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I've decided to see the world a little before I commit myself to working long hours for the rest of my career and always liked the look of Canada. Bit about me - I'm 24, from the UK and a VFX Artist for film. There's quite a big film industry out in Canada, especially in Montreal which is why I've chosen it. As it stands, I've applied for my working holiday visa and should get it within a few weeks. I will possibly have a job offer for when I go out there at a VFX house but nothing set in stone. Either way, I'd like to head out there by summer with or without a job offer. I think I'll be fine I do get the job offer - it doesn't require me to speak French to people as it's basically just working in an office with people from all over the world. But am I screwed if I can't speak French? I've heard Montreal is very bilingual but they don't like employing people for bar work unless they can speak French as well, and bar work is something I'll have to do if I don't get a VFX job straight away. I'm considering learning as much as I can now, but not sure where to start as French Canadian is apparently quite different to original French. Anyone able to shed some light on this?
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Jan 27, 2014 15:17
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BurtLington posted:I've decided to see the world a little before I commit myself to working long hours for the rest of my career and always liked the look of Canada. Bit about me - I'm 24, from the UK and a VFX Artist for film. There's quite a big film industry out in Canada, especially in Montreal which is why I've chosen it. As an analogy: Canadian French is to French French as Canadian English is to English English. No idea about the rest. No you're not screwed if you don't speak French as far as getting around and doing stuff in Montreal goes, but it's moderately likely it will hurt you as far as getting a poo poo job goes.
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Jan 27, 2014 17:36
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Yeah if you're starting from scratch, don't worry about the continental differences in accent and dialect. That's like a French guy asking if he should learn American English or Australian English, just start by learning English. You can probably still get a retail job in Montreal if you don't speak French, it might just limit your options.
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Jan 29, 2014 16:13
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Cool cheers guys. Time to learn some French then!
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Jan 30, 2014 17:44
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If for whatever reason you'll need to get a job in retail/service (even bar tending), knowing French will be a huge asset. You might be able to get by with a job in a more English-speaking area such as Westmount, but you're severely limiting your options. I had a friend from Vancouver who came to spend a year and she found it next to impossible to find work, until she got a job in a TV office (for English productions). As for VFX work, do you have any company leads? I have a friend who does a lot of freelance VFX work to help him pay some bills while he isn't directing music videos and whatnot. I can look into things with him if you want and whatnot, since he seems to know all of the good artists at the bigger VFX houses on a first name basis.
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Jan 31, 2014 00:38
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Frost000 posted:If for whatever reason you'll need to get a job in retail/service (even bar tending), knowing French will be a huge asset. You might be able to get by with a job in a more English-speaking area such as Westmount, but you're severely limiting your options. I had a friend from Vancouver who came to spend a year and she found it next to impossible to find work, until she got a job in a TV office (for English productions). That would be great - I was at one of the big VFX houses in London who have an office in Montreal. They might have a position for me but I'm still waiting to hear from them. I'd definitely like to try and get straight back in to VFX when I'm over there so anything you can do would be very much appreciated.
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Jan 31, 2014 14:41
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I think the French French/Canadian French difference is a bit more extreme than the American/Canadian English vs. British English difference, so I'd recommend trying to find some resources made in Canada while learning the language, if you can. (TV Shows, etc.) Most people in Montreal can speak some English, but not everyone does and not all the people who do can do so well. I also know that Quebecers don't like Anglophones very much, though Montreal is probably a bit better for it. I have heard it's hard to get a job in Quebec if you don't have a French name. What made you choose Montreal over any of the English cities, like Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, etc.?
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Jan 31, 2014 16:08
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impossiboobs posted:I think the French French/Canadian French difference is a bit more extreme than the American/Canadian English vs. British English difference, so I'd recommend trying to find some resources made in Canada while learning the language, if you can. (TV Shows, etc.) Most people in Montreal can speak some English, but not everyone does and not all the people who do can do so well. I also know that Quebecers don't like Anglophones very much, though Montreal is probably a bit better for it. I have heard it's hard to get a job in Quebec if you don't have a French name. Until you get to a near-fluent level, nobody'll notice what kind of French you're speaking; you just sound like someone learning the language. Before you can tack on a specific native accent, you have to get rid of your initial accent, and that's not happening right today. As for understanding native speaker, beginner level second language materials won't be very different whether you use European or Canadian French sources. Nobody's going to teach you to speak a language in the hosed up way natives do right off the bat (Find an ESL source that uses "Ain't", I dare you.) People don't always speak a second language and they have varying levels of fluency. No poo poo. There are some people who don't like Anglophones (And trust me, the ROC has plenty of people who don't like francophones) but they're in the minority, and as long as you have a good attitude that shouldn't be a problem. Don't go be british after sunset on St. John Baptiste day on Abraham plains and you should be fine. Nobody cares whether your name is French or English; they do care about your language skills since that affects your ability to do your job. FrozenVent fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Jan 31, 2014 |
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Jan 31, 2014 16:16
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BurtLington posted:That would be great - I was at one of the big VFX houses in London who have an office in Montreal. They might have a position for me but I'm still waiting to hear from them. I'd definitely like to try and get straight back in to VFX when I'm over there so anything you can do would be very much appreciated. MPC? I don't think I know anyone who works there, but I'll ask my friend next time I see him. Funny, I had actually visited their Santa Monica office a few years ago. I saw that they had some openings here as well and since I'm in between jobs, maybe I'll apply... Not for anything technical, though. I'm no VFX artist, unfortunately. Looks like you don't have PMs here. Feel free to e-mail me at nicklacroix at hotmail dot com.
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Jan 31, 2014 18:20
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Getting around Montreal with limited or no French is definitely doable: I have family and friends who are English-only in Montreal and are fine. I could see employment in the service or retail industry being a problem if you speak no French at all though. Montreal has several schools (McGill, Concordia, etc), so there's decent competition for low-level jobs during the school year. I wouldn't worry about learning "France french" versus "Quebec french". You'll sound like an anglophone speaking French no matter what. I learned French in school (my parents are Anglophones) and I can understand both France-french and Quebec-french equally well.
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Feb 1, 2014 10:34
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Thanks all, you've been very helpful. How is the public transport in Montreal? I've got a full UK driving license but would rather not have to invest in a car.
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Feb 8, 2014 14:42
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Montreal,has - IMO - the best public transport system in eastern Canada. Extensive subway, decent buses... If you're sticking to the eastern two thirds of the island and the points of interest in the suburbs, you're fine without a car. If you want to go further out that might be more of a pain in the rear end, but you can try without a car for a while and readjust.
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Feb 8, 2014 15:10
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BurtLington posted:Thanks all, you've been very helpful. Montreal has great public transport. If you live near a subway station, you probably don't need a car. Also, the major roads in the city seem to be permanently under construction, so I personally would avoid owning a car if possible anyway. Then again, it's cold in the winter.
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Feb 13, 2014 19:42
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Booked my flights - heading there on 15th April. Sorted my insurance and bank account. Just worried about finding an apartment now!
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Mar 7, 2014 00:32
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Hope you found an apartment and got the job you wanted. Heading to Montréal tomorrow for a week. I'm from Belgium, but my girlfriend is from there, and she want to go see the apartment she grew up in one more time before her parents leave it. Last time I was there was during the christmas holidays and I'm so glad the winter is over. I'm not really build for that much cold and darkness. My girlfriend needs some quiet time with her parents (i.e. a hokey game), and I'll probably just hang out in bars with my English friend who lives there. I haven't found many places I really like, except casa del popolo. Anybody got tips on similar bars (or whatever) that are fun to do?
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May 15, 2014 06:54
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I'm driving up from Boston with my boyfriend for a week in August (not during Osheaga), we're staying at the Zero 1 and plan on walking or taking the metro around the city, is this generally workable? Also we're planning on visiting the Science Centre and Biodôme but are looking for other fun stuff to do, we like seedy/weird tourism and metal bands. Katakombes is definitely on the to-do list. Also, I'm assuming it's a good idea to leave the Bruins jerseys at home?
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May 15, 2014 14:33
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Heh, everyone will have forgotten the Bruins by Saturday. Metro and walking is absolutely doable in Montreal, most of the touristy stuff is near the stations anyway.
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May 15, 2014 15:47
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