Contracting in Canada

[themistry]

Hi everyone,

does anyone have any advice on contracting in Canada?

I'm moving there this year, but googling doesn't seem to reveal much of a contracting culture (jobs, job sites or otherwise).

I have heard from the grape fine that contracting is alive and kicking in Canada, however it's much more a "who you know" sort of thing.

I'm a backend Microsoft guy (WCF, BizTalk, SOA). Any advice or experiances appreciated. Decent job boards or agencies etc would be appreciated if you know of any.

Kind regards
TM

[backlight]

I have a fair bit of Canadian experience.

You will find the recruiting culture in Canada much different than in the UK. Agencies, while present are not nearly as prevalent, there is much more direct recruitment with employers. As such you have to troll through allot of companies web sites to find the roles. As you mentioned allot of the contract roles are found through your network, mainly because of the aforementioned reasons. One site that does list a fair number of roles is www.workopolis.com

From my own observations contract roles are much less common than they are in the UK. Plus rates are lower but this largely depends on where you are living, that said cost of living is a fair bit less as well.

Good luck!

[themistry]

thanks backlight,

appreciate your response.

How did you bill in Canada? Did you have a ltd or something else?

Cheers
TM

[backlight]

I suppose it depends on your situation, the organisation you are contracting for, and your gross billings. I was simply a sole proprietor. In Ontario you can register a company name and use it under a sole proprietorship, main issue with the model is liability but you save on corporate tax, accountancy fees, et al. but then again all income is taxed at your marginal tax rate. If you want a limited liability company you would need to incorporate yourself, similar to a ltd company in the UK.

Without knowing more about your situation it is difficult to know what structure would work best for you.

One item to keep in mind is that entertainment (food, booze, hockey games) are all (or were) deductible expenses (of course only when they are legitimate…)

[themistry]

Thanks mate,

exactly the sort of info I was looking for. Thanks!

Kind regards
TM

[knight007]

I'm also making the move to Canada. I'm reviving this old post in case anyone has any recent experiences in this area.

I've seen most of the recruitment websites like workopolis don't advertise the daily rate for contract jobs.
The job descriptions for contract jobs are like they're for permies.

From what I've heard, in Canada you are given preference in a job if you're born n bred in Canada.
I've actually seen some job ads stating "preference given to Canadian Citizens".

[BigTime]

I'm also making the move to Canada. I'm reviving this old post in case anyone has any recent experiences in this area.

I've seen most of the recruitment websites like workopolis don't advertise the daily rate for contract jobs.
The job descriptions for contract jobs are like they're for permies.

From what I've heard, in Canada you are given preference in a job if you're born n bred in Canada.
I've actually seen some job ads stating "preference given to Canadian Citizens".

I've never seen that preference and imagine it would be legitimate for government work only. There are other job boards but workopolis is the main one and rates are almost never specified. Here's another thread on the topic: http://forums.contractoruk.com/accou...ng-canada.html

[redgiant]

I'm also making the move to Canada. I'm reviving this old post in case anyone has any recent experiences in this area.

I've seen most of the recruitment websites like workopolis don't advertise the daily rate for contract jobs.
The job descriptions for contract jobs are like they're for permies.

From what I've heard, in Canada you are given preference in a job if you're born n bred in Canada.
I've actually seen some job ads stating "preference given to Canadian Citizens".

I have found out that most rates are per hour. Not seen any preference yet in the roles I have looked - most of those are for mining and energy companies in BC and Alberta.

[Scoobos]

It all depends how old you are regarding VISA's etc, but if you're looking to get in on the NoC list I'd think again, they tightened it up with the global financial crisis and it hasnt changed since.

No need to contract anymore out there, its not got the same employment laws as here.

(btw, you can claim back nearly ALL of your tax at money mart, or other simple cash generator type shops, or do it via teh tax office)

It all depends on where you want to go and work, I used Robert Half, Onico and banksideChase to find my clients.

In all honesty, the best way to get a job in my limited experience was to suit up and walk in to the big companies downtown.

Canadians LOVE direct effort.

Oh and dont be all English and just fire off CV's, they EXPECT you to follow up on every application like a sugar filled child (every single day)

[knight007]

Scoobos, what do you mean 'theres no need to contract anymore out there'?
Are you saying you're better off getting a permie job?

Thanks for the advice regarding the 'direct approach'.