Moving to Canada as a Quantity Surveyor (QS) with Family - Advice needed!

[roundfoot]

Hi,

My wife and I are currently living near Machester in the UK and are looking at moving to Vancouver (ideally although open to other areas potentially) in spring/summer next year with two young children (2ys and 6 months then). I am a Quantity Surveyor and would be interested if anyone knows companies that are worth contacting. I have worked as a PQS and a contractors QS. Does anyone know the main contractors in the vancouver area that may be worth contacting?

In terms of areas to live, we would be looking for somewhere that is good for families and that we can get to the great outdoors relativley easy as well as being not too far of a commute from work which I would expect to be downtown (anything up to an hour is ok with me!). Can anyone recommend areas to look at?

Are there any particular areas that are seeing a lot of development at the moment? This may make finding out where we would like to move easier as we may get a better idea of commute.

Lastly - what about Vancouver Island? Are there big companies and job opportunities on the island. Again any direction would be welcomed!

A lot to ask I know but any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Ed

[baba10]

Originally Posted by roundfoot

Hi,

My wife and I are currently living near Machester in the UK and are looking at moving to Vancouver (ideally although open to other areas potentially) in spring/summer next year with two young children (2ys and 6 months then). I am a Quantity Surveyor and would be interested if anyone knows companies that are worth contacting. I have worked as a PQS and a contractors QS. Does anyone know the main contractors in the vancouver area that may be worth contacting?

In terms of areas to live, we would be looking for somewhere that is good for families and that we can get to the great outdoors relativley easy as well as being not too far of a commute from work which I would expect to be downtown (anything up to an hour is ok with me!). Can anyone recommend areas to look at?

Are there any particular areas that are seeing a lot of development at the moment? This may make finding out where we would like to move easier as we may get a better idea of commute.

Lastly - what about Vancouver Island? Are there big companies and job opportunities on the island. Again any direction would be welcomed!

A lot to ask I know but any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Ed

Hi roundfoot,

I'm offered a QS job in UAE, I use to work as cost control specialist, is QS job much different? is it a well respected profession?

[roundfoot]

Originally Posted by baba10

Hi roundfoot,

I'm offered a QS job in UAE, I use to work as cost control specialist, is QS job much different? is it a well respected profession?

Hi baba,

a qs is basically responsible for controlling the costs of a construction project. They are responsible for procuring subcontractors and suppliers, agreeing interim and final accounts with subcontractors and the client, as well as providing cash flow forecasts and financial reports to the commercial director. That's if you are working for a contractor.

If you work for the client you will advise on the costs of a project from inception to completion, agree costs with the contractor and look after the costs on behalf of the client.

Not sure what a cost control specialist does to be honest. Is that what you do? Is that what a qs is called in Canada? I can't seem to find any qs jobs in Canada so was assuming they must be called estimators over there.

[Markab]

Hi Baba10,

Just a quick note regarding etiquette. Even though you did not respond to Roundfoots enquiry regarding moving to Canada, Roundfoot had the decency to respond to your enquiry. The least you could do is to respond to Roundfoot with Thank you !!

Regards

[Markab]

Originally Posted by baba10

Hi roundfoot,

I'm offered a QS job in UAE, I use to work as cost control specialist, is QS job much different? is it a well respected profession?

Hi Baba10,

Just a quick note regarding etiquette. Even though you did not respond to Roundfoots enquiry regarding moving to Canada, Roundfoot had the decency to respond to your enquiry. The least you could do is to respond to Roundfoot with Thank you !!

Regards

[inutley]

Originally Posted by roundfoot

Hi,

My wife and I are currently living near Machester in the UK and are looking at moving to Vancouver (ideally although open to other areas potentially) in spring/summer next year with two young children (2ys and 6 months then). I am a Quantity Surveyor and would be interested if anyone knows companies that are worth contacting. I have worked as a PQS and a contractors QS. Does anyone know the main contractors in the vancouver area that may be worth contacting?

In terms of areas to live, we would be looking for somewhere that is good for families and that we can get to the great outdoors relativley easy as well as being not too far of a commute from work which I would expect to be downtown (anything up to an hour is ok with me!). Can anyone recommend areas to look at?

Are there any particular areas that are seeing a lot of development at the moment? This may make finding out where we would like to move easier as we may get a better idea of commute.

Lastly - what about Vancouver Island? Are there big companies and job opportunities on the island. Again any direction would be welcomed!

A lot to ask I know but any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Ed

Hi Ed,
I was in the construction industry in the UK (Bovis Lend Lease) and moved out to BC earlier this year with my family (two children under 4 years). We looked at Vancouver and although a great city was just a bit to congested for us, so we moved to Kelowna which is a few hours inland. There are anumber of large construction companies in Vancouver that you can approach - I made all my contacts by email/phone and came out for a round of interviews before moving. Companies you should look at are: Graham Construction, PCL, Ledcor, Vanbots (Part of Carillion), Stuart Olsen. These are the bigger players, and likely to have better chances with regard to opportunities. The RICS is recognized here as well (CIOB not so), so would be a help if you are chartered. The smaller / midsize companies tend to combine the QS and PM roles, however often have seperate estimators which is a role I am sure you could pick up if necessary. I've really enjoyed the move (and the work) so would recommend it. If you would like more details on benefits/salary expectations let me know, would be happy to fill you in and make sure you dont sell yourself short.
With regard to Vancouver island, most of the larger companies do work out there, some have smaller offices on the island as well. Often the jobs are managed from the mainland, however (its only a 20min seaplane ride over).
Regards
Ian

[roundfoot]

Originally Posted by inutley

Hi Ed,
I was in the construction industry in the UK (Bovis Lend Lease) and moved out to BC earlier this year with my family (two children under 4 years). We looked at Vancouver and although a great city was just a bit to congested for us, so we moved to Kelowna which is a few hours inland. There are anumber of large construction companies in Vancouver that you can approach - I made all my contacts by email/phone and came out for a round of interviews before moving. Companies you should look at are: Graham Construction, PCL, Ledcor, Vanbots (Part of Carillion), Stuart Olsen. These are the bigger players, and likely to have better chances with regard to opportunities. The RICS is recognized here as well (CIOB not so), so would be a help if you are chartered. The smaller / midsize companies tend to combine the QS and PM roles, however often have seperate estimators which is a role I am sure you could pick up if necessary. I've really enjoyed the move (and the work) so would recommend it. If you would like more details on benefits/salary expectations let me know, would be happy to fill you in and make sure you dont sell yourself short.
With regard to Vancouver island, most of the larger companies do work out there, some have smaller offices on the island as well. Often the jobs are managed from the mainland, however (its only a 20min seaplane ride over).
Regards
Ian

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the reply. It would be a great help if you could give me an idea of the benefits and salary I could expect. I have been working as a QS for the past 6 years (2 years in higways and 4 years in buildings) and have a fairly broad range of experience (hotels, hospitals, apartments, offices, warehouses etc). I have a First Class QS degree and am looking to start my APC in the next couple of weeks. Would be great to get an idea of the expected salary and benefits.

Thanks for the list of companies. Did you find best way to make contact was by phone or email? or both? Realistically I am now looking at a move in around a years time so any advice on how long the process took would also be of great interest. It seems pointless approaching companies this early, I would guess that I start contacting people about 6 months before we intend to leave - from your experience does this sound about right?

I would also be interested to find out how you are finding Kelowna. I have had a look at this area and looks great but I assumed that there would be more opportunities in Vancouver. Again if you could give me a heads up to the companies that may be worth approcahing it would be appreciated. I think it is definately somewhere we would visit when coming across to have a good look round (I have been to Vancouver once around 10 years ago but my wife has never been so are hoping to spend a week or two in around 6 months on a fact finding mission). Obviously the move would be for a better lifestyle which Kelowna seems to offer but have you found any down sides since moving?


Thanks again,

Ed

[inutley]

Originally Posted by roundfoot

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the reply. It would be a great help if you could give me an idea of the benefits and salary I could expect. I have been working as a QS for the past 6 years (2 years in higways and 4 years in buildings) and have a fairly broad range of experience (hotels, hospitals, apartments, offices, warehouses etc). I have a First Class QS degree and am looking to start my APC in the next couple of weeks. Would be great to get an idea of the expected salary and benefits.

Thanks for the list of companies. Did you find best way to make contact was by phone or email? or both? Realistically I am now looking at a move in around a years time so any advice on how long the process took would also be of great interest. It seems pointless approaching companies this early, I would guess that I start contacting people about 6 months before we intend to leave - from your experience does this sound about right?

I would also be interested to find out how you are finding Kelowna. I have had a look at this area and looks great but I assumed that there would be more opportunities in Vancouver. Again if you could give me a heads up to the companies that may be worth approcahing it would be appreciated. I think it is definately somewhere we would visit when coming across to have a good look round (I have been to Vancouver once around 10 years ago but my wife has never been so are hoping to spend a week or two in around 6 months on a fact finding mission). Obviously the move would be for a better lifestyle which Kelowna seems to offer but have you found any down sides since moving?


Thanks again,

Ed

Hi Ed,
With regard to benefits you should be looking at somewhere from $80k upwards. A senior QS (approx 10 years) would get up to $120k in Vancouver, so this gives you an idea of the range. You should also get a private medical and dental plan (similar to Bupa), pension, company vehicle (or allowance) (normally a 4x4 out here), and bonus scheme. The only downside is the holiday allowance - this seems to start from about 15 days (some companies are a little more generous) and increases with time served. You do get a couple of extra bank holidays though!
With regards to contacting, email was my initial approach, however I found a phone call more effective if you can find out the right people to speak to - I did quite a bit of research on the internet as all the companies mentioned have comprehensive websites. The time in advance you make contact will really depend on how you are looking to move out here - have you applied for a permanent resident visa or looking for a company to sort that for you? If you have or are working towards a visa then this helps your employment opportunities greatly as the company 1) does not have do complete and justify the applications and 2)no you are serious about coming. I went this route and the feedback from the comapnies I saw was that this made a big difference. If you go don this route then making contact 6 months in advance would be about right. A resident visa takes about ayear all told so if you could start your application now then you would be looking good.
I came out with my wife on a fact find as well a few years ago - we were originally looking between Calgary and Vancouver, and travelled through Kelowna on our way between the two. Opportunities are not as great as Vancouver but what you do find here is that construction companies work over far greater distances, so from the Kelowna office you would cover most of the east and mid parts of BC, which is an enormous area. As a consequence nearly all the large construction companies have an office here eg - PCL, Ledcor, Graham, Dominion plus the mid size companies - Maple Reinders (who I work for), Greyback, and others. I work out of the office most of the time and generally fly out to the job sites twivce a month- we work anywhere from Vancouver Island up to Prince George in the north. The work life balance is so much better - my commute is 20 mins, and the weather is far more consistent so you can get out and do things. The area is great for the kids, there are dozens of play parks and activities on nearly every weekend for them to do (most free!), they loved the becah and lake during the summer, it was like being on holiday (almost). Kelowna has most of the necessary amenities, most of the schools are good, there is a decent shopping mall, some good restaurants and as well as the lake three ski hills nearby. It doesnt have the buzz of a big city but we had done that and were looking for a slightl;y slower pace to bring up the children, so works well for us. There are also quite a lot of Brits here so always some footy on the TV. Depending on what you want out of the move I would definetly recommend you take a look at the area - it is also a bit cheaper to live than Vancouver so you would get more for your money. Let me know if you want any more help - and I'd be happy to show you around if you come over.
Regards
Ian

[spgilbert]

Originally Posted by roundfoot

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the reply. It would be a great help if you could give me an idea of the benefits and salary I could expect. I have been working as a QS for the past 6 years (2 years in higways and 4 years in buildings) and have a fairly broad range of experience (hotels, hospitals, apartments, offices, warehouses etc). I have a First Class QS degree and am looking to start my APC in the next couple of weeks. Would be great to get an idea of the expected salary and benefits.

Thanks for the list of companies. Did you find best way to make contact was by phone or email? or both? Realistically I am now looking at a move in around a years time so any advice on how long the process took would also be of great interest. It seems pointless approaching companies this early, I would guess that I start contacting people about 6 months before we intend to leave - from your experience does this sound about right?

I would also be interested to find out how you are finding Kelowna. I have had a look at this area and looks great but I assumed that there would be more opportunities in Vancouver. Again if you could give me a heads up to the companies that may be worth approcahing it would be appreciated. I think it is definately somewhere we would visit when coming across to have a good look round (I have been to Vancouver once around 10 years ago but my wife has never been so are hoping to spend a week or two in around 6 months on a fact finding mission). Obviously the move would be for a better lifestyle which Kelowna seems to offer but have you found any down sides since moving?


Thanks again,

Ed

Hi Ed, your timing is good, im currently in vancouver looking at a couple of places to move to, but while i am here i have been working for an Executive Recruitment firm, and just finished a Senior Estimator contract. As such I have a database full of companies with phone numbers with addresses.
This Site will not let me post my email address, so go onto Linkedin and search for Steve P. Gilbert, click on the one that says "Researcher at OAM", vancouver. invite me to link with you, i will send you my email that way.
i'll help anyway i can that does not breach the company contract I signed.
-Steve

[roundfoot]

Originally Posted by inutley

Hi Ed,
With regard to benefits you should be looking at somewhere from $80k upwards. A senior QS (approx 10 years) would get up to $120k in Vancouver, so this gives you an idea of the range. You should also get a private medical and dental plan (similar to Bupa), pension, company vehicle (or allowance) (normally a 4x4 out here), and bonus scheme. The only downside is the holiday allowance - this seems to start from about 15 days (some companies are a little more generous) and increases with time served. You do get a couple of extra bank holidays though!
With regards to contacting, email was my initial approach, however I found a phone call more effective if you can find out the right people to speak to - I did quite a bit of research on the internet as all the companies mentioned have comprehensive websites. The time in advance you make contact will really depend on how you are looking to move out here - have you applied for a permanent resident visa or looking for a company to sort that for you? If you have or are working towards a visa then this helps your employment opportunities greatly as the company 1) does not have do complete and justify the applications and 2)no you are serious about coming. I went this route and the feedback from the comapnies I saw was that this made a big difference. If you go don this route then making contact 6 months in advance would be about right. A resident visa takes about ayear all told so if you could start your application now then you would be looking good.
I came out with my wife on a fact find as well a few years ago - we were originally looking between Calgary and Vancouver, and travelled through Kelowna on our way between the two. Opportunities are not as great as Vancouver but what you do find here is that construction companies work over far greater distances, so from the Kelowna office you would cover most of the east and mid parts of BC, which is an enormous area. As a consequence nearly all the large construction companies have an office here eg - PCL, Ledcor, Graham, Dominion plus the mid size companies - Maple Reinders (who I work for), Greyback, and others. I work out of the office most of the time and generally fly out to the job sites twivce a month- we work anywhere from Vancouver Island up to Prince George in the north. The work life balance is so much better - my commute is 20 mins, and the weather is far more consistent so you can get out and do things. The area is great for the kids, there are dozens of play parks and activities on nearly every weekend for them to do (most free!), they loved the becah and lake during the summer, it was like being on holiday (almost). Kelowna has most of the necessary amenities, most of the schools are good, there is a decent shopping mall, some good restaurants and as well as the lake three ski hills nearby. It doesnt have the buzz of a big city but we had done that and were looking for a slightl;y slower pace to bring up the children, so works well for us. There are also quite a lot of Brits here so always some footy on the TV. Depending on what you want out of the move I would definetly recommend you take a look at the area - it is also a bit cheaper to live than Vancouver so you would get more for your money. Let me know if you want any more help - and I'd be happy to show you around if you come over.
Regards
Ian

Ian,
Thanks again that's a great help and nice to get an idea of the wages and benefits. With regards to the permanent residents visa I haven't applied but from the research I have done the system has changed as of June this year. My understanding is that you can't start the application until you have a job offer which makes things a little more difficult. I may speak to a few of the larger companies and see if they can give me some guidance in terms of timescales. I have previously spoken to a chap who was promoting emigration to BC in general and he reckoned that with a firm job offer you van now get a visa within a few months under the new system, but would like a second opinion! Kelowna looks great and a big part of the move would be to get a better work life balance and find somewhere which is good for kids, will definatelt make a visit when we head over and if you're not too busy it would be great if you could show us some of the city. My email is edcottrill at gmail dot com so if you knock me an email I can contact you nearer the time. Let md know if your company have any openings for a QS!! Sounds like your enjoying life over there. Will let you know how I get on and may mither you a bit more if I have any more questions.

Cheers,

Ed