I am thinking of moving to Vancouver from London - what are the dissadvantages and cultural difference?

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jenny

Are you moving from London in England, or London in Ontario, Canada? The Canadian London has "wonderful weather", meaning, if it rains, you know it will rain for a few days, but then clear up. The sun also lasts for at least a few days, or a week at least. None of this "3 different weather systems a day" stuff you get on the coast. But the scenery makes up for it, partially at least.
One big advantage would be the people there. I have never met friendlier people than in Vancouver (except maybe, on Vancouver Island). They really went out of their way to help me when I was there, even carried my very overly heavy luggage for me right to the house I was searching for. Always ready to help & chat. And VERY easygoing, I found. (I`m from London, Ont., rather eastern in Canada - I didn`t even know there would be such a difference).
Another nice thing is that it`s very multi-culti there, just as both other Londons.
If you`re coming from England, you`ll probably find the social standards better here in Canada, and although the health care isn`t so great compared to international standards, its definately better than in England. You haven`t mentioned children, but if you have them later, the schools in Canada ranked Ã mong the top 10 in the world.
I found a greater awareness of the native "Indian" culture in Vancouver than I have experienced in other parts of Canada. This also means a greater respect for nature, and also an interest in spirituality.
In contrast to this respect for nature, I almost cried when I saw a few mountainsides completely deforested. But then, they will grow back again.... in time. That is the down-side of so much forest - the paper industry (I think its Canadas #1 export, but not sure). Watching dolphins while on the ferry to the island, and even seeing whales helps one to feel better again.
Vancouver Island is on the most beautiful places in the world, I think (and I have travelled....). It`s stunning, no exaggeration!! And really it has its own unique energy - a real buzz.
In short, the people I know who travel out there start seriously considering if they can move there. I know a few who did!
Have a good start!!

Petra M

I am going to assume you are speaking of London England, of which I had lived myself for 1 and a half years. I was born and raised in Vancouver so I have a bit of insight in both cities. I find that the climates are incredibly similar especially with constant rain during the winter months, and both pretty expensive cities to live and work in.

London does have more of a vibrant "after hours" culture. There just are more pubs, restaurants and nightclubs and other things to do in the evening. Vancouver is trying to improve in that area - but it is a much smaller city. I must admit the restaurant scene has improved greatly during the last 10-15 years with more high end and diverse restaurants and cafes appearing. We also seem to have this attraction for Irish pubs.

Yes, one area that Vancouver definitely surpasses London is a much wider choice of outdoor activities - since we are blessed with being right by the ocean we have beaches, marinas, etc. and local mountains where we have at least 3 decent ski hills. You can hike, snowshoe, skii and snowboard in the local mountains. Pretty much golf all year round. Rent kayaks and powerboats. Fishing salt and fresh water. You get the picture.

The public transportation system here in Vancouver pales in comparison to Londons. Our skytrain has only 2 lines - and we are currently working on a 3rd. Nothing like the expansive Underground network. And, the taxi service here is different - far less cabs available and no Test to pass to see how well they know Vancouver.

Culture and history. Well, we are a very young city compared to London. We don't have an impressive lists of art galleries, museums, castles, monuments, etc like London can boast about. That's one thing I absolutely loved about London - the sense of history everywhere and the beautiful old architecture. Vancouver is a modern city, our rapidly expanding skyline being dominated by steel and glass towers. We also have a huge Asian population (China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, etc) which has heavily influenced Vancouver's social scene during the last few decades - lots of asian restaurants (who doesn't love sushi!), diverse ethnic neighbourhoods, markets, festivals, tv shows, etc. And, let's also not forget about the US, our next door neighbour, who also has a big influence on our politcs, economy, and culture - even though we do not like to admit it. Well over half of our tv channels are American.

Oh, and I also work in the Media industry but in broadcasting. I work at a local tv station here in Vancouver in the HR department.

Good luck!

Cheers,

Petra M, Vancouver

p_wabbit

re: the first post - Vancouver's more like Hong Kong than Beijing, culturally, linguistically and geographically..

point form:
- quality of life is pretty good IF you have money. Vancouver is one of the more expensive cities to live in in North America. Not a great place to live if you are poor.

- culturally, kind of a backwater - we are isolated from the rest of the country by thousands of miles so we tend not to get as many touring acts as the other major (eastern) metropolises. Certainly, out cultural offerings pale in comparison to a city like London, or Paris, or New York, or Toronto or Montreal.. that being said, though - the city's very multi-cultural and very "West Coast" (it could be said we have more in common with American cities like Seattle or San Francisco than Toronto..)

- the outdoor life is superlative - you can find beaches, forests, mountains, etc - within 15 minutes of downtown.. our climate is milder than the rest of the coutry.

- media-wise, there is a huge movie industry here

- recruitment-wise, while Vancouver takes a back seat to Toronto in the terms of Head-office location.. as a Pacific Gateway - there is a strong corporate presence.

dkska;

Assuming you are London, UK.
Disadvantages: less pay than you are probably used to, difficult to 'crack' the job market in some fields, though if you like networking you will eventually find something (best thing is to get a job lined up for you before you arrive, or accept that you will be in a junior position at best, or create your own company), very long application process to emmigrate as a skilled worker (3 years+), car insurance and (imported) car prices are higher (yes, even compared to London), you must pass the driving test (knowledge and driving) within 3 months and they confiscate your UK license whether you pass or not. Taxes, taxes, taxes. Medical service plan $54/month, doesn't cover everything. House prices getting ridiculous (by Canadian standards - still cheap compared to inner London - check out www.mls.ca) and the 2010 Olympics are ramping that up. Department stores are a bit old fashioned, think C & A's rather than Selfridges, but the cruise ship scene does mean there are Tiffany's, Loius Vuitton and other expensive stores near the posher hotels. Shopping is not really that focussed downtown (too touristy/expensive) so getting hold of things can mean an hour long trip to the 'burbs. Advantages: great outdoors on your doorstep if you like hiking, skiing, cycling, sailing, many entertainments are cheaper (even after allowing for the lower wages here, etc), never have to wait for a doctor's or dentist's appointment, friendly people, good transport by air, sea, train, bus, interesting and safe city life (relatively speaking, but on the whole it's OK to walk home alone after dark in the western side of the city), relatively benign weather except no-one knows what to do when it snows in the city and the roads get a little bit slippery. Oh, and great universities and colleges if you wanted to get another qualification.
Otherwise: lots of service industry jobs paying about $10/hour (minimum wage is about $8 I think), city is heavily influenced by China and other Asian countries, sushi is fantastic but pampered pooches as fashion accessories are ubiquitous! Pan handlers (mostly drug addicts) are as any other big city but here they have a supervised injection site that is controversial. British culture is invading the street scene (pubs with mock Tudor decor) and shops, you can buy the old staples like Marmite and Lea and Perrins but pork pies and Scotch eggs are still rare! Western Canadians are very, very laid back and from what I see, never arrive on time and think little of dropping plans the last minute and going skiing or whatever because they never know when the weather will change!
I'm in Vancouver, used to live near London. I wouldn't go back, I felt at home here from day one.

Marg

Actually, the weather is much like London for the most part.....But can get a fair amount of snow up the route to Whistler and around the province.
When it does snow in Van. the slush is more than the locals know what to do with. I have been there and an inch of snow can bring caos when the drivers are fased with anything but rain. Vancouver and surrounding cities are nothing less than beautiful. !

zola

There are only ADVANTAGES so go ahead and do it!!!!

old lady

London, Ontario or London, England?
Vancouver will give you lots of outdoor living opportunities, but I don't know what you mean by cultural differences. Vancouver is a multi-cultural city, so there are many, many cultures represented there. But London also has many diverse cultures.
As for disadvantages? Hard to tell. What you might think of as a disadvantage others might see as an asset. It rains a lot during the winter months, but you don't have to shovel rain, and the spring comes earlier toVancouver than to most of the rest of Canada.

Allen S

I live in Coquitlam, and it's a great place, it's sort of something in between a town and city. People are nice, it's a clean area, it has everything, and it's not as expensive as the downtown Vancouver area. I never been to London, but I can assure you if night life is an issue for you, stay in London, because Vancouver, along with the rest of BC is pretty quiet, but I love it like this. Not so many drunks roaming the streets at night, a pretty safe place, beautiful surroundings and great food! there isn't any great food you can't find here!

ferociousnibbler

You will feel like you live in Beijing, if you know what I mean.
The rain, I daresay, you're used to.

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