Move to Yellowknife?

[yyzpilotguy]

Question to anyone who has been there/done that. Did you move to Yellowknife for a foot in the door job as a newbie CPL?
If you could go back in time, would you do it again?

[McTarmac]

Do it
You might love it, you might not
Either way,
You will have stories and experiences, you will remember forever:
I’d do it again in a heartbeat

[Donald]

Yes and yes.

[PostmasterGeneral]

Absolutely yes. And yes.

[Float_lover]

Yellowknife is a full-size town, it's pretty nice, the housing cost is prohibitive but otherwise, it's way better than a lot of NW Ontario or north Manitoba towns where you can find an entry-level job!

[Liftdump]

Absolutely

[young grasshopper]

Born here, but stayed and love it. It’s expensive, but it’s all relative: you can substitute teach on your days off (no qualifications required, just a criminal records check), and make over $300/day to supplement income if desired. Gas is $1.50, but we typically only drive 8-10k per year. Probably less if you don’t have kids.

PM with any questions!



Jeff

[Skysurfer1]

Yes! Loved that city. Regret leaving for a different base. Young community with lots going on outside work.

The winters are long but actually loved it then. Dress appropriate!!

I’d go back if a jet base opened in a heartbeat.

[palebird]

What a dump. Speaking from experience. Lot's of delusional people trying to justify their experience. There is nothing nice about it. Maybe if the cost of living was 1/3 of what it is now. You want a northern experience in a good way keep going west. But the cost of living does not justify living in the north.

[yyzpilotguy]

Thanks for the responses everyone. Looks like a 7:1 vote for the move. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

[Just another canuck]

…

[co-joe]

Are you going up as a "lurker" or as a rampie? If you're planning on lurking, best have 2 different resumes, one that mentions being a pilot and one that doesn't.

[just clearing the trees]

In my experience, the NWT is a nicer place than northern Ontario, Manitoba or Saskatchewan. The only place you're likely to find a more enjoyable "northern experience" is the Yukon. Yellowknife itself is not without its charms, but still overall a dump. Far superior to other comparable cities like Thompson though. The cost of living is off the charts expensive and while the local operators pay a bit more than comparable jobs down south, it's not actually enough to make up for that extra expense. If you enjoy the outdoors or at least have enough of an open mind to try new hobbies, you won't be bored. If you're a stick in the mud about that stuff, you'll quickly find yourself in the camp of "there's nothing to do here." It's largely what you make of it, in that regard. Career progression is generally pretty good and the experience you'll gain will be very interesting and well regarded when you decide to move on.

[Cheftony]

Highly recommend it. Best flying I have ever done. Amazing group of people. Do it !

[PersonPersonson]

I'd go back in a heartbeat. Yellowknife is a really wild place. If you plan to sit on your couch all winter you won't enjoy it.... but that goes for anywhere really. There's a real sense of community there. Everything is a 10 minute drive or less. Life is simpler in the north in the best way you could imagine.

[WANP]

Yellowknife is a good place to live.
While I was only there a few years, I enjoyed it.

[Bug_Stomper_01]

I worked there for years and was “offered” to move there. I just about spit my beer out when the boss man said that. The only entity that benefits from you moving there is the employer. It’s a nice place to visit, not live.

[Pat Richard]

Looks like pilots are the ones who enjoy that place.

As an AME, who did many contracts over several years up there, I was never excited to go there and always happy to leave. Overpriced hole of a place with nothing to offer except snow sports and insect evasion.

Not sure what the gaga's in this thread are raving about but I found that place to be a sort of TBay of the North.

[young grasshopper]

Pat Richard wrote:

As an AME, who did many contracts over several years up there, I was never excited to go there and always happy to leave.

I think this describes how every rotator feels about their place of employment (I have commuter friends who say the same about YYZ/YVR).

Pat- I think you honestly did a great job of proving that everyone likes something different, and this place isn’t for everyone. And that’s OK! My folks and in-laws are both here in YZF. I love the fact that they are here, and I can be really involved in coaching my kids’ activities because everything is so close. I drop them off to school each day and I’m home most nights. The pay is great too (yes, it is expensive though). For me, that outweighs the fact that this place is isolated and cold.

I could never live in YYZ or on an acreage in the middle of nowhere. However, I have friends who say that it is their dream to someday live in one of those places. My advice is if people are up for trying something new, move up here and try it out (don’t rotate). Be involved in the community: join a team, volunteer with a club, try coaching a sport, basically just get out there and meet new people! And, when/if it’s time to leave, do it! But, at least when you move, you can say you tried it out. You might confirm to yourself that it’s just the TBay of the North…or you might look back at it as just a great memory of starting a career and look back fondly at the great people you met along the way. Regardless, I completely agree: it’s not for everyone.

[tanxiaoneng]

I'm considering the same thing and would definitely love some northern flying experiences now or later!

But how did you guys land a job there in the first place? Did you pay personal visits to the airline offices to talk, worked on the ramp first, or what?

Appreciate any information!

[linnoiemclaren]

Suppose the company provides good conditions in another city, including a good salary and housing. Why not try to move to Yellowknife? However, before moving, look at the weather and the climate; it may be uncomfortable for you to be there because of the weather, but we don't know. All these things you have to check because moving is a serious thing! For example, I was offered a higher position at Alabaster about 3 years ago because I lived alone. I immediately moved there without hesitation for career growth. It's good that I was even provided with this website -- realtysouth.com, which had a catalog of houses and apartments in Alabaster.

[yyzpilotguy]

So I thought I'd post an update 11 months later. I moved to Yellowknife from Toronto in February, 2022. Took a pilot-in-waiting job, but luckily inside working in dispatch. Look forward to being back in the cockpit in a month or two, on track as promised after about a year in waiting. Yes it's cold and dark in winter, yes rent is expensive and can be hard to find a place, but I'm loving the 5 minute drives to everything, hanging with like minded pilots from all over Canada, plus my GF found a job in only a few days, also at the Airport, so it's all good so far.

[Bug_Stomper_01]

So I thought I'd post an update 11 months later. I moved to Yellowknife from Toronto in February, 2022. Took a pilot-in-waiting job, but luckily inside working in dispatch. Look forward to being back in the cockpit in a month or two, on track as promised after about a year in waiting. Yes it's cold and dark in winter, yes rent is expensive and can be hard to find a place, but I'm loving the 5 minute drives to everything, hanging with like minded pilots from all over Canada, plus my GF found a job in only a few days, also at the Airport, so it's all good so far.

Enjoy!