenship options when the time comes.

GNIE: RN job search - Update 4

Update based on the grapevine, as of today: Of our cohort of 26 GNIE graduates who passed the CRNE (i.e. eligible for full practicing licence with the CRNBC), 14 (or 54%) have found Registered Nurse jobs.

Acute care: 7 (including 1 in private agency)
Residential care: 3 (including 2 in private agencies)
Home nursing: 4 (all in private agencies)

Notes:

• The above data is amongst those that we know/hear from.
• Since some of the above are in casual or part-time jobs, some are holding more than one job. 
• In order to avoid double-counting of those who are holding more than 1 job, I have simply classified each person holding multiple jobs in only 1 of the following category (in order of decreasing priority): Acute care, Residential care, and Home nursing.

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As for me, I received a casual RN job offer from a home nursing organization. [This is in addition to a casual Care Aide job offer at a residential care facility.] I am very thankful to my references, it seems that they tilted the hiring strongly in my favour. The recruiters from both agencies sounded really happy and told me that they received "wonderful" and/or "very good" references of me when they called me for the job offers.

GNIE: RN job search - Update 3

Update based on the grapevine, as of today: Of our cohort of 26 GNIE graduates who passed the CRNE (i.e. eligible for full practicing licence with the CRNBC), 13 (or 50%) have found Registered Nurse jobs.

Acute care: 5 (including 1 in private agency)

Residential care: 4

Home nursing: 4 (all in private agencies)

Notes:

1. The above data is amongst those that we know/hear from.
2. Since some of the above are in casual or part-time jobs, some are holding more than one job. 
3. In order to avoid double-counting of those who are holding more than 1 job, I have simply classified each person holding multiple jobs in only 1 of the following category (in order of decreasing priority): Acute care, Residential care, and Home nursing.

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I am not amongst the lucky ones above, but I am still happy for those who are successful.