Electrician looking for work in Kelowna/ Okanagan

[guitsax]

Hi we are now ( eventually) in the final stage of PR visa application, ie, visas to to be stamped into passports, so we are nearly ready to move. In August we spent 2 weeks in Kelowna/ Okanagan and loved it -- confirming our initial choice of destination to be the right one. -- now the hard part, need to find work in Kelowna or surrounding area.
I have 24 years experience as electrician in all aspects of the trade, 15years in South Africa as contractor working in - marine; commercial; light industrial; domestic etc.. The last 9 years I've been a maintenance industrial electrician at a power station in Oxfordshire England. I have a level 3 in first line management ( supervisor) currently working as chargehand.
Realistically speaking I would be ready to move anytime in the new year.
Would appreciate any info or contacts.
Thanks
Andrew

[inutley]

Hi Andrew,

I work for a large general contractor here so have reular conatct with most of the electrical contractors in the valley. I have listed below some of the larger ones who would be worth contacting, most contractors here undertake industrial, resdiential and commercial work, and generally Kelowna is one of the satellite offices within BC.

Houle Electric | Electrician Contractor Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Prince George, Kelowna Kamloops | Houle Electric
Electrical, Data, and Control Services in Kelowna and Penticton - Keldon Electric
Horizon Electric Inc
Westcana Electrical Inc.

One thing to be aware of when planning to come to kelowna is that although it is great, it is not a big city - pop approx 150,000 (and not a city at all by UK standards) and the construction market is largely commercial and residential, with some public work as well. In the UK the density of population means that you can cover a lot of towns and cities within a 2 hour drive - out here the nearest big city is Vancouver which is a good 4hrs away and there is very little in between. I would make some contact with some of the electrcials and see what skills they require before you make a decision on whcih way you want to go as it could mean you have to travel a lot. As a general contractor we cover work from throughout BC here, and a lot of it is in Vancouver because it is the biggest city in the province. If you've got any queries or need a few contcats, let me know.

Regards

Ian

[guitsax]

Hi Ian,
thanks so much for the info - I have tried to contact Houle before with no response but I will certainly give them all a try.
I ran a contracting firm in South Africa for 10years before coming to England and so have a lot of residential , commercial, marine experience -- I am willing to go either way. I have heard that with these companies it is a case of who you know and you have to be there to be taken seriously, but for us it is a case of having the security of work before we arrive. I have a wife and two boys (13 & 5) to consider and even thought if I go over first and get set-up with work and accomodation and then send for them -- but only as a last measure.

We travelled from Calgary to Okanagan and then to Vancouver and Vancouver Island so I get what you are saying about the vast distances ( a bit like South Africa -- just prettier). I quite like Vancouver Island but the wife is too scared of the earth-quake which threatens a large part of Vancouver etc......
Anyway we travelled around Kelowna and down to Osoyoos and I don't mind where I am in the Valley as long as I am close to the water.
There were a few jobs in Kamloops -- did'nt get there , do you know much about Kamloops area?

Thanks again for the info.
Andrew

[inutley]

Hi Andrew,

I know a few of the Houle guys so I can give them a ring if you like - if you've got a cv I could send it to them and get you some feedback. I was in the same position as you before we came out - I have 2 young girls - so needed to secure some work before we moved. I managed to set up some interviews and came out on a 2 week trip to meet them, face to face - I found this best as they then knew that you were serious about coming, and I got to see what their set up was like. As for Kamloops, I've done some jobs up that way - it is about 2hrs from here, but its a smaller town and not as nice as Kelowna. The Okanagan is certainly a great choice for a place to live - its amazing how many expats live here form both the UK and South Africa! If you want to email my work address -l] I'll see if I can help out. Whats your timeline?

Regards

Ian

[guitsax]

Hi Ian that would be fantastic -- really appreciate that. Timeline? we are at the point of sending our passports to immigration for visas to be stamped in -- I don't know how long that takes but surely it should'nt be more than 2/3months. Realistically I suppose it depends on work prospects, we are not selling our house here so it would be a case of getting it rented and tying up a few things. I might go over on my own and the wife wait with the kids until end of the school year July -- that all depends on the timing of finding a job.
We really enjoyed our stay in Kelowna
If you want to email me your work email address I will send my resume -- thanks again
Andrew ( andrew.smith@rwenpower.com)

[squirkey]

Hi Guitsax
Sorry to hijack your thread but I was wondering how you got along with your Kelowna move? My husband and I are in a similar position - he's a British spark with 20 years experience and we are really keen to get to Kelowna - however we've been delayed by the FSW pause and we're now feeling pretty dejected about whether we will ever get there.

Is there any work for electricians in Kelowna or are we best focusing on Vancouver, in your opinion? We had originally planned on Vancouver but prefer Kelowna. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

[guitsax]

Hi Squikey, have'nt moved there yet - we decided it was too much of a rush (stress) to try and get everything in place to move before July '12 so we went over in June to activate the visas. We now have to move within 3 years but are planning to be there by next summer at the latest. I have applied for many jobs and one positive response from a Vancouver firm saying that if I were there already then I would have a better chance.
We too are really trying to focus on Kelowna so as to make one move and not several to finally land up in Kelowna. I spoke to a guy in Ontario who had a branch in Kelowna and he was saying that jobs in Kelowna are snapped up and that you have to be there and available to stand a chance. I keep applying though -- never know!!
The other thing is that they are quite heavily unionised and some companies will not hire unless you belong to a union ( IBEW is the one to look at) -- but of course you cannot join the union unless you have red seal. You can get approved to write the red seal exam but have to have Canadian or US identity to actually write the exam. ( PR card will do).
Hope this helps -- anything else I can do to help or expand on just message me.
Andrew

[squirkey]

Hi Andrew

I can't thank you enough, you've probably just saved us about a year of stress and doubt! We've been researching and weighing up our options for nearly a year now and waiting to apply for our FSW (we had to wait 'til our baby was born to put him on the paperwork) and we have contacted Red Seal and applied for loads of jobs over the past ten months, but you've been able to give us an invaluable inside track - thank you.

With that in mind, we will probably start to look at the Calgary route as a step into Canada, although we really, really didn't want to do that (as you say, uprooting the family twice is not ideal and also we love BC - and a Calgary winter? Brrr!) but waiting a few years for our FSW is a little too long for us (kids are currently 2 years old and 6 months old so we'd like to do it before they know any different).

It's frustrating that Canada needs Electricians but it's so long winded to get out there, but who knows maybe the changes they are going to make to the process in January 2013 will help expedite the process.

Thanks again for your advice, and all the best with the move. In the meantime, if I find anything out that might be useful to you then I'll let you know.

Cheers

Sinead

[G-Mo]

Originally Posted by squirkey

(we had to wait 'til our baby was born to put him on the paperwork)

You did not need to wait for the baby to be born. You could have applied and then simply sent in an update when the baby was born...

[guitsax]

Hi Sinead , yes as G-MO stated you did'nt have to wait for the birth -- anyway spilt milk hey!! You have a young family and I suppose if you uproot once or twice before they start school its not so bad. Is the idea to get a work permit and then start the PR process once you get there ? I think you would need an offer of employment to go down that route. ??
Anyway let me know how you get on. If I had an offer of employment I would go tomorrow. Have you been out to the Okanagan Valley yet? We have been twice and absolutely love it. -- chat soon
Andrew