The Newcomer Collective

A little video about what I've been up to recently... 👀 The Newcomer Collective started as a small passion project and has now turned into a fulfilling beast of a business! I want to help as many newcomers to Canada as I can and I cannot wait to see what happens next 🇨🇦 Thanks for coming along for the ride - #britincanada #ircc #newtocanada #expatsincanada #immigration #newcanadians

*New Podcast Episode* S4 Ep16 - LIVE: Speed Immigration Stories from Toronto's Newcomer Day, May 23 🌍 LISTEN NOW 👉 https://lnkd.in/gMFgR-7t Or on your favourite podcast app: https://lnkd.in/eHCZbnQ For this special episode, I’m LIVE on the ground at City of Toronto 's ‘Newcomer Day’ on May 23. Armed with my portable microphone, I wore a t-shirt emblazoned with the words “TALK TO ME: Share your immigration story on the New to Canada podcast” and I was excited to connect with 11 internationals: - Sophie from Ireland - Johnny from Lebanon - Samantha from Malaysia + Australia - Joseph from Nigeria  - Olha from Ukraine - Andrey from Israel - Leah from Kenya - Zahid from Pakistan - Wafaa from France + Morocco - Enrique from Venezuela - Julia from Ukraine In this episode, you can hear a few minutes from each guest as they share when they made the big move (ranging from 6 months to 20 years!), the struggles they faced, the wins they’re proud of, and their best piece of advice for other newcomers arriving in Canada today. What would your best advice be? 👇 Let me know in the comments! #immigration #newtocanada #newcanadian #movetocanada #movingtocanada #moving2canada #tonewcomerday #newtotoronto #expatincanada #immigrationadvice

This photo always shows up in my memories from when I first moved to Canada back in 2017... I was SO excited to jump into a corporate career in Toronto 🙌 To work in an office with a sparkling city skyline and go for fancy cocktails in the evenings with my colleagues. I landed in Canada believing that I could perfectly replicate the career I had back in the UK. I was a wedding and conference manager for a large hotel in Dorset. Turns out, there were a few roadblocks waiting for me as a new immigrant... ❌ my new rural location ❌ my misunderstanding of "Canadian work experience" ❌ my unfamiliarity with how the hiring process actually worked in Canada All of this resulted in me wasting hours of my life applying for unsuitable jobs online. Considering huge, unrealistic commutes. Never hearing back from employers. And ultimately working jobs I secretly hated. 🤦 I started to lose confidence in myself and my abilities. What was wrong with my resume? I was back to square one. 👉 BUT 7 years later, I've completely pivoted my career and have never been happier. I've realised the power of networking in Canada - and the importance of showcasing your skills so that opportunities find *you*. Rebuilding your career is THE biggest area of struggle that I see newcomers to Canada face again and again... 👉 SO I'm bringing in Career Strategist, Michelle Ashley, to deep dive into the Canadian hiring process with us at next week's FREE online 'Moving to Canada' Party! *Are you in?!* Tuesday, February 27 at 12pm EST 🕺 Join us live as we talk honestly and openly about the challenges newcomers to Canada face, and then we'll all turn our cameras on and have a social / Q&A afterwards There is no reason to repeat the same mistakes I did. We are in this together! ✨ Register FREE here: https://lnkd.in/gQmUniJX P.S. oh, and if you can't make the live session, you'll still receive the full recording! #newtocanada #newcanadians #canadianjobsearch #movingtocanada #jobsearchtips #immigration #ircc #workpermit #canadapr #registrationopen #networking

*New Podcast Episode* S4 Ep14 - Mental Health after a Move Abroad with Gabriela from Chile 🇨🇱 LISTEN NOW 👉 https://lnkd.in/gmdqJWDa (or on your favourite podcast app: https://lnkd.in/gDPmEt3m ) As we await Christmas Day, let’s dive deep into the darker side of #movingabroad… When you move to a new country, your mental health isn’t really your first priority. You’ve got immigration paperwork to complete, accommodation to find, and job searching to do… BUT #expat #mentalhealth is a topic that, in my opinion, is NOT spoken about enough. The biggest lesson I’ve learnt since starting this podcast is that the majority of us struggle - and the emotional rollercoaster can take us by surprise as we rebuild our lives in a new place. Insecurity, loneliness, shame, regret… These are just some of the emotions that many of us face. And these can be particularly heightened around holidays centered around family and comfort. SO for this episode, I’m joined by a very special guest - Gabriela Encina - A licensed psychologist with 20+ years of experience helping 450+ people find happiness after their big move. Together, we chat about where to even START when it comes to acknowledging and tackling your emotional struggles. We discuss the most common challenges that Gabriela sees her clients face (guilt, self-sabotage, dependency...) and we finish off with some deep thoughts on #homesickness and #cultureshock. Let me know what your biggest emotional struggle has been since moving abroad in the comments ❤️ You are not alone.

✨️ Did you know that you can still receive a UK pension even after you've moved abroad? LISTEN NOW 👉 https://lnkd.in/giMDBbhB Or on your favourite podcast app: https://lnkd.in/eHCZbnQ If you’ve ever worked in the United Kingdom (no matter which nationality you are), you have paid into the UK State Pension. Once you move away, say to Canada, you might think that those payments are simply lost, or like me, you’re unsure what can even be done from overseas… Good news is, I’m joined in this episode by Ian Andexser, a fellow Brit in Canada and chairman of the Canadian Alliance of Alliance of British Pensioners (CABP). He’s here to shed light on how you can “buy back” missing years of contributions since moving abroad and still receive a good payout when you reach pension age - Despite no longer living in the UK! Ian also discusses the ongoing “frozen” pension issue, a problem that is costing pensioners in Canada hundreds of thousands of pounds, as well as the ways that CABP is lobbying the UK government for change. A great episode for my UK listeners 🙌 Let me know if you find it helpful. #frozenpensions #britincanada #ircc #newtocanada #newcanadian #britabroad