[font=Times New Roman]I have master degree in Economics with 4 1/2 years experience in a Financial institute(mostly in Accounting) from Pakistan.Currently in Montréal , unemployed and facing difficulties to find a job as I can’t speak french.Now there are two options for me either go for French course(it will take about 10 months) or move to tonronto.I don’t know what’s the job situation in the Toronto, and is it worth to spend 10 months on learning French .So could somebody help me taking this important decision, shoul[font=‘i move to toronto or go for fr’]d I move to Toronto or stay in Montréal and go for French course.
Re: Important Decision
Move to a city where you can easily find a job. Once you have a job, learn French, anyway.
Re: Important Decision
Hi newguy…
welcome to gupshup, and welcome to canada as well 
ur situation is not any different than any new immigrants situation here…moving to toronto might not help if u r going to do that just for finding work in ur field…simply cuz most places require “Canadian” experience…or atleast North American experience…which u don’t have…and having a degree from pak won’t help either…
however, there are some things i can suggest…
first and foremost, get ur degree evaulated by WES (World Education Service)…i’m guessing with a masters form pak, it’ll end up being recognized as a full bachelors degree according to canadian standards…that can open up new doors for u towards employment as well as further education within canada…
second, i’m not sure what mindset are u in, but here, its highly unlikely u’ll start off at the same position u had back in pak…most likely u’ll have to start over again and work ur way up…so take up anything that comes ur way thats in ur field…also, if its not in ur field, take it up neways so atleast u start accumulating some sort of “canadian” experience…and keep looking for something in ur field alongside…
third, u said u have work experience in accounting mostly…it’ll be worthwhile looking at the accounting credentials that are recognized in canada, and start working towards that…accounting professionals are always needed everywhere, just a matter of getting the local credentials/licenses…perhaps here the first point i mentioned will come in handy as well, the evaluation by WES to see how ur degree compares to canadian standards, and consequently find out what courses u need in order to get the canadian credentials as well…and the start pursuing that…
as for taking a french course, that’ll be useful for sure in the long run…can’t go wrong with that, as bilingual professionals tend to get paid more neways…the immediate impact that it might have in u finding some work in ur field, i am not sure…
i hope this helps…let me know if u have any more questions…
best of luck newguy i know it’s not easy, but if u persevere, i’m sure u’ll manage like the hundreds of thousands of others
Re: Important Decision
forgot to add a couple of things...
get ur resume reorganized according to north american/canadian standards...easiest way to do it is to sign up at YMCA for the resume workshops they have...every local YMCA typically holds atleast one resume workshop each week...register for that, walk in with ur resume, have someone take a look at it and critique it...make changes to it accordingly...with so many people applying for the same position, on avg, the person from HR who looks at the resumes will barely give it a 10 sec glance, and unless ur resume stands out, it'll go in the pile of the many others that are not even looked at a second time...if in those 10 secs something does catch their eye, then and only then do they take a detailed look at the resume, and call the person in for an interview etc...
also, along with getting the resume in shape, YMCA also offers work placement and volunteer opportunities...you might end up getting something in your field that way if you volunteer somewhere...also, once ur resume has been fixed, ur degree evaluated by WES etc, contact some recruitment agencies and head hunters as well to see if they could find something for you...that should help as well...
if i can think of anything else, i'll be back again :D
Re: Important Decision
Thanks a lot DeSiMuNdA for kind advice and information.Any how I have about 8 months Canadian experience although not in my related field.I also have resume in Canadian style and I am going for my degree evaluation with in next few weeks.I like Montreal very much that’s why I hesitate to move to some other place and also I heard lot of stories about problems in Toronto as most of the immigrants end up in toronto.As I am currently on employment insurance so employ Quebec job counselor strongly recommended to take French course. I really appreciate all the responses and will welcome more.
Re: Important Decision
Think out of the box my friend. Quebec government is pushing a lot trades training. For instance there is a 9 month paid course (ya, they pay you to take this course) in English in furniture re-finishing. You take this course and start furniture re-finishing business and you will never want for work. Ditto for cabinet making, welding. Many of these trades pay well and French is not a factor. You don't have to do what you did back in Pakistan. Good luck to you.