young couple moving to quebec (home, construction, school) - Montreal - City-Data Forum

ahlavache · 08-28-2013, 11:06 AM

Hi there.. So we are thinking of moving to quebec.. Our good friend and his dad live in st-jérôme, so we are hoping for that area. I was just curious as to how living there would be. I myself am bilingual, (not great) graduated in the french immersion program. My boyfriend not so much, he knows the bare minimum, he has been to quebec, so he knows a little about it there. As well as our brother in law and father in law are both francophones from quebec.

I'm currently in college, working on becoming a Registered Nurse, and am curious how my courses may carry over or how different it is there? My boyfriend is a ticketed welder. but currently works in ft mcmurray as a haul truck driver in a big mine. What would be the best way to go about info on school there and jobs in mining..

Any help would be greatly appreciated on living.. expenses.. jobs and schooling!

aliss2 · 08-28-2013, 11:16 AM

St-Jerome is a good place to learn French, your rusty French should come back quickly. Have you been there? It's.... okay. It's good to have family nearby, but if you are a younger couple, still want to have some fun and freedom, I'd probably recommend the north shore of Montreal still. Quebec can be a culture shock. St-Jerome is where I would go when I had kids and was settled. Mind you, the proximity to nature is really nice there. You should not have an issue finding a work once your French kicks back in. The 'bare minimum' might be okay depending on his line of work. It can take some time to adjust. Some French school will do him good, plus the immersion. But I recommend going to St Jerome first and making sure it's what you want.

Acajack · 08-28-2013, 11:24 AM

Mining work is more in northern Quebec - think Abitibi in the NW or even further north (Schefferville near the Labrador border).

Also, professional certfications generally require a pretty decent level of French. This applies to nurses and construction trades like welding I am pretty sure.

jambo101 · 08-28-2013, 12:11 PM

If your bf has his truck drivers license he can work as a truck driver the mine is irrelevant .
https://www.google.ca/#fp=d43543ea86...ec&safe=active

ahlavache · 08-31-2013, 04:32 PM

Thanks! And I'm gravitating more towards Montreal or Quebec City, any opinions one which is better for a student? Boyfriend works camp so he's only home 5-7 days at a time every 2 months or so. He will probably stay with that company if nothing else comes up closer to where we decide to move to.

aliss2 · 09-01-2013, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahlavache

Thanks! And I'm gravitating more towards Montreal or Quebec City, any opinions one which is better for a student? Boyfriend works camp so he's only home 5-7 days at a time every 2 months or so. He will probably stay with that company if nothing else comes up closer to where we decide to move to.

Ah this will be debated!

I personally love Quebec City much more. There are tons of students in QC, Universite de Laval, and there is quite a nice student scene if you really get into the city (tourists will miss it). French is easier to learn in QC (imo) for an informal education. Your options as a nurse are more limited than Montreal, but QC is still a reasonably sized city. Commuting to St-Jerome will be a pain. Decent opportunities for long haulers too.

Montreal is of course, perfectly fine for students - but I find French harder to learn there as so many people speak English/Anglophones/allophones (in QC, there is a lot of bilingualism, but not a lot of anglophones). Lots of jobs for bilinguals (or functional French). You won't go wrong with either one but I love QC more, if he's away from home a lot, then as a 'single' gal I prefer QC

J.P. · 09-02-2013, 12:09 PM

I probably wouldn't venture that far away from Montreal until you feel very comfortable in French. As another poster mentioned, the North Shore would be better to start(i.e. Repentigny, Charlemagne, Terrebonne). As for learning French, Quebec City would be easier to immerse yourself because of a significantly higher percentage of Francophones and fewer bilingual Francophones. But if you're in Montreal, you'll be practicing your French plenty if you stay in East Montreal.