Canadians and Québécois: preparing to work outside Canada

Three ways to work abroad from Canada

Most Canadians who want to work abroad take one of three routes: a mobility program set up through agreements between governments, a direct application to an employer or recruitment firm, or an internal transfer within a company that already has a Canadian office. Each route has its own pace, its own conditions and its own contacts.

Mobility programs often come with limits on age, length of stay and status. They are not job offers. What they give you is a right to live and work temporarily in another country, and it is then up to you to find the actual work. Before choosing, write down what you really want, whether that is a few months of experience or a lasting career move, because the right scheme depends on the answer.

• Mobility program between governments
• Direct application to a foreign employer
• Transfer within a corporate group
• Short assignment or contract of a year or more

Official resources to read before anything else

The federal government publishes information on work and study opportunities abroad through the International Experience Canada program. Global Affairs Canada also maintains travel advice and pages on living abroad, which are useful for judging safety and the consular services available in the country you have in mind.

Young Québécois, within the age range each program sets, can turn to the Offices jeunesse internationaux du Québec for internships and exchanges. Exact conditions change from one year to the next, so read the official page before you build a plan around it. Stay away from third-party sites that resell free information or promise you a place on a program.

Explaining a Canadian background to an employer who has never seen one

A recruiter in Europe or Asia may know little about a Cégep diploma, a community college credential or a provincial professional order. Translate it for them: length of study, equivalent level, field, and the name of the institution with one line of context. If your trade is regulated by a professional body, explain what your title allows you to practise.

Being bilingual is an asset, but describe it precisely. Say which language you draft documents in, negotiate in and present in. Mention experience gained in a North American setting, such as managing multicultural teams, and back it up with one concrete example rather than an adjective. A distant employer trusts facts far more than superlatives.

Health coverage and residency: what is at stake when you leave

Canadian health coverage is provincial. The rules for keeping your plan during a long absence differ from one province to another, with their own time limits and residency conditions. Contact your provincial health body before leaving to find out what stays valid, what is suspended and what you must report.

Arrange private insurance that covers medical care and repatriation for the first weeks, until the local system applies to you. Tax residency, for its part, depends on your ties to Canada and to the host country. Ask the Canada Revenue Agency or a tax adviser for an opinion before assuming your situation is simple, because it rarely is once you hold a home, savings or family in two places.

Host-country rules: check, don’t assume

A Canadian passport lets you enter many countries without a visa for a short tourist stay, but it does not give you the right to work there. To work you need a specific authorization, often tied to an employer or a program. Check the website of the embassy or immigration service of the country concerned, and do not go through an intermediary to do it.

Compare local working conditions as well: legal working hours, paid leave, notice periods and protection if the job ends. An offer that looks generous by Canadian standards may give you fewer guarantees, or sometimes more vacation. Write down the differences you can live with and the ones you cannot before you start negotiating.

Common mistakes among Canadian candidates

The first mistake is treating a working holiday program as a promise of employment. The program authorizes you to work; it does not find you anything. The second is leaving without having tested housing and banking procedures, and counting on the first weeks of pay to cover them. The third is ignoring time zones when interviews are held remotely, which turns a promising call into a missed one.

Another common trap is paying a fee to a website that offers to reserve a place on an official program. Legitimate registrations go through government channels, with published fees. If you are asked to pay by a method that is hard to trace, or if the person contacting you refuses to say who they are, stop the conversation.

• Program mistaken for a job contract
• No budget for the first weeks
• Time difference underestimated
• Fees paid to an unofficial intermediary

Keeping the door open for a return

Leaving is not always final. If you think you may come home, keep your contribution records, your employment certificates and your Canadian professional contacts. Find out how the time you spend abroad affects access to certain schemes, such as provincial health insurance or residence-based retirement rights.

Stay in touch with your professional order or trade association if you belong to one. A title that lapses because dues went unpaid can complicate a return. Note the deadlines in a calendar and check once a year that your official contact details are up to date, so that no letter or renewal notice goes astray.

A twelve-week action plan

Use the first four weeks to clarify the project and read the official sources. The next four go to adapting your résumé, lining up references and sending the first applications. The last four are for interviews, comparing offers and preparing the paperwork if a proposal comes through.

This schedule is only a guide: a mobility program may have fixed registration windows, and hiring at a large group sometimes takes longer. Adjust the calendar as needed, and do not cancel anything in Canada until the contract, the work authorization and the arrival date have been confirmed in writing.