Thread: Random Questions!

Someone suggested starting a new thread so more people would view it so here goes:

I know that lots of people come on here and ask questions, but my hubby and I are considering leaving the UK. We have to wait until he has his masters, and my daughter finishes school (she is at a crucial time) but there are loads of silly questions I have and I keep asking the hubby and he doesnt know obviously because we are both here!!

Ignoring the financial stuff, and tax stuff etc, what about education? Would my daughter have to take an equivalency test if she sits her high school exams here in Britain (which she will up to A Level standard at least)? Also - what are the quarantine rules - I have 4 cats and a dog and true, a couple of them will be too old to travel but would it be worth bringing them or should I look for new homes when the time comes?

I got the daft questions true - things like will my DVDs play there etc - I know there are different regions and stuff. Are the sockets different - all this sort of practical stuff is unimportant but stuff worth thinking about.

I am thinking of visiting BC before 2012 so that we can decide what we want - by that time the child will be finished GCSEs and into A Levels. I really dont want to distrupt her education. Would rather wait and give her the choice of what she would want to do when she hits 18.

Oh - and I have asthma - whats healthcare like over there. I currently take 3 inhalers and pay a fortune for prescriptions (although medical is free apart from that here).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - this is something we have been discussing for a few weeks now and the more we talk about it, the more we want to do it.

welcome tothe group, cannot help with all your questions, but I have 1 dvd that cannot play here, tried to play for Sheenas son and discovered our new player coulld not do that region.
Health care costd you here, you pay to visit a doctor then claim most of it back, eg $50 .00 a time and get back about $37.00 unless you pick a g.p who bulk pays then you won't pay. Prescriptions are at cost, not set price like home so depending on how much each inhaler is. some you can get generic others you cannot. I have difficulty coming to terms with cost of medication as i have had problems with mozzie bites and had to have loads of antibiotics. You can take out private healthcare but it only covers so much.
Sockets are differant
Someone here will surely be able to better advise you.

ooooops. guess i should go back to bed, been working all night

hi tinamc. well to be honest all my dvd's work here, my BBC drama ones, the whole lot. the health care is so much better than what it is in uk, you pay for each visit, but then you get all of it back, except $20, around 40 quid. an average visit will cost $56 and you will be in with the doctor for a good hour, not like 5 minutes like the doctors over there. i have heaps of electrical equipment that i brought with me and i just went to an electrical shop in the uk and bought an adaptor for around 7 quid. the pratical stuff is easy to deal with and its not like you are in the north pole haha it is pretty good here in that respect and there is always somebody to give a helping hand.

Originally Posted by tinamc

Someone suggested starting a new thread so more people would view it so here goes:

I know that lots of people come on here and ask questions, but my hubby and I are considering leaving the UK. We have to wait until he has his masters, and my daughter finishes school (she is at a crucial time) but there are loads of silly questions I have and I keep asking the hubby and he doesnt know obviously because we are both here!!

Ignoring the financial stuff, and tax stuff etc, what about education? Would my daughter have to take an equivalency test if she sits her high school exams here in Britain (which she will up to A Level standard at least)? Also - what are the quarantine rules - I have 4 cats and a dog and true, a couple of them will be too old to travel but would it be worth bringing them or should I look for new homes when the time comes?

I got the daft questions true - things like will my DVDs play there etc - I know there are different regions and stuff. Are the sockets different - all this sort of practical stuff is unimportant but stuff worth thinking about.

I am thinking of visiting BC before 2012 so that we can decide what we want - by that time the child will be finished GCSEs and into A Levels. I really dont want to distrupt her education. Would rather wait and give her the choice of what she would want to do when she hits 18.

Oh - and I have asthma - whats healthcare like over there. I currently take 3 inhalers and pay a fortune for prescriptions (although medical is free apart from that here).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - this is something we have been discussing for a few weeks now and the more we talk about it, the more we want to do it.

Hi Tinamc

Welcome to brits abroad and we have been in Canada for 2 years from the UK and just got our perm res.
OK first of all they are not silly questions as we were told our UK DVDs and CDs would not work out here so sold them on ebay including the kids disney collection. When we got our shipment we found a dvd and a couple of cds in a box - much to my horror they worked. Most dvd players work on multi regional so bring yours with you and our UK CDs work in the player and the car.

Sockets are called resepticals and are completly different working with 120v not 240v. If you need a 240 supply for lets say your prized Technics system from UK its possible you can run a seperate supply to a different type of resepticale {its different so you dont plug in a 120v toaster by mistake} this can be done from the fuse box and you would just need to change the plugs on the technics. Always get a fully qualified electrician to do this work.

Pets - We came with 2 dogs and a cat which had to have a full check up with the vet just prior to our flight. We chose not to sedate as alot of vets dont recomend and didnt bother with the pet passports which means they would be quarantined if we return to UK. The UK is rabies free so no quarantine on arrival in Canada, its fairly straight forward and if you ask your vet in UK they will know all about whats required. I would recommend getting your pets a rabies vax once you arrive in Canada as dogs like to explore their new surroundings and chase a few skunks and squirrels.

Health - its the Ohip card in Ontario which is like the NHS Some employers provide workers with health insurance and dental. For BC try a search B.C. Government home. and you should find more info.

Not sure about A levels and education as my kids are younger but their school here is superb and they love it esp getting collected and dropped off in the Freddy Kruger school bus. In our part of Canada its the norm for the kids to be involved in activities from sport to needle work and the wierd kid is the one stood on the street corner. Good luck if you go for it and feel free to ask anything else

Regards Andy + team

Andy, you are a star!! Thanks for all your answers, they are brilliant. And congrats on permanent res! I know by the time we are ready to leave the UK some of my animals will be too old to go (one of the cats is currently 6) but will get all that checked out closer to the time. The hubby was checking on jobs, housing etc, and when I started asking the questions about what we could take with us he didnt know the answers! I mean, in my house there are two Wii's - love em! We also got the biggest DVD collection which I dont want to lose at all as its cost us a fortune! I am really hoping that when we are ready to leave my daughter will want to come with us but by that time she will be 18 and an adult so its a decision she will have to make for herself.

Sheena, thanks for all your help - you have been great! Got a few years to get my head round the differences between Canada and UK but thats what the net is for! Got to have something to do when I go back to work on Monday