No, don’t ask for tomorrow’s lottery numbers

It’s not every day you cross paths with a compassionate intuitive, so Brits in Toronto is honoured to have Catherine Mayled as our newest Successful Brit in Toronto.

Catherine also does psychic readings and past life regressions, so when you next use that phrase “in another life” she knows what you’re talking about.

So how did a compassionate intuitive end up in Toronto? Let’s find out:

What made you decide to choose Toronto as a city of choice? Did you plan a permanent move, or wanted to “try it for a while and see how it goes” and it turned out to be longer than planned?

My journey to Toronto was back in the late ’80s. After no work as a student nurse in York, England, I came over as a nanny and — yes — I do have horror stories about some unpleasant situations . I came over on a visa and stayed longer than I intended to. I did go back a few times but I had changed and wanted more out of life.

What steps did you take to land your first Toronto job? Did the infamous “Canadian experience” hinder you in any way?

After I did a few years as a nanny I ended up in a government job, in an office. I obtained this position by going on many employment agency assignments, which I really enjoyed as it gave me an idea of what was out there. After going down a few career routes I have been self-employed for the last 20 years, which I love.

What’s the best/worst aspects of living in Toronto?

I really like the people and the social scene here is much better. It is great that people come from all over the world to live in Toronto, the variety of food is amazing and there is something for everyone.

The one thing I don’t really like is the weather; however, we have been getting less snow — thank goodness — and it is not as hot as it used to be. Other than than I love the fall and Halloween. I wish we had Halloween growing up!

Do you make an effort to connect with other Brits in the city, or just meet them when chance allows it? Any recommended pubs/eateries/other places for homesick Brits to meet each other and network?

I haven’t met too many Brits here. If I meet them in passing I usually try and guess their dialect. When I bump into them, they have an amazing sense of humour and we usually hit it off straight away. I have tried a few networking meetings but not had much luck.

To eat; there is an English tea room I go to in the west end of the city, run by a lady from Liverpool, that is very nice. It is called The Victorian Tearoom, on Burnhamthorpe Road West, west of Kipling.

Open question/comment: feel free to write anything here/advice/tips on a Brit living in, or moving to, Toronto.

My advice is to join lots of groups, I have met some great people through Meetup.com. What is great is more larger chain stores are bringing more British food products into their stores … but I still do miss Marks & Spencer!

Thank you, Catherine. Here’s her Twitter account if you’d like to follow her.