Q: i am a qualified electrician(15yrs)will i find work ok?i also have 2 young children,what is the standard of education like?what could i expect to earn as an electrician (ca$)?
A: Right now the cost of living is very expensive in calgary - but coming from the UK it might not seem that bad. The biggest hurdle will be finding an affordable place to live (ave. house price is $480,000). Check out www.mls.ca for housing costs - don't come out unless you can afford a place to live, the homeless population has grown immensly in the last 2 years due to increased cost of living. You'll be able to make really good money as an electrician out here - they're in high demand. How much you make depends on how much you want to work - I know guys that work around the clock and make over $200,000 a year (they own their own company though too). I think the going rate is ~$35-$50/hr though. The education system here is good - in the way that everyone in the entire country gets the same kind of education. I don't think it's as good as the system in the UK but it's sufficient. There are lots of people with young children right now - it seems everyone is having babies right now. Standard of living is pretty high here - most people live in a house with a yard and lots of parks nearby, but the traffic is terrible (may not be that bad in comparrison to the UK)