Ottawa - Post Report Question and Answers
What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
These are about ten full-time jobs for spouses at the Embassy. Otherwise you can work on the economy with approval. - Sep 2023
It's easy to get permission to work, but I don't know how easy it is to find a job. - Aug 2015
Yes, if you have French. - May 2014
NO! An Ontario teacher certificate is required to be a substitute teacher and the local university floods the market, making it very competitive. The embassy has reduced the number of positions open to family members as part of the ongoing Federal budget issues. - Jul 2013
I'm not sure. A lot of jobs here require English and French, so that could be a stumbling block. - Jan 2013
Not really. You get a letter from the Canadians, but it seems like there is a lot more to getting a job. I am not sure any spouses work on the economy. - Dec 2010
I don't have any personal experience with this. I don't sense that there are a lot of opportunities for non-Canadian citizens, given that Ottawa is a government town. I could be wrong, though. - Aug 2010
That would be difficult due to restrictive labour regulations on non-citizens/permanent residents. Also, in Ottawa, many of the jobs (esp. government) require bilingualism which is a big negative if you don't speak French. Kanata is Ottawa's version of San Jose and until the downturn, was a very vibrant tech community. It still is in some respects but probably not as easy to find employment as it used to be. - Nov 2009
