IT guy looking to become an expat

I'm feeling the travel itch and I'd like to relocate my family somewhere. We haven't decided where we're going, but since I'm pretty passionate about coral reefs, we'd like to go somewhere we have access to them.

The thing holding us back is work. How did you expats find work? Did you get a recruiter to find you work? Did you relocate then find work? The only place I've found that helps expats find IT work is squiresresources.com and they don't have a lot right now.

Any tips on getting a job outside Canada?

According to CNN they said that Systems Analyst would be the most in-demand job over the next few years, if you can believe it. That and Air Traffic Controllers.

There's always IT jobs going on the Cayman Islands, the reason why is that they'll only let you stay six years so they have a high turnover. Although with the collapse of the financial system I'm not sure what the situation is at the moment.

Hamilton Recruitment (www.hamilton-recruitment.com) specialise in accounting jobs in Grand Cayman so it might be worth a visit.

Hi Jeff,

I am a British expat who has been living in Canton for the last 5-years, and I thoroughly recommend life here. I live in Foshan (Pop 4 million), which is a small city a couple of hours drive from Hong Kong

IT is an emerging industry here as far as you will be concerned, with the traditional centre being in Shenzhen, just the other side of the HK border. However, the place you really need to be looking at is called Zhao Qing (pro. Jow Ching), which is a beautiful city and furthest upstream Pearl River deep draft port in Guangdong (Canton) Province. Local Government has just commissioned a new 10 year project to make this city the leading IT rersource for new companies and IT education in China. Believe!

For coral reefs, look no futher than nearby Hainan Island, which is China's version of beach paradise. The area is a meca for all forms of related watersports, at seriously cheap prices

Otherwise the major sensible employment options for most foreigners are: Teaching and exports. Both pay extremely well, and you may wish to consider teaching IT in a University as another option - all you need is a vocational teaching certificate such as TEFL.

There are l a lot of Canadians here, and I run a website offering advice and resources for foreigners just like yourself. Have a look at the website, and you can contact me directly from our contact page:
Sorry, looks like I cannot post the website link here yet, so you better PM me instead

Finally, please know I consider that I have a far freer lifestyle and much better standard of living that I had in UK. Please contact me for further information.

best wishes
Jonno