1. What are the housing options ?
Depending on where your job place is located initially, you might start your research by finding a place around that area. If you are going alone, then you can probably look for all kinds of places to stay from one room to three-room apartments. However, if your family is joining as well, then for sure you are going to need something bigger.
Thankfully, today we have this thing called the Internet that is going to help you a lot. Just type the address of your new workplace and explore what choices you have in terms of housing. You should be able to find something that works for you, just have patience, and keep researching.
2. What is the cost of living in this area?
Depending on where your job place is located initially, you might start your research by finding a place around that area. If you are going alone, then you can probably look for all kinds of places to stay from one room to three-room apartments. However, if your family is joining as well, then for sure you are going to need something bigger.
Thankfully, today we have this thing called the Internet that is going to help you a lot. Just type the address of your new workplace and explore what choices you have in terms of housing. You should be able to find something that works for you, just have patience, and keep researching.
3. What does the public transport look like?
It’s also important to have a solid knowledge of the kind of transport you are going to use. Depending on where you choose to move, you usually have to choose from going to work on foot, public transport or maybe with your own car/bike.
If your home is going to be far away from the workplace and you don’t have public transport close to you, then you might be needed to have your car available. On the contrary, if it is close to where you will live it can be just a short 15 minutes walk, or you might want to go by public transport.
This is quite important to know because you will also have a better approximation of how much time you need to get to work. If you don’t like to spend time in traffic, then going for a house close to your job should be considered.
4. Is your job regulated in your new province?
Depending on the province you are thinking of going for, some jobs have different regulations, and you should know what they are. The best thing to do first is to check all of your licences and documents are going to be approved and updated at the same time. You don’t want to show up with an expired ID or something like that.
Check if your occupation is regulated. If it is, you do need a certificate or a licence to be able to work. Each province has its way of regulating jobs. The only disadvantage for you is that this means the standards that might be required for your licence can be different compared to where you want to work. No worries though, if you look up the information together with the hiring manager, they will help you for sure with all the needed info that you need to know.
Discover more on this subject on the Governement of Canada’s website.
5. Do you have other opportunities there?
Making such a decision should also imply that you come up with some kind of long-term vision. How does a long-distance move impact your life? First of all, you could start by asking yourself where do you want to be in five years. Maybe it is a certain position, place; maybe you want to start your own family.
Sometimes things don’t go as we plan, and having a plan B can be of real help. What are you going to do if the job that you got is not really as you would have imagined it is? Are you going to quit and come back, are you going to search for something different?
To a small mapping exercise and outline all the steps that you are going to do for this life-changing event.
6. Visit the region before moving if possible.
Time is indeed important, and considering making a visit to the region that you have your job at is only going to help. Even if it is just for a weekend, it should be more than enough to get an idea of what is the energy and atmosphere there.
You might find many things that you like, but you can also find a lot of things that you don’t particularly enjoy. As we are talking about moving completely into a new region, maybe this kind of decision shouldn’t even be taken without first having a visit there.
Go to the spots where you checked some housing options, check the popular neighborhoods but also the unpopular ones. For sure you are going to discover what you enjoy and not.
7. Can your employer pay a part of your move?
It’s not strange to see a part of the money being paid by an employer when a long-distance move takes place. If they need you for sure, they are going to make sure that they make this transition as smooth as possible for you. So yes, if they don’t bring the subject up into discussion, you can always mention it and see the reaction of your employer. Also, it doesn’t cost you anything!
8. Is your move tax deductible?
Finally, there are some expenses that can be tax deductible. If you are an employee or self-employed, you might be qualified for this deduction. This is important to be aware of as it can lower the cost of your long-distance move. Some expenses that are eligible are :
- Transportation and storage costs
- Travel expenses
- Temporary living expenses
- Incidental costs related to your move, such as changing your address on legal documents or replacing your licences.
Those are some examples, make sure you have a look at what can be deductible on the government of Canada’s website. Note that there might also be some exceptions and criteria to be eligible.
Conclusion!
So this was 8 things to consider before moving to another province for work that can turn out to be of real help. Read them and see if any rings a bell. It should be quite obvious that if you want to make a smart long-distance move, you need to consider many of the things that we just discussed. This is going to be in the best of your interest, and making sure that you don’t get into problems is what we wanted to accomplish with this article. Good luck with the new job if you decide to move and hopefully it is going to be a great experience for you!
