Currently living in the US…have been to Canada several times and loved every bit of it. Any advice on people who have made the moves. Please note I am interested in more than just the career as I realize it is very rough there now. Thanks!
Did you ever go in the wintertime? (my canadian roots are in Vancouver, which is substantially less brutal than Montreal and Toronto - only problem is virtually no CFA-type jobs in Vancouver, except maybe in the HNW realm).
Toronto is the finance center. If you are looking for a decent gig in finance, that’s the place to go. Montreal is the party city. Many good looking females. Unlike any other North American city due to it’s European feel.
bchadwick Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Did you ever go in the wintertime? > > (my canadian roots are in Vancouver, which is > substantially less brutal than Montreal and > Toronto - only problem is virtually no CFA-type > jobs in Vancouver, except maybe in the HNW realm). there are some decent sized buyside shops but they only hire a few people a year.
I second former trader’s comment, there aren’t a lot of CFA jobs in Montreal, but the city itself is amazing. I may be biased since I live there… I think an important criteria on your decision should be if you speak french or not? It is fairly easy to get by in Montreal without speaking french as a visitor, but if you live there and plan to pursue your career there, then it is a requirement to speak it… If you don’t speak french, or are not willing to learn it, then I think Toronto might be the best choice. J.
I second former trader’s comment, there aren’t a lot of CFA jobs in Montreal, but the city itself is amazing. I may be biased since I live there… I think an important criteria on your decision should be if you speak french or not? It is fairly easy to get by in Montreal without speaking french as a visitor, but if you live there and plan to pursue your career there, then it is a requirement to speak it… If you don’t speak french, or are not willing to learn it, then I think Toronto might be the best choice. J.
Thanks for the input! I do not speak any French (doubt i will learn due to CFA studies and hope of a PhD program in 3 years) but I love the cities and feel I am a better fit in Canada. Does that make any sense or am I just more attracted to the hockey and Canadian girls?
Welcome to MTL!
One thing you will find is that people are a lot less arrogant, at least in Montreal. Job wise, there are indeed not many cfa level positions here and much of it works by contact. You better know some people here who can put you through to the key persons in the industry.
What about the housing situation?
Toronto down 15% YOY Montreal up 5% YOY I must mention though that Montreal housing prices have always been low compared to other big cities. For one, taxes here are higher than any other city in North America. Second, there is always a political risk here and the threat of sovereignty/separation for Quebec is real, although it has taken a back seat lately. You can get a very nice condo right in the heart of downtown Montreal for around 250K.
Montreal would be worth it for the women alone