Vincent reflects on his IEC working holiday in Canada almost 10 years later

My name is Vincent, I’m 37 years old. I work in sales for a mobility tech company in Paris, I’m originally from the south of France and I went to Canada on an IEC Working Holiday visa in 2017.

I did my working holiday in Vancouver in 2017. I was selected in the draw at the end of 2016 and I left at the end of March 2017 to activate my permit.

Why Vancouver specifically? Because I wanted to keep a direct flight between France and Canada, and I also wanted to improve my English, which is why I chose the English-speaking part of the country.

I also wanted to live in a city close to nature, which I found in Vancouver with the sea and the mountains.

Precisely because of how easy it is to obtain a work visa without income requirements or a job offer or anything like that. The WHV, which is open to young people aged 18 to 35, was the best and fastest way for me to go.

During my WHV, I worked to support myself. I worked in tourism to improve my English so I was having fairly regular conversations with English speakers with different accents.

I worked in a bike rental shop before moving into my preferred field, which is transport management, and I became a bus dispatcher for the Port of Vancouver.

Given the proximity to the Pacific Ocean, I took advantage of the opportunity to go to Hawaii at prices that were unbeatable compared with a return flight from Europe. I went to Hawaii for about ten days. I also travelled through the Canadian Rockies in western Canada, where the landscapes are truly magnificent and unique in the world.

I worked as a sales assistant in a bike rental shop near Stanley Park, and I was also a bus dispatcher, where I coordinated the arrival of buses picking up passengers departing on or returning from cruise ships at the Port of Vancouver.

The most unusual job I had was being a background performer, appearing in films and TV series shot in Vancouver, as the city is very well known for film and television production.

What struck me was how fast administrative procedures are. In half a day, you can get your social insurance number, your phone number, and open a bank account.

The second thing is the level of trust Canadians have. There’s no need to prove that you earn a million times the rent to get a room in a shared flat. That’s really appreciated, and it means you can settle in quite quickly thanks to people’s trust and openness.

The preparation before the trip was mainly financial. I made sure I had some savings to cover any unexpected situations I might face once there, and also, for reassurance, I bought a return ticket for around nine or ten months later, just to be sure I had a ticket in case I ended up broke over there.

The insurance was Globe WHV, recommended by pvtistes.net.

I gained a lot from this trip and I’m still benefiting from it today, even though it’s been almost eight years.

First of all, professionally, even though they were what you might call odd jobs, it allowed me to greatly improve my English, as I was speaking English every day, and that still helps me in my job today.

Another thing is that I grew personally, gaining much more independence and self-confidence, and learning to be comfortable on my own and at ease with myself in all situations.

I left when I was 28 but I don’t think there is a perfect time to leave, whether you’re between 18 and 35. You don’t need to feel ready in advance because I don’t think you ever truly are. The most important thing is to make sure you have some financial savings to cover your needs for the first two months in case things don’t go well, and then you’ll be ready in the moment.

I also want to say to anyone who’s wondering whether they’ll miss home or not: go for it, go abroad. Travelling is what will make you the most open-minded, help you make friends all over the world, and challenge yourself too because you’ll step out of your comfort zone. That will make you feel confident and independent, and I think that’s what matters most.