Wasup all MontreAliens!!!

My name is Kamran and I've lived in Toronto from 96 - present since I've moved from Germany... at first glance this place seemed very cool but as i became older and met more people... i really didn't like the vibe here.. there are some very nice people.. but over all.. this is a very straaange city, and I dont feel like i belong. First time I came to visit Canada though i landed in montreal and stayed with some family there.. it was awesome and it had a lot of the european vibe which I was used to back in Germany... since then ive visited montreal several times and now that im finally finished highschool.. ive taken a year off to decide what to do and where to go.. i think ive come to the conclusion that I would like to move to Montreal and study there... Dont know what though , but the two english universities ive looked at so far are McGill and Concordia.. MY question is.. how hard is it to find jobs in Montreal for someone that doesnt speak French? And how is the rent situation in the downtown area? I'll be taking a loan from the bank, or OSAP.. and have some support from my parents.. but im still gona have to work to pay bills, social life and etc. If I start school in september ill be moving 1 or 2 months earlier to get myself settled in and just explore the city, so that will give me a little time to find a place and find a job as well.

Love and Recpect.

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"Life is but a dream, covered by the sky" - New Order

hey there friend...
Don'T worry for finding a job... it is more difficult for a french man to find a job than an english one... (thinking you'll probably be staying near your university were english is dominant)... also you'll be learning french in no time for sure if you are open minded to other culture.. by that i mean if you feel like learning it...
I don't know how much it could cost you to live downtown, but I go an advice for ya ! try making money as much as you can before moving in.
What if you don't find a job in the first month ? I'm sure you thought of that... but if you start exploring town a bit too much... you'll be short on money really soon... trust me

downtown = expensive, at least to me. I live in a 4 1/2 on the western tip of the island (45 min bus ride from downtown) and its less than $500 a month. Don't expect to get anywhere near that downtown. Perhaps find someone like-minded and think about sharing. Good luck and enjoy the city!

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fuck

Living downtown Montreal (even though it is quite expensive) is dirt cheap compared to what you'd be paying in downtown Toronto, New York, etc.

It really depends on the place. On Peel you'd be paying around 700 a month for a 1 1/2 but you can find much cheaper places on St. Laurent. I love living in vibrant city centres but if you dont mind a bit of travelling everyday then live out of downtown. Very cheap.

Living downtown might also entail roomates to mitigate costs.

even Ottawa is more expensive than Montreal!

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Max Walkers official TA fan club chapter president

quote:

Originally posted by DJMD123 Great googliemoogly!

it is possible to find a job on campus, and living downtown isn't something impossible because you'll save on transportation and most importantly your time.

about learning french, at one time or the other you'll hit a wall, you will have to learn it to integrate in the society. This european lifestyle you are describing has more to do with the French speaking people than the english speaking ones...

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quote:

Originally posted by ahlamalek it is possible to find a job on campus, and living downtown isn't something impossible because you'll save on transportation and most importantly your time. about learning french, at one time or the other you'll hit a wall, you will have to learn it to integrate in the society. This european lifestyle you are describing has more to do with the French speaking people than the english speaking ones...

not exactly true... i speak very broken French and my anglophone friends and I enjoy bumming around sunny terraces on St. Laurent and Old Port as much as any Francophone group...

and you will definitely save on transportation if you do intend to get downtown every day. Otherwise you don't save that much. All in all, life in downtown is great; everything caters for yuppies and places are kicking 24/7.

Thanks for all your replys!

Ive thought about not finding a job right away.. and i have a lot of things here which ill get rid of before coming.. like my car.. so ill have money in hand when i get there. My cousin also came to visit this weekend who just finished psychology in mcgill and he also told me a lot about the city and how to get by there... im just so hyped right noooww !!

It loosens me to hear that jobs are easy to find.. i'm also thinking about maybe taking residence for the first year and then i can find someone who i could share an appartment with the next year, would be a lot easier that way.

I realize it would be more expensive to live right downtown.. but i would have to do the same thing if i lived here in toronto.. i would rather pay the extra money than go through the hassle of communing so far, and plus as people mentioned before.. after transportation costs the difference wouldnt be that big after all

And about learning the language, I do plan to learn french, and i'm also very quick at picking up languages, so maybe in a few years i'll be speaking fluent french

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"Life is but a dream, covered by the sky" - New Order

Ok, here's more info 4 u man...

1-Transportation: the thing bout transportation is - i think - more like a time saving then cost saving. In other words, we all pay for the same metro/bus passes...The only thing u'll have to worry about if u do not live in the downtown area is after u go clubbin in weekends. At 3, there are only taxis, n that can b expensive

2-Apartments: Well, i can give u an idea of the prices in La Cite (which is like 5 minutes away from St.Laurent) and Alexis Nhion (which is 5 minutes away from Concordia)
1.1/2 = Min: 600 Max = 750
3.1/2 = Min: 820 Max = 980
4.1/2 = Min: 1400 Max = 1800

Those prices ARE high, but placement and luxury play a big role. But then again, who cares bout luxury, we're students, so i would advise u 2 find urself a roommate.

Prices are not the problem these days, it's more: Finding an apartment. Here's an idea of how shitty things can get:
A friend of mine has been trying to get a 4.1/2 in Alexis Nhion for over a year now. Yup, over a year, n he already lives there in a 2.1/2. In La Cite, they're crazy: They'd tell u that there r apartments only for like 6 months away but when u go back there, they tell u that there r 2 available apartments. If i were you, i'd start callin from now or try to get people you know in montreal to help you out from now to find an apartment. You dont wanna come here a month before uni starts, n stay "homeless" when u start uni. THAT can b stressin....(doh)

For Jobs, well, am guessin u got urself a Canadian nationality now, so u can work n yeah, french speaker or non french speaker, it's all the same. U can easily find jobs within the university n just like some1 said: if u work in ur uni's area, it's mostly gonna b English in there, so you wont have any problems.

Speaking french to get into the community/vibe, well, baaah, i know so many ppl that dunno French, n that do not have any problems. N then, one day, u'll prolly end up speakin it....but just dont worry bout the language...it will come naturally...

So anyway, my advise, start workin on it from now...
n good luck man...
u'll enjoy it here...

Thanks Deejiuana u're super nice!!! I'm definitely gona take ure advice and start lookin at places in montreal asap, can u forward me to some sources i should look for places? cause i really don't have a clue where to look for appartments downtown montreal. and regarding my citizenship.. for some reason i've still held on to my german nationality.. but im planning geting my card soon... would this be a problem at all in montreal? down here it doesnt matter if u have a canadian passport or not as long as you're here legally...

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"Life is but a dream, covered by the sky" - New Order

Shouldn't your first concern be getting into the program of study that you want?
If you're going to school in Mtl, you will probably have much more access to resources for housing and financial aid than the average joe who picks up and moves to the city.

Skeletor, skipper has a good point: First, you should worry about your uni program...
About working/studying here. Well, i dunno, if you dont have a social insurance card or wotever it was called, then i dunno if u'll b able to work outside university. I mean international students can find jobs within the university, but if u wanna work outside the university without this card, then it's gonna have to be "under the table" i guess; your wage is lower than the minimum wage and those jobs are kinda hard to find. Can anyone tell me if am wrong/correct on that one?
For apartments, well, i can give you Alexis Nhion and La Cite's office numbers, but i can tell you from now: Alexis Nhion, dont put too many hopes in that one... And the best way to find apartments is to walk around downtown and look for signs, or walk in laundry rooms inside buildings or look around uni on boards for offers or announcements.
Here are Plaza Tower (Alexis Nhion) and La Cite apartments numbers:
Alexis Nhion: (514) 935-4657
e-mail: [email protected][/email]

La Cite Apartments: (514) 845-4173 ext: 3233
e-mail: [email][email protected]
Give them a call and if i were you, i'd fkn annoy their asses by callin like every week just to make sure...

So if i were you, i'd get my ass here in montreal 2 months b4 uni starts (even 3) and worry about :
1-Uni/program (but u should do that now)
2-Apartment (but that can b done when u get here if u get here very early)
3-Job - within university i guess
4-Gettin used to the life over here - not hard at all
5-worry bout the french (which shouldnt bother you)