The Hunt is on in Vancouver

I’ve been here a week now and thought I should update you all. On the Monday after I arrived I sorted the remaining things that I needed to get going. First job was to get a bank account. I went with HSBC this time, since I bank with them in the UK. Good move. I was seen to pretty quick and set up an unlimited checking account for $12 a month. Over here, bank fees are much more common and higher, in fact, most “cheap” accounts at about $4/month only include 10 transactions (Interac Payments, Deposits etc)… last time I hated that so much I just paid out for unlimited transactions at $12/month. Interac by the way is a debit card for over the counter use (like Switch/Maestro in the UK). What I wasn’t expecting was to be given my new Interac Card then and there, ready to go! They were also happy to pull my UK banking details so I could apply for a credit card! Perfect, I can do online shopping this time! Very pleased

Then I met Steve for a catch up since he was down. Good to see him.

Then it was the start of job hunting, which has taken up most of my life this week. Craigslist, Workopolis, IT-Careers.ca’s Job Board, BCJobs.ca and many others have been trawled over. Job hunting here is very different to the UK, this BritishExpats.com article explains it well, but essentially I’m doing a lot more legwork rather than fighting recruiters off left and right…

The househunt has also started too.

Anyway, got (another) headache so I’ll finish off with some photos I took today