COME ON YOOOUUU SPUUURSSS!

See you next Tuesday, we said, and here we are. Yet another Successful Brit in Toronto. The city’s just teeming with ’em!

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?

I had visited most of the big cities in Canada before and Toronto seemed the most multicultural and trendy. My Canadian girlfriend (now wife) got fed up with London after three years so we upped sticks and went to Toronto.

I got a one-year visa but six months in I decided to apply for permanent residency as I loved it so much. I guess the cold winter novelty will wear off over the years mind you …

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

I signed up with job agencies, job sites and went into shops with my resume. I worked in Golf Town while trying to get a job based on my experience and skills and ended up at Microsoft Advertising after six months. Plenty of jobs out there if you are persistent.

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

Best: Amazing places to see just a few hours’ drive outside the city, great for weekend getaways when you don’t get five weeks’ holiday. I love the local beer so the rise of the microbreweries has been awesome … and of course the Blue Jays regardless of their failings.

Worst: Traffic in and around the GTA is a bloody nightmare.

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 like embracing the Canadian lifestyle so I don’t aim to seek out the Brits, but being the Toronto chapter leader for Spurs Canada, I get to meet a lot of English and Canadian supporters at our supporters’ pubs Real Sports and The Duke Of Gloucester. COYS!

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

It’s a great place to have fun.

Roger. Over and out.