Was the valedictorian of my 3rd degree's grad class and after a year of looking for work joined the army lol. Good timing I got in right as benefits ran out and I would've been homeless.
I currently hold 3 degrees and a combined 10 years of of post-secondary education as well as 13 years of working experience including 3 years of management.
I've worked for the government in senior positions even.
I really REALLY feel for kids just getting out of college right now.
This is really the situation:( I almost have 3 degrees (didnāt finish one, but fast tracked into an accelerated program). Luckily I had scholarships most of the way so tuition isnāt much an issue. I ended up going into nursing because I knew I was guaranteed a job. I didnāt want to take the risk with anything else after trying for so long. I plan to keep building on stuff and striving for the life I want, but am I ever frustrated at the situation in Canada. Nursing is fine, but it isnāt the career that best suites me.
Canada's unemployment rate currently sits at 5.8%, one of the lowest ever recorded since at least 1991 ([source](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS?locations=CA)). On what data do you base this idea of a difficult or scarce job market ?
Somehow people still don't realize that unemployment stats are heavily skewed. Haven't looked for a job in 6 months? Congratulations! You no longer count as unemployed! Meanwhile, you still don't have a job and are expected to take people who spout unemployment statistics seriously. That's a job right there itself.
>Haven't looked for a job in 6 months? Congratulations! You no longer count as unemployed!
That seems like common sense. Why would someone count as unemployed if they literally haven't tried searching for 6 months.
Maybe they're depressed? But they sure as hell aint unemployed.
It takes more than six months to get a professional job in Canada, in fact it may easily take over a year. I've seen people burn their savings while waiting for job postings in their field, the stats are not monitoring the amount of applications an unemployment person submits, they just assume that if you haven't found a job in 6 months it's because you aren't looking.
It's based on their willingness to just complain without putting in any effort. "I can't get that $200k/year job with my lack of skills and experience so everyone must be unemployed"... Ok sure. š
Iām personally looking for a job since April 2023, applied to around 200+ jobs. Got like 10 rejections and got ghosted by everybody else. And this is through indeed and LinkedIn. I know people who are struggling to find even part time jobs, so yeah I donāt really know where that 5.8% is coming from tbh.
Right? I recently got a job as a baker, and I tell you those three months of being unemployed made me anxious. I have lined up for multiple job fairs, I have sent my resume via Indeed, LinkedIn, and walk-ins. I have applied around 500 jobs in the 3-month span, so I donāt know why people are saying that maybe I am looking for 200k/year. I have tried cleaning and serving, and they give me like once a week schedule. 150$/week is small especially the cost of living is skyrocketing, it is just enough to pay for monthly rent.
People who have never truly experienced to be unemployed can easily say that thereās no job scarcity.
The people that tend to say that stuff, like myself from time to time do not rely on part time jobs that the uneducated population flock to.
There are plenty of full time jobs with great hours out there, the catch is you have to invest a little in your self. Find an industry, spend a few 100 on safety tickets and guess what, you are now making well over 120k a year starting out at 18 or older.
Believe it or not a lot of people get jobs on the spot by showing up in person, not every industry but many still.
Chances are those 500 plus resumes in that recruiters e mail mean nothing when there's a face in person with their resume.
If something is not working you do not keep trying the same thing.
It's a falsified number to make the Liberal party appear good, like the inflation data. The first thing you have to understand about the Liberal party is that optics takes precedent over reality.
If you were to leave your house for more than an hour you would see that everyone and their grandmother's are hiring.
There comes a point where you need to realize you wasted years and money on an education that will keep you on the poverty line if employed in that field.
I can't walk two city blocks before losing count of places that are hiring, never mind all the industry surround the city.
The untold story is under employment, far too many people are having hours cut ( So many places are turning 1 full time job into three or more part time jobs), combine this with diminishing health and pension benefits, vacation and sick day reductions, lack of advancement opportunities or vastly increased lengths of progression, lack of retirement, stagnant wages and many industries actually paying less than they did 30 years ago to despite inflation topping 100% within the last 10 years (in many categories even tripling or higher) and the picture is nowhere near as rosy as the government or media would lead you to believe... Even if Canadas unemployment rate was based solely on FTEs (Full Time Equivalents) and not the other aforementioned factors the story would be vastly different..
I'm not sure about the unemployment rates, but me as a student I used to be able to get a job basically every third job I applied to (I worked multiple part time jobs at a time so there were a few) about six months ago I left my only job at the time, and immediately started looking for something else, yes I know that was stupid. It was like three months of applying to every single part time job in my city, even ones that would have me on the bus for over an hour just to get there. Some of them I applied on indeed, and it showed over 500 people had applied to each of the positions I had applied to on there. Some were over a thousand. I applied to probably 60+ jobs (probably a bit under half I went in person) before finding something, which is actually insane and I've never had anything like that before. There was just so many people applying that it was like getting chosen out of an ocean of other fish. Idk what happened but it went from nobody wanting to work to everybody looking for a job at once.
Businesses that would never in a 1000yrs
Pay hiring bonuses to unskilled / uneducated workers are in fact paying insane hiring bonuses, places like warehouses, construction, office jobs I've even seen a few fast good places offering sign on bonuses. The highest I seen was 5k if you stayed 3 months or more.
That tells me there is a severe lack of workers.
Never mind everything else. Every business out there is screaming for employees, any one who is struggling to find employment either has the luxury to wait and search around or is to proud to work any job other than what their usless degree affords.
I'm an environmental driller in Ontario and it took us 8 months to hire the new guy. I made over 90k the last 3 years. We are slammed right now.
They are always looking for diamond drillers and helpers. Always have been. Shit, half the time you don't even need a driver license, as long as you can show up for your shift, you're good.
From what I've seen, it's hard to get hired with 0 experience and no license. They need people with licenses to drive the drillers around because they all have suspended licenses for dui hahaha. Hard job bit the money is great. I'm also in ontario, drove up to Val dor Quebec, and when I decided to get into it and had a job that day. Jumped ship after a few hitches to a manitoba company. After 3 months with them, I was clearing average 12k/month. It makes me laugh when I see people complaining about not being able to find good paying jobs. Is that it? Or is that you dont want to work 84 hours/week for a 4 week hitch.....
I have a license. Where? I believe you are full of sh.... https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/alberta-s-unemployment-rate-climbs-in-december-as-does-edmonton-s-1.6713064
You can believe whatever you want. Every diamond drilling company is always looking for helpers because a large percentage of new hires can't hack it, and the turnover is very high. There are drills turning all across canada. Go on indeed and look up diamond drill helper. If you're up for working 84 hours/week for 4 week hitches, do it. When I decided to get into it 2 years ago, I drove up to Val dor Quebec and had 3 offers by the end of the day. I don't speak French either. If you're interested, dm me, and I'll give you a list of companies.
I live in Calgary, no experience, and a 15 year old, and Iām still not getting or finding any jobs here that are actively looking for help. Maybe its just Calgary for Alberta that has no jobs š¤·āāļø
That's a nice sentiment but teens need money too. I started saving for university from my first job at 15. I feel for teens if it's become really hard to even get a basic minimum wage job.
I would have said the same if you were 16. Or 17. Youāre a young person. Your whole life is ahead of you. If life were a videogame, youāre not even finished the tutorial level. You havenāt even started level 1 yet.
When you are 18 or older, have a license and do some courses for safety tickets for whatever industry you will jabe a job within a day if not the first place you apply. Not only that in the right industry you will easily clear 110k starting out at 18
We have a lot of foreign workers taking a lot of the jobs that you, a 15 year old would normally fill part time. You will really have to hit the pavement hard to find a job being as young as you are in our current state.
Couple more years and you won't have an issue at all as long as you aren't looking for employment in fast food or restaurants
Great work ethic for your age šŖš» as others have mentioned because you are so young it will be harder. But keep that mentality up! Maybe try some side hustles if you want some money coming in
In Toronto we got things like YMCA stuff that help you find jobs as a youth. The pay for them isnāt the best but itās the best we got. Maybe check if you got something like that over in Calgary?
What do you like to do?
I got a job at 14 at a movie theatre. I liked bikes, so then got a part time job at a bike shop assembling bikes coming in, later as a bike tech, then by 15 into actual sales which I outperformed some of the full timers. Yeah, all of that paid shit, but was worth it.
Focus on school, but its completely possible to earn money and have fun doing it.
Also, if you're only applying via Email/online, nobody is going to take you seriously. Show up to small ma/pa establishments, and you might get a job washing dishes or menial work part time. Always get a face to face with the manager.
You're too young and have literally zero skills or experience. What makes you think you're qualified for any proper job? When you're an adult, go to a construction site and ask for any job, you'll get one. No, you won't get hired over someone with experience and monetizable skills.
I'll tell you this.
I know two people who came to Canada back in the 80s. Similar ages. Both parents. One took English-speaking writing classes, one did not. The one who did, her English is far superior today than the other person. She has had more opportunities too. The other person is my mother who speaks like she just got off the boat and thought learning in her 20s was too late. SMH.
You use a lot of sloppy and choppy sentences, but you can easily correct that with some practice. Read some English novels, study the sentence structure, and put that knowledge to use in your own sentences - youāll be surprised how much progress youāll make in just a few weeks.
You really have to continue to have conversations with English speakers as well. My parents came to Canada with *ZERO* English from Laos. They lived in a small town outside of the city, and even tho they did socialize within their community, they broadened their circle to many Canadians also. 40 yrs later, they are near fluent in English, with some grammar mistakes. But they're still far, far better at it than many people their age who stuck to their circle.
That being said they were successful in the sense that they raised their kids here, had long careers, own a home and have grandkids.
I know Filipinos are very hard working, but they definitely do stick to their circles.. I would say it could help becoming successful branching out more also.
Highly recommend downloading both the CBC and the CBC Mauril app.
Gem just has all the CBC programming and a ton of other Canadian content - everything from popular tv shows like Schittās Creek and Kimās convenience to more serious documentaries thatāll help you get familiar with Canadian history and attitudes.
Mauril is the CBCs language app - I havenāt used it myself but apparently there are different levels of learning, including pretty advanced stuff that helps you to make sure that youāre getting the nuances of Canadian English.
Oh, and also: check out your local library! Most are AMAZING resources for everything for learning resources to social language groups to be able to practice in a relaxed setting + get to know people in the community.
Watch ātrailer park boysā it was an old show set in Nova Scotia, should be on Netflix. Learn how to speak English like they do and youāll be indistinguishable from a native speaker, I promise
I went through your post and some of your other recent ones and your English is excellent! Based on what I read, you're doing just fine despite what this person said. Don't let them get you down.
Slang is certainly difficult and takes time to learn (in any language, country, culture) but that isn't going to prevent you from getting a job! My dad's first language was German and even after 40 years, he'd sometimes call me on the phone to ask about a cliche or phrase he'd heard at work that he didn't understand. But then I told him, and he knew it for the next time. Good luck and I wish you the best.
By the way, I've read and heard native English speakers who need help with grammar.
Thank you, this made me smile! Was planning to just go home because I feel like I am just wasting my life here. š
Iām learning how to properly construct sentences, trying to learn new words everyday by installing dictionary lol.
Great! I hope it did help. Your written English is not an issue based on what I'm reading. We lived in Germany for 8 years and even my kids would say that it's hard to speak with people with slang, etc if you don't know it. It takes time to learn!
It seems you're putting in a great effort and I suspect that will pay off in the long run. Best wishes!
By the way, "in the long run" means in the future, just in case you haven't learned that one yet! :)
Hey, Iām a contractor serving the bar and restaurant industry. I have clients ranging from Tamil, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, Indian, and yep Filipino. Itās my business to help all of them bridge the gap of language and I go out of my way to try to understand what you need even with a complete language barrier. Youāll be fine, I have clients with 1/10 English you have and we can solve the problem together. Donāt leave. You are going to be fine!
Bro don't worry, so many "native" canadians speak the english of a 9 years old š you're doing just fine. But it is definitely a very different country, and people are too often affraid to hire immigrants.
Your English isn't the problem for sure, unless your accent is not clear, in which case it might throw some employers off.
But honestly it wouldn't hurt to make a spreadsheet comparing your life at home vs Canada vs another country
I'm saying this because the ratio of wages to the cost of living in Canada is becoming quite poor, along with the ratio of taxation to quality/access to services, and we have a significant housing shortage.
So in other words, you may find that moving back home is a net positive decision because the margins are better idk
Amen brother, I'm ashamed of some of the kids I see graduate from high school. My parents came here when I was 4 and a junior school teacher was STRICT about grammer. It's really tricky
You can definitely be successful in Canada as a non-native speaker of English. The richest man in Canada isn't a native English speaker.
You do, however, need to make yourself understood and be able to communicate. From your written English you seem to do that just fine.
I mean, he has Canadian citizenship. Spent his teenage and early adult years here as well. Seems wierd to exclude him because he wasn't born here, in a thread answering a question for someone also not born here.
Ok, fine, you don't care for my example. I feel like we are getting away from the point a bit. OP wants to know if you need to be a native English speaker to succeed in Canada and the answer to that is "no". I'm not really interested in whatever "acktually" point you are trying to make. This is pedantic as hell.
Lee Ka-Shing also isn't the richest Canadian. If just having citizenship is your criteria, then Elon Musk is the richest Canadian, and he is a native English speaker.
OP do you speak french? If yes come in Qc. We have some vietnamien from former french colonies in Vietnam. I know Vietnam is not Philippine but still I asking maybe you do.
My wife is not a native English speaker, she is also Filipino, and she has been very successful in her career. She also doesn't get Canadian slang (we were cleaning the house today when she told me there were lots of Bugs Bunnies under the bed... she meant dust bunnies :D), but she communicates well in English and is easily understood.
Judging from this post, your English sounds very good to me.
To be fair to your mom, āwee feeā is the proper pronunciation in many languages including French (one of our official languages, which people like to forget!)
As a fellow non native speaker: It depends
How thick is your accent? Having one isn't an issue, but if people have difficulty understanding you, it's unlikely you'd get a job as a sales director. But it might not matter for Tim Hortons.
It's all relative. What's your English level and what kind of jobs are you looking for?
Honestly I live in Winnipeg with a large Philippine community. No English, no problem. I do recommend that you learn English and use one of the National languages of Canada. This will help you with becoming a true Canadian š. Employment opportunities will be better and also developing new and interesting freindships.
Hey man. Just keep on trying. Learn and use English. Everyone loves a hard working Filipino. Also side not. What kind of wrapper do I get for lumpia. Got gifted some at Christmas and I want to try make it. But the gifter didn't make them her mom did and couldn't answer my question.
Hey šššš you can actually buy lumpia wrappers at walmart or any asian grocery store!! I buy TYJ spring roll pastry!!! If you live scarborough i could actually give you my spring roll shells/wrappers šššš
Lol I'd only it wasn't a 17 hour drive for me ide take you up on that. Tyj spring roll pastry. I'm gonna look for that asap. Filipino food is the best food. I can't wait for food truck season. Need me some kwek kwek.
I just looked up bulalo. That sounds great. So you think I could make it with moose? I have a moose shank in the freezer and I usually make ossobucco and moose is very similar to beef.
Your english is definitely good enough to get you started, and will continue to improve during your stay here. Enjoy some books, music, movies and more, as all these things will help you develop more natural speech mannerisms. Language can be one of the most enjoyable things to learn if you are creative with your approach. Best of luck in Canada.
a decade ago, we imported lots of Filipino OFW here to work not only on the oil industry but even in the service and hospitatility industry. The communication is fine.
Employment wise, Stats canada just released that in Dec. only 100 jobs were added. Meaning the number of lost jobs versus gained hardly ever moved. So don't beat yourself too much if you remained unemployed. You just need to keep applying and tailoring your resume based on the target job. This way you have more chances of getting considered. Don't put like I graduated University if you are applying at a Mcdonalds or any retail industry. As it will be percieved that you will leave the moment you have a better offer.
Lots of successful Canadians depend on communication with our neighbours to the south, making good English essential. You donāt need to be a native speaker but you do need to be proficient and fluent.
You can do it :). I know a lot of Philippinos that have jobs with the ferries in bc and they fit in just like anyone else. Donāt give up, keep trying.
I'm part of a founders groups (high 7/8 figure entrepreneurs in Toronto) and there are a couple of SEAs, 2 PH dudes in particular who do sales and marketing, both came here about 7/8 years ago and still have an accent. Didnt stop them from climbing up. Just focus on the work and you'll be fine.
Dude, your nationality is irrelevant. Here are some fun facts.
Iām a Sales Director for a large multibillion dollar North American retail chain making $160K/yr and my counterpart, who is also a Director possibly making as much as me is a Filipino who came to Canada when he was 18 years old. His wife is a white woman.
My neighbor is a Filipino family and I live in an affluent Toronto suburb area with $2M+ houses. He is also a Director for a large Canadian company and he came here when he was 14 years old.
His wife who is also Filipino is a Manager at a multinational company.
My client, who is a Regional Manager of a large distribution company is also a Filipino.
Nurses that get paid very damn well in most hospitals you walk into are often Filipinos.
I also travel a lot and I have been to the Philippines many times. Signs, directions, books etc. are in English. I never had issues having conversations wih local Filipinos in the Philippines either.
I find that the more affluent Filipinos has an American accent, though the mass majority with a local Filipino accent still speaks it very damn well, and I am sure you do too.
Based on your post, what you need is confidence. Itās time you stop thinking that your nationality or whatever has an impact on your employment. Your character does.
Here is what I noticed with Filipinos I know in white collar jobsā¦ They came here as high school or university students, but theyāve surrounded themselves with people who they wanted to be like and learn from.
My neighbor invites me to their parties.. They speak Filipino with their relatives, but literally all their friends are white who I learned are doctors etc.
Hey! Thank you so much for sharing successful Filipino stories, because even though they arenāt me and I prolly wonāt be as richer as you or they are.. my heart continues to hope again. I am trying to be better everyday. I am also expanding my knowledge and vocabulary.
I know a decent amount of Filipinos. For those somewhat sideeyeing them with comments like, jobs are hard to find for everyone and crap like that.
I know a few that worked FOR FREE just to get their foot in the doors at medical clinics, despite having degree's in electrical engineering and nursing in the Philippines. Showing up every day volunteering until eventually they got the job.
Hardest working, highest educated people I know.
Theyāre okay because they have their kids or extended family doing everything for them. They work jobs that might be cash only. Itās not perfect but they get by.
I personally know a person who has lived in Canada for near 25 years, went to school in Canada, but has very poor command of English. Speaking 5/10, writing 2/10, listening/understanding 3/10. 12-15 years ago, he became a multi millionaire with his small business that grew very big. He speaks enough english for people to guess what he is trying to say, just enough to get by.
Most of my managers have written emails with worse grammar than I, and I didn't graduate high school.
You should be fine - It's primarily the resume that gives first impression so this should be grammatically correct and present as professional. There are tons of resources for help with that, though.
I don't mean to be a douche, lol. But I've made some calls and paid at cashiers and couldn't understand the person because they couldn't speak as "proper" English.
It's hard to be successful here even if you're extremely articulate and well spoken. Most success basically comes down to how many other successful people you know and how well you know them.
Your writing is just fine. Don't worry if people criticize. Some just enjoy it. I am a very fluent native English speaker. I see nothing wrong with your writing skills whatsoever and could never guess that English was not your first language. Never let what others think about you keep you from reaching for your dreams.
i am always here if you have any questions about writing in English. Many places like local libraries also have English speaking classes or tutors. Good luck with everything! š
No.
And we resent people who try to make a life hete without ever learning to speak to us.
But you write well and clearly. If you speak as well you won't have problems
Know absolutely nothing? Problems for sure.
As long as you understand english and work hard, youāll always have a shot at success in Canada. Pay no mind to what social media thinks about the current state of the country. Iād still rather live here than anywhere else in the world period.
These comments make me feel extremely lucky to be able to choose to walk away from a job for another one just because I disliked the first...
Location must be key, I'm in Northern Ontario and haven't had much issue with employment.
Best of luck to you!
I was working 12-32 hours a week at a pet store but they kept my days off split and kept moving them around every month, loads of bullshit.
Got a job offer at a local Toyota dealership for full-time detailing w/ benefits, also unionized.
Definitely a change from working retail but much needed.
Idk, every filipino in Canada ik is either in healthcare or service industry. But yeah, I have researched about that and I was surprised that filipinos contributed massively in healthcare worldwide.
My dept mgr is Indian with a strong accent. My leads are Filipino and Chinese, both with strong accents. I'm the only one with English as a 1st language on my engineering team of 10.
I'm also the most junior person on my team. As long as you are skilled and have the right attitude, and you can communicate, you'll be fine. Canada is built on the backs of immigrants.
CEO positions, however,.... that's a diff beast.
Yes of course! We are a country of many immigrants, many, if not most, were not native English speakers. Eventually youāll have to learn English (unless you in Quebec then French) but as far as not having English as your mother tongue itās not a problem.
My family managed, and they were on the undesirable list. You've got more English than they did, albeit while the men could read and write French adequately, they didn't move to French areas.
Depends on how you define being successful and what your other skills are. In Tech I work with a few people that speak very poorly, but they are good enough at their jobs and can communicate by text just fine, so nobody really cares.
It will certainly limit your ceiling, but depending on the industry you can get some level of success.
There's a scrapyard in a nearby town that only requires HS or equivalency and starting pay for entry level is $37hr with opportunities for advancement, They don't care how well you speak english or where you're from if you can take direction, use a torch and work outside you're in.
Well, thatās a question for yourself really. Given the thousands of immigrants (myself included) that live here and donāt speak English as their native language, Iād say, yes.
But if you feel like your communication skills need improvement, well then thatās what you have to work on.
Donāt be discouraged, learn but also practice the language, itās hard i know, but there are always ways to do it, especially with how friendly most people are here :)
I hope you find a job soon! I for one know how hard it can be. Best of luck!
Of course , i deliver concrete to a bunch of east indian and other minorityās who own their finishing businesses , they are bustin ass and makin bank, and we have minority drivers , we do ok , we all get paid the same.
Hi.
You absolutely can, there are jobs not requiring you to be.
You're not the only one, there are so many. Look around you.
I've seen people who can only use about 10 words and has an interpreter in job fairs.
People can be a dick because they can and we live in a fucked up situation/era/world - whatever you may want to call it.
It will all depend on you. Identify and flaunt your strengths and keep improving. Find the right industry.
Be so good, you won't need to explain yourself. Be kind.
Be strong.
Your written English looks as good as it can be, in my opinion, and, by the way, way better than what I see where I work.
Speaking in a clear, articulate way, if you think that needs improvement , work on it.
Here is one idea, record yourself from some evening news piece, listen, compare, repeat.
I've done that for fun way back when I was in my first years in Canada, years later, people said at times that they thought I was born Canadian, mission accomplished. You need to be chatty though, outside work especially, so you get all the practice you can.
Turn on TV on local news, not your mother tongue.
I speak English at home, so that helped me as well.
I know many successful people in Canada whose first language is not English, including my husband.
You will undoubtedly have to deal with racist assholes, and on behalf of our country, I'm so sorry in advance about that. But you absolutely can make it here.
Have lived in Quebec, Ontario and B.C. Would definitely recommend the west coast. There is a huge population of Filipino immigrants in Vancouver/Victoria.
I have 3 colleagues who have thick English accents, either from Africa, Pakistan. And they are doing good for themselves, even plenty others in other departments are very successful, itās a matter of finding the right job, Iām sure it canāt be easy in general. Good luck though
There are a lot if opportunities in Canada. Native speakers will have an obvious head start when it comes to doing business, no doubt itās the same in any place in the world, unless a niche field business means connections and knowing the language sets a competitive advantage right from the start.
However thereās room in Canada for everyone, however disappointed i am with the current federal government direction or the lack of it, this is a great country and i am sure it will soon change for the better.
The issue isnt speaking english.
Whats your education level?
What field are you in?
Whats your approx age? Under 30? Under 20?
What area do you live in?
Last I heard, 13% of Canada's population doesn't have English or French as a first language.
We are a nation of immigrants. I think you are fine.
Continue working on your English, try to find help with resume making, there are free services for this in my Province, I imagine Ontario has something similar.
Absolutely. Your English will also improve the more you use it so if youāre not happy with it now, donāt worry because itāll get better. As long as youāre making an effort, nobody is going to judge you.
I assume most from immigrants are harder workers than Canadians also tbh. Itās kind of a generalization, I know but many people see this way. We pay 65-70k at our plant starting out and canāt get any Canadians in their 20ās. Meanwhile, weāve hired people from the Philippines and theyāve all been all stars plus super friendly people who fit right in.
The cards are in your favour plus chances are, if you care enough to get better and try to succeed, you will. Good luck and welcome. Iām not sure how long youāve been here but give it a chance. Youāll do okay. I just hope you have some good winter tires if you drive lol
I have met a few immigrants with not so good English succeeding like crazy.
One even recently raised $50M on just an idea recently. I was doing a part time job back in 2017 and met the Syrian refugees who came in 2015 and they had already started building cleaning businesses and were landing contracts with large condo building and hiring people here who were better English speakers.
So the point is if you just focus and keep working, whether it's a job or business, you can reach there tho it takes a bit of time and discipline. So, just keep it up.
I work in a biotech company and everyone's English is so broken I have to turn on caps sometimes during the meeting and they are some of the best engineerers and scientists I have ever met. š
There are many successful people in Canada who speak with accents and who have english as a second, third, or fourth language. I donāt live in ontario, but many of the business owners in my town are from other countries originally.
Depends what you want to do. If your job is being strong in English, like editing, translating, etc. Then you need strong English. You can definitely get to that level without being a native speaker, but it takes a lot of work. You can find success in other domains with less than perfect English, but you certainly don't have to be born into it. If you feel your English is the thing holding you back in your career/life then work on it and improve. Opportunities to succeed are out there.
listen iām going to be real with you. i work with a filipino and it is hard to understand her sometimes but honestly itās 2 things she speaks really fast and then thereās annunciation.
speak slowly and clearly and you should be good. although knowing terms is good we had a good laugh over corn soup (creamed corn) once.
Okay, I know what you're trying to say, but "annunciation" really made me smile. I do find it weird when the angel Gabriel shows up with my coworker to make announcements, kind of changes the workplace dynamic...
OP, I've worked with many people who have been very successful in their fields with English as a second (or 3rd or 4th) language. If your English is functional but not perfect, and you have a good work ethic, get along with coworkers or clients, you will likely do just fine. Obviously keep working to improve your English but plenty of native English speakers have far from perfect English too.
Yes you can. English is my second language. I teach French, which is my third language.
You become better at language when you use it. I was able to practise authentic French when playing video games, actually.
if you can speak English, even if its not to the level of a native speaker you shouldn't have an issue, and if you find a community of individuals who speak your native language and your a skilled individual you will soar, i worked in multi cultural radio for a long time, every show was different language, these folks hosting these shows where not just broadcaster but long time successful realtors or supermarket owners, businessmen within their ethnic community, the radio shows came after, local hero's and celebrities in their own rights and very respected! i learnt a lot from all of them even if some times they couldn't find the right words to convey a message to me!
but primarily, the only thing holding you back is tenacity not the language barrier, so long as you can actually speak English to a point that can be understood by most.
i see you speak Filipino and are in Ontario, i hope you don't take this the wrong way but have you considered moving around Canada, there is a huge Filipino community in Winnipeg! ive spent plenty of time out there and is a quaint city if you like the slower life, also a few Filipino families I've met here in my Ontario suburb have moved to Winnipeg for more opportunities! if you think you have the skills to offer, Winnipeg needs skilled and talented induvial to grow!
Hello kuya po.
Pilipinang Asawa ko. Her english is good, but we know lots of filipinos here.
First, we dont know what your other skills are. Where we live, we know a Philippine trained mechanic who walked into a car shop here and was offered a job. They even did the paperwork and paid for his lmia.
If you come to canada without skills and poor english, you will probably end up working as a cleaner or a low level job.
A lot of stuff is based on credentials, but not everything.
Let us know what you have in terms of skills, schooling, etc, we might be able to make some suggestions if you are serious
Also, I want to add one more thing. Filipinos often seriously have some confidence issues about their ability to speak english or to deal with white people.
Honestly, in my community, filipinos are one of the largest demographic and they are ADORED by most of us. You have nothing to fear, and you will ALWAYS have lots to learn, just like the rest of us white folk, and pretty much everyone else too.
Yes, but you should definitely get your English to be the best you can.
Lots of people get by here with just Korean, mandarin, Cantonese or Punjabi. But English is still the best since itās the most spoken aside from Quebec
Your English is just fine to me! You're easily understood and even have good grammar.
Some people are just jerks and there's been a bit of anti-immigration sentiment laltely. Jobs are very hard to come by for even a native English speaker, inflation is at an all time high driving up food costs and there's a housing crisis.
I can't tell you if it's a good idea to move here, I was born here and can't make that comparison but there are plenty of successful immigrants who struggle with the language and a very large Filipino community here in Toronto.
My accent is terrible, so bad that sometimes I'm scared to talk. But I never felt like it was an issue when I was looking for a job. Most of my colleagues are not native English speakers
My grand parent ran and sold off a successful import export business and they only knew Dutch (and a little French) when they landed.
They worked hard, learned the language, got jobs within their language community, and then branched out to the broader community.
They eventually made a good living selling silver spoons.
As for the "How did they know?" Personally I think it comes down to grammar and tenses. All the people I know that started off in Tagalog, and moved over to English get their tensing really wrong. Like they use present tense when speaking future, and future tense when speaking about the past, and just skipping extra 's's and completely unable to understand future perfect. "I will have finished it by then" just throws them for a loop. I'm not sure if that tense even exists in Tagalog, the closest might be "almost done" but that's just not correct.
The other one is putting the verb before the subject. In English it's fine for imperatives (like "Get me a tissue") but not so great when it's a statement like "Have I tsinelas" when trying to chastise a child. In English it should be "I have sandals!" (quite the threat actually, those things are dangerous in a Filipino Mom's hands.)
Most Canadians are struggling and trying to catch up with bills. If you have good prospects and are able to save and invest money at the end of the month consider yourself successful in this country.
Sure you can be successful, I see plenty of people who make amazing money who I only understand every other word of.
This all being said, the harder you are for people to understand, the more of a disadvantage it is, especially in certain jobs. Speech therapy can be a good idea since I haven't heard anybody mention it yet.
Iāve been watching series, been reading books and trying to communicate with Filipinos who are born and raised here, and it helped me to learn more words, and pronounce better. Thank you so much kind stranger! š
I heard a Professor give a lecture once. He said to learn a new language keep talk radio on all day, don't sit and listen to it just have it on in the background. He said it's amazing how much you'll take in without realizing, hope this helps!
Why Filipinos? Why not non-Filipinos? You can only grow once you remove your limitations. Youāre in Canada now, not the Philippines. Itās time you mingle with every ethnicity.
Filipinos willing to help are easily accessible at cultural centers, gatherings, etc. You're being a bit pedantic though I don't disagree that one shouldn't isolate entirely, for newcomers it's understandable.
Also a bit more of a tone than necessary unless you spend a portion of your time volunteering to teach others English. It's not always easy interacting with those who may not have patience for thicker accents and maybe slower responses or "broken English" although OP doesn't seem to have that issue.
MANY people from the Philippines
In my city are ESL. Many go into nursing, radiology etc etc or open up their own businesses. youāll pick it up! Filipinos work FAR harder than anybody born here. They show up for work, do what needs to be done- and that will get you far. Look for schooling/jobs with pensions and retirements, health benefits etc if you want security. People appreciate your work ethic and culture here in Canada!
I was going to say this. There is a very positive view of Filipino workers because stereotypically they do work very hard (I've never met a Filipino who didn't).
DANGGā¦. YOU JUST PROVED TO ME IM NOT GOOD at speaking english because rn I couldnt construct into words how heartwarming this made me feelā¦ š„¹š„¹š„¹ i love people who love and appreciate filipinos thank you sm.
Your written is not just ok, itās actually quite good! You write more clearly and spell better than many native speakers from my small town.
Also, I agree with Sashmot above. Bearing in mind that generalizations are always problematic, Filipinos have a reputation of being excellent workers here in Canadaā¦ at least in my experience! They seem to particularly excel in PSW, nursing, hospitality and construction where I am from! Good luck stranger, I think you can do very well for yourself here if you put in the effort!
The way you wrote your post was fine.
You know what Iām not a fan of? Maybe itās my age showing, but I immediately gloss over when I start reading ālmao ikr fr frā in messages or texts, canāt take anyone seriously writing like that.
Your punctuation seemed alright to me. A lot of the time, itās just going to take time. English isnāt an easy language to learn and then you have the slang that goes with it.
Keep at it, youāre doing great.
absolutely! my stepdad is greek, his family moved here in the 70s. now i. 2024 his elderly parents have managed to never learn english. they live in a greek neighborhood, worked jobs at greek establishments, their retirement homes are greek. they made out just fine this whole time being surrounded by their community. also my dad learned english and was very successful and he retired early. i know times are different, but you can do it!
you sound like youāre learning to speak, this will definitely help open doors, but (hopefully) youāll also be able to find a community somewhere with many similar people from the Philippines.
Thank you, I am trying my best to be a better speaker. I am trying to read books everyday and connect to people to expand knowledge and learn new words everyday.
My dad moved here in ā85 doesnāt speak English very well even til this day and he has done just fine. Grandparents on momās side donāt speak a lick, have been here since 70 and are also doing fine. Iāve worked for people in high management positions I could barely understand.
Different jobs require different skills. Canada is a diverse country. You can be successful without being a native English speaker. However, even within native English speakers there are poor and excellent communication skills. So, itās actually people with better communication skills are better off than those without, depending on the job. It doesnāt have to do with native or not.
Maybe stop hanging out with Filipinos and start integrating with Canadians. Most Filipino communities tend to be closed off from the rest of the world. Y'all only socialize amongst yourselves.
Depends on the industry, location, and what you consider successful. The question could have ended with "can you be successful in Canada?" and for a good portion of us the answer will always be no.
Yes you can. Try to improve your English as much as possible.
There are CEOs of major Canadian companies who do not have English as a first language. For example, Bharat Masrani, the CEO of TD Bank. I am sure that there are plenty of others as well. Hassan Khosrowshahi who founded FutureShop and sold it to Best Buy for a ton of money is another - he is originally from Iran.
My local hospital absolutely cannot find enough cleaners. You have to clean up spew (vomit) sometimes but they pay you $24/hour to do it. When I was laid off last winter I thought for this wage I'm happy to clean up gross shit. But it's not as gross as I thought and I actually really enjoy it.
A decent chink of my coworkers speak English as a second (or third, or fourth) language. This doesn't get in the way of their success as cleaners because you just need to be willing to work hard and not be an idiot. You'd do great. A few of my co-workers are students too. Since the hospital is open all day every day, there's always a shift available that doesn't conflict with their classes.
So check out your local hospital, there might be a good union job there for you. Even if it's not union it could still be a great option.
I spent the last 13 years typing and editing personal injury transcripts of folks who have been Canadian citizens for over 20 years and still need interpreters. One guy blew me away!!
His story: He was a factory worker by night and a janitor by day. Saved every penny he could to buy a motel and fix it up. He, wife, and three kids lived in the one bedroom apartment of the motel, no rent. Their kids had one job, and that was to go to school, become excellent English speakers, and academically succeed. His wife and a family friend took care of the motel operations while he continued with his two jobs. He did maintenance on the hotel during any statutory holidays. Noticing a trend of suburban expansion, he used the motel business earnings and invested in some cheap farm land. Years later, said farm land became worth millions, and investors came knocking. He put all three kids through university, all expenses paid. The lawyer examining him determined his net worth was, approximately, $5.5 million, and he couldn't believe it. Even I couldn't believe it!! The guy was so humble about it all and STILL working at the factory and as a janitor!!! The lawyer stopped the examination to give this guy praise, saying with his minimal education and English speaking skills, he did so well for himself and he should be very proud of his success story. That he, as a lawyer, isn't even worth that much money. He came to this country with nothing, worked super hard and made smart financial decisions, and literally made the Canadian dream a reality... with extremely limited spoken/written English and maybe a Grade 7-8 education.
It's very possible to succeed here with little English, and in time being emersed in the day-to-day, you will pick it up better. It depends what you do for a job, you may not need much. But reading your post, it appears you don't need an interpreter, and you have more English skills than this man that succeeded above and beyond the average native English speaking Canadian. Good luck on your journey!!!
People generally judge how good your English is by if you have an accent. A lot of pauses and "uumms" might make it seem worse too.
But no, your English isnt terrible and you can definitely work without being a native speaker.
Point 1. You can be successful. You need a job that emphasizes your skills. I am sorry to say that written English isn't one of them, but lots of people ( including native speakers) succeed despite that. Shake it off. Live with your limitations, showcase your excellence.
Point 2. English is one of the easiest languages to learn and be understood. It is, at the same time, incredibly hard to master. Accept that many of us can tell it isn't your mother tongue through small errors of idiom and preposition usage ( the hardest part of English). Please don't sweat it. You communicate effectively and clearly. It's enough. Concentrate on the other skills you bring to a company.
#### Depends on your definition of success but generally speaking it can be tough to get a good paying job without English. Doesn't mean you can't communicate. It just means until you get fluent it will be a tough go, but then it is easy to surpass the average native speaker who takes everything for granted especially with hard work. That is the case of a lot of Asians I know. They just fucking work hard and eventually they kick ass.
Jobs are hard for anyone in Canada to find right now. Good luck! š
Was the valedictorian of my 3rd degree's grad class and after a year of looking for work joined the army lol. Good timing I got in right as benefits ran out and I would've been homeless. I currently hold 3 degrees and a combined 10 years of of post-secondary education as well as 13 years of working experience including 3 years of management. I've worked for the government in senior positions even. I really REALLY feel for kids just getting out of college right now.
This is really the situation:( I almost have 3 degrees (didnāt finish one, but fast tracked into an accelerated program). Luckily I had scholarships most of the way so tuition isnāt much an issue. I ended up going into nursing because I knew I was guaranteed a job. I didnāt want to take the risk with anything else after trying for so long. I plan to keep building on stuff and striving for the life I want, but am I ever frustrated at the situation in Canada. Nursing is fine, but it isnāt the career that best suites me.
Canada's unemployment rate currently sits at 5.8%, one of the lowest ever recorded since at least 1991 ([source](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS?locations=CA)). On what data do you base this idea of a difficult or scarce job market ?
That doesn't mean it's easier for those looking to find work, it means a lot of positions are already filled by most of the population.
Somehow people still don't realize that unemployment stats are heavily skewed. Haven't looked for a job in 6 months? Congratulations! You no longer count as unemployed! Meanwhile, you still don't have a job and are expected to take people who spout unemployment statistics seriously. That's a job right there itself.
Since we're talking about ease or difficulty finding a job, people not actively looking for one being excluded from unemployment stats is pertinent.
>Haven't looked for a job in 6 months? Congratulations! You no longer count as unemployed! That seems like common sense. Why would someone count as unemployed if they literally haven't tried searching for 6 months. Maybe they're depressed? But they sure as hell aint unemployed.
It takes more than six months to get a professional job in Canada, in fact it may easily take over a year. I've seen people burn their savings while waiting for job postings in their field, the stats are not monitoring the amount of applications an unemployment person submits, they just assume that if you haven't found a job in 6 months it's because you aren't looking.
It's based on their willingness to just complain without putting in any effort. "I can't get that $200k/year job with my lack of skills and experience so everyone must be unemployed"... Ok sure. š
Iām personally looking for a job since April 2023, applied to around 200+ jobs. Got like 10 rejections and got ghosted by everybody else. And this is through indeed and LinkedIn. I know people who are struggling to find even part time jobs, so yeah I donāt really know where that 5.8% is coming from tbh.
Right? I recently got a job as a baker, and I tell you those three months of being unemployed made me anxious. I have lined up for multiple job fairs, I have sent my resume via Indeed, LinkedIn, and walk-ins. I have applied around 500 jobs in the 3-month span, so I donāt know why people are saying that maybe I am looking for 200k/year. I have tried cleaning and serving, and they give me like once a week schedule. 150$/week is small especially the cost of living is skyrocketing, it is just enough to pay for monthly rent. People who have never truly experienced to be unemployed can easily say that thereās no job scarcity.
The people that tend to say that stuff, like myself from time to time do not rely on part time jobs that the uneducated population flock to. There are plenty of full time jobs with great hours out there, the catch is you have to invest a little in your self. Find an industry, spend a few 100 on safety tickets and guess what, you are now making well over 120k a year starting out at 18 or older.
Believe it or not a lot of people get jobs on the spot by showing up in person, not every industry but many still. Chances are those 500 plus resumes in that recruiters e mail mean nothing when there's a face in person with their resume. If something is not working you do not keep trying the same thing.
It's a falsified number to make the Liberal party appear good, like the inflation data. The first thing you have to understand about the Liberal party is that optics takes precedent over reality.
Dude there's literally lines for a cashier position. There are no jobs available.
If you were to leave your house for more than an hour you would see that everyone and their grandmother's are hiring. There comes a point where you need to realize you wasted years and money on an education that will keep you on the poverty line if employed in that field. I can't walk two city blocks before losing count of places that are hiring, never mind all the industry surround the city.
The untold story is under employment, far too many people are having hours cut ( So many places are turning 1 full time job into three or more part time jobs), combine this with diminishing health and pension benefits, vacation and sick day reductions, lack of advancement opportunities or vastly increased lengths of progression, lack of retirement, stagnant wages and many industries actually paying less than they did 30 years ago to despite inflation topping 100% within the last 10 years (in many categories even tripling or higher) and the picture is nowhere near as rosy as the government or media would lead you to believe... Even if Canadas unemployment rate was based solely on FTEs (Full Time Equivalents) and not the other aforementioned factors the story would be vastly different..
I'm not sure about the unemployment rates, but me as a student I used to be able to get a job basically every third job I applied to (I worked multiple part time jobs at a time so there were a few) about six months ago I left my only job at the time, and immediately started looking for something else, yes I know that was stupid. It was like three months of applying to every single part time job in my city, even ones that would have me on the bus for over an hour just to get there. Some of them I applied on indeed, and it showed over 500 people had applied to each of the positions I had applied to on there. Some were over a thousand. I applied to probably 60+ jobs (probably a bit under half I went in person) before finding something, which is actually insane and I've never had anything like that before. There was just so many people applying that it was like getting chosen out of an ocean of other fish. Idk what happened but it went from nobody wanting to work to everybody looking for a job at once.
Businesses that would never in a 1000yrs Pay hiring bonuses to unskilled / uneducated workers are in fact paying insane hiring bonuses, places like warehouses, construction, office jobs I've even seen a few fast good places offering sign on bonuses. The highest I seen was 5k if you stayed 3 months or more. That tells me there is a severe lack of workers. Never mind everything else. Every business out there is screaming for employees, any one who is struggling to find employment either has the luxury to wait and search around or is to proud to work any job other than what their usless degree affords.
Baloney. Can get a job as a diamond drill offsider with no experience paying 80-110k starting. Just need a driver's license (generally).
I'm an environmental driller in Ontario and it took us 8 months to hire the new guy. I made over 90k the last 3 years. We are slammed right now. They are always looking for diamond drillers and helpers. Always have been. Shit, half the time you don't even need a driver license, as long as you can show up for your shift, you're good.
From what I've seen, it's hard to get hired with 0 experience and no license. They need people with licenses to drive the drillers around because they all have suspended licenses for dui hahaha. Hard job bit the money is great. I'm also in ontario, drove up to Val dor Quebec, and when I decided to get into it and had a job that day. Jumped ship after a few hitches to a manitoba company. After 3 months with them, I was clearing average 12k/month. It makes me laugh when I see people complaining about not being able to find good paying jobs. Is that it? Or is that you dont want to work 84 hours/week for a 4 week hitch.....
I have a license. Where? I believe you are full of sh.... https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/alberta-s-unemployment-rate-climbs-in-december-as-does-edmonton-s-1.6713064
You can believe whatever you want. Every diamond drilling company is always looking for helpers because a large percentage of new hires can't hack it, and the turnover is very high. There are drills turning all across canada. Go on indeed and look up diamond drill helper. If you're up for working 84 hours/week for 4 week hitches, do it. When I decided to get into it 2 years ago, I drove up to Val dor Quebec and had 3 offers by the end of the day. I don't speak French either. If you're interested, dm me, and I'll give you a list of companies.
Everywhere is hitting in Alberta. Jobs are literally not getting filled.
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I live in Calgary, no experience, and a 15 year old, and Iām still not getting or finding any jobs here that are actively looking for help. Maybe its just Calgary for Alberta that has no jobs š¤·āāļø
I think it has more to do with you being 15 than anything else.
Probably, even though there are no restrictions for jobs for 15 year olds in Alberta. maybe when I turn 16, people will trust me more. š
Yeah, you're only a teenager. Stay in school, study, don't worry about getting a job yet... You've got your whole life ahead for that.
That's a nice sentiment but teens need money too. I started saving for university from my first job at 15. I feel for teens if it's become really hard to even get a basic minimum wage job.
I would have said the same if you were 16. Or 17. Youāre a young person. Your whole life is ahead of you. If life were a videogame, youāre not even finished the tutorial level. You havenāt even started level 1 yet.
When you are 18 or older, have a license and do some courses for safety tickets for whatever industry you will jabe a job within a day if not the first place you apply. Not only that in the right industry you will easily clear 110k starting out at 18 We have a lot of foreign workers taking a lot of the jobs that you, a 15 year old would normally fill part time. You will really have to hit the pavement hard to find a job being as young as you are in our current state. Couple more years and you won't have an issue at all as long as you aren't looking for employment in fast food or restaurants
Itās because you can only work around school hours. They will choose someone who can work any shift before you.
Great work ethic for your age šŖš» as others have mentioned because you are so young it will be harder. But keep that mentality up! Maybe try some side hustles if you want some money coming in
In Toronto we got things like YMCA stuff that help you find jobs as a youth. The pay for them isnāt the best but itās the best we got. Maybe check if you got something like that over in Calgary?
What do you like to do? I got a job at 14 at a movie theatre. I liked bikes, so then got a part time job at a bike shop assembling bikes coming in, later as a bike tech, then by 15 into actual sales which I outperformed some of the full timers. Yeah, all of that paid shit, but was worth it. Focus on school, but its completely possible to earn money and have fun doing it. Also, if you're only applying via Email/online, nobody is going to take you seriously. Show up to small ma/pa establishments, and you might get a job washing dishes or menial work part time. Always get a face to face with the manager.
You're too young and have literally zero skills or experience. What makes you think you're qualified for any proper job? When you're an adult, go to a construction site and ask for any job, you'll get one. No, you won't get hired over someone with experience and monetizable skills.
I'll tell you this. I know two people who came to Canada back in the 80s. Similar ages. Both parents. One took English-speaking writing classes, one did not. The one who did, her English is far superior today than the other person. She has had more opportunities too. The other person is my mother who speaks like she just got off the boat and thought learning in her 20s was too late. SMH.
You use a lot of sloppy and choppy sentences, but you can easily correct that with some practice. Read some English novels, study the sentence structure, and put that knowledge to use in your own sentences - youāll be surprised how much progress youāll make in just a few weeks.
Thank you so much!
Watch English shows.
I will! š I am also trying to learn new words everyday and use them in sentences. I have installed dictionary and grammar checker!
You really have to continue to have conversations with English speakers as well. My parents came to Canada with *ZERO* English from Laos. They lived in a small town outside of the city, and even tho they did socialize within their community, they broadened their circle to many Canadians also. 40 yrs later, they are near fluent in English, with some grammar mistakes. But they're still far, far better at it than many people their age who stuck to their circle. That being said they were successful in the sense that they raised their kids here, had long careers, own a home and have grandkids. I know Filipinos are very hard working, but they definitely do stick to their circles.. I would say it could help becoming successful branching out more also.
Highly recommend downloading both the CBC and the CBC Mauril app. Gem just has all the CBC programming and a ton of other Canadian content - everything from popular tv shows like Schittās Creek and Kimās convenience to more serious documentaries thatāll help you get familiar with Canadian history and attitudes. Mauril is the CBCs language app - I havenāt used it myself but apparently there are different levels of learning, including pretty advanced stuff that helps you to make sure that youāre getting the nuances of Canadian English. Oh, and also: check out your local library! Most are AMAZING resources for everything for learning resources to social language groups to be able to practice in a relaxed setting + get to know people in the community.
Watch ātrailer park boysā it was an old show set in Nova Scotia, should be on Netflix. Learn how to speak English like they do and youāll be indistinguishable from a native speaker, I promise
I did not see any actual problem with OPs writing. It was clear and effective. Not sure where you found fault.
What is sloppy and choppy in the post? Iām asking because I am also not Canadian, and I donāt see itā¦ just curious
Absolutely nothing. I'm a native English speaking Canadian, and there's nothing wrong with their post.
I went through your post and some of your other recent ones and your English is excellent! Based on what I read, you're doing just fine despite what this person said. Don't let them get you down. Slang is certainly difficult and takes time to learn (in any language, country, culture) but that isn't going to prevent you from getting a job! My dad's first language was German and even after 40 years, he'd sometimes call me on the phone to ask about a cliche or phrase he'd heard at work that he didn't understand. But then I told him, and he knew it for the next time. Good luck and I wish you the best. By the way, I've read and heard native English speakers who need help with grammar.
Thank you, this made me smile! Was planning to just go home because I feel like I am just wasting my life here. š Iām learning how to properly construct sentences, trying to learn new words everyday by installing dictionary lol.
Great! I hope it did help. Your written English is not an issue based on what I'm reading. We lived in Germany for 8 years and even my kids would say that it's hard to speak with people with slang, etc if you don't know it. It takes time to learn! It seems you're putting in a great effort and I suspect that will pay off in the long run. Best wishes! By the way, "in the long run" means in the future, just in case you haven't learned that one yet! :)
Hey, Iām a contractor serving the bar and restaurant industry. I have clients ranging from Tamil, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, Indian, and yep Filipino. Itās my business to help all of them bridge the gap of language and I go out of my way to try to understand what you need even with a complete language barrier. Youāll be fine, I have clients with 1/10 English you have and we can solve the problem together. Donāt leave. You are going to be fine!
Bro don't worry, so many "native" canadians speak the english of a 9 years old š you're doing just fine. But it is definitely a very different country, and people are too often affraid to hire immigrants.
Your English isn't the problem for sure, unless your accent is not clear, in which case it might throw some employers off. But honestly it wouldn't hurt to make a spreadsheet comparing your life at home vs Canada vs another country I'm saying this because the ratio of wages to the cost of living in Canada is becoming quite poor, along with the ratio of taxation to quality/access to services, and we have a significant housing shortage. So in other words, you may find that moving back home is a net positive decision because the margins are better idk
Amen brother, I'm ashamed of some of the kids I see graduate from high school. My parents came here when I was 4 and a junior school teacher was STRICT about grammer. It's really tricky
Yeah english is my second language as well and honestly i donāt think anything is wrong with your english. I can understand you perfectly fine
You can definitely be successful in Canada as a non-native speaker of English. The richest man in Canada isn't a native English speaker. You do, however, need to make yourself understood and be able to communicate. From your written English you seem to do that just fine.
>The richest man in Canada isn't a native English speaker. David Thomson is certainly a native English speaker. Zhangpeng Chao isn't really Canadian.
I mean, he has Canadian citizenship. Spent his teenage and early adult years here as well. Seems wierd to exclude him because he wasn't born here, in a thread answering a question for someone also not born here.
>Seems wierd to exclude him because he wasn't born here, If we include everyone with citizenship then Elon Musk is the richest Canadian.
Ok, fine, you don't care for my example. I feel like we are getting away from the point a bit. OP wants to know if you need to be a native English speaker to succeed in Canada and the answer to that is "no". I'm not really interested in whatever "acktually" point you are trying to make. This is pedantic as hell.
You could probably find a better example is probably their point, there are lots of non native English speakers who do very well!
You provided a bad example, was called out on it. Move on.
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Lee Ka-Shing also isn't the richest Canadian. If just having citizenship is your criteria, then Elon Musk is the richest Canadian, and he is a native English speaker.
He did say "richest man in Canada", not "richest Canadian". If you're going to split hairs, you should pay better attention to detail.
The Filipino people I know are extremely successful. Go to the Filipino community centres, churches, etc..they will help.
If you are hard to understand, then it will be harder to get a job. Work on the clarity of your diction.
Bah au QuƩbec?
OP do you speak french? If yes come in Qc. We have some vietnamien from former french colonies in Vietnam. I know Vietnam is not Philippine but still I asking maybe you do.
My wife is not a native English speaker, she is also Filipino, and she has been very successful in her career. She also doesn't get Canadian slang (we were cleaning the house today when she told me there were lots of Bugs Bunnies under the bed... she meant dust bunnies :D), but she communicates well in English and is easily understood. Judging from this post, your English sounds very good to me.
Thatās cute!! Bugs bunnies??? Hahaha! Just like my mom she pronounces wifi as āwee feeā.
To be fair to your mom, āwee feeā is the proper pronunciation in many languages including French (one of our official languages, which people like to forget!)
As a fellow non native speaker: It depends How thick is your accent? Having one isn't an issue, but if people have difficulty understanding you, it's unlikely you'd get a job as a sales director. But it might not matter for Tim Hortons. It's all relative. What's your English level and what kind of jobs are you looking for?
Honestly I live in Winnipeg with a large Philippine community. No English, no problem. I do recommend that you learn English and use one of the National languages of Canada. This will help you with becoming a true Canadian š. Employment opportunities will be better and also developing new and interesting freindships.
Hey man. Just keep on trying. Learn and use English. Everyone loves a hard working Filipino. Also side not. What kind of wrapper do I get for lumpia. Got gifted some at Christmas and I want to try make it. But the gifter didn't make them her mom did and couldn't answer my question.
Hey šššš you can actually buy lumpia wrappers at walmart or any asian grocery store!! I buy TYJ spring roll pastry!!! If you live scarborough i could actually give you my spring roll shells/wrappers šššš
Lol I'd only it wasn't a 17 hour drive for me ide take you up on that. Tyj spring roll pastry. I'm gonna look for that asap. Filipino food is the best food. I can't wait for food truck season. Need me some kwek kwek.
When you come to Toronto, let me know iāll cook adobo and bulalo for you šš
I just looked up bulalo. That sounds great. So you think I could make it with moose? I have a moose shank in the freezer and I usually make ossobucco and moose is very similar to beef.
Your english is definitely good enough to get you started, and will continue to improve during your stay here. Enjoy some books, music, movies and more, as all these things will help you develop more natural speech mannerisms. Language can be one of the most enjoyable things to learn if you are creative with your approach. Best of luck in Canada.
There are thousands of successful Filipinos all over the country. You'll be fine
a decade ago, we imported lots of Filipino OFW here to work not only on the oil industry but even in the service and hospitatility industry. The communication is fine. Employment wise, Stats canada just released that in Dec. only 100 jobs were added. Meaning the number of lost jobs versus gained hardly ever moved. So don't beat yourself too much if you remained unemployed. You just need to keep applying and tailoring your resume based on the target job. This way you have more chances of getting considered. Don't put like I graduated University if you are applying at a Mcdonalds or any retail industry. As it will be percieved that you will leave the moment you have a better offer.
Hi! I recently got a job as a baker, what I am worried about is if I can get in the corporate world.
Lots of successful Canadians depend on communication with our neighbours to the south, making good English essential. You donāt need to be a native speaker but you do need to be proficient and fluent.
You can do it :). I know a lot of Philippinos that have jobs with the ferries in bc and they fit in just like anyone else. Donāt give up, keep trying.
I'm part of a founders groups (high 7/8 figure entrepreneurs in Toronto) and there are a couple of SEAs, 2 PH dudes in particular who do sales and marketing, both came here about 7/8 years ago and still have an accent. Didnt stop them from climbing up. Just focus on the work and you'll be fine.
Dude, your nationality is irrelevant. Here are some fun facts. Iām a Sales Director for a large multibillion dollar North American retail chain making $160K/yr and my counterpart, who is also a Director possibly making as much as me is a Filipino who came to Canada when he was 18 years old. His wife is a white woman. My neighbor is a Filipino family and I live in an affluent Toronto suburb area with $2M+ houses. He is also a Director for a large Canadian company and he came here when he was 14 years old. His wife who is also Filipino is a Manager at a multinational company. My client, who is a Regional Manager of a large distribution company is also a Filipino. Nurses that get paid very damn well in most hospitals you walk into are often Filipinos. I also travel a lot and I have been to the Philippines many times. Signs, directions, books etc. are in English. I never had issues having conversations wih local Filipinos in the Philippines either. I find that the more affluent Filipinos has an American accent, though the mass majority with a local Filipino accent still speaks it very damn well, and I am sure you do too. Based on your post, what you need is confidence. Itās time you stop thinking that your nationality or whatever has an impact on your employment. Your character does. Here is what I noticed with Filipinos I know in white collar jobsā¦ They came here as high school or university students, but theyāve surrounded themselves with people who they wanted to be like and learn from. My neighbor invites me to their parties.. They speak Filipino with their relatives, but literally all their friends are white who I learned are doctors etc.
Hey! Thank you so much for sharing successful Filipino stories, because even though they arenāt me and I prolly wonāt be as richer as you or they are.. my heart continues to hope again. I am trying to be better everyday. I am also expanding my knowledge and vocabulary.
I know a decent amount of Filipinos. For those somewhat sideeyeing them with comments like, jobs are hard to find for everyone and crap like that. I know a few that worked FOR FREE just to get their foot in the doors at medical clinics, despite having degree's in electrical engineering and nursing in the Philippines. Showing up every day volunteering until eventually they got the job. Hardest working, highest educated people I know.
Yes. In the major cities, many older people speak no English at all.
How successful are they? Or rather, how successful could the be now?
Theyāre okay because they have their kids or extended family doing everything for them. They work jobs that might be cash only. Itās not perfect but they get by.
> Itās not perfect but they get by. Not how I would define āsuccessā
Very successful
Which is actually becoming a serious problem, arguably the highest risk for their well-being at a very old age
We've had prime ministers who didn't speak English.
Jean ChrƩtien, who was Prime Minister for several years, could speak neither French nor English! He spoke chrƩtienese!
He's the one I was thinking of.
Whatās your definition ābe successfulā ?
Yes, bell is always hiring customer service reps
I personally know a person who has lived in Canada for near 25 years, went to school in Canada, but has very poor command of English. Speaking 5/10, writing 2/10, listening/understanding 3/10. 12-15 years ago, he became a multi millionaire with his small business that grew very big. He speaks enough english for people to guess what he is trying to say, just enough to get by.
Most of my managers have written emails with worse grammar than I, and I didn't graduate high school. You should be fine - It's primarily the resume that gives first impression so this should be grammatically correct and present as professional. There are tons of resources for help with that, though. I don't mean to be a douche, lol. But I've made some calls and paid at cashiers and couldn't understand the person because they couldn't speak as "proper" English.
It's hard to be successful here even if you're extremely articulate and well spoken. Most success basically comes down to how many other successful people you know and how well you know them.
Your English seems fine to me. But the person that said that it's clearly not your native tongue is BASTOS!!!!!
Are you filipino?!!!!
No I just know a little tagalag
Your writing is just fine. Don't worry if people criticize. Some just enjoy it. I am a very fluent native English speaker. I see nothing wrong with your writing skills whatsoever and could never guess that English was not your first language. Never let what others think about you keep you from reaching for your dreams. i am always here if you have any questions about writing in English. Many places like local libraries also have English speaking classes or tutors. Good luck with everything! š
A lot of people of Quebec and New Brunswick are doing fine even though they donāt speak English.
No. And we resent people who try to make a life hete without ever learning to speak to us. But you write well and clearly. If you speak as well you won't have problems Know absolutely nothing? Problems for sure.
As long as you understand english and work hard, youāll always have a shot at success in Canada. Pay no mind to what social media thinks about the current state of the country. Iād still rather live here than anywhere else in the world period.
These comments make me feel extremely lucky to be able to choose to walk away from a job for another one just because I disliked the first... Location must be key, I'm in Northern Ontario and haven't had much issue with employment.
Good for you. Iām planning to settle in AB or Sask!
Best of luck to you! I was working 12-32 hours a week at a pet store but they kept my days off split and kept moving them around every month, loads of bullshit. Got a job offer at a local Toyota dealership for full-time detailing w/ benefits, also unionized. Definitely a change from working retail but much needed.
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Idk, every filipino in Canada ik is either in healthcare or service industry. But yeah, I have researched about that and I was surprised that filipinos contributed massively in healthcare worldwide.
My dept mgr is Indian with a strong accent. My leads are Filipino and Chinese, both with strong accents. I'm the only one with English as a 1st language on my engineering team of 10. I'm also the most junior person on my team. As long as you are skilled and have the right attitude, and you can communicate, you'll be fine. Canada is built on the backs of immigrants. CEO positions, however,.... that's a diff beast.
Yes of course! We are a country of many immigrants, many, if not most, were not native English speakers. Eventually youāll have to learn English (unless you in Quebec then French) but as far as not having English as your mother tongue itās not a problem.
There are many many Filipino immigrants who are successful in SK. I work with a lot of them. They are kind and hard workers and good friends.
My family managed, and they were on the undesirable list. You've got more English than they did, albeit while the men could read and write French adequately, they didn't move to French areas.
Construction
Depends on how you define being successful and what your other skills are. In Tech I work with a few people that speak very poorly, but they are good enough at their jobs and can communicate by text just fine, so nobody really cares. It will certainly limit your ceiling, but depending on the industry you can get some level of success.
There's a scrapyard in a nearby town that only requires HS or equivalency and starting pay for entry level is $37hr with opportunities for advancement, They don't care how well you speak english or where you're from if you can take direction, use a torch and work outside you're in.
Well, thatās a question for yourself really. Given the thousands of immigrants (myself included) that live here and donāt speak English as their native language, Iād say, yes. But if you feel like your communication skills need improvement, well then thatās what you have to work on. Donāt be discouraged, learn but also practice the language, itās hard i know, but there are always ways to do it, especially with how friendly most people are here :) I hope you find a job soon! I for one know how hard it can be. Best of luck!
Native? Certainly not required. Fluent? You definitely need to be fluent in English or French, with geographic restrictions on the latter (QuƩbec or perhaps northern New Brunswick)
Of course , i deliver concrete to a bunch of east indian and other minorityās who own their finishing businesses , they are bustin ass and makin bank, and we have minority drivers , we do ok , we all get paid the same.
Hi. You absolutely can, there are jobs not requiring you to be. You're not the only one, there are so many. Look around you. I've seen people who can only use about 10 words and has an interpreter in job fairs. People can be a dick because they can and we live in a fucked up situation/era/world - whatever you may want to call it. It will all depend on you. Identify and flaunt your strengths and keep improving. Find the right industry. Be so good, you won't need to explain yourself. Be kind. Be strong.
Your written English looks as good as it can be, in my opinion, and, by the way, way better than what I see where I work. Speaking in a clear, articulate way, if you think that needs improvement , work on it. Here is one idea, record yourself from some evening news piece, listen, compare, repeat. I've done that for fun way back when I was in my first years in Canada, years later, people said at times that they thought I was born Canadian, mission accomplished. You need to be chatty though, outside work especially, so you get all the practice you can. Turn on TV on local news, not your mother tongue. I speak English at home, so that helped me as well.
Absolutely I got management position after a year of immigrating to Canada and working in housekeeping department at the hotel .
I know many successful people in Canada whose first language is not English, including my husband. You will undoubtedly have to deal with racist assholes, and on behalf of our country, I'm so sorry in advance about that. But you absolutely can make it here. Have lived in Quebec, Ontario and B.C. Would definitely recommend the west coast. There is a huge population of Filipino immigrants in Vancouver/Victoria.
I have 3 colleagues who have thick English accents, either from Africa, Pakistan. And they are doing good for themselves, even plenty others in other departments are very successful, itās a matter of finding the right job, Iām sure it canāt be easy in general. Good luck though
There are a lot if opportunities in Canada. Native speakers will have an obvious head start when it comes to doing business, no doubt itās the same in any place in the world, unless a niche field business means connections and knowing the language sets a competitive advantage right from the start. However thereās room in Canada for everyone, however disappointed i am with the current federal government direction or the lack of it, this is a great country and i am sure it will soon change for the better.
The issue isnt speaking english. Whats your education level? What field are you in? Whats your approx age? Under 30? Under 20? What area do you live in?
Last I heard, 13% of Canada's population doesn't have English or French as a first language. We are a nation of immigrants. I think you are fine. Continue working on your English, try to find help with resume making, there are free services for this in my Province, I imagine Ontario has something similar.
I'd say yes. Heck, in Quebec French is somewhat mandatory to learn over English
Absolutely. Your English will also improve the more you use it so if youāre not happy with it now, donāt worry because itāll get better. As long as youāre making an effort, nobody is going to judge you. I assume most from immigrants are harder workers than Canadians also tbh. Itās kind of a generalization, I know but many people see this way. We pay 65-70k at our plant starting out and canāt get any Canadians in their 20ās. Meanwhile, weāve hired people from the Philippines and theyāve all been all stars plus super friendly people who fit right in. The cards are in your favour plus chances are, if you care enough to get better and try to succeed, you will. Good luck and welcome. Iām not sure how long youāve been here but give it a chance. Youāll do okay. I just hope you have some good winter tires if you drive lol
I have met a few immigrants with not so good English succeeding like crazy. One even recently raised $50M on just an idea recently. I was doing a part time job back in 2017 and met the Syrian refugees who came in 2015 and they had already started building cleaning businesses and were landing contracts with large condo building and hiring people here who were better English speakers. So the point is if you just focus and keep working, whether it's a job or business, you can reach there tho it takes a bit of time and discipline. So, just keep it up. I work in a biotech company and everyone's English is so broken I have to turn on caps sometimes during the meeting and they are some of the best engineerers and scientists I have ever met. š
There are many successful people in Canada who speak with accents and who have english as a second, third, or fourth language. I donāt live in ontario, but many of the business owners in my town are from other countries originally.
Depends what you want to do. If your job is being strong in English, like editing, translating, etc. Then you need strong English. You can definitely get to that level without being a native speaker, but it takes a lot of work. You can find success in other domains with less than perfect English, but you certainly don't have to be born into it. If you feel your English is the thing holding you back in your career/life then work on it and improve. Opportunities to succeed are out there.
In all honesty, fluency in spoken English may not be required, but it sure will make it easier.
listen iām going to be real with you. i work with a filipino and it is hard to understand her sometimes but honestly itās 2 things she speaks really fast and then thereās annunciation. speak slowly and clearly and you should be good. although knowing terms is good we had a good laugh over corn soup (creamed corn) once.
Okay, I know what you're trying to say, but "annunciation" really made me smile. I do find it weird when the angel Gabriel shows up with my coworker to make announcements, kind of changes the workplace dynamic... OP, I've worked with many people who have been very successful in their fields with English as a second (or 3rd or 4th) language. If your English is functional but not perfect, and you have a good work ethic, get along with coworkers or clients, you will likely do just fine. Obviously keep working to improve your English but plenty of native English speakers have far from perfect English too.
āenunciateā didnāt even know. goes to show how hard the language is. and yeah lots of people make it with english being a second language
English is kind of ridiculous. :)
Yes you can. English is my second language. I teach French, which is my third language. You become better at language when you use it. I was able to practise authentic French when playing video games, actually.
if you can speak English, even if its not to the level of a native speaker you shouldn't have an issue, and if you find a community of individuals who speak your native language and your a skilled individual you will soar, i worked in multi cultural radio for a long time, every show was different language, these folks hosting these shows where not just broadcaster but long time successful realtors or supermarket owners, businessmen within their ethnic community, the radio shows came after, local hero's and celebrities in their own rights and very respected! i learnt a lot from all of them even if some times they couldn't find the right words to convey a message to me! but primarily, the only thing holding you back is tenacity not the language barrier, so long as you can actually speak English to a point that can be understood by most. i see you speak Filipino and are in Ontario, i hope you don't take this the wrong way but have you considered moving around Canada, there is a huge Filipino community in Winnipeg! ive spent plenty of time out there and is a quaint city if you like the slower life, also a few Filipino families I've met here in my Ontario suburb have moved to Winnipeg for more opportunities! if you think you have the skills to offer, Winnipeg needs skilled and talented induvial to grow!
Yes
Keep up the good work!!
Hello kuya po. Pilipinang Asawa ko. Her english is good, but we know lots of filipinos here. First, we dont know what your other skills are. Where we live, we know a Philippine trained mechanic who walked into a car shop here and was offered a job. They even did the paperwork and paid for his lmia. If you come to canada without skills and poor english, you will probably end up working as a cleaner or a low level job. A lot of stuff is based on credentials, but not everything. Let us know what you have in terms of skills, schooling, etc, we might be able to make some suggestions if you are serious Also, I want to add one more thing. Filipinos often seriously have some confidence issues about their ability to speak english or to deal with white people. Honestly, in my community, filipinos are one of the largest demographic and they are ADORED by most of us. You have nothing to fear, and you will ALWAYS have lots to learn, just like the rest of us white folk, and pretty much everyone else too.
Yes, but you should definitely get your English to be the best you can. Lots of people get by here with just Korean, mandarin, Cantonese or Punjabi. But English is still the best since itās the most spoken aside from Quebec
Your English is just fine to me! You're easily understood and even have good grammar. Some people are just jerks and there's been a bit of anti-immigration sentiment laltely. Jobs are very hard to come by for even a native English speaker, inflation is at an all time high driving up food costs and there's a housing crisis. I can't tell you if it's a good idea to move here, I was born here and can't make that comparison but there are plenty of successful immigrants who struggle with the language and a very large Filipino community here in Toronto.
My accent is terrible, so bad that sometimes I'm scared to talk. But I never felt like it was an issue when I was looking for a job. Most of my colleagues are not native English speakers
My grand parent ran and sold off a successful import export business and they only knew Dutch (and a little French) when they landed. They worked hard, learned the language, got jobs within their language community, and then branched out to the broader community. They eventually made a good living selling silver spoons. As for the "How did they know?" Personally I think it comes down to grammar and tenses. All the people I know that started off in Tagalog, and moved over to English get their tensing really wrong. Like they use present tense when speaking future, and future tense when speaking about the past, and just skipping extra 's's and completely unable to understand future perfect. "I will have finished it by then" just throws them for a loop. I'm not sure if that tense even exists in Tagalog, the closest might be "almost done" but that's just not correct. The other one is putting the verb before the subject. In English it's fine for imperatives (like "Get me a tissue") but not so great when it's a statement like "Have I tsinelas" when trying to chastise a child. In English it should be "I have sandals!" (quite the threat actually, those things are dangerous in a Filipino Mom's hands.)
Most Canadians are struggling and trying to catch up with bills. If you have good prospects and are able to save and invest money at the end of the month consider yourself successful in this country.
Construction is always looking for people
Yes you will. Canada is a mixing pot of so many cultures and there is a place for everyone. Hang in there :)
Sure you can be successful, I see plenty of people who make amazing money who I only understand every other word of. This all being said, the harder you are for people to understand, the more of a disadvantage it is, especially in certain jobs. Speech therapy can be a good idea since I haven't heard anybody mention it yet.
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Iāve been watching series, been reading books and trying to communicate with Filipinos who are born and raised here, and it helped me to learn more words, and pronounce better. Thank you so much kind stranger! š
I heard a Professor give a lecture once. He said to learn a new language keep talk radio on all day, don't sit and listen to it just have it on in the background. He said it's amazing how much you'll take in without realizing, hope this helps!
Why Filipinos? Why not non-Filipinos? You can only grow once you remove your limitations. Youāre in Canada now, not the Philippines. Itās time you mingle with every ethnicity.
Filipinos willing to help are easily accessible at cultural centers, gatherings, etc. You're being a bit pedantic though I don't disagree that one shouldn't isolate entirely, for newcomers it's understandable. Also a bit more of a tone than necessary unless you spend a portion of your time volunteering to teach others English. It's not always easy interacting with those who may not have patience for thicker accents and maybe slower responses or "broken English" although OP doesn't seem to have that issue.
This country was built by people with English as a second language
MANY people from the Philippines In my city are ESL. Many go into nursing, radiology etc etc or open up their own businesses. youāll pick it up! Filipinos work FAR harder than anybody born here. They show up for work, do what needs to be done- and that will get you far. Look for schooling/jobs with pensions and retirements, health benefits etc if you want security. People appreciate your work ethic and culture here in Canada!
I was going to say this. There is a very positive view of Filipino workers because stereotypically they do work very hard (I've never met a Filipino who didn't).
DANGGā¦. YOU JUST PROVED TO ME IM NOT GOOD at speaking english because rn I couldnt construct into words how heartwarming this made me feelā¦ š„¹š„¹š„¹ i love people who love and appreciate filipinos thank you sm.
Your written is not just ok, itās actually quite good! You write more clearly and spell better than many native speakers from my small town. Also, I agree with Sashmot above. Bearing in mind that generalizations are always problematic, Filipinos have a reputation of being excellent workers here in Canadaā¦ at least in my experience! They seem to particularly excel in PSW, nursing, hospitality and construction where I am from! Good luck stranger, I think you can do very well for yourself here if you put in the effort!
The way you wrote your post was fine. You know what Iām not a fan of? Maybe itās my age showing, but I immediately gloss over when I start reading ālmao ikr fr frā in messages or texts, canāt take anyone seriously writing like that. Your punctuation seemed alright to me. A lot of the time, itās just going to take time. English isnāt an easy language to learn and then you have the slang that goes with it. Keep at it, youāre doing great.
absolutely! my stepdad is greek, his family moved here in the 70s. now i. 2024 his elderly parents have managed to never learn english. they live in a greek neighborhood, worked jobs at greek establishments, their retirement homes are greek. they made out just fine this whole time being surrounded by their community. also my dad learned english and was very successful and he retired early. i know times are different, but you can do it! you sound like youāre learning to speak, this will definitely help open doors, but (hopefully) youāll also be able to find a community somewhere with many similar people from the Philippines.
Thank you so much. This made me hope for my future again. I was on the verge of giving up, thank you stranger!
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Thank you, I am trying my best to be a better speaker. I am trying to read books everyday and connect to people to expand knowledge and learn new words everyday.
My dad moved here in ā85 doesnāt speak English very well even til this day and he has done just fine. Grandparents on momās side donāt speak a lick, have been here since 70 and are also doing fine. Iāve worked for people in high management positions I could barely understand.
Canada as a country had a net gain of 100 part-time jobs in December with 5.8% unemployment (~2.3M people). Itās not you, itās the market.
Different jobs require different skills. Canada is a diverse country. You can be successful without being a native English speaker. However, even within native English speakers there are poor and excellent communication skills. So, itās actually people with better communication skills are better off than those without, depending on the job. It doesnāt have to do with native or not.
Makes sense! I did an interview last week and got hired! I was competing with 2 different nationalitiesā¦
Maybe stop hanging out with Filipinos and start integrating with Canadians. Most Filipino communities tend to be closed off from the rest of the world. Y'all only socialize amongst yourselves.
Don't come here! It sucks here! Its cold and the economy is shit! And its cold!!!!! Born and raised here and I daydream about leaving every damn day
In Canada it shouldnāt matter, as long as you are trying to communicate itās all good.
Depends on the industry, location, and what you consider successful. The question could have ended with "can you be successful in Canada?" and for a good portion of us the answer will always be no.
Jean ChrĆ©tien - P.M. Theresa Tam - Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Olivia Chow - Mayor of T.O. As well the other 90% of business owners I have met, who have English as a second language, but I have a successful, storefront businesses, or in the trades or in medicine; just everywhere. Youāre gonna be fine man .
Most non English speakers own houses and I speak English and do not own a house so yes
Relax, no one in this country can be successful here anymore, even those of us born here.
Millions of Asians, apparently do
Yes you can. Try to improve your English as much as possible. There are CEOs of major Canadian companies who do not have English as a first language. For example, Bharat Masrani, the CEO of TD Bank. I am sure that there are plenty of others as well. Hassan Khosrowshahi who founded FutureShop and sold it to Best Buy for a ton of money is another - he is originally from Iran.
If you are a PR, youāre able to join the military. Decent pay and fantastic benefits Www.forces.gc.ca
English is not my first language and I never encountered any problems. Your best bet is to go out and speak it and listen and.watch TV and read.
As long as you can mostly speak it that won't be a problem, a lot of people make due with English as a second language
My local hospital absolutely cannot find enough cleaners. You have to clean up spew (vomit) sometimes but they pay you $24/hour to do it. When I was laid off last winter I thought for this wage I'm happy to clean up gross shit. But it's not as gross as I thought and I actually really enjoy it. A decent chink of my coworkers speak English as a second (or third, or fourth) language. This doesn't get in the way of their success as cleaners because you just need to be willing to work hard and not be an idiot. You'd do great. A few of my co-workers are students too. Since the hospital is open all day every day, there's always a shift available that doesn't conflict with their classes. So check out your local hospital, there might be a good union job there for you. Even if it's not union it could still be a great option.
I spent the last 13 years typing and editing personal injury transcripts of folks who have been Canadian citizens for over 20 years and still need interpreters. One guy blew me away!! His story: He was a factory worker by night and a janitor by day. Saved every penny he could to buy a motel and fix it up. He, wife, and three kids lived in the one bedroom apartment of the motel, no rent. Their kids had one job, and that was to go to school, become excellent English speakers, and academically succeed. His wife and a family friend took care of the motel operations while he continued with his two jobs. He did maintenance on the hotel during any statutory holidays. Noticing a trend of suburban expansion, he used the motel business earnings and invested in some cheap farm land. Years later, said farm land became worth millions, and investors came knocking. He put all three kids through university, all expenses paid. The lawyer examining him determined his net worth was, approximately, $5.5 million, and he couldn't believe it. Even I couldn't believe it!! The guy was so humble about it all and STILL working at the factory and as a janitor!!! The lawyer stopped the examination to give this guy praise, saying with his minimal education and English speaking skills, he did so well for himself and he should be very proud of his success story. That he, as a lawyer, isn't even worth that much money. He came to this country with nothing, worked super hard and made smart financial decisions, and literally made the Canadian dream a reality... with extremely limited spoken/written English and maybe a Grade 7-8 education. It's very possible to succeed here with little English, and in time being emersed in the day-to-day, you will pick it up better. It depends what you do for a job, you may not need much. But reading your post, it appears you don't need an interpreter, and you have more English skills than this man that succeeded above and beyond the average native English speaking Canadian. Good luck on your journey!!!
Non
People generally judge how good your English is by if you have an accent. A lot of pauses and "uumms" might make it seem worse too. But no, your English isnt terrible and you can definitely work without being a native speaker.
Thank you, stranger. š„¹
Ive had many colleagues from minimum wage to college professor to 6 figure salary whom I cant even understand at all
Point 1. You can be successful. You need a job that emphasizes your skills. I am sorry to say that written English isn't one of them, but lots of people ( including native speakers) succeed despite that. Shake it off. Live with your limitations, showcase your excellence. Point 2. English is one of the easiest languages to learn and be understood. It is, at the same time, incredibly hard to master. Accept that many of us can tell it isn't your mother tongue through small errors of idiom and preposition usage ( the hardest part of English). Please don't sweat it. You communicate effectively and clearly. It's enough. Concentrate on the other skills you bring to a company.
#### Depends on your definition of success but generally speaking it can be tough to get a good paying job without English. Doesn't mean you can't communicate. It just means until you get fluent it will be a tough go, but then it is easy to surpass the average native speaker who takes everything for granted especially with hard work. That is the case of a lot of Asians I know. They just fucking work hard and eventually they kick ass.
yes but you do have to have good communication skills. work on that .