Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ofcourse, learning French is the best thing but I'm assuming that it would take a beginner atleast a year to come up to native fluency?? Also, I'm not a beginner in French, but I'm am intermediate speaker instead. So reading formal communication or responding to it is fine with me. But ,working in a francophone environment will probably take me a few months to get used to. isn't it? I'm guessing that its pretty hard to find companies that have operations outside QC.
In Montreal there are actually more companies than you might think that do a lot or even most of their business outside Quebec.
In Montreal there are actually more companies than you might think that do a lot or even most of their business outside Quebec.
That's definitely good news for anglophones. Atleast we can pay our rent and buy food while working on our French skills.
The one reason for me to move up there to montreal is to get the non-north american feel in north-america for a few years. And that's how I set my eyes on la belle province. However, if this means that I would have to work under-table or under-paid jobs unless and untill I get fluent in French then I will NOT move. Having said that, I know the province in primarily French speaking , so all my efforts have to go toward mastering the language(I'm an intermediate speaker now), but I'd like to buy time until few months before I can proclaim my self as "near native fluency".
Ahh, can't wait to get to montreal - I've heard so many good things.
If you need a job in English while you perfect your French, try a job where you don't need to work with the public in the West Island region of Montreal Island, a mostly Anglophone suburban region with lots of businesses. You can always get a survival job in one of the warehouses or some other job. Those usually pay 10 to 11 bucks an hour, but I'm sure there's some higher paying jobs you could do to. As anywhere though, networking helps you with getting access to the choice jobs you might not be able to find out about easilly. But it's a big city with lots of Anglos, the jobs do exist but of course you'll wanna learn that French, it's a very large boon.
Nehs You could give Ottawa a try as an interim measure while your linguistic skills are being Upgraded, Ottawa is much more English and your lack of French wouldnt be so much of an issue and its only a 2 hour drive from Montreal..
And once a new immigrant has arrived in Quebec, he can attend free French lessons through COFI and receives a monthly subsidy of $460.
However, his point of entry or immigration destination in his landed paper must be Quebec. Otherwise, he will have to wait one full year of residency in Quebec to qualify for the free French courses.
Something wrong with free French courses to some one who is planning on living in Quebec? I'm sure outside Quebec free English courses can be had.
As for $460 a month? i doubt too many people are getting that benefit as if you are so poor you need a $460 benefit on arrival i doubt you'd have successfully passed the immigration process in the first place.
Some questions I have about the Montreal area.....
1) How is the weather like during different seasons throughout the year especially in Autumn/October? I imagine that December is not a good month in making a move there since Montreal is known to be very cold during that time of year.
Montreal has 4 seasons with warm, to hot & humid summers, chilly to mild, and sometimes warm spring/autumn and often very cold & snowy winters. Summers are similar to Southern New England region, as well as to Southern France (temp. wise)... much warmer than San Francisco! Winters are similar to Vermont... but despite lots of snow except many sunny days as well.
2) How is the job market there? Would it be possible for someone like me with no college degree to find employment? If so, then, could you specify on what will be my best options? Working at a store, shop, or any other retail place would make me content as long as it can earn me enough money to support myself sufficiently while taking college classes for my selected course.
You could find a job as long as you speak French, and being bilingual is a big plus. Retail workers start with $10/hour. Rents are affordable in Montreal, but it's tough to live on minimum wage. You could live on campus, take a loan and work part-time.
3) What are some of the neighborhoods do you suggest for a person like me who is in their late 20's that primarily speaks English can live in? I would be really glad if there is a fun, vibrant, and young neighborhood with close proximity to groceries, restaurants, libraries, laundromats, schools, etc. that I could reside in with a regular income.
West Island
4) How fluent will I have to be in speaking French to get by comfortably? I know that being able to speak French will raise my chances in finding a job there and want to be totally fluent in it anyways.
They way you write in English now, you should be able to do it in French.
5) How are the people like? Are they generally friendly, aloof, or somewhere in between? I haven't been in a relationship for quite a while and thinking about getting into a new one. How is the dating scene there for singles? What places do you recommend that I can socialize not only for finding a mate but also to make friends? I know cafes and clubs would be a good start but how is the nightlife also?
Most people here are very friendly. Montrealers are very fashionable, and women are pretty! Montreal is a party city.
6) Are there cheap decent places I can stay in for a 10 day period? My sister told me that she has a friend who stayed in a hostel on her visit to Montreal and the price was $50 for a whole week or something like that. Is this true?
Not sure, google.
7) How easy or hard is it to immigrate to Canada? I'm a U.S. citizen and I have never lived in another country as a permanent resident before. I have a god-brother who happens to be an Immigration Lawyer so that might make the process easier. MAYBE.
Canada fallows the point system. Comming from USA is not easier than comming from Europe.
I heard so many great things about Montreal! It has a lot going for it such as the beautiful architecture, affordability (at least from what I've heard), 4 distinct seasons, excellent schools, a cool vibe, and an amazing variety of ethnic cuisines. I would appreciate any helpful and honest input for the questions I have. It would be nice hearing from all of you. I'm looking forward to visit and hopefully live (if feasible) in your lovely city!!!! Take care everyone![/quote]
It was a big help from all these responses. I will work with the info I gathered up so far. Thanks guys!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
