I made a thread like this on TT, but I thought I'd ask here too because of the unusually high amount of Canadian posters and just to get more feedback.
As mentioned elsewhere, the store I work at closes in a few weeks. After that I'll have unemployment insurance, my income tax rebate, and a small salary from my other job to go on for a little while. There's not many jobs around here, and it's a pretty shitty town anyway, so I think that -for the first time in my life- I'm going to move to another city. If I stay within the province I can still collect EI, so it looks like Fredericton is my best bet. There's lots of jobs and apartments, and it's apparently very friendly to a monolingual pedestrian like myself. It's just that... I really have no idea what I'm doing. I'm trying to get a transfer from my other job, and casually browsing Kijiji and Wowjobs for jobs and apartments.
What else is good to know? What should I be doing exactly? How the fuck do I get my stuff to another city with basically no help from the outside?
If you own no vehicle, cannot drive (i.e. you can't rent one), and cannot obtain the services of a friend who will help, then your options become fairly limited.
I don't know where you are now (I know you're in NB), so I don't know how far you're going.
You can pay a moving service to bring your stuff, but that can get expensive and should only be a last resort. if you have an uncertain future ahead in a new town, one option may be to rough it and only bring a few things you can carry yourself (so probably a backpack and 1-2 suitcases tops). Look for the cheapest accommodations you can and start looking for work. If you find work, immediately start looking for a better place to live. If you can't find anything, you'll be in good shape to skulk back home (or try your luck in a larger city, like Montreal, Halifax, or Toronto). Additionally, travelling light will force you to get out and explore your newly adopted municipality (and free you up to look for better lodgings if need be).
Additional considerations: Looking for rooms to rent that you can't go and inspect in person is a veritable minefield of FUN AND DANGER. It's also another reason to travel light, in case you need to flee hostile lodgings. And definitely don't sign any long leases (or any lease for that matter) unless you have obtained a stable job that pays the rent AND you like the pace and feel comfortable there. Ideally, you should get a few prospective apartments, take a 1-3 day trip to inspect them, and then decide on one. But if you can't go and see them then plan things so that you can stay mobile if you need to.
In the meantime what do you do with all your stuff? Well, many storage companies will drop off a small container right at your door, and come pick it up to put in storage. If things work out and you feel properly secure, you can come back and get all your stuff, whether it's with the help of a bunch of new friends or by paying a moving service.
Of course, if you ARE able to scout ahead AND things look good, then making a greater starting commitment (signing a lease, moving without storing your stuff, etc.) may still be alright. Though really that should still be contingent on having a job in hand.
Also, you probably should not move unless you have enough money to pay your way for several months (including any return costs) OR a guaranteed job. If you have time on your hands and can make a round trip in a day, it may be worth it to go to an interview (but only for a real job. Chasing minimum wage jobs is something you can do in town and isn't remotely cost-effective or feasible from a distance).
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Topic: Like Witness Relocation, But More Expensive: Moving (Read 1984 times)