‘I was a bit shy at first but quickly got to know a few people’

Brian Sheehy (27), from Baltimore in west Cork, quit his job in insurance in Dublin to move to Toronto in March (read about his reasons for leaving in his pre-departure interview: Quitting my great job for an adventure in Toronto). Here, he tells us about his first few months in Canada.

“I was meant to fly out on March 13th, but my grandmother was ill and passed away on the 12th. I rebooked my flights to stay until after the funeral. It was even harder saying goodbye to my family, given the circumstances.

“The first few days in Toronto were really tough. My head was all over the place, going from a house full of people to being completely on my own in a strange city.

“I was a bit shy at first but quickly got to know a few people in the hostel I was staying in. The Irish Canadian Immigration Centre were hugely helpful, and I went to a seminar for new immigrants which gave advice on everything from getting a job to opening a bank account.

“I moved out of the hostel only last week. It was a struggle to find a house, especially without a credit rating here. It took time to figure out my budget and how much I could afford on rent, and where I wanted to live. I probably stayed too long in the hostel, but I made lots of friends there and got my bearings for the downtown area.

"I saw on Facebook through a mutual friend that a guy I was in school with was looking for a roommate. So I'm moving to the Distillery District, a really cool area of the city with lots of new bars and restaurants.

“After I took part in a video about my intentions to emigrate for The Irish Times in January, two people reached out through LinkedIn. One well-connected Irish woman gave me some really good work contacts and a lot of great advice about the move.

"Through her, I was put in touch with the Toronto office of Allianz, the company I worked with in Dublin, and after a few interviews I was offered a similar role to the one I held before. I'm delighted. The same company that gave me a job in the middle of a recession in Ireland has also given me an opportunity after I decided to leave home. It will further my career and give me the international experience I wanted.

“Another man here 17 years also got in touch and we’ve been meeting regularly for coffee. His local knowledge has been invaluable.”