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!
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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!
I'm currently doing postgrad studies in Public Health. It's an interesting area, with plenty of variety depending on your interest.
ReplyDeleteIf you are good with or love numbers/stats, you can be an epidemiologist. If you are good with or love teaching/passing on info, there's health promotion. Etc etc.
BTW, NUH has been looking for an informatics nurse since April. If we were still in Singapore we might be fighting for the same job. :D
Hi CK,
DeleteIMH was looking for an informatics nurse while I was still in the career conversion program. My classmate (an IMH sponsored student) told me about it and the possibility of porting my bond to IMH. However, after my IMH clinical attachment at the C-class ward (where I understood clearly how big a difference money can make towards the "treatment" and "acceptability" of a mentally-ill client), I doubt I have the heart to pull through the required "gather your experience" years.
Nah, I don't believe in competition. I believe the world is big enough to have opportunities for those who seek. I was just sad recently to learn how some of my nursing peers in Canada actually believe in "fighting for the same job" (i.e. a win-lose mentality which shows in their "take-only, no giving in-return" behaviour). On the other hand, I also learned who are the ones who share my philosophy.
Cheers, WD.
p.s. I seem to be following one-step behind you in my career moves. 跟屁虫在此！ [Behold the copy-cat!] Haha :-D
DeleteBut sometimes there is only one available position. What happens when we both want to be PM of a small island? :)
ReplyDeleteAs long as you are not following one step behind me in your love life, all will be fine...! Mine has been very bumpy recently.
Hi CK,
DeleteHope your recent bumpy love-life road is a training ground to create the smooth highway to come later!
When there is only one available position, it means that only one person is fated for it. ;) For the one who got the door slammed in his/her face, it may be better to look elsewhere for that window of opportunity instead. In my life, I have passed on good career opportunities onto my colleagues/friends instead simply because I know I wasn't a good fit and/or it wasn't the right time for me.
Cheers, WD.
Hi Winking Doll,
ReplyDeleteI 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?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete> Vegabond wrote on Friday, August 30, 2013 12:14:00 AM:
ReplyDelete>
> 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]
Hi Vegabond,
My apologies, I am just about to head out for a long weekend trip (Labour Day weekend) with my boyfriend's family. In addition, I prefer not to correspond directly with my readers via email unless we have met personally otherwise.
That said, please give me some time (busy work schedule expected once I'm back in September). Per your request, I will share my opinion on how to get into Canada via the Student Visa route and the BC employment scene for foreigners. Note: I did not enter via the student visa route, so please do take what I write as hear-say. That is, no guarantees, ok?
Btw, if you can share a little about:
a. how much cash you have (i.e. how much you can afford to sustain yourself through your studies),
b. how old you are chronologically, e.g. early-20's, mid-20's, late-20's, early-30's and so on (to calculate the return on investment of taking up courses),
c. how old do you look, (i.e. do you look your age?),
d. how willing you are to do minimum wage jobs? graveyard shifts?,
e. what is your English standard (any IELTS band score?) and are you comfortable listening to and speaking "ang mor"-accented English?
Cheers, WD.
Hi WD, sorry for the late reply as I have been out of town and can't seem to send in my reply through my ipad. Anyway, I am reposting my reply here:
ReplyDeleteHi WD,
Thank you for taking the time to reply me. Please take your time and enjoy your weekend trip! Haha I get your joke about Singaporeans kiasi "got guarantee or not?" mindset....no worries, your disclaimer is fully accepted n understood. ;)
Ok, let me share a little about myself:
a) Honestly, sad to say not much savings despite working for 5 years. My savings can probably scrap me through the first year of study if I can take up a part time min wage job...I hope to take up student loan in Canada if I'm eligible or bust my ass studying real hard in first year to secure a scholarship for 2nd year onwards (hopefully a 2 yr dip program would suffice to enter the healthcare field before planning to advance my studies when I'm more financially settled down). The third way would be to get a loan from family...but I'd wanna avoid this as much as I can..
b) I'm currently in my late twenties.
c) People have commented I look like a fresh grad to mid-twenties tho I objectively think that I look my age.
d) Yes, yes, yes. I had taken on menial jobs during my student exchange days in the states to stretch my stay there and finance my travels...so I don't really have much ego or what in this aspect. I'm only concern about availability of any jobs at all while I study after seeing the notcanada video u posted in one of your blog entries.
e) my command of English is pretty average. I'm comfortable conversing in English and understand the nuances of the language spoken in North America. I have not taken the IELTS but got a B3 for Olevel Eng. Yes, I can and have spoken with "ang mo" accent b4 to the locals during my stay in the states as I believe it's a sign of respect, aids in communication, as well as to assimilate into the local culture. Of coz lah I switch back to my Singaporean accent when I'm back home...if not I risk getting the stink eyes from my fellow countrymen ;p
To give you a point of reference, I'm looking at dental hygiene as I can start work after getting my dip in 2 yrs...while other allied healthcare job such as radiographer, physio, occupation therapist seemed to require a 4 yr Bachelor degree. I personally like the job scope of DH but have heard so much negative things about the profession in terms of employment outlook, shrinking demand and oversupply of RDH but at the same time the official stats/article published by official sources as well as other RDHs painted a different (positive) picture. What is the real picture like on ground?
I don't want to hold you back from your busy schedule, so no hurry to reply ya...I don't know anyone in Canada so I am very grateful that you are here and willing to share with us what you know. A big Thank You for that!
Hi Vegabond,
DeleteThanks for being so frank and open about your specific situation. I think I'll need to address the specific challenges that you face beyond the "Migrating via Student Visa" series. Generally those who are successful immigrants to Canada via the "Student Visa" route has $$$ and/or solid financial backing.
It sucks to be Singapore citizens. We don't have "working holiday" visa entry to Canada, unlike other Commonwealth countries like Australia, NZ, and Hong Kong. Your guess is as good as mine on why Singaporeans are so "exceptional".
http://asingaporeanson.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/meeting-third-world-doctor.html
Thus, please bear with me, I'll get round to it... I'm brainstorming options.
Cheers, WD.
Yes, we share the same guess on the working holiday visa. I believe currently we only have 1 working holiday visa with NZ and that's with a maximum stay of 6 months as compared to 1 yr stay by other nationality (e.g. our neighbour).
ReplyDeleteFrom my research, foreigners who have limited financial backings go through the vocational training/apprenticeship route to get into Canada. The courses are either cheaper or shorter or the candidates get paid with on the job training. Such jobs tend to be what Singaporeans considered as blue collar jobs (http://www.red-seal.ca/s.2.1rch@-eng.jsp). The income gap between the blue collar and white collar professions in canada is not that wide as compared to SG...correct me if I'm wrong here. So this might be an option for your readers who have limited finances, do not have a degree or willing to be in the "blue collar" professions (and risk getting blue collar salary in SG should you decide to return).
Just for sharing...not sure if the reality is the same as what I have researched.
Hi Vegabond,
DeleteYour research is pointing generally in the right direction. I do not know for sure, but what I've heard from hanging out occasionally with refugees, immigrants and people working for organizations that help them settle-in is not promising news. After all Canada is run by the "Harper government" (i.e. Conservatives-led and therefore money goes to biz rather than investing in people) for the 2nd-term now.
If you drill down to the specific province's organization handling the Red Seal programme (the url that you gave above), you'll find the B.C.'s version below. To be eligible, one must "Be legally entitled to work in Canada" -- in other words, this is not a ticket to enter Canada if you're planning on coming in via B.C.
http://www.itabc.ca/immigrants-trades/funding-eligibility
For the other provinces, you may want to check through each of their websites to see if the same rule applies. My suggestion: Try Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Manitoba -- provinces/territories with harsher climates that are "unattractive" to many. Alternatively, try also Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick -- "white-bread" Atlantic Canada with lower migrant rates. Avoid Quebec for now, there is some Francophone-driven political trends at the moment.
http://www.red-seal.ca/c.4nt.1cts@-eng.jsp?#contact_
In any case, vocational training/apprenticeship money is running dry quickly in B.C. given the state of the economy post-2008 financial crisis. Based on hearsay (so you'd have to check the reality for yourself), unless you're a citizen, a permanent resident and/or an officially-sanctioned refugee, your chance of getting one of these paid training/apprenticeship positions is zilch. Even you you're legally entitled to work in B.C., as you can probably guess, the competition to get such sponsorship is steep given that the demand far outstrips the supply.
I don't mean to pour cold water on your "blue collar" apprenticeship plan. My aim is to give you the hearsay/information that I come across, so that your "escape from Singapore" plan will be realistic.
That said, you're right that "blue collar" professions can be well-paid in Canada, sometimes even better paid than "white collar" professions given the additional risks they have to take. E.g. Mining in B.C.
Keep researching, that's how you'll learn more about the country that you plan to migrate to. Good luck!
Cheers, WD.
Thanks for pointing out the 'blindspots'! :)
ReplyDelete