Job opportunities in Canada for an Indian CA and CFA Level III pass-out

Water Cooler Careers
#1

Hi Guys, I am a 25 year old guy looking to permanently move to Canada from India. I am trying to get a sense of the financial consultancy job market in Canada for my profile. I have total 3 years of work experience of which 1 year has been in business valuations in one of the top 10 players in business valuations in India. The other 2 years were in direct tax at Ernst & Young (I made a shift to finance and I look to make a career in finance once I move to Canada). I am a Indian Chartered Accountant and I have completed the CFA program in June this year. The broad areas I am seeking guidance in are:

  1. Is my profile good enough to land a job in Canada - Do I meet the essentials to land a financial consultancy job (M&A, deal advisory, business valuations)?

  2. How must I go about landing a job? - What are the portals I should be applying at? - I do not have any connects who could get me an interview in Canada.

  3. Would pursuing Canadian CPA through the Indian - Canadian MOU route help?

I would sincerely appreciate any insights that you could provide and any other thoughts on the above that you may wish to share

#2

None of your international credentials matter in Canada. You either have to find a menial job or get a local, good university degree.

#3

if you went to the top 2 Indian university with comp sci or engineering degree then the story is different…these dudes have been migrating over to MSFT and other tech campuses and now they’re starting to creep into quant funds…although most still prefer tech firms because the 9-5 and free shuttle to and from work and free in campus food and $120k salary is more than adequate for folks that are used to the middle class life in India, which is on par with lower class in red states in the US such as Alabama or Arkansas or Wyoming…

#4

Dude wants to work in investment banking.

#5

I think he’ll change his mind once he realizes what benzo highlighted: “free shuttle to and from work and free in campus food”

#6

Why does canada attract so many highly qualified indians?..

#7

They heard of some magical land of poutine and somehow, the image of flowing warm gravy resonates with them.

#8

I can speak on your number three request. I’m a fellow CPA, CA as well from Canada. Do you know if the Indian Canadian MOU route will still give you the CPA, CA title or just CPA? If it is just CPA it may be worthwhile but the whole process is much easier than the olden CA, CMA, and CGA routes and you can get it even without doing an audit. (Depends on the streams you choose).

As for your other questions, I think it will be challenging as you may need to get some Canadian exposure. I’m also a CPA,CA from Canada and a Level 3 Candidate and it’s been tough to land in financial consultancy jobs.

I recommend using Linedin to build a network and go from there.

All the best

#9

Go to states or Europe. This place has a lot of Indians looking for Jobs.

#10

For what it is worth, I know a lot of IIT sorts if Indians who work in finance (in US though, not Canada). What they ALL have in common is some kind of US degree - one of MBA, MS, PhD, etc. It is a matter of brand recognition, not quality - which is essentially invisible to other people if they are unfamiliar with your credentials. If you’re in your early to mid 20s and want to move to US or Canada, this seems like a no brainer to me.